Responding to a rapidly changing world is what IT professionals in higher education do every day. And when COVID-19 hit, those organizing the SAP Higher Education and Research User Group (HERUG) Conference pivoted from an in-person to a virtual experience, planning to welcome hundreds of top professionals from around the world.

Hosted during the mornings of April 19^th to 21^st, 2021, this premiere conference will deliver cutting-edge presentations, networking sessions, polls, vendor booths, virtual tours and the convenience of logging in right at home.

“The very nature of IT and higher education is evolving and we innovate in response,” says Cathy Eberts, HERUG 2021 Conference Chair and Director Enterprise Applications and Deputy CIO, University of Toronto. “Even though we’re far apart, we’re thrilled to host an event that will help others to learn, network, and expand their horizons.”

While the HERUG Planning Committee was expecting to host the in-person conference at the University of Toronto in 2020, the organizers delayed the event in favour of a virtual experience that will be hosted on the Hopin Web Conferencing platform. Previously, U of T hosted in-person conferences in 2000 and 2009.

Just like pre-COVID-19 conferences, this platform is built around audience interaction and gives attendees a sense of space – from a main stage to breakout rooms where participants can connect and network, and a virtual expo booths where attendees can speak to vendors in real time. The platform will also provide pre-recorded virtual tours of the University of Toronto, Toronto and popular tourist destinations across Canada.

The theme this year is “Innovative Solutions for the Intelligent University,” a tribute to the important and unique role played by the HERUG community in sharing new ideas and solutions, which advance and strengthen the collective mission of serving the public good through teaching and research.

“We had so many quality presentations submissions this year, we were overwhelmed. We’re proud to see how much this conference has grown in breadth and depth, providing a key resource for the higher education community,” says Eberts.

In 1997, HERUG started with a core group of attendees at its first conference at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and has grown to welcome an average of 200 participants each year. This year is ahead of schedule with currently close to 300 registrations early in the process.

“In the beginning, there was an explosion of development for the higher education sector, and this group has played a key role in working with SAP to create products that meet users’ needs,” says Sheila Brown, Chief Financial Officer at the University of Toronto, and a U of T representative at the majority of conferences since 1999. “I’m very happy we’re hosting the conference for the third time and I hope it continues to get even larger and more impactful.”

Henny Claessens has also been heavily involved in the conference since the beginning and worked at Maastricht University for over 30 years. He was Chair of the conference in 2011 and Co-Chair in 2017.

“This event has grown to create a very strong and collaborative group. The emphasis in the past has been on reaching a global audience and I expect this year will have the most attendees since it will be virtual. HERUG has a strong legacy that’s all about sharing knowledge and learning from one another.”

And it’s a legacy that continues as engaged users from around the world login to the online platform to share the latest ideas and to reconnect.

“We’re proud to be one of the world’s top research-intensive universities, driven to invent and innovate,” says Eberts. “I want to thank the planning committee for all of their work and we can’t wait to welcome everyone to our online event and ‘campus’ in April.”

Registration remains open, and this year’s conference is free to attend.

On March 3, 2021, U of T launched its first comprehensive training for Microsoft 365. Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration (EASI) is now offering an Introduction to Microsoft 365 @ U of T and High Performance Collaboration. Created with consultation from all three campuses, these courses will help U of T employees to leverage the full power of Microsoft 365 products, to work faster and smarter.

Interested community members can register for monthly instructor-led sessions and also access over 100 U of T-specific micro-learning videos through SuccessFactors: Learning Management System. In addition, EASI has also launched a new Microsoft Training Centre website, which includes a training library and additional information. Beyond the training sessions, employees can also download slides to use as additional guidance and to practice the skills they’ve learned.

“U of T has such a broad user base and employees have different needs, along with different comfort levels with technology,” says Kathleen McLeod, Services Engagement Coordinator with Enterprise Shared Services at EASI. “We’ve offered training sessions over Teams, but this provides much more in-depth training. If you just joined U of T, you can hit the ground running with the introductory course, and if you’re taking the more advanced course, you’ll get more detailed, targeted training.”

The team started working on these courses with training partner, Protiviti, at the beginning of 2020. After employees began to work remotely due to COVID-19, the previously instructor-led courses needed to be re-imagined. This led the team to create micro-learning videos that provide on-demand training.

“When employees began to work remotely, many had to quickly learn how to use Microsoft products like Teams, SharePoint, Stream, OneDrive, Forms and more,” says Gary Raposo, Senior Manager with Enterprise Shared Services at EASI. “Everyone had these new tools thrust upon them and it really highlighted the need for these courses. Now, employees can easily access and customize the training they need.”

In order to gain a full understanding of users’ needs, the development of the courses included close consultation with all three campuses and 14 divisions. If a division requires specific training needs, the Enterprise Shared Services team can provide a one-time training session co-presented with a divisional representative as well as instructor guides.

“We recognize that the training will not be one size fits all,” says Raposo. “That’s why it was important to make it extremely flexible. We’re providing extensive resources and by offering to train others in the divisions, we hope to meet everyone’s needs.”

In addition to the formal training, the team will also continue to run Connect+Learn sessions to address specific topics such as new Microsoft applications or enhancements to existing applications in a personal and interactive forum.

The first instructor-led Introduction to Microsoft 365 @ U of T session will launch on March 24 and the first instructor-led High Performance Collaboration session will launch on March 30. In April, Enterprise Shared Services will offer train-the-trainer sessions and shortly after will roll out online, interactive workshops to give course participants the opportunity to apply their learnings. Instructors will be available to answer questions as participants work through exercises.

“We have so many tools available that are easily accessible,” says McLeod. “There’s so much value that they can offer to employees and it’s important to show them in context. When everyone uses the same tools in a similar way, it allows us to work collaboratively and expand everyone’s capabilities.”