Students aren't the only ones with tests on their mind this month. As part of the phased implementation of Workday Student and Receivables, thousands of transaction scenarios, featuring hundreds of simulated student personas, are being tested this winter in preparation for rollout No. 3 this spring.
Beginning on March 26, students registering for fall 2024 classes will complete the task in Workday. The final round of course registration in AccessPlus also will occur in March, by students enrolling in the 2024 summer session.
This course registration rollout follows the first rollout last June, when the university began accepting applications from prospective undergraduate students using Workday Student software. The second rollout, in September, extended the application process to include prospective graduate students.
Learn more: Two 2-minute videos
Getting Started with Workday (how to access, navigate and use Workday)
Types of training for Workday Student (three formats and where to find them)
To arrive at this point, project team members have converted student historical records spanning 91 years. The team is conducting tests, reviewing training feedback and leading workshops to begin transferring knowledge about new Workday Student processes and operations to campus partners. These activities will continue through 2024 to support and provide training opportunities to every employee who serves an Iowa State student or customer.
"We are grateful for the dedication and tireless efforts of the project team to make each rollout period as smooth as possible and support the overall success of this transformation," said President Wendy Wintersteen. "While change of this magnitude is not easy, we know this project is critical to enhance the student experience and the work of our excellent faculty and staff."
Campuswide testing continues
More than 200 faculty and staff, selected for their expertise in the relevant functional areas, are testing hundreds of new processes and procedures. To design the tests, the project team created many personas to test nearly all possible student profiles. They then developed more than 50,000 scenarios for those personas: student tasks such as registering for classes or signing up for commencement; staff tasks such as creating a financial aid package or registering a student organization; faculty tasks such as pulling a class list, editing courses or recording grades. This testing will continue through January in anticipation of moving data into the new system in February, ahead of the March rollout. At launch time, apps will be added to Workday homepages for faculty, staff and students based on their role and responsibilities.
Where to get help
Many training resources have been created for faculty and staff and students to help navigate the transition to Workday Student. For help, support or training information, access the Get Help page on the WorkCyte website, where there's an overview of upcoming changes, links to previews and training materials, and the implementation timeline. Employees are invited to review any of the general materials. In addition, selected faculty and staff will receive invitations to training for tasks and processes they'll need to become familiar with.
"We ask that faculty and staff do their part to stay informed of the changes and utilize the resources and training available through the Workcyte website," Wintersteen added. "The team appreciates your patience and support as together we bring the system online."
Modernizing Iowa State systems
Implementing Workday Student, which will continue through seven rollouts into January 2025, is the next step toward replacing the university's legacy computer networks and modernizing its administrative systems. It follows the 2019 implementation of Workday human resources, payroll and finances.
