ISIS takes on student registration

Integrated Student Information System serves 500 students on first day of pilot project

By Jay Dedrick

Following Monday's pilot sessions that saw more than 500 students throughout the CU system register for fall classes, the new Integrated Student Information System (ISIS) is set to go live for broader student registration Monday, April 5.

CU-Boulder expects daily use by 1,100 students once the launch begins. UCCS begins live registration April 26, followed by UC Denver on May 3.

The $50 million, Web-based system is replacing the outdated, mainframe-based student information system.

LeeAnn Baronett, training and communications manager for the MetamorphoSIS project, said the pilot registration that began Monday and continued Tuesday had gone well, with no major problems surfacing.

"We found little things here and there that are confusing that can be refined," she said. "There are little kinks that we're working to iron out. It will be an ongoing process to make improvements to the system."

Baronett said she's heard positive feedback from students using ISIS thus far, with many indications that working in the new system is more intuitive than the old process.

"It's interesting to me that the attitudes on the campuses are a little different," Baronett said. "Boulder already had a pretty robust system. For Denver and Colorado Springs, this new system is really a step up. I've noticed a little more confusion in Boulder over the class search, which does a lot of the same things the old system did, but differently. In Denver, they're picking it up right away."

To help with the transition, two new online tutorials are available at the project's Web site: ISIS: Faculty Center is designed for faculty with access to student data in portals; ISIS: Student Center is for staff with access to ISIS and who work with students. Also, three recently posted video demos provide a useful overview of the new system, Baronett said.

ISIS will continue to be rolled out in stages through the end of the year, when the 20-year-old system will be fully replaced. Student financials go live in July, followed by financial aid disbursement in August, and transcripts and end-of-term processing between September and December.

In the meantime, Baronett says end users shouldn't be surprised if they encounter growing pains with the new system.

"I've worked in IT awhile now, and it's said that the height of popularity for the old system is the day the new system goes live," she said. "It can be hard from an emotional standpoint. It's a tough adjustment and can take some getting used to. That's nothing out of the ordinary."