SIS upgrade has added functionality and is more intuitive, inclusive
By Ellen Walter
The Student Information System (SIS), which is an integral part of students’ and faculty members’ daily operations, has an upgraded appearance and functionality as part of an update that has been in the making for the past year.
This is the first upgrade released by the student-system vendor since going live in 2008. In addition to the upgrade, the team decided to take on additional projects, including improving the user experience by creating student and faculty home pages that are more modern and intuitive.
Another important change was not aesthetic or operational; it’s one that reaffirms Case Western Reserve’s commitment to inclusivity. Students now have the option to share their preferred name, personal pronouns and gender identity in SIS—information that faculty can also access on class rosters, advising rosters and on some administrative pages.
This significant change is one of many, including:
- A more intuitive, customizable homepage;
- Phased rollout of the academic advisement report to graduate students;
- Streamlined direct deposit enrollment for student refunds;
- Reworked class permission-requesting process; and
- New, on-demand account statements.
Executive co-sponsors of the project were Sue Workman, vice president for University Technology and chief information officer, and Donald Feke, vice provost for undergraduate education. The upgrade team was composed of and supported by individuals from several offices, including:
- Office of the University Registrar;
- University Technology;
- Student Financial Services;
- Financial Aid;
- Enrollment Operations;
- Undergraduate Studies; and
- School of Graduate Studies.
In recent years, feedback regarding the student system reflected its dated appearance and navigation. The CWRU upgrade leadership team—composed of Amy Hammett, university registrar and director of student information systems and services; Matt Panchur, enterprise applications manager; Stacy Mitchell, associate director for student information systems; and Tony Kramar, SIS service manager for University Technology—wanted to ensure that student and faculty concerns were solicited throughout the process.
To reach this goal, the team sent a survey out to randomly selected faculty and students and also held meetings to receive feedback on the current system to help guide the direction of the user experience. Sessions were held in a group format and also in one-on-one meetings, which involved iterative usability testing to ensure navigation was intuitive and accessible.
Radhika Duggal, a third-year biochemistry major and vice president of academic affairs for the Undergraduate Student Government (USG), acted as a student representative to the project. She even brought Mitchell, Hammett and Feke to a USG general assembly meeting.
Duggal’s goals in representing student interests were clear: “I hope that students find SIS easier and more efficient to use.”
Addressing potential log-in problems
For those who have trouble logging in, make sure to use the URL case.edu/sis, update your bookmarked URL and clear your cache. The University Technology website offers instructions for how to clear the cache.
View details about the SIS upgrade on the University Registrar’s website.