HBKU plugs in

development > tag this

HBKU

PLUGS IN Matthew Boice, regional Vice-President of Ellucian, speaks to us about building the software that will form the backbone of Hamad Bin Khalifa University.

BY AYSWARYA MURTHY

66 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014

M

atthew Boice is no stranger to Qatar, and neither is Ellucian. They have been working with Qatar University since 2006 on the Al Serdal project to replace QU's legacy student management system and to automate and digitise many of the processes. Now the software company has been roped in to provide similar services for the newly-formed HBKU. With its regional headquarters in Dubai Knowledge Village, Ellucian is a leading technology solutions provider for post-16 educational institutions (those that cater for students above the age of 16) that serves over 2,400 universities worldwide and 60 of the region’s biggest and most prestigious private and government institutions including the American University of Beirut, Khalifa University, King Faisal University, King Abdulaziz University and the like.

What with Ellucian’s “pedigree going back to the time when institutions first started using computer systems and processes to manage their operations”, Boice has the perfect vantage point to tell us about what has changed over the years.

“Though helping institutions to automate is still the foundation of what we do, the emphasis has shifted somewhat to a place where universities are much more concerned about student experience. It’s an evolution from saying ‘I am doing this paperwork for the government and I don’t really care if the students don’t like the registration process...’ In fact, when QU was installing the new system, current students were incorporated in the development process for their feedback. They then came back to work on the system from the ad-

ministration side after graduation,” he says.

The software has to assist the institution in managing its many activities in addition to delivering on the learning promise to its students.

“It’s like running a mini-city,” Boice says, “The whole student lifecycle has become very complex, and along with it expectations have also risen.” The millennial generation have got used to high-quality services in their daily lives and they expect their universities to provide the same kind of quality, flexibility and conveniences.

“They want to get all the information they need through an app and they don’t want to have to read an instruction manual to use it,” Boice says. Within a month of the launch of its mobile services, the company has entered into agreements with more than eight institutions in the region that want to extend their connectivity to mobile phones. Mobility is so integral to solution packages that it is almost assumed.

Another exciting opportunity this software can provide is the convergence of normally isolated communities like students, employers and administrators. “Through the Talent Community Portal, which is mediated and regulated by the university, potential employers can actively engage with the students, talking to them about the kinds of opportunities that await them and taking part in the development of the kind of graduates that they wish to hire.

From a student perspective, this portal allows them to showcase their attributes, academic and otherwise, to the employer, in a readable and attractive way. Students can from very early follow their dream employer and the kind of skills they are looking for, helping them mould themselves to be fit

for that job three years down the line. The university can in turn analyse the success of these kinds of interactions and formulate the data needed to see if they are having a positive impact on the development of the workforce,” Boice explains.

Universities are obligated to ensure that they add value. That is what the government is providing them big funds for. “By providing a common platform for these stakeholders to come together, gaps in learning and employment needs are highlighted back to the institution about where it might need to evolve a programme or add additional components. Traditionally this cycle would take decades,” he points out.

Ellucian has tied up with Meeza, Qatar Foundation’s IT arm, to do the behind-thescenes work in providing these services and interfaces. The company’s software is already in use at Georgetown University, Texas A&M University and Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Education City, and the team is now tasked with coming up with a viable concept of how these different institutions will collaborate within the Education City ecosystem and under the umbrella of HBKU. “Traditionally there has been poor interaction between universities in the GCC. Even between next-door neighbours. Everyone talks about it and people love the idea of collaboration, but when it comes down to the mechanics of the operation, a lot more needs to be done,” Boice says, adding that they are trying to break this norm with their partnership with HBKU. “We are currently involved in working with the government and the individual institutions about how information is shared, using open and recognised standards. This can be reflected in something as simple as how a course is described. We also allow our clients to share our intellectual property as a community, which is quite unusual. So although we are the manufacturers we let the community evolve the code (for those who have the desire and aspiration) using the same techniques as open source. From our early discussions with the institutions we are serving in Qatar, we gather that they might like to use this to collaborate within the country.”

Speaking about the customisations needed for different institutions, Boice says: “From macro aspects like language preferences (the whole system is fully supported

“Though helping institutions to automate is still the foundation of what we do, the emphasis has shifted somewhat to a place where universities are much more concerned about student experience."

MATTHEW BOICE Regional Vice-President of Ellucian

in Arabic) to specifics like grants for Qataris (sometimes specific to a programme or even one student), [many things] need to be catered for. Local customs, cultures, practices and government regulations can’t be ignored, and all need to be factored in.

Travel grants, use of the Hijri calendar and unique cases like different courses/ campuses for men and women. We need to

draw that important characteristic out so that guys don’t register for the girls’ classes even though they want to,” he laughs. “Our regional solution centres take care of these additions to software and help localise the services.

“Often it’s a challenge to replace an outdated or a broken system that’s already in place. But HBKU has decided to put the right systems in place from the start. So it’s a relief to not have to worry about old ways of doing things and people who are used to that kind of system. In fact, now that the project has formally kicked off, we’ll start installing all the technology, configuring it and training the staff. This should be done as early as within a year because we don’t have to work over any older system already in place.

“The new software will be uploaded onto the fantastic, world-class Meeza data centres and will be both secure and scalable.

The last part is important as we are sure there will be many more projects that QF and Qatar would want to do that can benefit from these existing systems,” Boice says QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014 > 67