Release of Transact for Extended Studies

We are pleased to announce that the new student billing and payment system, Transact, which main Campus has already implemented, was officially released for the Division of Extended Studies (DES) on September 21, 2023. 

Project Overview

With the goal of improving the student experience, streamlining operations, and creating a unified ecosystem between DES and general campus, this project consolidates the existing vendor landscape to just a single vendor called Transact. Transact offers expanded payment options and enhanced financial data security for students, and streamlined business operations with enhanced data reporting for staff. 

The release of the Transact system was phased due to an interdependency with another DES project, Slate for Extended Studies International Programs (IP). 

• Phase 1 - August 29, 2023: Release of International Programs’ eMarkets for application checkout and payment of tuition and fees. 

• Phase 2 - September 21, 2023: Release of all other DES eMarkets and modules such as cashiering and payment plans. 

Preparation for the Change

The implementation team worked hard to ensure DES stakeholders were ready for the changes to come with the new system. The following steps were taken in preparation for the system release:

• The change team formed and engaged with the DES Advisory Committee for subject matter expertise and input on testing, training and transition to operations. 
• The implementation team conducted system testing with input from key stakeholders across DES.
• The implementation team completed system training for staff directly interacting with the new system.
• Project leadership reviewed readiness (including system, vendor, and people change readiness, among other key aspects of readiness) at each project phase, providing input on progress and preparedness for go-live. 

While the business decision to adopt Transact at DES was due to the many benefits offered, the most significant change for existing DES students is a service fee now applied to their payments. Much consideration and effort went into preparing both students and staff for this change. In partnership with business process owners, subject matter experts, and feedback from others, the change team completed the following: 

• Held individual meetings with impacted DES departments. 
• Provided helpful documentation tailored to each department to ensure they were informed of the changes for staff and students and were prepared to answer student questions about the new system.
• Provided student-facing groups with templated messages to address questions about the service fee.
• Released an email announcement to existing/returning DES students to inform them of the service fee, the reason behind it, the benefits of the new system, contact for further assistance and a link to frequently asked questions.

Next Steps

In partnership with DES Student Services, the implementation team is focused on ensuring students and staff have the support they need with the introduction of this change. Once outstanding student and staff questions and concerns have been addressed and any identified issues are resolved, the project will come to a close and ongoing management of Transact will transition to the Business Lead, Andrew Kaplan, and Service Offering Manager, Don Agoncillo.