The University of Johannesburg, formerly RAU, has procured Oracle`s ERP software suite to provide integrated core information architecture to run the new university cluster. The university purchased the financials, human resources, employee self-service, administration, payroll, purchasing, project costing, Internet expenses and tutor modules of Oracle`s application software set, E-Business Suite.
"We are an intellectual capital organisation, and therefore need an information system that will manage the full lifecycle of our intellectual assets," says the university`s CIO Adriaan Vorster.
These systems must equip university staff to manage the learning environment while keeping the `customer` - the student - sharply in focus; as Vorster observes, each student is in fact a paying client who must be well looked after to impart the knowledge and experience that constitutes a tertiary education.
"Our competitive advantage, therefore, lies in the quality of our teaching staff and their vehicles for knowledge transfer. Such systems must follow the progress of each student and support him or her in a facilitated learning environment. Here, we needed tools to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching efforts, which would tie back to performance and cost criteria."
"In order to achieve this goal, one must have the tools to control functions such as human resources, financials, facilities management, procurement and materials management and more."
To date, he says, such a system had been nothing more than an ideal to which to strive. "Universities across the nation have been faced with a common problem: they are suffering from a lack of appropriate information from their management systems which affects their efficiency," he continues.
Vorster says at the heart of the problem is a situation where there is an abundance of data but, because the data is granular and siloed, there is a shortage of relevant information.
"The environments are data-rich and information-poor. The wrong data is being used, with the wrong method of capture. Additionally, each site has customised systems, which are resistant to change; this requires a significant amount of manual intervention, while many repetitive tasks that should be automated are still being done manually," he explains.
These factors have conspired to result in archaic, ineffective systems that do not deliver the functionality required for the optimal management of a university.
In selecting Oracle to address these issues, Vorster says the universities sought a solution that would bring efficiencies to the business of education. "We conducted extensive research to identify four specifically designed student systems, eventually settling on the Oracle solution as one that satisfied our requirements."
Interestingly, Vorster says key criteria included a commitment to the country, the financial stability of the vendor, and the quality of the employees of the selected technology supplier. "Universities cannot afford to implement cheap systems. We wanted an internationally reputable vendor that would enter into a long-term relationship, provide quality systems and also have commitment to the local market and regulatory requirements," he explains.
It was also important that such a vendor would be able to provide development, support and implementation skills for the system, which will be deployed countrywide to serve several institutions.
Benefits that students can expect to see from the Oracle system include real-time access to information of the progress of their studies. Lecturers will be in a position to plan interventions based on results, and make adjustment to the teaching process. A significant improvement in efficiency in the core systems such as financials and human resources is also anticipated.
The exhaustive selection process resulted in a two-year sales cycle, while implementation will take place within a structured 18-month framework.
"This is a serious commitment of resources over the long-term; we are confident that in Oracle, we have found a system that will dramatically improve the operation of the university," concludes Vorster.
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