In a recent episode of Workday Gold, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Kristina Kelpe, a seasoned higher education technology expert with 15 years of experience. Our conversation dove deep into the world of Workday Student, exploring what makes it unique in the higher education landscape and best practices for implementation.

What Makes Workday Student Different?

One of the key takeaways from our discussion is that Workday Student isn’t simply Workday implemented in higher education—it’s a distinct product line specifically designed for academic institutions. As Kristina explained, it serves as the central hub for critical operations like registration, student accounts, and financial aid.

What sets it apart from legacy systems? For one, Workday Student was the first cloud-based student information system, marking a significant shift from the older on-premise solutions that many institutions had been using since the 1990s. But the differences go beyond just being cloud-based.

The Implementation Journey

A typical Workday Student implementation takes between 18 months to two years, following a unique pattern tied to academic cycles. Unlike traditional ERP implementations, student projects often require two moves to production, carefully timed around academic periods. This timing is crucial because everything targets specific academic periods—from course planning to student enrollment.

Best Practices and Key Considerations

Kristina shared several valuable insights for institutions considering or implementing Workday Student:

1. Think “System of Systems”: Workday Student won’t replace all campus systems, and that’s okay. Focus on core functionality first and maintain other specialized systems where they make sense.
2. Embrace Minimum Viable Product: Start small and expand over time. 
3. Plan Long-Term: Follow the example of institutions like Wellesley College by developing 1-year, 2-year, and 5-year plans for system evolution.
4. Understand the Data Model: Success requires a deep understanding of how data flows through the system and how different modules interact.

    

The Techno-Functional Approach

One fascinating concept Kristina introduced is what she calls the “techno-functional” nature of Workday Student. Success requires a blend of functional knowledge, technical understanding, and data expertise. This represents a significant shift from legacy systems where roles were more strictly divided.