News R3

Want to test your R3 Project knowledge? Take our Admissions terminology quiz!

The entrance to the Admissions and Registration Office, with several large windows and a clear door providing a glimpse into the office.

If you’ve ever perused our R3 Project website, you may have stumbled upon the Glossary page, which includes all the R3 terms we’ve defined so far. As we prepare for the launch of the new Student Information System (SIS), Thesis Student Management (or Thesis SM for short), it’s important that our users understand the new and unique terminology that comes with it.

You may have also come across these new terms via New Term Tuesday or at our R3 Showcase events, so hopefully the terminology is somewhat familiar. And if you have been reading up on R3 lingo, now is your chance to test your skills!

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What is the R3 Project up to? Here’s an updated description of the project phases.

The R3 Project Timeline with 6 phases. 1. Discovery - Learning about the new SIS capabilities. Thesis learns about AC. Also called Familiarize phase. 2. A 'Here' marker is displayed on the Design and Develop phase - Configure the SIS for AC. Redesign business processes. Also called Personalize Phase. 3. Technical Testing - Team tests that the new SIS works as required. Business process sharing begins. Feedback collected and analyzed. Also called Integrated System Testing. 4. User Testing - Users test final version of new SIS. Also called User Acceptance Testing. 5. Deploy - Deployment of new SIS begins. Also called Deploy. 6. Close - Close. Also called Project Close.

The R3 Project officially started back in 2019, and since then, a lot has changed. As the largest project Algonquin College has ever seen, there’s no surprise that the project has evolved over the years based on what we’ve learned and accomplished.

To put things into perspective, let’s take some time to review the R3 Project Phases—we’ve also incorporated a simple construction analogy! Plus, we’ll highlight what’s been accomplished, what’s ahead, and why each phase matters.

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Want to know the latest R3 Project updates? Watch the December 2024 R3 Showcase!

December’s Showcase event was a recap of some of our biggest highlights and key messages in 2024. The event was hosted by Claude Brulé, Algonquin College President and CEO, and Krista Pearson, Vice President of Student Services and R3 Project’s Executive Sponsor, who welcomed more than 240 participants.

Jason Taker, Manager, SIS Implementation and Digital Transformation, provided an overview of Domestic on Demand (DoD), a new integration provided by the Ontario College Application Service (OCAS), and listed the forecasted benefits for applicants, the Admissions team, and Algonquin College.

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Meet Krista Pearson, the new Executive Sponsor of the R3 Project

Headshot of Krista Pearson

Krista Pearson, Algonquin College’s Vice President, Student Services, discusses her new role as the R3 Project’s Executive Sponsor.

 

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Krista Pearson is a higher-education executive leader with three decades of experience in colleges and universities across Canada. She joined Algonquin College in 2015 as Registrar and, following a national search process, assumed the role of Vice President, Student Services in August 2024.

As Registrar, Krista was one of the R3 Project’s Co-Business Leads. Now, in her new role, Krista serves as the Executive Sponsor of the R3 Project, which she describes as a transformative initiative “unlike any other project that the College has undertaken.”

We recently met with Krista in Nawapon to talk about her experience, her goals, and the impact of the R3 Project.

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Special interview: The fun of testing with Bert Pitre and Marie Potvin

Two young men are sitting at a desk. The first one is facing a computer screen while he holds a mouse and rests his left hand on the keyboard. The second one is beside him, leaning forward and pointing at something on the screen.

The Testing Team is essential to ensuring that Algonquin College’s new Student Information System (SIS), Thesis SM, works as smoothly as possible. Their primary responsibilities involve identifying, assessing, and reporting bugs, i.e., imperfections in computer software.

This process is hard work, but Bert Pitre, Senior Testing Lead on the R3 Project, says it’s also great fun. Igor Coelho A. S. Marques recently chatted with Bert and Marie Potvin, Testing Administrator, to learn more about testing, cultivating team spirit, and the importance of legacy.

Algonquin College employees: Read the interview with Bert Pitre and Marie Potvin.

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What did you think of this interview? Let us know by sending us a message! If you enjoy this kind of content, check out our other interviews on our News and Events page. And before you go, make sure to sign up for the next R3 Showcase Event to learn more about the R3 Project!

Special interview: Amir Akbari on his passion for planning

A person in business attire is seated at a table, checking a printed report with charts while working on a laptop computer.

The R3 Project is developing Thesis SM, Algonquin College’s new Student Information System. This complex task requires the coordinated effort of a large group of people, including business analysts, integration architects, training specialists, and more.

With so many roles involved, how do project members stay in sync? Enter Amir Akbari, Project Scheduler. By overseeing an extensive workback schedule with thousands of entries, Amir plays a crucial role in maximizing collaboration across the R3 Project teams.

Igor Coelho A. S. Marques recently spoke with Amir to learn more about his work. Here’s a snippet of their conversation:

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How will learners navigate Course Enrolment? Watch the October 2024 R3 Showcase!

October’s Showcase event was a continuation of our May and July Showcase events, which focused on Course Enrolment. The event was hosted by Krista Pearson, Vice President of Student Services and R3 Project’s Executive Sponsor, who welcomed more than 240 participants.

Lauren Draper, Project Manager, Business Transformation, provided a summary of Thesis terminology, a quick review of some key topics that were presented during the May and July Showcase events, and an update on the R3 Project’s role in helping AC transition to the new Course Enrolment process.

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The star-studded cast of Thesis SM integrations

Four crew members on a film set, with one person operating a large camera and others assisting with lighting and photography.

Making great movies takes more than a talented director or a popular lead actor. Great movies are brought to life by the orchestrated effort of many hard-working people, from camera operators to caterers, each contributing their expertise to the project.

Similarly, a solid Student Information System (SIS) must be integrated with a variety of services to meet the needs of a community like ours. To achieve this, the R3 Project and Information Technology Services (ITS) are working together to integrate dozens of industry-leading solutions to Thesis SM, Algonquin College’s new SIS.

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The 5 Ws of the Portal Pathfinders

Thor, the mascot of Algonquin College Athletics, and four learners are smiling and hugging each other.

Nowadays, when we need technical support, we go online and look for tutorials, articles, forums, chatbots—anything that can help us better understand what we’re trying to do. There are times, however, that instead of scouring the web, what we really need—and want—is another human being who’ll listen to us, understand our issue, and help us solve it.

We at the R3 Project understand this! Yes, we’re preparing a plethora of online help materials covering every imaginable task in the new Thesis Student Portal. But we’re also partnering with other teams in the College to deliver the Portal Pathfinder Program and offer more personalized help to learners.

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