Nearly 1,500 students, faculty, advisers and others recently took part in hands-on practice events to prepare for their first use of Workday Student in February. Participants at the rock and roll-themed experience, called Mock enRoll, shared valuable feedback on the system, data and support resources. Those who attended will have access to a practice environment until Jan. 10 to continue exploring the system.
Students who participated almost universally liked the new system. They praised the intuitive navigation, the use of dashboards and hubs to consolidate key information, and the ease of registering with one click from a saved schedule.
“The system has really evolved since I first experienced it back in April,” said Quinn Adam, a graduate student at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts and a member of the Student Sunrise student advisory group. “Students can access everything from their profile. I think they will enjoy the course search functionality, which is really robust.”
Olin Business School junior Melanie Spitzberg agreed.
“The system is intuitive, but there is definitely going to be a learning curve,” she said. “I need to take more time to get comfortable with Workday, which I’m doing now since I’ll be studying abroad next semester.”
While most students look forward to WebSTAC’s retirement, some aspects of the new system may be challenging, particularly for faculty and advisers. Themes that arose during the practice events included:
- Adjustment to new course numbering rubric
- Accuracy of some academic requirements, particularly for programs with complex requirements
- Distinguishing between courses and course sections when searching
- The system’s look and feel (how search results display, horizontal scrolling, etc)
- The need to toggle between student and worker profiles for students who are also employed by the university
“There is a real appetite for a new, more modern system, but getting there is easier said than done,” explained Keri Disch, university registrar. “The wins and issues surfaced were not unexpected. I know we will work through the timing and approach for how to address the valuable feedback we’ve been receiving. Workday is an ever-evolving product, so we will get started with what we have and adjust as we go.”
Despite some of the angst that surfaced during Mock enRoll, most participants felt optimistic about the new system and acknowledged that it will take time to learn and become familiar.
“I had the opportunity to walk through a mock student advising meeting to help me prepare for student registration next spring,” said Ron Laue, senior assistant dean at the McKelvey School of Engineering. “There is so much you can do within the system; the key is figuring out what you need to know and do and what you don’t. I found it helpful to use the task bar to prioritize my needs.”
Training, support resources available
Mock enRoll also gave the Student Sunrise project team the opportunity to get feedback on the resources now available on the Workday@WashU support website and the in-system Help application.
“With a transition of this magnitude, it is critical that the community knows where and how to get help,” said Barry Martin, the Student Sunrise training lead. “Making sure we gathered feedback on these resources as part of Mock enRoll was key. Fortunately, most students indicated they didn’t need a lot of support to complete some of the basic tasks.”
Instructor-led training for advisers begins in January. In the interim, the community can learn more about what to do when and what training to take at the various audience pages on the Student Sunrise website.
For students
For advisers
For faculty and staff who teach
For course and section managers
Questions also can be submitted as a ServiceNow support ticket at servicedesk.washu.edu.
