SIS Project: What We’ve Heard (January 2024)

In December, we continued our engagements with the university community by meeting with the School of Biological Sciences, Undergraduate Academic Advising Council, Student Health and Well-Being, Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute, Jacobs School of Engineering, School of Social Sciences, and groups impacted by the upcoming project freeze. The purpose of these meetings was to offer updates, give context and provide planning support for the Student Information System (SIS) Project through various presentations and discussions.  

All the groups we met with in December were highly engaged and provided invaluable feedback while raising important questions. Below are some of the themes we discussed and heard:

• New SIS – Over the last month, we have been meeting with folks to talk about the implementation of Student Lifecycle Management (SLcM), our new student information system, and they've given us some useful feedback, like how much they appreciate being included early in the project. However, questions and concerns about the timeline have been raised, as well as when to start updating internal processes to align with the new system. Attendees also asked us to help them understand how the new system will affect their customers (faculty, students, and other staff) so that they can keep them in the loop about the upcoming changes. We're working hard to provide more information and support on these issues, so stay tuned.
• Access to Data – We have heard and recognize the importance of managing the flow of information and access to data while we switch from old to new systems. We have also heard how data governance and making data available in the Activity Hubs for blending data or remediating existing reports has a huge impact on departments. 
• Integration – During discussions, questions were raised about integration, which was mentioned in two contexts. Firstly, attendees asked about specifics of how the new SLcM system will bring together the Division of Extended Studies and General Campus data, and secondly, they asked about the approach for migrating from the old to the new system while ensuring the quality and integrity of data. More details about both of these important items will be shared with the university community once known.
• Change Freezes – During meetings with groups affected by the project freeze, folks have expressed appreciation for having resources available to help them understand which projects will be impacted and learn more about the process for seeking an exception. Some questions were also raised about how to initiate an exception, the timeframe for decision-making and the criteria used to evaluate projects, all of which were addressed in the conversations and via a distributed FAQ document.

Thank you to the groups we met in December. Please know we appreciate your input. You are an essential part of our community, and we're grateful for your active involvement. We look forward to continuing these conversations with the university community. 

If it has been a while since we last met, and you would like to, we are keen to meet with you to understand your needs and concerns for the project. If you’d like to invite the SIS Project team to join a department/team meeting, please email us at esr-student@ucsd.edu.