The budget for fully implementing the Student Integrated System is more than $40 million and the tuition increase set last week was due in part to the new SIS. With such a high cost to the University, it is important that SIS functions optimally and although SIS has beneficial new features, problems with the system can overshadow these. The Student Systems Project has done an excellent job responding to student concerns once it becomes aware of them, but to further improve SIS new feedback features are needed.
One major concern for students is the incomplete information displayed for some students in the Academic Requirements section. Carole Horwitz, director of communications for the Project, explained that not all the data formerly contained in students’ VISTAA reports was transferred to SIS. She noted that this problem was anticipated and students needs only to contact their schools, which will contact the Project to have students’ information updated. Horwitz said the section was made available even though it was incomplete for some students because otherwise the Project would not know which information was not transferred properly. The Project’s awareness of the missing information and continual updates are a good start, but do not wholly address the problem.
Because the Project is relying on students themselves to notice discrepancies in their information, the academic requirements feature should include a disclaimer to alert students that their information may not be complete. School contact information should also be listed so students know where to send corrections. This will prevent students from becoming unnecessarily concerned about requirements they thought were complete and allow the Project to update students’ records more quickly.
Other problems with SIS’s functionality may frustrate students, especially because there is currently no way to contact the Project with concerns. The Project does have a comprehensive help center to assist users with navigating SIS — a necessary component of any new system — but there are currently no means of suggesting improvements for the system. The weekly calendar view, for instance, is very difficult to read, especially when compared with the simple day and time schedule provided by ISIS.
When this was brought to Horwitz’s attention, she immediately began looking into ways to improve the feature. The Project’s willingness to respond to student concerns is admirable but to fully address perceived problems, a feedback feature should be added to SIS. Horwitz said a feedback feature was initially considered, but the Project thought most questions would be about using the system or academic concerns and wanted those questions directed to the appropriate office. Clearly labeling a feedback feature for suggestions to improve SIS should keep users from confusing a feedback link with the help center link.
SIS has many new features, particularly the consolidation of course offerings with enrollment, that clearly improve on the old systems’. User feedback, however, is necessary for the Project to continually update and improve SIS.
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