1. Affiliations
2. Governance
3. IT Strategic Plan
4. Initiatives
5. OSU Academic Directory
6. OSU Administration
7. OSU IT Resources

Information Technology Strategic Plan

Related Links Background Communications Current State Future State Gap Analysis Annual Achievement Report Academic Plan Leadership Agenda

Contents  IT Strategic Plan (pdf)  Overview  Message from the CIO  Executive Summary  Ohio State's Information Technology Vision  What Ohio State Needs: Critical Success Factors  Strategic Initiative: Student Information System  Implementation  Conclusion  Appendix A: Project Participants  Appendix B: The Planning Process  Appendix C: Current State Analysis Details  Appendix D: Current State and Academic Plan  Appendix E: Technology Days Details  Appendix F: Focus Group Discussion Details  Appendix G: Future State Emerging Themes  Appendix H: Gap Analysis Details  Appendix I: Strategic Initiatives Details  Appendix J: Strategic Initiatives Funding

---

Student Information System  Strategic Initiative

 Summary
 Full Description
 Benefits
 Proposed Leadership
 Metrics
 Estimated Investments/Potential Funding
 Recent Actions
 List of Strategic Initiatives

Summary
Ohio State's current student systems and business processes are not linked and create barriers to beneficial interactions between students and the university. An inefficient and aging patchwork of disparate systems supports major functions such as admissions, financial aid, registration, records, fees, deposits, disbursements, advising and instruction. It is critical that the university maintain and enhance all administrative information systems. We have already made substantial investments in integrated systems for human resources and finance. To protect the investments we need to continually upgrade those systems and complete the last remaining piece: an integrated student information system that supports the full student life cycle. Because budgetary constraints may limit the ability to pursue a full system replacement in the near term, the university should develop strategies for incremental improvements to current legacy systems, such as creating a student portal, web services, and data warehouse. A portal is a web-based application that presents a unified front-end for an integrated set of services that together provide easy access to information, applications, and people. Enterprise portal technology can simplify Ohio State’s current complex interfaces and better ensure that web information is kept current.

Full Description

Part 1 - Complete a detailed evaluation of processes and systems that support student administration functions. Recommend a plan for implementing an integrated student information system that is available to the user community 24 hours per day, 7 days a week, 365 days per year.

Part 2 - Select and implement a student portal and content management system.

Ohio State University's current student systems and business processes are barriers to achieving the vision articulated in the Academic Plan. Major student administrative functions, such as admissions, financial aid, registration, records, fees, deposits, disbursements, advising, and instruction are currently supported by an inefficient and sometimes outdated patchwork of disparate systems throughout the university. Students are required to visit various independent administrative offices to conduct business, a multitude of systems support faculty activity, and data required to more effectively manage the institution must be harvested from several disconnected sources. The underlying technology of many of the systems is rapidly becoming obsolete and the costs required to maintain and modify for emerging institutional needs are increasing.

It is critical that the university maintain and enhance all administrative information systems. The university has already made substantial investments in integrated systems for human resources and finance. To protect the investments, it needs to continually upgrade those systems and complete the last remaining piece: an integrated student information system that supports the full student life cycle and can provide the campus community with accurate, timely, and useful information, thus enabling effective student management, instructional support, and institutional planning. The first steps toward this goal are to complete an evaluation of requirements and a cost justification and then develop a plan for the overall project that includes identifying and recommending options for proceeding. The second step is to proceed with implementing an integrated student information system, including organizational development and process re-engineering. Understanding that budgetary constraints may limit the ability to pursue a full system replacement in the near term, the university will develop strategies for implementing incremental improvements to the current legacy systems, such as the creation of a student portal, web services, and data warehouse.

This initiative also includes a provision for implementing an enterprise portal architecture and content management system for faculty, students and staff. With recent web advances, university constituencies increasingly expect to easily, quickly and accurately access information they need to interact with the university. Ohio State’s current interfaces are too complex for most end-users, web information is difficult to find and often out of date, and few mechanisms exist for ensuring that web content is kept current. Portal technology can address these needs. A portal is a web-based application consisting of a unified front-end for an integrated set of services that together provide easy access to information, applications, and people. Enterprise-level content management software provides more effective mechanisms for posting and maintaining web content. Such software can enable decentralized content contributions and control with centralized support. The implementation of an enterprise portal project is proposed in four phases: complete a business case, purchase the product and begin developing basic portal architecture, develop enhanced portal services, and finally, extend portal services to faculty, staff and administration.

In addition to improving the university’s image and a sense of community and reducing frustration for all, an integrated student information system and a new enterprise portal will yield these more specific benefits; savings from centralized systems support and self-service capabilities; additional revenue from more strategic enrollment management and maximization of eLearning opportunities; additional federal and state funds through data analysis and more accurate reporting; effort savings from automation; decentralized control with centralized support; more productive first contact between student and faculty/staff; streamlined student services and more decentralized data ownership and processing; integration of teaching and learning with student services and institutional data; flexible, scalable and responsive technical architecture with shared component/service infrastructure; increased reliability and navigability of student web services and information; more effective mechanisms for maintaining services and posting web content; flexibility in responding to business rule changes; improved communication with each university constituency and decreased reliance on mass e-mail communications; and 24x7x365 access to student information systems.

Benefits

• Improved university image and sense of community
• Reduced frustration
• Savings realized from centralized support and self-service
• Additional revenue from more strategic enrollment management and maximization of eLearning opportunities
• Additional federal and state funds through more accurate reporting
• Decentralized control with centralized support
• Streamlined student services and more decentralized data ownership and processing
• Integration of teaching and learning with student services
• Flexible, scalable and responsive technical architecture with shared component/service infrastructure
• Increased reliability and navigability of student web services
• Flexibility in responding to business rule changes
• Approaching 24x7x365 access

Proposed Leadership

• Office of Academic Affairs
• - Chief Information Officer
• - Office of Enrollment Services
• Office of the Treasurer
• Colleges/Regionals
• Departments
• University Relations

Metrics

• Completion of Business Case and Option Analysis
• Completion of short- and long-term plans
• Identification of funding and budget sources
• Creation of a SIS Improvement project
• Creation of a single student web portal that can be personalized and customized for the needs of each university constituent group
• Decreased time to post or update content
• Decreased cost to maintain web content and service

Estimated Investments/Potential Funding

Student Information Systems
Amount assumes full system replacement and includes annual inflation increases - new funds:
• Phase 1: $70,000 rate and $100,000 cash
• Cost estimate for Phase 2 must be determined in Phase 1

Recent Actions

• CIO reallocating $65,000 rate and $100,000 cash to SIS Preassessment Project
• CIO received $283,000 annual funding and $6,000 cash from FY04 Technology Tuition Funds for web-based improved access to student information

back to top