Algonquin College will soon have a new Student Information System (SIS) called Thesis SM. As with any new tool, there is sure to be a learning curve for people switching from the old SIS, GeneSIS, to the new one—but don’t worry! We’ll help you become familiar with Thesis SM so you can hit the ground running when it goes live.
With that being said, we want to tell you about six important terms related to Student Course Registration that will help you better understand how this process will work.
The new Thesis Student Portal will change how learners register for courses. Today, Algonquin College assigns course schedules to learners. With the new Thesis Student Portal, learners will be able to create their own course schedules, allowing for a completely customizable experience!
This shift to Student Course Registration is directly tied to Priority 2 of the College’s Academic Plan, which is to provide inclusive program delivery that enables choice. What’s more, most College programs support giving learners more flexibility in the Course Registration process.
May’s Showcase event was hosted by Laura Stanbra, Vice President of Student Services and R3 Project’s Executive Sponsor, who welcomed more than 260 participants.
Lauren Draper, Project Manager, Business Transformation, discussed how consultations with Deans, Academic Chairs, and Program Coordinators informed the new Course Registration process.
Haya Majbour, Business Analyst, defined some new Thesis SM terminology, compared the current state to the future state of Course Registration, and explained how the new Course Registration process will relieve administrative pressure for employees and increase flexibility for learners.
One of the biggest improvements the R3 Project is highlighting with the new Thesis Student Portal is its simple and modern look. With a cloud-based, modern system comes modern ways in which students will be able to get things done in the Thesis Student Portal. What’s better, this solution is directly in line with our objective to improve student success and satisfaction, which is also related to Algonquin College’s Mission and Vision!
Another great thing about these learner benefits is that some of our current processes won’t change once we go live with Thesis SM and the new Thesis Student Portal. This is great for our employees who are used to doing processes a certain way – so long as the process is already simple and easy, we don’t need to change it.
The R3 Project is not just about investing in a new Student Information System (SIS). Rethinking and redesigning the many business processes across the College is another important piece of the puzzle, and this is directly in line with the project’s objectives. One of these objectives is to improve student success and satisfaction.
These business processes are also helping us define how the new Student Portal will work. To put it simply, the portal will make our learners’ lives easier as they navigate through their academic journey.
With the launch of a new Student Portal and Student Information System comes a lot of benefits for everyone. Not only that, but the work being done on the R3 Project is directly connected to the Mission and Vision of Algonquin College, which aims to help our learners achieve lifelong success and become global leaders.
The R3 Project is directly connected to the Mission and Vision of Algonquin College, which is to transform the hopes and dreams of our learners into lifelong success and be a global leader in personalized, digitally connected experiential learning.
With the implementation of the new Student Information System, Thesis SM, comes many changes to how we currently do things at the College. Some of these processes will stay the same once we go live, but others will change to improve student success and satisfaction as well as employee satisfaction and productivity. One of the many changes will be the use of Domestic on Demand.
Before we dive into what this means for students, employees, and the College as a whole, keep in mind that this change only applies to domestic students!
March’s Showcase event was hosted by Vice President of Student Services and R3 Project’s Executive Sponsor, Laura Stanbra, who welcomed more than 231 participants.
Claude Brulé, AC President and CEO, presented the many benefits the R3 Project is committed to achieving for our learners, including the very important integration between the new Student Information System (SIS) and the Domestic on Demand (DoD) solution provided by the Ontario College Application Service (OCAS).
Amanda Therrien, Training Specialist, then went over the current Domestic Admissions Process and explained some important Thesis SM Admissions terminology to give some background into what information they represent in Thesis SM, the new SIS.
And then, what you’ve all been waiting for… live demos!
You may have heard some discussions around System Roles and Permissions and are asking yourself, “What does this mean? Will this change what I do in my day-to-day job?” Don’t worry – we’re here to answer those questions, and more!