Challenge
Migrating to a new, cloudbased system under a tight deadline
Results
- Completely new system delivered within nine months
- Improved, intuitive mobile experience
- Major business efficiencies and time-savings
Summary
The UOW College Hong Kong (UOWCHK) is one of the leading colleges in Hong Kong, offering a wide range of degree and sub-degree courses to more than 2,000 students every year. With a state-of-the-art campus based in Kowloon City, UOWCHK is part of the global network of institutions operated by the University of Wollongong (UOW).
UOWCHK’s transformation began in July 2015 when UOW took stewardship of the institution, then known as the Community College of City University (CCCU). Established over a decade prior, CCCU needed much more than a simple rebrand to become UOWCHK. The transition required a new student management system as soon as possible.
Hitting the Ground Running
The new student management system needed to be delivered by a small team under a tight deadline, so selecting the right technology was crucial. “A cloud-based solution was a key priority for us,” explains Louise Silvestri, Executive Director of Business Transformations for UOW Global Enterprises. “We had narrowed our evaluation down to three options, but considering that we already knew and trusted Ellucian, and that we needed a scalable solution that would help to futureproof the business, Banner quickly became the only choice.”
UOWCHK formed a close partnership with Ellucian, working with an Ellucian project manager and technical lead to help ensure a smooth migration to the Banner Student Management System in the Ellucian Cloud infrastructure, supported by Amazon Web Services (AWS), to meet its future goals. Kicking off in November 2018, the project was split into two phases, the first of which aimed at launching a minimum viable product (MVP) by September 2019 to meet the semester start and to transition from the previous CCCU system.
Ellucian and UOWCHK took an agile approach that included conducting parallel activities simultaneously and ensuring clear communication between team members. “With such a small team, we really had to collaborate, cross-skill and stay focused on the MVP,” explains Silvestri. “One of the remarkable things about this project is that it was truly global, with team members based across Canada, India, Australia, Hong Kong and the United States. In some cases that might have been a disadvantage, but everyone put in a huge effort, and we’ve formed lasting friendships with the international Ellucian team.”
Securing Student Success with Ellucian Cloud
\Aside from delivering the system within the government-mandated deadline, another key requirement was for the solution to be entirely cloud-based. “Our team in Hong Kong is so small that we simply don’t have the resourcing for maintenance, security and reliability issues,” explains Silvestri. “UOW is moving toward being cloud-based and, as UOW continues to evolve globally, we needed something that could enable us to easily grow and scale as we become more established.”
As the first cloud engagement for Ellucian in the Asia-Pacific region, the project was particularly important. To ensure success and a consistently high performance, the team partnered with AWS to provide managed cloud services for the Ellucian Cloud infrastructure.
A Student Experience that Delivers
Once launched, the team immediately set to work on phase two, which focused on elevating the solution from providing basic student information to delivering an intuitive, mobile user experience. “Every student carries a smartphone. Enabling them to access essential information about their grades, course and timetable—even completing their course enrolments—via a mobile device, is something we see as an essential service,” explains Silvestri.
Phase two also integrated UOWCHK’s accounts receivable function into the system—an achievement that has already provided huge business efficiencies. “Previously, there was significant manual work and double-handling of information between our student management and finance teams,” Silvestri explains. “Rolling accounts receivable into the new system has removed a significant amount of that work and enabled the team to automate a lot of processes and calculations. For any growing business, efficiencies like these are hugely important.”
A Truly Global Partnership
With the official launch of its new campus location in Kowloon City and the bedding down of the new student system, the team already has its sights set on opportunities to further improve college life for students both online and offline. “We’ve started looking at Ellucian Experience and other ways in which we can keep evolving and enhancing the way students interact with us online.”
Silvestri continues, “With such a small team, the support and expertise we’ve received from Ellucian has really made the difference between success and failure on this project. That, combined with the fact that Ellucian Banner perfectly serves our needs, has resulted in a brilliant outcome for the College and our students.”
