Leap for Learning for Students
Summary of current and upcoming changes in study practice.
Leap for Learning combines three major Learning Services (LES) projects: the deployment and development of Sisu, the learning and study information system; LES process harmonisation and development; and the introduction of the Salesforce service platform to support the improved processes and digitalisation.
Leap seeks solutions for enriching the user and service experiences of students and staff. It also aims to satisfy the needs of new user groups (such as continuous learners) and to make greater optimisation of data and analytics in our work. Leap has a joint steering group and a change organisation to support its work.
Sisu came online in August 2021 and its development roadmap currently extends to the year 2024.
The LES process development began in 2018 with the identification of processes and the adoption of the digital ‘OPI reference architecture’ as a basis for the work. LES has identified process owners for the different process areas as well as a model and ways to support the progress monitoring of the development work.
Salesforce has several LES projects up and running. It will eventually replace many of the older systems at LES and elsewhere at Aalto. The service platform is an important part of Aalto’s digital roadmap.
In 2021, Salesforce was onboarded in the main admissions process for master’s level students and in the processing of advance assignments for bachelor’s admissions in the School of Arts, Design and Architecture. In 2022, Aalto used the platform to launch MyStudies, with features for academic advising and the reinstatement of study rights, as well as an ‘annual clock’ planning timeline for programme directors. As of autumn 2022, the platform is being equipped with features for the digitalisation of thesis processes and for admissions at the doctoral programme level. Aalto’s course catalogue (courses.aalto.fi) has also been built into the platform.
Enable scalable support services for increasing numbers of students and lifelong learners
Information systems support daily work, which also means less manual work
Opportunities to provide more personalized support to students and faculty
Summary of current and upcoming changes in study practice.
Many teaching and learning services and workflows will be renewed over the coming year. Related projects have been brought together under the heading of Leap for Learning.
The number of students and lifelong learners is likely to increase in the future, and so is the digital collaboration between universities.