The student experience has always been a main focus for Sunrise functional leads Marissa Kaltwasser and Trevor Bilhorn, both in their former roles as WashU school registrars, and now as part of the Workday Student implementation.
Trevor, functional lead for Academic Foundations & Admissions, is looking forward to the streamlining of admissions and onboarding for students and administrators.
After go-live, all students will matriculate through an admissions system. No more paper forms, no more webforms. As such, we as staff will have easier access to accurate data about our incoming students, and students will be set up with appropriate onboarding in Workday.
Trevor Bilhorn
“All students will have a curated list either of items designed to help them hit the ground running (new students) or items to review and accomplish to prepare for registration and the semester ahead (continuing students),” Trevor says.
As part of these checklists, students can provide access to limited financial and academic information within Workday for designated family and friends. They also will have better instructions for resolving holds in preparation for registration.
Changes to the registration process are made possible by new functionality that will be available in Workday. “It’s not just one specific tool that will improve registration,” says Marissa, functional lead for Records & Registration. “Rather, it’s a combination of all the tools that will enhance the experience for students as they look ahead to the next semester.”
Notably, Workday shows information about course requirements that will help students know what is required to take a course before they register for it. Prior to their registration appointment, they will know if they are missing a requirement.
The enforcement of pre-requisite courses will allow instructors to ensure the right student population is in their course, leading to a better learning experience for all students in the course.
Marissa Kaltwasser
Additionally, instructors will be able to hold seats for seniors or majors who need a class to complete their program, helping to ensure that the students who need a course most are able to take it.
Both Trevor and Marissa acknowledge that Workday Student will bring a lot of change, but they are excited about these changes and what they will bring to students and those who serve them.