A Light at the End of the Tunnel

New System Will Replace Slow, Outdated SIS

By Shane Bevell | Marketing & PR

Ever wonder how we survived with our slow, inflexible, and many times frustrating dial-up Internet connection? In a few years UNLV employees will be saying the same thing about our much-derided Student Information System, commonly known as SIS.

The Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) is implementing a new system, called iNtegrate, for all things related to student information. It will be fast, reliable, and make users feel like they've emerged from the dark ages.

What is SIS?
SIS is a centralized system that supports student registration and course enrollment, grade recording, transcript production, admissions processing, and student accounting for all NSHE institutions.

It was implemented in 1991, does not communicate with other university systems such as human resources, and was created prior to the Internet becoming the mainstream method for accessing information.

"The current system is old and inflexible," Lynne Personius, iNtegrate project manager, said. "It works to post grades and create transcripts, but you can't do anything that requires more advanced information. It doesn't feel like a modern computer system; it feels like a dinosaur."

Into the 21st Century
iNtegrate will provide students with more self-service capability. They will have better access to their records, including the ability to check bills, look at schedules, and change their addresses.

It will be more reliable, easier-to-use, and will allow faculty and staff to meet students' needs for accurate information, timely decisions, and informed choices. The new system will be flexible and also provide better support for graduate and professional schools, Personius said.

Be Patient
The iNtegrate team has been working on the admissions and records modules since September.

Personius said the campus community can help by being patient, allowing for more lead time, and understanding that it may take longer for those involved with iNtegrate to respond to phone calls or e-mails.

"Department heads who have a lot of interaction with student information are spending at least half their time working on the iNtegrate project and are responsible for a team of workers who are getting the modules up and running," Personius said. "Some people who heavily rely on SIS have the added responsibility of helping implement iNtegrate."

Pilot Program
UNLV and Truckee Meadows Community College are serving as pilot institutions. iNtegrate should be fully in place here to support the fall 2010 term, a year before the other NSHE institutions will implement the system.

Getting the system early isn't the only benefit. "We also will have a system that is specifically tailored for what UNLV needs," Personius said.

Although it will be two years before iNtegrate is fully functional, the university will begin using parts of the system next fall for admissions. The admissions module will go live first, followed in phases by the financial aid, enrollment, billing, transcripts, and advising modules.

 

iNtegrate Module Leaders

Department heads acting as module leads for the iNtegrate project are: