MyGlasgow News

We are pleased to announce some changes around the way the University will develop MyCampus and improve the overall online experience of our students and staff, write Susan Ashworth, Executive Director of Information Services, and Robert Partridge, Executive Director of Student and Academic Services.

The first change will involve most staff in SLSD (Student Lifecycle Support & Development) transferring from Student and Academic Services to Information Services and working to Chris Ellis (Assistant Director for MyCampus Development and Infrastructure). Staff in the two departments have always worked closely and there are strong synergies between the skills of the staff who support MyCampus in both units.

Combining the two teams within IT Services will provide a more integrated approach to support and development and will simplify management arrangements. It is our expectation that this will drive improvement of MyCampus for students and staff. It will also simplify governance of MyCampus: there will be a single planning and purchasing process for all corporate IT developments. This more joined-up approach will facilitate improved efficiency for the University.

The second change concerns the student experience of the University’s systems more widely. It is essential that the experience with student-facing systems is as high in quality as the experience with our services on-campus. The range of technology-enabled services that students use have previously been implemented and developed somewhat independently of one another, and it is timely now to consider the overall experience that this presents.

To that end, Jane Broad and Kirsty McConn-Palfreyman, presently in SLSD, will remain in Student and Academic Services and together form a new Student Digital Experience unit. The key purpose of the new unit will be to articulate a clear vision of what the University of Glasgow digital experience should be and what the requirements are for fulfilling that vision. As such, they will also act as "business owner" of MyCampus and related systems, and will work closely with students and staff in the Colleges and University Services to identify needs and the developments that will provide students and staff with optimal technology-enabled services.

The changes will take place from 1 March. From a user perspective this will be a seamless transition, with no interruption of service due to the change.

If you have any questions concerning the changes, please contact Jack Aitken - Jack.Aitken@glasgow.ac.uk

For anything MyCampus support or development related, please contact Chris Ellis - Chris.Ellis@glasgow.ac.uk

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First published: 22 February 2019