The following are frequently asked questions ('FAQs') about the SLIMS Project. If you have a question which is not answered, or would like to know more about the Project, please contact the SLIMS Project Team.

Introducing SLIMS

• What is the SLIMS Project?
• Why has the SLIMS Project been established?
• What does the SLIMS Project aim to achieve?
• How will SLIMS' outcomes differ to what UTAS currently has in place?
• What are other Australian universities doing in terms of their academic administration systems?

SLIMS Structure and Timeline

• When will SLIMS take effect?
• How is the SLIMS Project structured?
• What is the current status of the SLIMS Project?
• What are the next steps in the Project?
• Who is working on the SLIMS Project?

SLIMS & the University EDGE

• How is SLIMS relevant to EDGE2?
• How will SLIMS support EDGE2?

SLIMS for Staff

• Academic Staff
• General Staff
• All Staff
  
  

SLIMS for Students

Further Information

The SLIMS (Student Lifecycle Information Management Services) Project has been established to review and re-engineer the University’s academic administrative processes which underpin the student lifecycle (from a person’s first enquiry as a prospective student through to graduation and becoming a member of the alumni).  Where appropriate, the Project will also replace the IT systems underlying these administrative processes, such as the USRS (Unified Student Record System).

The SLIMS Project has been established to effect the change necessary to meet the demands of students and staff into the future, as well as supporting achievement of the University’s goals as articulated in the EDGE2 Agenda.  It operates on the premise that UTAS should be making the best possible service available to staff and students, and utilising support services which afford more time to concentrate on our core activities: teaching, learning and research.

In reviewing the full range of processes applicable to the student lifecycle (including planning, administration, information management and reporting), the Project aims to introduce a range of improvements, including:

• affording students the flexibility to self-manage their enrolment and learning program(s);
• saving time through real time transaction processing (seeing the results of a transaction immediately as opposed to waiting for overnight processing);
• freeing up administrative and academic staff to concentrate on the University’s core activities by automating routine administrative tasks and reducing the level of manual handling of data;
• ensuring that the University is equipped to respond to, and comply with, changeable legislative requirements;
• introducing a student information management system that provides greater inter-operability with other University systems and more efficient information/data exchange;
• providing University managers with ready access to management information and reports;
• improving UTAS staff job condition
  
  

The current student information management system (USRS and other various support systems) were developed “in-house” in the 1980s and has been assessed as unsustainable for meeting future and changing demands.  In particular, the core issues with the current system are:

• the programming and operating environment is increasingly difficult to support, maintain and enhance with new functionality/ies;
• duplication of data and consequent data integrity issues;
• interoperability limitations (ie limitations on the system’s ability to interact with other University systems and allow for efficient information/data exchange);
• a high level of manual support is needed for generally routine administrative processes; and
• it allows only limited capacity for the University to modify its business operations.
  
  

Over the last eight years, 30 of the 38 universities have introduced new student management systems and made changes to their academic administrative processes to ensure that they are responsive to both internal and external drivers.

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It is envisaged that the new core Student Management System, which provides the backbone of the University’s academic administration, will be introduced in 2011 and 2012.  In the meantime, significant investment will be made in terms of reengineering the University’s academic administrative processes to support the new system

The SLIMS Project has been divided into three phases.  The key tasks for each phase are:
Phase 1:

• To create the vision for managing the academic administrative relationship with students over the next 15 years;
• To identify and assess the broad options available to deploy the necessary technology that will best give effect to this vision; and
• To obtain endorsement of the preferred broad option for UTAS by Academic Senate, Planning and Resources Committee, and University Council.  University Council approved the purchase of a new, commercially available system as the preferred option for UTAS (as opposed to: (a) continued use of the current system; (b) custom design to build; (c) implementing an outsourced or bureau model; (d) a hybrid solution such as customisation of a purchased system; or (e) introduction of an open source model). 

Phase 2:

• Business process mapping (to determine how UTAS currently carries out its business functions relating to academic administration) and, where appropriate, the re-engineering of current business processes;
• Development of a requirements specification through extensive consultation with Project stakeholders (to determine the functional and technical requirements to be met by the vendor of the new system); and
• Management of the procurement process culminating in the selection of a suitable product for UTAS.

Phase 3:

• Implementation of the system selected in Phase 2;
• Where required, user training in the use of new processes and the system; and
• Post-implementation monitoring and review.

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Phases 1 and 2 of the Project have been completed, with the third phase now underway.  Phase 3 initially focused on the tender process, which will lead to the selection of a new Student Management System.  The final stage of the tender evaluation process was the Fit Gap Analysis, which commenced in late October 2008 and concluded at the end of January 2009.  This analysis has provided a clear understanding of any functional gaps and how they may be filled, and has paved the way for a recommendation to be submitted to University Council.

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Should approval be granted to proceed with the preferred tenderer, the next step in the Project will be to finalise contractual terms with the vendor for delivery of the new Student Management System.

Design and configuration of the new system will also be required.  As a result, the SLIMS Project Team will undertake extensive consultation with University business areas and staff for the purpose of determining how business processes are currently being carried out and how they might be re-engineered to support the new Student Management System.  These re-engineered processes will inform how the new system is configured.

Data conversion and interfacing projects will also be undertaken for the purpose of importing data from the existing to the new systems, and interfacing the new system with other corporate systems to facilitate data exchange. 

Training and professional development for staff will also be developed and delivered during this phase. This training and development will cover new business processes and the new Student Management System, with a view to ensuring that staff are able to transition to new arrangements.  Accordingly, training will be delivered prior to implementation of the new core system (anticipated to take place in mid to late 2011).

You can check our Contact page for an up to date listing of the SLIMS Project Team.  This core team may be supplemented by a number of other staff (both internal and external to the University) engaged to provide specialised support during the course of the Project. 

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The SLIMS Project recognises that change is needed in order to give effect to EDGE2.  In particular, the SLIMS Project supports the following UTAS objectives:

• Excellence – ensuring quality, fostering competitive advantage;
• Distinctiveness – allowing for self-management, increased access, flexibility and efficiency
• Growth – increasing national and international enrolment
• Engagement – through improved and effective support systems and services. 
  
  

Many of the key aspirations and goals articulated in EDGE2 rely on services provided through the SLIMS Project.  These include:

• Increasing and managing student enrolments to 15,000 EFTSL (Effective Full-Time Study Load) by 2010;
• Increasing international students and onshore/offshore teaching and support programs;
• Delivery of high quality student recruitment, admission, records and support services; and
• Maximising support for the University’s core activities by improving our business services and systems and effectiveness of services and information for students and staff;

The SLIMS Project also recognises that the way that we initiate, develop and maintain our relationship with students through their lifecycle at the University is fundamental to creating a distinctive student experience at UTAS, one of the University’s key aspirations articulated in the EDGE2 agenda.  The Project aims to provide efficient and effective academic administrative processes (undertaken in schools, faculties and centrally), which is a significant factor in how students relate to the University.

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Academic Staff:

SLIMS will reduce the time spent by academic staff in allocating students to classes and tutorials by providing an online capacity for students to manage their own timetable and tutorials.

SLIMS will also provide academic staff with ready access to the tools and information required to manage teaching in units, by providing automated class lists and the ability to manage communications to class groups (either by email or by notice published to individual students’ portal).

Academic staff will also be able to access user-defined reporting to identify at-risk students during continuous assessment and to support formal academic progress reviews. 

SLIMS will provide staff with access to maintain information on courses and units for publication directly to the web.  User-friendly unit outline templates will also be provided, which will support automated distribution to enrolled students. 

General Staff:

SLIMS will provide functionality to compile a Pot Grad list, based on simplified course rules, which will identify those students who are eligible to graduate.  This will reduce the need to interrogate individual student academic records to determine eligibility for graduation. 

All Staff:

Access to system tools and information will be tailored according to the duties and responsibilities you undertake at UTAS. 

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SLIMS for Students

SLIMS will allow students to manage their personal details, enrolment and learning program(s) online, including making initial applications and variations.  Students will also be able to apply online for credit for prior studies.  In addition, students will receive online feedback regarding approval for changes to areas such as enrolment, thus saving time and frustration.  Online management will mean there is no need to queue and lodge forms.

SLIMS will still continue to support students who cannot, or choose not to, manage their details online.  You will be able to elect to manage your details using paper-based means.

An online course/study planner showing the compulsory units and scope of electives will be available as part of the new student system.  It will clarify the units in which students will need to enrol to progress through their learning program and enable them to view their current status and where they are heading at any given time.  Course counselling will, however, continue to be available to all students. 

Whilst all students will be able to self-manage their learning programs on-line, face-to-face course counselling will continue to be available for those students who wish to discuss their course of study with the relevant Faculty. 

The new Student Management System will be supported by a range of online user manuals and training tutorials.  Support programmes for new and existing students will also be developed in consultation with student body representatives during 2010/11 for delivery when the core system is introduced in 2011/12.

Students will be provided with information about the new system (and new concepts introduced as part of this system) in student correspondence and materials issued during 2011 and 2012.

Further Information

You can call, email, or check the website.  The website will be updated on a regular basis to keep stakeholders up-to-date on the Project progress.
Contact details are: