At the present time the Student Information System (SIS) is running on the 8.0 version of the
PeopleSoft Enterprise software. The upgrade will allow IU to utilize new features and software
improvements delivered by the vendor. It also keeps IU current on the software for regulatory
releases. A list of anticipated functionality and benefits are identified below.
February 2008 is the IU selected implementation date. The first phase of the project will involve a detailed
analysis of the changes in SIS database structures and functionality that were delivered in an earlier release
of the software (version 8.9). The second phase of the project will focus on the changes that will be delivered
in the 9.0 version of the software. The vendor released the 9.0 software in early 2007.
February 2008 is the IU selected implementation date. The first phase of the project will involve
a detailed analysis of the changes in SIS database structures and functionality that were delivered
in an earlier release of the software (version 8.9). The second phase of the project will focus on
the changes that will be delivered in the 9.0 version of the software. The vendor released the
9.0 software in early 2007.
Staff resources from SES (Student Enrollment Services), IUB, and IUPUI have been identified and
will begin work in September 2006. Representatives from Admissions, Financial Aid, Bursar,
Registrar and Academic Advising will be assigned to work on the 9.0 Upgrade Project. In addition,
consulting resources will be used as needed.
All campuses and all students of Indiana University will be affected. All faculty, staff and students who
interact with the SIS will notice changes in the software.
Will enhancements to the 8.0 version of the software continue during the upgrade project?
While the 9.0 Upgrade Project is underway, development to the 8.0 software will be limited. Guidelines
have been established which outline the process for prioritizing and approving new enhancement requests
during this time. The development strategy during the project is located at the below link:
http://ses.indiana.edu/studentInfoSystems/upgradeProj/devProjects/.
Will end users of the SIS system notice differences after the upgrade or will the changes be transparent?
There will be both behind-the-scenes changes that most end users will not notice, as well as obvious
changes. One of the most noticeable changes will be the navigational paths that users follow to carry
out their business processes. Significant changes in the area of Self-Service will affect how
students, faculty, and staff interact with the system.
The upgrade will offer vendor delivered processes which allow record updates in mass rather than
one by one for each student, thus reducing administrative resources needed to complete transactions.
For example, new tools such as the Communication Generation engine and Population Selection will
facilitate more targeted communications and actions. All modules will be helped by having the ability to
configure the display of Holds and To Doâs, thus improving communications with students. Once the
new software has been thoroughly analyzed and new services evaluated, a detailed summary of changes will be
posted to http://sisinfo.iu.edu.
In the area of Self-Service a new interface will better organize the available services and make it
easier for students to find the information they need. Some of the anticipated improvements include:
Improved 'what if' scenarios when trying to determine the applicability of transfer credit for prospects and applicants,
Students can view Form 1098-T, grant consent, and provide an authorizing signature,
Financial aid award notices can be viewed and printed,
Students will be able to grant authorization for the application of financial aid funds toward miscellaneous charges, and
Students will be able to view degree progress reports when selecting and enrolling in classes.
What are the benefits of the upgrade for admissions?
Benefits for admissions include:
Having better population select tools within SIS to initiate and manage mass communications that can be easily targeted to specific populations,
Added data elements for External Organizations, thus improving the processing of transfer credit and the tracking of external education,
Enhanced 'what if' functionality for transfer credit that will answer many students' questions that have to now be routed through admissions staff, and
Effective dating concepts for the academic structure will support both admissions and student records by providing for more control over
the inclusion or discontinuation of programs, plans, and subplans at various points in time.
New features that will provide better support for offices in their efforts to comply with federal guidelines, and
Enhancements to the packaging process that will reduce manual data entry, improve external file load processes to facilitate re-packaging, and provide
better service to customers with fewer over-awards.
The student financials student self service enhancements include:
Ability to view detailed charges, payments, and credits on the Account Summary pages using more drill-down capability and filters,
Ability to view more detailed information associated with 1098-T Tuition Statement forms, and
Capability of a "cash and carry" transaction for miscellaneous fees such as parking permits, recreational fee, etc. The student would be
required to make payment online at the time of purchase.
Additionally, the number of fields available for defining fee assessment will be greatly increased. The enhancements to the Equation Engine could allow
virtually any table or field to be used to establish rules for calculating the components of tuition and fees. The payment plan and third-party contract
(TPC) enhancements will provide ability to:
Assign a group of students to a payment plan or a TPC in batch using the new Population Selection function,
Enter and post multiple students to a payment plan using new data entry page and related batch process and,
Added capability in appointment scheduling to run appointment assignments for given populations,
Improvements to the term activation process to allow a student's enrollment at any point in the term, based on the setup,
Ability for students to create a class schedule for a term prior to their appointment time using a wish list feature,
The integration of the advising functions with the enrollment and registration processes to provide better service and more
complete information to students through a single seamless process,
Term-specific service indicators that have an end date and end term which will eliminate some of the usability confusion, and
New functionality for transcript production that offers greater flexibility, greater format control, and more tools for their
creation and tracking.
As an end user of SIS, i.e. advisor, admissions counselor, bursar, financial aid representative, registrar, etc. how can I find out about changes that will affect my area?
The student service councils that already meet regularly will provide the forum for the 9.0 Upgrade Project communications. In addition, user
demonstrations of the new software, often called design reviews, will be set up to offer end users an opportunity to learn about the changes
and provide input on the development of new functionality. Listed below are primary contacts for each of the module areas.
Module Area
Contact
Academic Services / Advising
Jim Murray (SES), Rod Stark (IUB), Carla Boyd (IUPUI)
Admissions
Todd Neal (SES), Anna Vanderzee, Ryan Cobine (IUB), Terry Brown (IUPUI)
Bursar
Steve Martino (SES), Susan Cote (IUB), Dan Youngblood (IUPUI)
Campus Community
Representatives from each area participate to resolve issues that touch many areas including HRMS
Financial Aid
Jim Kennedy, Steve Martino (SES), Jim Brooks (IUB), Steve Booker (IUPUI)
Registrar
Holly Hamilton (SES), Mark McConahay (IUB), Carla Boyd (IUPUI)
How will changes to SIS affect reporting in the IUIE (IU Information Environment)?
The IUIE structures (data groups, data extracts, predefined queries, frozen reports, etc.) will be updated to reflect new
data elements that may have been added in SIS as a result of the upgrade.
The SIS Training Team is currently working on the development of a training strategy for the upgrade. This
will include a review of existing documentation and training materials to determine the appropriate updates.
Due to the large volume of SIS users, alternative training methods are also being pursued.
Indiana University