Registration 2024: communication with stakeholders
With the release of the complete 'SUNStudent Registration package' planned from December 2023, in time for returning and first-year students to register for the 2024 academic year, the SUNStudent project shifted to preparations for the upcoming registration period from the end of October 2023. Various communication initiatives, including email communication and online town hall meetings, ran parallel to these operational activities to keep SUNStudent users involved with registration updated. In addition to the information on the registration website, students received regular registration updates via email. Some examples are listed below:
Student communication
Essential information for Registration 2024
Feedback after first registration week (Stellenbosch campus)
Registration 2024 — update
Indicate your 'Preferred Language of Teaching'
Module enrolment on SUNStudent portal
Registration options for master's and doctoral students
Post-registration: important information
SUNStudent, account statements and bursary allowances
Staff communication
It should be noted that due to the variety of registration-related roles among SUNStudent users, staff communication was more segmented and targeted than the student communication. Mass mailers were used only when a topic was relevant to a large group of staff members. Two examples are included below. To keep all staff members – also those not directly involved in registration – updated on latest developments, articles were published in the online staff newsletter, INFO@StellenboschUni.
Invitation to 'town hall' meeting: Registration 2024 via SUNStudent
SUNStudent update: Registration 2024 overview and going forward
SUNStudent preparations for registration 2024 in home straight
With registration for the Stellenbosch Business School (SBS), the School for Public Leadership (SPL) and selected postgraduate programmes opening on 4 December 2023, and the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) on 2 January 2024, the SUNStudent preparations for registration 2024 have reached its final stages. Registration for the Stellenbosch campus opens middle January 2024.
Dr Ronel Retief, Registrar and SUNStudent project owner, and some project team members hosted two online 'town hall' meetings on 27 October and 10 November, respectively. The purpose of these sessions was to remind staff members why Stellenbosch University embarked on the SUNStudent system implementation project in the first place, and to share with them where the project stands, and what they can expect towards the end of 2023 and in the beginning of 2024.
The project team shared feedback about their operational readiness count-down and attendees had the opportunity to provide input, and raise questions and concerns. Dr Retief expressed appreciation for the collaborative approach of the 200+ attendees, and for their invaluable feedback and perspectives.
SUPPORT MODEL FOR USERS
The SUNStudent project team presented a draft support model for going live with registration and the related capabilities at the Steering Committee meeting on 1 November 2023. Since then the draft model has been shared in group and one-on-one discussions, leading to the further refinement of the model. The support model will be implemented for the SBS and SPL registration, as well as for the FMHS, and if necessary, further improvements and refinements will be applied before the start of the registration period on the Stellenbosch campus.
All SUNStudent users, in faculties and PASS environments involved with registration, will receive detailed information regarding the support model to enable them to access immediate assistance should it be required after Go-Live. For students, there will be assisted registration according to a specific schedule to be published on the registration website (please note that the registration website will be updated once the arrangements for registration 2024 have been finalised).
Article published in INFO@StellenboschUni (22 November 2023)
