U of T has just announced the beginning of a multi-year project to help students easily search and apply for awards. The new system will automatically match students to relevant awards and notify them about funding decisions, amounts and payment dates.

Not only will this platform increase transparency and efficiency, but it will also help U of T maintain its standing as one of the world’s leading universities.

“Currently, students need to search for awards on their departmental, faculty and college websites, and also be aware of centrally funded awards,” says Donna Wall, director of financial aid and awards at Enrolment Services. “This platform will increase transparency and efficiency for applicants, recipients, donors and administrative staff.”

The project, a partnership between Enrolment Services and Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration (EASI), will consolidate information and streamline manual processes for over 8,000 awards per year.

A key feature of the new system is its ability to automatically match students to awards according to their program, faculty, degree, GPA, and other award-specific criteria. The system will also store award letters for future reference and notify students about payment details.

A university-wide working group determined business needs, conducted interviews with other universities and attended multiple vendor demonstrations. After an extensive process, SmartSimple Software Inc. was announced as the chosen vendor on October 10, and implementation planning has begun.

“We’ve used a highly collaborative approach to select a vendor,” says Farah Ally, project manager with EASI. “U of T is a complex environment and currently the awards adjudication and administration processes for graduate and for undergraduate students have different requirements. It was important to find a solution that will best meet our combined needs and provide a solid foundation for the future.”

Staff will also be able to use an advanced search engine to match students with specific awards.

“Graduate students rely heavily on funding. We administer close to 4,000 awards per year,” says Laura Stathopoulos, director of Graduate Awards and Financial Aid with the School of Graduate Studies. “Because not all awards require an application, administrators will be able to automatically match eligible students to awards – we want to easily connect students with the right opportunities and help them reach their goals.”

Next steps for the project include launching the student facing awards search engine in spring of 2019. The team will then pilot the full system, including administrative functionality, with select faculties and colleges before rolling it out across the university.

“U of T is an affordable institution and we’re excited to advance the university’s mission,” says Wall. “This will transform awards administration for current and prospective students as well as staff.”

Multiple emails, hard copy printouts and a lot of time – this once described the process of creating a high-value purchase order (PO) at U of T. Now, new functionality in the Financial Information System (FIS) will allow staff at the St. George campus to create a PO at or above $25,000 without an FIS purchase requisition.

All related documentation is attached to the PO in the system, which is then automatically routed to Procurement Services for review and release. Staff can also track their PO status in real time and store all back-up documentation directly in the system.

“The previous system was cumbersome,” says Shauna Schwartz, Manager of Purchasing Services and Operations with Procurement Services. “It required users to email an FIS purchase requisition number and include multiple PDF, Excel and Word attachments. We’ve now removed these extra steps for the user. This is the first of many improvements over the next three years to modernize our systems.”

The project, which went live on August 1, was a combined effort between Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration, Procurement Services and Financial Services.

The functionality was piloted with the Department of Chemistry, the Faculty of Dentistry, and Facilities and Services.

“The new system has some significant benefits,” says Usama Makary, Manager of Finance with the Department of Facilities and Services. “The most noteworthy is the fact that the system allows users to track their respective requests until final release is confirmed – all of this is completed electronically.”

In addition, the new process generates an automated email with a soft copy (PDF) of the PO, which can be forwarded to vendors.

“The value add and efficiencies realized from the new system are truly remarkable,” says Makary, who was part of the pilot group. “We’re witnessing a new achievement that will raise the bar of the quality of services provided and response time.”

Throughout the summer, the Financial Advisory Services and Training team offered five information and training sessions to more than 100 attendees.

In the future, the plan is to monitor the function with staff at the St. George campus and roll it out to the University of Toronto Mississauga and University of Toronto Scarborough.

“We’re excited about where this project will take us,” says Schwartz. “We want to improve processes and the customer experience, and also help staff save time and minimize risk. We’ll be looking at how to streamline other processes in the future.”

How does a division reduce 1,700 digital documents to 372 and create an efficient information management process for the future? U of T’s Division of Human Resources & Equity (HR&E) did just that with the help of SharePoint Online and Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration (EASI).

In July 2018, the new HR&E Documents Hub replaced the Blackboard portal. The new site allows staff to track, modify, store, organize and share critical documents.

“Blackboard provided us with a secure place to store documents, but it was difficult for staff to search for information,” says Hayley Fuller, communications and change manager with HR&E. “We have a lot of documents that we produce centrally that we need to distribute to divisional offices. SharePoint Online offers comprehensive search, document versioning capabilities and a mobile-ready interface for an enriched user experience.”

The HR&E and EASI teams centralized forms, templates, procedures and policies. They created an overall strategy, extracted the content from Blackboard and analyzed which documents out of thousands should be transferred to SharePoint Online. They then customized the user interface with feedback from focus groups, and created a process for removing stale information in the future.

“We wanted to make SharePoint Online a much better user experience,” says Heather Postill, information management analyst with Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration (EASI). “It’s important that documents are accurate and up to date, and we wanted to save HR practitioners time when searching for the basics.”

Tamsyn Boshoff, compensation advisor with HR&E, is a content manager and was part of the planning and testing process.

“The testing process was thorough and the new system is really user friendly,” says Boshoff. “On the old system there was no way to know whether posted materials were being used. Now, we can see which documents are popular and users can sign up to get notifications about updates.”

Along with HR&E, the EASI team has worked closely with the Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, the Planning & Budget Office and the Office of the Vice-President, International to optimize their document management needs. Since launching SharePoint Online in January 2018, the EASI team has provisioned over 90 sites for divisions to use on their own and provided in-depth coaching and partnership with nearly half of those. Their consulting services are open to all areas of the university.

“We can help units and divisions with a more formal process, or we can provide ad hoc consultation – ultimately it’s about organizing information and improving business processes,” says Postill. “Beyond SharePoint, we can also offer consulting for other document management systems.”

This project represents phase one of a multi-year strategy to improve document management within HR&E. In the future, the division plans to work with all HR units to consolidate information and is also creating a hub for business officers.

“The EASI team has been such an incredible resource,” says Fuller. “We didn’t know what we didn’t know when we started this process. With their expertise, they guided us through every step and can do the same for any other area at the university.”

Interested in learning more about SharePoint Online and how to work with EASI? Check out the EASI Document Management Hub’s resource library, sign up for an LLC course or contact easi.sharepoint@utoronto.ca.

GPAs – they can determine whether a student secures that next scholarship or gets into graduate school. Now a new application, called the GPA Calculator will help all U of T students easily calculate their grades and plan ahead for academic success.

“Through ongoing interviews and usability tests, we discovered the need for this calculator,” says Michael Clark, manager of User Experience and Process Design with U of T’s Enterprise Applications and Solutions Integration (EASI). “This tool allows students to easily type in their pre-existing GPA from ACORN and predict their future grades.”

The calculator is readily available to all students. Students can calculate their sessional, cumulative and annual GPAs, and the application also recommends resources, including academic advising, writing centres, workshops and career advising.

“We wanted to make the application as flexible as possible,” says Laura Klamot, a user experience designer with EASI. “We always try to help students with their next steps. If their GPA isn’t what they want it to be, they can find an academic advisor and writing workshops.”

Klamot worked with Adnan Bhuiyan, a co-op student, who joined EASI for the summer.

“I normally study back-end development, but for this application I worked on front-end development and user experience design,” says Bhuiyan, a third-year U of T Computer Science student. “The tool’s designed to be accessible via keyboard only, via screen readers, as well as other assistive technology. An additional amount of design, development, testing and refinement work went into making this tool mobile and desktop optimized.”

Beyond his co-op experience, Bhuiyan also plans to use the application.

“I’m close to graduating, and my GPA can potentially give me a competitive edge when applying for jobs. Also, if I ever plan to apply for graduate school, I now have a tool that can easily help me plan ahead.”

Fellow third-year student Ramana Trivedi, from the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, agrees. “In my first year I was lost when trying to track my GPA because I was using a spreadsheet – it was a huge waste of time. I’m currently applying to medical school, and my GPA is really important. Now I can finish my calculations in a matter of minutes.”

What’s next for the application?

“After launching the calculator, we’ll collect feedback and plan future enhancements,” says Clark. “We’re constantly focused on the student experience, and we want to make it easier for students to achieve academic success.”

See a demo of the GPA Calculator

After three years, 2 million lines of converted code and over 140 new servers, the Next Generation Student Information Services (NGSIS) Platform Modernization Project is set to take centre stage this fall to enhance services for staff and students.

The refreshed system will allow 15,000 students to access the system via ACORN simultaneously, versus the current 700. It will also open up the potential for live integration between divisional systems and ROSI, and ensure U of T stays at the forefront of technological innovation.

“This project is set to revitalize the student information system and provide an improved student experience,” says Frank Boshoff, Senior Manager, Technical Solutions and Architecture with EASI. “We had reference architectures, but ultimately we had to decide on the hardware and how to integrate it with existing systems – this project has required a ton of creativity and hard work from a dedicated team.”

The project spans all of U of T’s Information Technology Services and includes Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration (EASI), Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS), and Information Security.

While the core team consists of seven staff, with three technical leads, the broader testing team extends to over 30 people.

So far, the team has completed the initial build, system testing, system integration and performance testing. They will be conducting dry run cutovers in late September and October and are planning to go live on November 19.

“We want the transition to the new system to be business as usual,” says Boshoff, who designed the architecture of the new system. “Having said that, all the power users and student system administrators across U of T over the next one to five years will start to realize the potential of the new system.”

Here’s what the technical leads have to say about making such a large-scale project come to life.

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To learn more about the project, visit www.sis.utoronto.ca/ngsis/

More than 900 students and hundreds of research activities and tests have helped to make ACORN and associated applications all that they are today. Now, U of T’s ACORN Student Advisory Team is recruiting new participants to continue to help shape the student experience.

When students join the team, they can expect to attend 45-minute sessions that include activities such as interviews and usability testing. The results will directly inform improvements to projects – from ACORN to applications like the Financial Planning Calculator and GPA Calculator.

“The user-centred design process that we follow is crucial,” says Michael Clark, Manager of User Experience & Process Design with Enterprise Applications and Solutions Integration (EASI). “Students are part of the formative research, iterative design and post-release community engagement process. When they join our team, they’ll make a difference for their own experiences with U of T’s online services and for other students for years to come.”

Currently, the Advisory Team consists of approximately 150 participants, and organizers are hoping to increase engagement across all three campuses.

“Since starting in 2016, I’ve provided feedback on six applications,” says Melissa Ng, a fifth-year computer science and cognitive science student. “One usability test I did was for the user interface which allows students to find awards, grants and loans in ACORN. The team is really friendly and it’s great to know that my opinion has made an impact on important projects.”

Students like Melissa not only help to improve student life at U of T, but can also add the experience to their Co-Curricular Record, an official record of their co-curricular involvement at U of T. They can also gain practical project experience and build their resumes.

“We want to continue to build a community of students who are interested in improving student services,” says Laura Klamot, “This includes recruiting students from all divisions, years, programs, campuses and also students with accessibility needs.”

In the past, research and testing activities have improved usability, accessibility and have helped U of T to prioritize projects.

“We genuinely want to include students in the process,” says Clark. “Beyond caring about what they have to say, we want to give them a seat at the table to help them determine the strategic direction we plan to take with new initiatives, and to help make existing products and services even better.”

Are you interested in joining the ACORN Student Advisory Team? Sign up to make an impact on the student experience.

Why is ACORN slow on enrolment day? Can I automatically enrol in my courses? Can U of T buy better servers?

These were just some of the questions asked at this year’s University of Toronto Student Union Street Festival (UTSU). Held on September 12, the ACORN team, from Enterprise Applications and Solutions Integration (EASI), interacted with close to 1,000 students for five hours.

“Our participation in the UTSU Street Fest is important because each year we hear from students about their needs, goals, issues and ideas relating to important initiatives at U of T,” says Michael Clark, Manager of User Experience & Process Design with EASI.

This year, the ACORN team fielded in-person “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) style questions, with representation from EASI’s business analysts, developers, as well as user experience and process designers. This allowed students to inquire about everything from long-term infrastructure improvements to the details of everyday course enrolment.

So, why does ACORN perform more slowly on peak enrolment days?

On these days thousands of students log into the system, but it can only handle 700 concurrent users. The new system, which will go live on November 19, features a new infrastructure and code base and will be able to handle 15,000 concurrent users.

During Street Fest, ACORN staff also recruited students for the ACORN Student Advisory Team for research activities and tests. When students join the team, they can expect to attend 45-minute sessions that will directly inform improvements to ACORN and applications like the Financial Planning Calculator and GPA Calculator.

“We want to continue to build a community of students who are interested in improving student services,” says Laura Klamot, a user experience designer with EASI. “This includes recruiting students from all divisions, years, programs, campuses and also students with accessibility needs.”

In the near future, the student team will test improvements to ACORN’s mobile experience, U of T Map integrations within ACORN, live chat support with registrars and other U of T advisors, and integrating U of T’s Timetable Builder tool within ACORN.

“The input we received this year was consistent with previous research we’ve conducted with students, and will help keep us on course towards realizing improvements to U of T’s online student experience,” says Clark. “As well, it will help inspire future new initiatives, leveraging the latest capabilities that EASI and the Next Generation Student Information Services Program will have to offer.”

From user experience process and design to information management, business analysis and machine learning – the four co-op students who joined Enterprise Applications and Solutions Integration (EASI) this past summer gained a wealth of experience and contributed a wealth of knowledge.

“Not only do our co-op students benefit from their experience with EASI, we also benefit from their skills,” says Cathy Eberts, Executive Director of EASI. “We have a lot of projects on the go and we always look forward to the extra help.”

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

Learn about their wide range of projects and the impact of their experiences.

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Name: Andrew Magnaye
Position: User Experience Designer
Program/School: Second-year Master of Information student at U of T’s iSchool.

As part of the User Experience and Process Design team at EASI, I’ve had the opportunity to wear many different hats. On projects like ACORN and the Course Information System, I’ve worked as a designer, researcher and developer. I’m currently working on a web app that helps students sign up for usability tests and research activities with the UXPD team. This application streamlines a cumbersome process for our participants and makes it much easier for the team to keep track of these participants.

Through collaboration and critiques, I’ve seen the quality of my work grow by leaps and bounds. Being a part of the team has helped me gain a greater sense of creative confidence in everything I do. I’m incredibly grateful for this experience!

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Name: Randy Samsoondar
Position: HRIS Specialist
Program/School: First-year Information Systems Business Analysis, George Brown College

I’ve had a fantastic four months with EASI and have contributed in several capacities. I supported the implementation of Kronos, a time and attendance system, in a number of departments by participating in demonstrations, trainings, configurations and testing.

It has been very interesting to gain a better technical understanding of the human resource information systems used at U of T and to see their role in the various stages of the employee lifecycle. Furthermore, I’ve had the opportunity to observe and apply various project management and business analysis techniques that I learnt during my academics, which will be invaluable experience as I move forward with my career.

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Name: Jessica Viau
Position: Information Management Analyst
Program/School: Second-year Knowledge Management and Information Management, U of T iSchool

I’m currently studying innovative theory and practical solutions for Information Management, Knowledge Management, User Experience Design, and Information Governance. I’m four months into my eight-month co-op position at EASI as an Information Management Analyst and designated SharePoint Online Ambassador.

Currently, I am working with the Document Management Team to facilitate the migration of content from Blackboard, Confluence, and network drives to SharePoint Online. This includes consulting with and providing expertise to IT professionals across U of T’s many departments on the implementation of SharePoint Online. I have had the chance to build portals for the Faculty of Nursing, Office of the Vice-President International, and many more.

The level of guidance and mentorship I have received in this role has been exceptional, and the skills that have I have acquired will provide an excellent primer for continued learning and achievement as I go forward in my career.

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Name: Gilbert Zhu
Position: Machine Learning Engineer
Program/School: Second-year Master of Engineering at MIE, U of T

I made use of some HR data and built a predictive model using Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning techniques that can help HR professionals make certain decisions faster. I found that modern techniques like machine learning can really help improve efficiency in business processes. Through this co-op, I have gained experience with a complete data science project life cycle, which made me more confident about my future career in this area. It was a very pleasant and useful experience at EASI!