Enterprise Applications and Solutions Integration

Student Information Systems (SIS)

laurie.bulchak — Fri, 26 Jul 2024 02:46:56 +0000

Student Information Systems (SIS) laurie.bulchak Thu, 07/25/2024 - 22:46

URL

https://easi.its.utoronto.ca/student-information-systems/

�鶹��Ƶ rolls out 'one-stop shop' for student awards

Christopher.Sorensen — Mon, 02 Mar 2020 18:20:37 +0000

�鶹��Ƶ rolls out 'one-stop shop' for student awards

Christopher.Sorensen Mon, 03/02/2020 - 13:20

Cutline

�鶹��Ƶ's Award Explorer is a hub that gives current and prospective students access to thousands of needs- and merit-based financial supports (photo by Ken Jones)

Katie Babcock

Topic

Our Community

Enterprise Applications and Solutions Integration

Financial Aid

Graduate Students

School of Graduate Studies

�鶹��Ƶ Mississauga

�鶹��Ƶ Scarborough

Undergraduate Students

The University of Toronto has launched the first phase of Award Explorer – a public-facing, centralized awards repository that gives current and prospective students access to thousands of awards, prizes and medals.

Undergraduate and graduate students can easily look for, and apply to, awards in a single location using a combination of keyword searches and filters, including award type, campus, college, faculty, citizenship and more.

“The University of Toronto has a wide range of need- and merit-based financial supports for students,” says Richard Levin, �鶹��Ƶ’s university registrar and executive director of enrolment services.

“Award Explorer is a one-stop shop that will make it much easier and faster for students to find the information they need. At the same time, it will streamline the back-end experience for staff.”

The new tool, the result of a partnership between Enrolment Services and Enterprise Applications and Solutions Integration (EASI), centralizes the comprehensive annual support made available to �鶹��Ƶ students. That includes nearly 4,500 admission scholarships, 6,000 in-course scholarships and close to 19,000 bursaries to undergraduate and second entry programs. That’s on top of 16,000 combined awards, fellowships and bursaries to graduate students.

“In the past, students searched for awards on multiple sites and they weren’t always sure what they might be eligible for,” says Donna Wall, the director of financial aid and awards at Enrolment Services. “With the launch of Award Explorer, we’re moving toward a consistent user experience for students and staff. It’s the beginning of building greater awareness of the wide range of need- and merit-based supports available.”

Awards continue to be added to the repository daily by department and faculty administrators. During this transition, current award information will continue to reside on divisional and departmental websites to ensure this information continues to be accessible to the public. Students can also access the tool through ACORN’s “Awards and Aid” page.

“Since 2016, we’ve been gathering input and feedback from the academic divisions and other stakeholders,” says Farah Ally, the Award Explorer project manager. “Engaging closely with our key users, such as Laura Stathopoulos, director of financial aid at the School of Graduate Studies, has contributed to the institutional success of this project.”

Award Explorer is now the primary source of award information at �鶹��Ƶ and its functionality will continue to expand. Future phases are already in progress, which include automatically matching students to awards, allowing students to apply for awards online and notifying them about funding decisions and payment information. They will also be able to track the status of their applications, track award payment history and access their award letters.

“This project will transform award administration at �鶹��Ƶ and make us a leader in award administration nationally,” says Wall. “We want to continue to attract the best and the brightest students.”

Safety first: Relaunched �鶹��Ƶ safety abroad website to streamline travel abroad process

sungjimi — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 21:10:18 +0000

Safety first: Relaunched �鶹��Ƶ safety abroad website to streamline travel abroad process sungjimi Tue, 10/08/2019 - 17:10

Robust international collaboration is one reason why many students and researchers choose the University of Toronto. For students, studying abroad can open their minds. For researchers, global engagement can expand the scope and impact of their work.

To support international travel and ensure their safety, the university has redesigned a more streamlined online registry for traveling students and relaunched its safety abroad website which will be a one-stop-shop for faculty, staff and students seeking information about �鶹��Ƶ’s safety abroad policies.

The self-serve registration is a requirement for those traveling abroad for university-related work, according to �鶹��Ƶ policy. Students must register online and fill out the form while faculty members who are sponsoring the trip must also do their part by becoming familiar with their responsibilities as a trip sponsor and contacting the Centre for International Experience (CIE) for specifics on a student’s trip.

If a country’s risk level increases according to Global Affairs Canada (GAC), the online registry will help staff quickly identify where students are located in a country, state or municipality. Details such as emergency contact information and passport information is now mandatory when students register on the database, so that administrators can easily intervene in the event of an emergency.

“It’s important to have nuanced data so that we can make quick and accurate decisions,” says Jocelyn Ma, safety abroad adviser with the Centre for International Experience. “This revamped registry eliminates a lot of manual work, so if there’s an emergency we can quickly contact students and offer 24-hour support.”

The registry follows a self-serve model, allowing students to register for travel in lower risk countries and regions. If they are travelling to higher risk areas, they are prompted in the system to work with the CIE’s safety abroad staff for specific preparation.

“Throughout the process we’ve removed a lot of paperwork – students can submit their trip details, complete waivers and confirm training,” said Evan Moir, a user experience designer with �鶹��Ƶ's enterprise applications and solutions integration department.

In addition to the updated registry, the relaunched safety abroad website will offer information about International SOS, a resource that �鶹��Ƶ recently signed on with. The service lets travellers type in questions such as “Can I drink tap water in this city?” and offer 24-7 telephone access to a nurse.

More than 4,000 students travel abroad each year for university activity. The revamped website will serve them and the more than 165 different programs and institutes on �鶹��Ƶ’s three campuses.

In the past, CIE has contacted students about political unrest in Kenya, water scarcity in South Africa and emergency drills in South Korea and Japan.

“While South Korea and Japan remained as low risk, according to GAC, it was foreseeable that students may feel unsafe,” says Ma. “We sent messages to let them know we were monitoring the situation and we provided advice on how to proceed.”

Trip sponsors, including professors, are notified about students’ request to travel and can contact CIE for further information.

A previous travel sponsor, David Montemurro, an associate professor, teaching stream, with the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, runs a regular study abroad program for his students. His students have completed internships in Colombia, Costa Rica, Hong Kong and China.

“International education helps our students connect education policy with teaching practice, while also developing global citizenship – it really opens doors on both sides,” says Montemurro. “Safety is a key priority, along with academic, legal and health considerations, and the safety abroad office is an integral resource for us.”

Woodsworth College also offers an undergraduate Summer Abroad program, and CIE helps graduate students travel to more than 140 partner institutions in more than 40 countries. In addition, �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga and �鶹��Ƶ Scarborough run similar programs.

“As the first point of contact for travel abroad, we want to be responsive in making sure we’re helping students, and this registry helps us accomplish this goal,” says Ma. “One of �鶹��Ƶ’s missions is to help our students study abroad and become global scholars – and helping students do this safely is our top priority.”

Safety first: Relaunched �鶹��Ƶ safety abroad website to streamline travel abroad process

�鶹��Ƶ students participating in the International/Indigenous Course Modules (ICM) program pose in Tbilisi, Georgia. Photo by Tami Piovesan

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�鶹��Ƶ rolls out 'one-stop shop' for student awards

Safety first: Relaunched �鶹��Ƶ safety abroad website to streamline travel abroad process