Education Today Education Today Magazine
The University of Chester is accelerating its digital transformation, replacing its legacy technology systems with TechnologyOne’s leading Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) ERP solution, including Student Management, Financials, Supply Chain Management and Corporate Performance Management, to futureproof operations and enhance the learning experience for its 15,000 students.
The university will leverage TechnologyOne’s groundbreaking SaaS Plus offering, which sees TechnologyOne take full responsibility for delivering the complete solution including the implementation, operation and support for a single annual fee. It avoids the high initial outlay that usually comes with an ERP implementation and acts as a safety net for organisations embarking on major digital transformation journeys.
With the imperative to move to SaaS, the University of Chester looked for a solution offering genuine improvements in experience and security. TechnologyOne’s regular deployment of platform-wide security enhancements will also ensure optimal protection for the university.
The University of Chester is also planning to transition its on-premise TechnologyOne Timetabling & Scheduling solution to SaaS to further optimise timetabling, resource booking and exam scheduling.
Encompassing every stage of the student lifecycle, OneEducation provides a one-stop-shop for administrative services and a single view of student data from application to enrolment and graduation, enabling students, academics and administrators to access the platform from any device, anywhere, at any time.
Crucially, moving to OneEducation will enable the University of Chester to streamline operational costs while providing the flexibility to explore and offer different types of blended remote and in-person learning models in the future.
TechnologyOne recently entered into an agreement for the acquisition of the curriculum management software provider, CourseLoop, which is also used by the University of Chester. The acquisition will see TechnologyOne become the world’s first SaaS platform to encompass the entire student lifecycle into a single integrated ERP solution, providing universities with macro to granular data visibility across the entire student lifecycle, empowering them with competitive insights.
University of Chester Vice-Chancellor Professor Eunice Simmons said: “By adopting TechnologyOne’s OneEducation SaaS solution, we are taking a further step in our digital transformation to better meet the needs of our students and support our future growth. Student Management will help reduce administrative burden for our team, allowing them to provide more personalised and responsive support to students. It will also give us access to dashboard and insights to empower administrators to make early interventions if a student is struggling through a particular course for example.”
TechnologyOne UK Executive Vice President, Leo Hanna, said: “The education sector is facing distinct challenges, with growing competition for a shrinking student base. We’re delighted that the University of Chester has chosen TechnologyOne as a trusted partner to enhance their student experience and ensure they remain responsive to the evolving demands of the sector.”
TechnologyOne partners with two thirds of the UK’s higher education institutions, including the London School of Economics and Political Science, University of Lincoln, Staffordshire University and York St John University.
