2024 Year in Review

School of Computer Science: 

In partnership with CCS, the School of Computer Science launched a new Mac computer lab for teaching, managed through the Intune platform and containing the latest features which seamlessly integrate with Entra ID to provide a seamless learning experience for students.

IT Support for CSAHS’ Initiatives:

• Maplewoods Clinic: The Maplewoods Centre for Family Therapy and Child Psychology, part of U of G’s College of Social and Applied Human Sciences (CSAHS), is now running at full capacity. Maplewoods offers low-cost psychotherapy to Wellington County and beyond. Technological implementations managed by the CSAHS IT team include a new electronic health record, enhanced encryption protocols and an innovative video recording system for training psychotherapists/research. This work was supported by CCS and Purchasing & Payment Services.  www.uoguelph.ca/maplewoods/  

• IndigenERA Lab Implementation Project: A secure lab within the HUTT building where CSAHS researchers will conduct a values-based environmental health risk assessment for the Institute of Indigenous Peoples’ Health project. This initiative involves a complicated set of procedures for security and engagement with stakeholders and the CSAHS IT team has helped them develop these procedures, ensuring they are modern and secure. www.indigenera.ca/

• VitalHub Electronic Health Record Project: The CSAHS team worked with the Maplewoods Centre for Family Therapy and Child Psychology to deploy this cutting-edge system. VitalHub TREAT is a modern electronic health record and training students in the use of such a system is critical for their future job prospects. The CSAHS IT team is working with the Maplewoods Centre in a project coordination capacity and will be also taking on report creation within the system once it is fully operational. The anticipated go-live date is in March 2025.  www.vitalhub.com/

CourseLink Support:

Several improvements were made to CourseLink this year. These include:

• An updated and rebranded CourseLink login page.

• New CourseLink publisher integrations for textbooks/activities/simulations (Codon Learning, Ametros Learning, Oxford University Press) with Single Sign-on capabilities and grade transfer enabled between the systems.

• Support for Syllabi, U of G’s course outline tool, was moved to CourseLink Support.

• Onboarded the continuing education unit within U of G’s Student Feedback Questionnaire software (Explorance Blue), allowing students in continuing education courses to seamlessly submit their feedback on courses and instructors.

• Re-enabled Chromebook support for the Respondus LockDown browser, allowing students to use Chromebooks during proctored exams.

U of G website improvements:

Several improvements were made to the U of G website experience, many of them resulting from the great partnership between Communications & Marketing, various colleges and departments, and the CCS Web & Development Solutions team. These include:

• Launch of the U of G Insider: Communications & Marketing launched the new U of G intranet – the U of G Insider. The Insider is a digital space to connect with the U of G community, easily find news, resources and information.

• Enhancing the prospective U of G student web experience:

  • A new program search/finder page allows prospective applicants to view all U of G programs in one place! https://www.uoguelph.ca/programs/undergraduate

  • Central rollout of admissions-related calls-to-action that automatically show up across all U of G program pages simultaneously. For example, being able to add a button for campus tours to every program page at once (previously a manual process).

  • Many additions to the U of G content hub to align with other public-facing information:

    • Undergraduate Admission page:  https://www.uoguelph.ca/admission/undergraduate/

    • Numerous college/department web relaunches/relocations from Drupal 7 or other platforms to the central content hub.

Copilot for Microsoft 365: 

Lots of work on Copilot for Microsoft 365 this year by the CCS Web & Development Solutions team, with preparations underway to roll it out faculty and staff who wish to purchase it. Significant lead-up work included vetting Copilot for U of G from both a security and usability standpoint. The team also worked with a group of early adopters from various U of G units to pilot the tool, understand the benefits and develop a community of practice. 

Alumni Website Revamp: 

The Alumni Affairs & Development (AA&D) Advancement Systems and Analysis team and the Engagement Services team collaborated to develop the new Alumni website. The site was developed in collaboration with Communications & Marketing and CCS Web & Development Solutions. The Alumni website was revamped and migrated to decoupled architecture to align with the larger University website strategy. https://alumni.uoguelph.ca/  

Program Management Office (PMO) Improvements:

• Website Re-launch: The CCS PMO team launched a new and improved website in November 2024. The site provides an enhanced user experience with better access to resources and support for all who lead projects at U of G. https://uoguelphca.sharepoint.com/sites/PMOHUB

• Expanded Change Management Training and Certification: The CCS PMO offers change management training to the U of G community, and has expanded this program over the last two years. With the University in a constant state of change, this training is of critical importance. The team aims to build a culture of change champions and has achieved excellent results thus far: 

• 283 participants across 54 departments/colleges/business units

• 1,684 hours of training delivered

• Seven unique training courses offered, tailored to different audiences (project sponsors, people managers, project managers, etc.)

• 19 change practitioners certified.

Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) Enhancements:

• Enhanced Room Booking: The OVC Technology Group has provided an easier and more transparent room booking process for the OVC community, recently making the shift to Microsoft 365 (Outlook/Teams) for all room bookings. This replaces a more manual process of emailing/phoning/form completion for room booking requests. It allows users to filter rooms based on their criteria, view room availability and book it on the spot. They have also added digital displays outside each room showing the updated schedule. Multiple Power Automate flows were built to help sync Outlook and the Infosilem academic scheduling system.

• New Microsoft Teams Rooms: In partnership with multiple teams in CCS, OVC implemented 14 additional Microsoft Teams meeting rooms and has purchased the equipment to install 11 more in summer 2025. These rooms provide a simplified user experience for hybrid meetings and more capable room technology.

• ResearchGenus – New Clinical Research Data Tool: ResearchGenus is a software solution for clinical researchers, allowing them direct access to quickly query patient data from past and present electronic medical records. The tool utilizes AI and data harmonization, enhancing data quality and expanded search results.

• OVC Service Centre Web Page: Significant redesign of a page on the OVC site that is now a one-stop shop for users to connect with the support they need, with all service teams and contact information listed in one place, including myriad web forms and workflow automation. This is an excellent way for users to get their service request to the right team, in the fastest way possible.

 Lab Services Division User Enhancements:

• New Online Payment Portal: The IT and Finance teams within Lab Services Division collaborated to successfully launch a new client payment portal this year. The portal provides clients with a secure and user-friendly platform for managing invoices and making payments online, resulting in improved payment turnaround times, reduced administrative overhead and enhanced transparency in the billing process. This initiative aligns with the team’s broader goal of digital transformation and operational efficiency.

• New Online Sample Submission Portal: Lab Services Division launched a new online sample submission portal for the Canadian Veterinary Urolith Centre, allowing clients to electronically submit urolith (urinary stone) samples for analysis. Transitioning to an online system has reduced manual paperwork, minimized submission errors, improved data accuracy, timeliness and traceability, reduced processing time and enhanced the overall client experience.

• New and Improved Websites: The marketing team within the Lab Services Division, with support from the IT team, led a revamp of the Agriculture and Food Laboratory Division’s website, focusing on improving usability, accessibility and overall client experience. The redesign was driven by valuable insights gathered from a recent customer feedback survey, ensuring the updates aligned with client needs and expectations. Key improvements include a modernized interface, streamlined navigation and enhanced content clarity.

• The Ontario Interactive Animal Pathogen Dashboard: This is an initiative by the Animal Health Laboratory Division made possible through funding from various research grants. This interactive website is designed to provide real-time and historical insights into pathogens that are of particular concern to Ontario’s food animal industry. The primary objective of the dashboard is to equip users—including researchers, veterinarians and policymakers—with timely diagnostic data, helping them monitor trends and develop effective strategies to manage endemic, emerging or foreign animal pathogens in the region. Additionally, the site will be a valuable tool for predictive analysis, enabling users to anticipate future outbreaks and trends, thereby improving preparedness and response strategies.

Open Learning & Educational Support - Developing a Registrar Chatbot:

The Open Learning & Educational Support Information Systems and Development team is supporting the Registrar’s Office in the development of a robust, secure and scalable chatbot for U of G students. This tool will answer common student questions 24 hours/day, 365 days/year, and reflect the appropriate context, knowledgebase and user experience. The chatbot is being developed on enterprise-class Microsoft technologies currently licensed to the University. This project will allow U of G to develop capabilities and best practices around the development and deployment of AI agents in general.

Digital Innovation & Transformation Team:

• Expansion of the Digital Signage Program, which has included:

  • Expanding the physical signage network to over 150 screens across 20 departments.

  • Enhancing the new digital signage content management system platform which has enabled more campus collaboration and sharing, resulting in a 30% increase in shared content compared with the previous system.

  • Welcoming six new departments to the central digital signage network, including Research Innovation, College of Biological Science, Chemistry, School of Computer Science, the Arboretum and the Master of Cybersecurity and Threat Intelligence program.

  • Partnered with the City of Guelph to provide relevant city advice and messaging to students, enhancing both the student and community experience. 

• The Digital Wayfinding Project is well underway, with the contract awarded to Mapsted. The team is working on operationalizing the technology to improve navigation and accessibility across campus.

• Teams Rooms Implementations: Thanks to close collaboration between the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC), Classroom Technical Support and CCS, several Teams Rooms pilots have been implemented in the University Centre and OVC. The team will be working on recommendations from the pilot to allow for greater adoption on campus.  

The 2024 IT Review: 

In 2024, PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) was retained to review University-wide IT functions and to propose a University-wide IT operating model and technology/capability roadmap aligned to mission critical institutional capabilities. The goal of the IT Review was to provide recommendations to enable the delivery of efficient, effective, safe and secure IT services and infrastructure, as well as strategic innovation capabilities, all to enable U of G to deliver on its strategic plan and transformation goals.

In the fall of 2024, PwC provided their recommendation report which included the following recommendations:

• A target operating model
• To assess our application landscape to identify redundancies
• To partner with third-party managed service providers to explore strategic partnerships
• To enable critical capabilities such as cloud, digital innovation and process engineering.

The recommendations of PwC are currently under review and will be brought forward to other IT and departmental managers for input and refinement.

Replacing ITGC with DTAC/PDTAC:

Investments in information technology and information management necessitate careful consideration of strategy, operational needs and overall organizational priorities. Being well-informed and providing sound guidance shaped by a diverse cross-section of the University community ensures that scarce resources are allocated to common priorities in the most effective manner. In 2024, significant efforts were undertaken to overhaul the institutional governance structure. This led to the replacement of the former IT Governance Council (ITGC) with two new committees:

• The Digital and Technology Advisory Council (DTAC) takes a broad perspective, looking at the University as a whole. The committee serves an advisory role, offering guidance to the Provost and the President's leadership team. It provides input on policies and initiatives related to IT that affect the University's academic, financial or operational aspects.
• The Provost Digital and Technology Advisory Council (PDTAC) offers counsel to the Provost and, by extension, the University Executive Leadership team regarding the direction, priorities and policies for information technology across all University of Guelph locations. This advice enables the Provost to seek project authorization and funding from the appropriate governance levels, with input and guidance from across U of G, as facilitated through the DTAC and PDTAC bodies.

Ethos Go Live: 

EthOS, the first release of U of G’s Research Administration Information Management System (RAIMS) program, was launched in July 2024, and work has continued since that time on data migration, system updates, implementing additional system functionality, continuously improving processes and more. EthOS – the Research Ethics Online system – helps to manage the submission of human ethics protocols and Research Ethics Board reviews. It brings a dynamic application form, real-time status information, collaboration features and powerful workflow functionality to improve user experience during the application, review and approval phases of human participant research protocols. This project is based on a very successful collaboration between CCS and the Research Services Office.

Student Information System (SIS) Refresh: 

Another year of very impactful work in the Colleague/WebAdvisor space by the CCS Enterprise Applications Student Information Systems team, supporting the work of their partners in the Office of Registrarial Services. These improvements serve to enhance the student experience and ensure seamless integration with other systems and processes. Some of these improvements include:  

• Upgrading integrations with OUAC: Worked with Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC) to upgrade Colleague’s integration with OUAC, moving from Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) to Postsecondary Electronic Standards Council (PESC) format. This has been a significant undertaking accomplished over several years, with a successful go-live in spring 2024.
• Colleague to Slate Transfers: The team worked to transfer data from our student information system (Colleague) to Slate – U of G’s admission CRM tool. This allows for easy transfer of student information between the two platforms for streamlined access and data sharing. This involved data mapping for imports and addressing post-production issues with international workflows, as well as ongoing tasks related to contacts, guidelines and data clean-up.
• Transfer of Customizations from WebAdvisor to Self Service: Throughout the SIS Refresh initiative, one of the team’s focuses has been migrating tools and processes from the old WebAdvisor interface to the new Colleague Self Service system, which features enhanced functionalities that are more accessible and mobile-friendly. A recent project involved the migration of previous WebAdvisor customizations to Self Service “Bolt-ons”. The final push to move over all previous customizations was completed this year. 
• Attestation Letters in Colleague: Beginning in January 2024, international students were required to submit a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) as part of the study permit application process. The CCS Enterprise Applications SIS team, in collaboration with many U of G partners including Admissions, Office of Registrarial Services, Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, Student Experience, University of Guelph-Humber, had to pivot quickly to ensure this was in place for the Fall 2024 admission process. Collaboratively, these teams acted fast to ensure international students could find the information needed and work through the complexities of this process. This involved significant work from these U of G partners, including the creation of web content for students about the PAL process, and from an IT perspective, adapting Colleague communications to allow the students to work through the PAL process efficiently. Additional updates were required for the 2025 cycle.
• Investigating a New T4A Generation Process: U of G’s recent launch of the new Human Resources Management System has changed the way certain processes take place, and the generation of T4A forms for students is one such process. The SIS team can no longer rely on previous HR processes to generate T4As, however Colleague does have this capability, and the team has been investigating that potential with plans to roll out this functionality in time for the 2024 tax season.
• Waitlisting for Course Registration: Currently when students register for courses in WebAdvisor, they do not have the ability to join a waitlist for courses that are full. The team aims to enable this feature, where students can add themselves to the waitlist and automatically receive a notification when a spot opens. The team has spent significant time preparing for initial functional testing, as well as configuring accounts, emails and other necessary setups. This work is ongoing, and they hope to launch waitlisting in 2025.
• Indigenous Identity in Colleague: The team worked with Cara Wehkamp, Assistant Vice-President (Indigenous Initiatives), and her team to enable storage of confirmed Indigenous identities in Colleague. This will assist with identifying Indigenous students for scholarships and awards, and make sure the University is tracking this important information.

Human Resources Management System (HRMS):

In collaboration with Human Resources (HR), Gryphons At Work Phase One launched in July 2024. This system go-live set the foundation for a modernized human resources management system at the University, covering functionality that includes self-service, core HR data, pension, benefits, payroll, recruitment, onboarding, reporting and labour relations.  With the system now in production, the team will continue to work with feedback from the University community to enhance and optimize Gryphons At Work, while also planning for the next set of critical upgrades and institution-wide functionality.

Financial Administrative Systems Transformation and Re-Engineering (FASTR):

In collaboration with Financial Services, efforts are well underway to complete the request for proposal (RFP) for a business consulting group to begin work on the FASTR project. Once hired, this group will work with the functional and technical U of G teams to define a target working model. From there, the teams will work towards selecting a finance application that best suits the needs of the University. 

OneForm: 

The CCS Enterprise Applications team is supporting Financial Services and Purchasing Services in designing and developing OneForm, which will enable digital submission and management of order forms across the University for many different types of purchase orders. This will provide a better user experience and improved efficiencies.

Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and Slate: 

Efforts are underway to optimize the graduate admissions process and ultimately grow revenue within U of G graduate programs. Currently, applications to Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies are received through the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC), however this process has proved costly and inefficient, with limited capacity to process applications. Leveraging experience and learnings from U of G's current admission CRM tool (Slate), significant strides have been made to define a new solution which will allow U of G to automate our graduate admissions process, increasing our capacity to process significantly more applicants. A business case has been forwarded for approval.