Helping to build UBC's future: a student's experience working in IRP Student

"This blog post was written by a co-op student who is part of the IRP Student Communications and Engagement team. Direct UBC student involvement in renewing our Student Information System is critical. Students will be prime users of the new system, Workday Student. A deep understanding of student needs is paramount. I continue to be delighted by co-op students, volunteers, committee participants, and other students as they share their time and knowledge with us. We hope they benefit as much from us as we do from them!" - Corinne Pitre-Heyes, Program Director, IRP Student 

My name is Angad Singh Bhalla and I am a 4th year student majoring in Economics and Philosophy. I have been working as a co-op student in the role of Project and Communications Assistant with IRP Student for the past 8 months.  

What is IRP Student?  

IRP Student (Integrated Renewal Program – Student), refers to the university’s initiative to renew our Student Information System. With the launch of Workday Student, UBC will introduce new tools and ways of working to enhance the delivery of the university’s academic mandate. IRP Student is working to replace our current core student information system (SIS). Through this initiative, the program will add new point solutions, decommission some applications, and integrate and retrofit other student-related applications as needed to create a refreshed and modernized student information system. With the first launch in Fall 2023, Workday-Student will replace the SIS.  

Why is UBC making this change? 

A renewed system will add much-needed security and stability enhancements for the University. A flexible and secure platform will enable UBC to react appropriately to unforeseen circumstances, such as those encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, faculty and staff will be better equipped to support students, and UBC will ultimately be able to deliver the digital experience we, as students, expect.  

The implementation of one integrated platform for HR, finance, and student administration will benefit the UBC community as a whole. Personally, the ability to securely access my student records on a cloud-based system through an app on my phone is something I wish I had long ago. 

Why now? 

When I tell my friends and peers what I have been working on these last few months and what the IRP Student program is, I am sometimes met with apprehension and confusion. The sentiment in these situations is that if something is not broken, why fix it? While the current system functions sufficiently, I don’t view this as a valid reason to not progress toward a better and brighter future. This initiative has been underway for many years and the university has committed valuable resources to ensure the new system is developed in a thorough manner. During my co-op experience, I have witnessed the program’s dedication to delivering on its objectives responsibly.  
 
When the new system is launched, students, faculty, and staff will need to adapt and familiarize themselves with Workday Student, and, initially, the change may be seen as cumbersome rather than as an improvement. However, this transition period is a natural part of change. My colleagues in the program are working to provide training for users to ensure the changeover to Workday Student is as smooth as possible.  

I believe moving to Workday Student signifies an embrace of the digital age where information and services are within reach at just the tap of a finger, and is a critical and revolutionary step for the university. 

- Angad Bhalla, Co-op Student, Project and Communications Assistant, IRP Student

My role with IRP Student 

My duties in this co-op role have included writing blog posts and articles explaining various aspects of the program, managing program files and email inboxes, and working with my team to produce various communications and engagement deliverables. One of the main reasons I applied to work for IRP Student is that I found the project’s objective of renewing our student information system (SIS) an important one and was excited by the opportunity to contribute to its completion.  

Working for IRP Student has been gratifying as my insights as a student are regularly encouraged and taken seriously. Despite the fact that I will graduate before the system launches, my experience shaping and better preparing the university for the future was satisfying in itself, and I think the program is a great place for students to work. 

Future opportunities for co-op students

I am one of many co-op students currently working at IRP Student and as the program progresses, the opportunities for students will increase. As students, we play an important role in the move to Workday Student. Our insights are valued, and the program places an emphasis on how the change is not happening to us, but rather with us.  If you are an interested co-op student, the program will have various opportunities until 2024. For example, the program will be hiring several ‘Learning Rovers,’ who will assist staff in different faculties and units with the adoption of Workday Student. Keep an eye out for these opportunities on the co-op website! 

For more information about IRP Student, you can read more here.