Next Generation Student Information Services

The goal of the Next Generation Student Information Services Program (NGSIS) is to create and deploy technological solutions that help students fully engage in rewarding learning experiences and achieve academic and personal success, and that help faculty and staff provide a rich and supportive educational environment.

Through targeted investment in information technology, over the past 11 years, NGSIS has introduced a wide variety of new services for students and staff, providing real-time information about all aspects of the student experience. As a result, NGSIS is now actively supporting over 25 individual student and administrative applications in addition to the current core Student Information System (SIS)/ROSI system. Included in this list are some of the most successful NGSIS services for students, faculty, and staff, such as ACORN, Degree Explorer, and more recently, Timetable Builder, Award Explorer, the Course Information System and Accommodated Testing Services (ATS).

To help U of T chart a new course forward in replacing and/or renewing our core SIS, the team contracted Deloitte Consulting services to complete an environmental scan of potential student information systems in the marketplace to replace ROSI in the future.

Through this work, we have established that currently there are no vendor or cloud-based solutions that will easily accommodate U of T’s requirements. As mature cloud solutions are likely years away, U of T should continue to keep an eye on the marketplace but also invest in current solutions such as ACORN, Degree Explorer, Course Information System, and our new Salesforce CRM student success hub. In addition, consideration should be given to improving the ROSI user experience using in-house resources over the next several years.

For a more detailed explanation of these strategic recommendations and specific projects for the coming year, please explore the remaining sections of this report.

Following close consultations with divisions, U of T is currently implementing an enterprise vendor application, Salesforce Student Success Hub for Higher Education, to support academic divisions in transforming their student advising services. This innovative solution will present the interconnected student story, streamline the student and staff experience, promote evidence-based student support practices, ensure consistent and transparent service delivery, and increase administrative efficiencies.

NGSIS is currently working in partnership with the Office of the Vice-Provost, Innovations in Undergraduate Education to implement the solution with the Faculty of Arts & Science and the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education. The service will then be assessed for future expansion to other divisions.

U of T has contracted with some of the leading Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platforms in the past few years and the demand for integration with our core Systems of Record has increased significantly. Over the past decade, a standard method for integrating systems has emerged, including a standard to secure such methods. NGSIS has established resources in the Microsoft Azure Cloud that support these standards and facilitate the exchange of data between the core systems and the SaaS platforms.

Development of new functionality and extension of implementation to additional divisions remains a focus with the set of applications that support the administration of course and program development, review and approval, and publication and offering. While separate, these applications are being developed with points of integration with each other and with other NGSIS services.