The University of Toronto has launched the first phase of Award Explorer – a public-facing, centralized awards repository that gives current and prospective students access to thousands of awards, prizes and medals.

Undergraduate and graduate students can easily look for, and apply to, awards in a single location using a combination of keyword searches and filters, including award type, campus, college, faculty, citizenship and more.

“The University of Toronto has a wide range of need- and merit-based financial supports for students,” says Richard Levin, U of T’s university registrar and executive director of enrolment services.

“Award Explorer is a one-stop shop that will make it much easier and faster for students to find the information they need. At the same time, it will streamline the back-end experience for staff.”

The new tool, the result of a partnership between Enrolment Services and Enterprise Applications and Solutions Integration (EASI), centralizes the comprehensive annual support made available to U of T students. That includes nearly 4,500 admission scholarships, 6,000 in-course scholarships and close to 19,000 bursaries to undergraduate and second entry programs. That’s on top of 16,000 combined awards, fellowships and bursaries to graduate students.

“In the past, students searched for awards on multiple sites and they weren’t always sure what they might be eligible for,” says Donna Wall, the director of financial aid and awards at Enrolment Services. “With the launch of Award Explorer, we’re moving toward a consistent user experience for students and staff. It’s the beginning of building greater awareness of the wide range of need- and merit-based supports available.”

Awards continue to be added to the repository daily by department and faculty administrators. During this transition, current award information will continue to reside on divisional and departmental websites to ensure this information continues to be accessible to the public. Students can also access the tool through ACORN’s “Awards and Aid” page.

“Since 2016, we’ve been gathering input and feedback from the academic divisions and other stakeholders,” says Farah Ally, the Award Explorer project manager. “Engaging closely with our key users, such as Laura Stathopoulos, director of financial aid at the School of Graduate Studies, has contributed to the institutional success of this project.”

Award Explorer is now the primary source of award information at U of T and its functionality will continue to expand. Future phases are already in progress, which include automatically matching students to awards, allowing students to apply for awards online and notifying them about funding decisions and payment information. They will also be able to track the status of their applications, track award payment history and access their award letters.

 

In 2013, U of T launched the My Research Application (MRA) to provide researchers, academic administrators and staff with a tool that ensures the effective, accurate and transparent management of research activities.

To date, close to 23,000 applications have moved through MRA in a well-defined approval process, ensuring visibility and awareness at multiple levels within the institution.

The system now includes over 1,000 annual non-funded research agreements supported by the Innovations & Partnerships Office (IPO) such as confidential disclosures, material and data transfer agreements. It’s a development that will help reduce administrative demands on U of T’s 2,800 researchers research.

“MRA has been a great productivity tool and we’re delighted to celebrate its expansion,” says Derek Newton, assistant vice-president, Innovation, Partnerships and Entrepreneurship. “MRA will now include a greater range of research agreements and these can be linked to research funds, regulatory permits or requirements and will make the process easier for our researchers.”

---

What’s Included in My Research Non-Funded Agreements?

• Confidential Disclosure Agreements
• Data Transfer Agreements
• Material Transfer Agreements
• Visiting Scientist IP Agreements
• Research Memoranda of Understanding
• Equipment Loan Agreements
• Non-Funded Collaboration Agreements
  

  ---

Not only does this application streamline processes for researchers, but it also gives department chairs and deans direct visibility into these agreements.

“This application helps me to see at a glance all of the non-funded agreements at the Faculty of Medicine – in the past, this information was stored in various locations, but now I can easily view everything on my computer or phone,” says Professor Richard Hegele, vice dean, Research & Innovation. “Kudos to the way this application was developed and rolled out – the team implemented feedback from multiple testing sessions and by and large it’s been a fairly smooth transition.”

The system also provides transparency to researchers.

“The system allows researchers to identify who to contact,” says Renee Brost, chief administrative officer of the Division of the Vice-President Research and Innovation. “They know what stage their agreements are at and can follow them through the process – much easier than tracking multiple emails. Plus, the new application stores documents so researchers can quickly refer to past information.”

But building a system to support the size and scope of U of T wasn’t an easy task.

“We have researchers accessing different types of materials or data from around the world,” says Newton. “These could include biological materials for medical research, or data that can improve classroom teaching methods and student success.”

Professor Yu Sun is familiar with the complexities. His research spans biomedical engineering and mechanical, electrical, and computer engineering.

“We collaborate with hospitals and industry, and need to have agreements in place. For example, we collaborate with clinics to test new devices for IVF treatment – for less invasive penetration of cells and for non-invasive selection of a single sperm with high DNA integrity. Instead of using hand-written forms, this application is efficient and easy to use – you just click through and submit!”

The non-funded application enhancement also uses a new user interface, which will be rolled out to the rest of My Research in the future. It’s part of a three-to five- year project, called the U of T Enterprise Modernization Project, which will transform the entire HR Talent Management Suite and the core HR, Research and Finance systems.

“We’re excited to put this new user interface from SAP into practice,” says Cathy Eberts, executive director of Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration. “Our goal is to provide a consistent, intuitive and streamlined user experience so that we can support our researchers and U of T’s mission.”

What’s next for My Research?

“We’re looking forward to continuous improvements in user experience,” says Brost. “Our goal is to support U of T’s mission by improving processes for our researchers so they can spend less time on paperwork and more time focusing on their work.”

September 17 was the big day – when U of T launched the IT Service Centre as part of the Enterprise Service Centre (ESC). The IT Service Centre is projected to streamline, track and respond to over 38,000 annual IT inquiries.

Before the launch, users would submit help requests through email, phone calls, other web applications and even paper-based processes. The ESC currently allows users to access ITS support from the Joint Operations Group (JOG); Planning, Governance, Assessment, and Communications (PGAC); and Enterprise Applications and Solutions Integration (EASI). Soon, the ESC will provide a single service desk platform for all IT requests and is available to anyone with a UTORid.

In order to ensure an effective launch process, the ESC development team informally activated the system three weeks prior to the official launch date.

“This period, that we call ‘soft launch,’ allowed us to do our due diligence where we were able to iron things out and publish a number of updates,” says Gary Raposo, manager of enterprise shared services with Enterprise Applications and Solutions Integration. “On September 17, we were impressed by the amount of people logging into the system to check it out and submit tickets, and overall the user experience was smooth.”

On the first day, users logged over 130 help requests and currently users are submitting an average of 100 tickets per day. Users are also increasingly using request forms to gain access to or help with systems, including ROSI, SharePoint and the Administrative Management Systems.

“It’s been busy but very satisfying!” says Jessica Viau, a member of the ESC development team. “When we log into the system, everything is organized and we can easily track tasks and see trends. As we have an opportunity to work in the system, we can also provide better support in the future.”

The ESC development team worked closely with SuMO IT Solutions Inc. as an implementation partner for ServiceNow, which is the platform for the ESC.

“SuMO was a great implementation partner. It took a lot of teamwork and we really learned a lot about how to optimize the system,” says Raposo. “It was a collaborative effort and while it enabled us to launch ESC initially, it has also given us the tools that we need for our development team to continue to enhance ESC in the future.”

Another factor leading to a successful onboarding process was training and change management.

“Our approach was to use the ServiceNow platform as much as possible to deliver training and now all of the material covered is in the ESC for reference,” says Viau, who was also a training lead. “I’ve had feedback from fulfillers that they like our instructional handouts because they can see how to perform tasks at a glance.”

In the future, key users will continue to add knowledge articles, allowing users to search for information and find answers before submitting a ticket.

“We’d like to prove the correlation between the increase in the number of knowledge articles and a decrease in the number incidents submitted,” says Raposo. “Users can rate the articles, allowing the team to see which ones are performing well and those that may need to be modified. We can also see what terms people are searching for – if we constantly see a particular search item, we can publish a knowledge article about it that includes things like tips and tricks. Analytics will play a big part in how we deliver service. We’re just starting to scratch the surface.”

Next steps for the ESC team include a continuous development approach to streamline current content and processes. In parallel with that, the next big effort will be to onboard more services so that in the future users will go to the ESC to submit a ticket for any IT request. In a broader sense, the ESC will also help the University process over 40,000 annual Human Resources service requests.

“Our overall goal is to provide a modern interface for U of T staff to submit all of their requests in a quick and easy way,” says Raposo. “So far, we know that users like the transparency the system provides, including being able to see their tickets and communicate with fulfillers directly. I see ESC evolving across more departments, faculties, and divisions to provide a truly consistent experience across the University.”

Thank you to the ESC Development Team: Amy Luu, Cris Diaconu, and Jessica Viau.

The team would like to thank all those who helped to make this project a success, including the following people who participated in requirements gathering and core testing:

Brenda Bannis
Rodney Branch
Magdalene Cheung
Melvin Chien
Paul Day
Tony Di Felice
Gerry Lindo
Percy Lo
Pascal Loucadellis
Nia McCash
Heather Postill
Jason Quay
Zac Ryan
Randy Samsoondar
Joanne Sukhai
Sujee Thangarajah
Pari Tsoukalas
Vicki Vokas
Ni (Nisie) Yep

It was a summer of growth and gain – a time when students could put their classroom learning to the test. This summer, eight co-op students joined Enterprise Applications and Solutions Integration (EASI) to work on projects ranging from  machine learning, business intelligence, user experience and design, SharePoint and front-end web development.

“Our student summer experience program has grown significantly over the years, and this year our students benefited from hands-on experience with high-profile projects,” says Cathy Eberts, Executive Director of EASI. “EASI also continues to benefit from this program and the new skills that students bring to each area of the department.”

The program included students from U of T’s iSchool, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, and the University of Toronto Mississauga. While it officially ran over the summer, several students will continue with EASI over the coming months.

Learn all about their experiences.

---

Wenqi Jiang

Currently completing her Master’s degree in User Experience Design and Information Systems and Design at the Faculty of Information.

What did you work on this summer with EASI?
I conducted preliminary user research with instructors and faculties for the Course Information System and the syllabi creation tool. I designed the well-being support tab, which will be added to ACORN. I also redesigned and created the front-end for the Job Evaluation Tool (JET) tool, which analyzes job descriptions to provide estimates for job pay bands.

What did you find most interesting about this experience and what did you learn?
The entire experience has been interesting. I worked on different systems, and I was involved in different UX processes and practiced different skills. One of the biggest learnings from this experience is how to work with developers. This is my first UX-related working experience, and having the chance to work with different teams and implement designs has been great. 

What do you hope to do in the future?
Early in my career I would like to be a user experience generalist.

---

Ahmed Mohamed Khedr

Currently completing his Master’s degree in Information Systems and Design at the Faculty of Information.

What did you work on this summer with EASI?
I worked with Andy Chien from the Planning & Budget Office to create a solution to help the office run their files and automatically create reports. I also helped Andy to maintain reports and processes for the office.

What did you find most interesting about this experience and what did you learn?
I loved my experience at the University of Toronto, working with the Planning & Budget Office and with EASI’s Business Intelligence department. I have learned many concepts and skills from my projects and was fascinated with how the departments communicate with each other to come up with solutions that can help everyone get the job done in the fastest and easiest way.

What do you hope to do in the future?
I would like to work in a place where I can make people’s lives better by using my technical skills and ideas.

---

Shally Liu

Currently completing her Master’s degree in Information Systems and Design at the Faculty of Information.

What did you work on this summer with EASI?
I worked on the Data Dragon project as a data analyst during this summer. This project was for Enrolment Services and it analyzed internal data for English Language Proficiency tests for all undergraduate applicants. The goal of this project was to make admission requirements more transparent and easy to understand, and to improve the process for staff working in undergraduate admissions and student recruitment.

What did you find most interesting about this experience and what did you learn?
I loved working with my teammates – everyone was nice and knowledgeable. I also improved my technical skills during my project and the team helped me out a lot. I learned how to create professional Tableau dashboards for end users and make them more efficient for the end user, allowing them to easily get the data that they need.

What do you hope to do in the future?
I hope to be a data analyst in the future.

---

Jason Quay

Currently completing his Master’s degree in Information Systems and Design at the Faculty of Information.

What did you work on this summer with EASI?
I spent the majority of my summer designing SharePoint solutions for various clients on campus such as Simcoe Hall. I was mainly exploring advanced SharePoint features and integrations with MS Flow for the purpose of automating client workflows.

One of my more notable accomplishments includes completing the redesign for EASI’s internal SharePoint portal. The intranet site will aggregate employee resources into a single platform that is easy to access and intuitive to navigate.

What did you find most interesting about this experience and what did you learn?
I found the change management and onboarding processes to be the most interesting and challenging aspects of my work this summer. I learned that change management needs to be implemented at various stages of development. Simply training clients post development isn’t sufficient. Clients need to be educated well before they have hands-on experience with systems. Various strategies such as iterative deployment also needs to be introduced to ease any potential resistance to change.

What do you hope to do in the future?
In the near future, I wish to pursue a career as a business/process analyst or a product owner. I’ve been enjoying the client-focused nature of my role thus far and hope it can be part of my future endeavours as well.

---

Jason Tang

Currently completing his Bachelor’s degree at U of T in Computer Science with a focus on Artificial Intelligence.

What did you work on this summer with EASI?
I worked on a Job Evaluation Tool (JET), which uses Natural Language Processing to estimate job pay bands from the job description alone. I also worked on a pilot project on Course Recommender, which creates recommendations based on past course history.

What did you find most interesting about this experience and what did you learn?
I learned a lot about the practical applications of machine learning and the end-to-end techniques required for it.

What do you hope to do in the future?
I hope to work in the industry focusing on machine learning for a few years, and then continue to pursue graduate school for research in machine learning.

---

Ganesh Vedula

Recently completed his Master’s degree at U of T in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering with a focus on Data Analytics.

What did you work on this summer with EASI?
I worked on a project called Course Recommender and its goal is to improve students’ course selection process.

What did you find most interesting about this experience and what did you learn?
The most interesting part about this project has been the ample amount of data which can be leveraged in so many possible ways to recommend courses to a student given a condition like his/her program, year of study and course history – just like Netflix which recommends movies to us based on our previous browsing history. I have learned how to work in an agile environment, how to create complex machine learning models and present them to a totally non-technical audience.

What do you hope to do in the future?
I would like to pursue a professional data scientist career.

---

Nicole Williams

Completing her Undergraduate degree at University of Toronto Mississauga, studying Computer Science and Psychology.

What did you work on this summer with EASI?
This summer, I migrated the ACORN Launchpad website over to WordPress and updated content and site architecture for existing WordPress websites. I also ensured that all the sites I worked on were accessibility-friendly.

What did you find most interesting about this experience and what did you learn?
I was surprised by the amount of projects on the go at EASI. I found I liked working on so many different projects. I gained more knowledge on databases and servers, as well as more experience with web programming languages.

What do you hope to do in the future?
In the future, I hope to carve out a career in front-end web development, creating new and interesting websites and applications that are accessible for all users. I want the chance to use my skills as a programmer but to also be creative.

---

Nora Zhou

Completed her Master’s of Engineering at U of T’s Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering.

What did you work on this summer with EASI?
I worked as a Machine Learning Engineer at University of Toronto Business Intelligence at EASI. I was responsible for building business intelligence tools to leverage machine learning algorithms.

What did you find most interesting about this experience and what did you learn?
The most interesting part of this position was that I had the chance to deal with real-world data with special cases. It is hard get this experience through course projects. I learned skills to interpret, aggregate data and find a suitable machine learning model to solve the problem.

What do you hope to do in the future?
I hope I can work with data – dealing with data is irresistible.