Langara set to upgrade registration system

Reported by Liam Hill-Allan

Langara’s plan to update its two-decade old registration system cannot come soon enough for some students and staff.

The current system, known as Banner, was implemented in 1996. It is no longer able to meet new and demanding expectations.

Langara has announced plans to upgrade to a new school-wide system, Workday@Langara, over the next three years. While specific changes are not yet publicized, the main goals for the new system include improved communication, an easier-to-use user interface and full cloud integration.

In an email to The Voice, the Workday@Langara team said the new system will improve many aspects, including communication and mobile compatibility.

Rey Buenaventura, Langara associate registrar, said in an email that while the Banner system has worked well, the college is making efforts to keep up with modern technology.

“As technology has improved over the years, the college has sought to enhance the student information system,” Buenaventura said. “[Langara] has decided to progress to cloud technology for our future.”

The implementation of Workday@Langara is part of the college’s 2020 Strategic Plan, a project dedicated to modernization.

The wish list on campus

Even though there is no information on what the new system with provide, students and faculty are beginning a wish list.

Abhineet Dhillon, a Langara health sciences student, said he thinks the new system should automatically assign courses to the students who have to take them.

“I need to complete a diploma which includes 20 subjects,” Dhillon said. “They should be pre-assigned.”

Olivia Lowe, a Langara student studying on physics, said the current system looks outdated when compared to other Langara systems like D2L.

“Even if they just updated the registration site to something a bit more modern, that would even help a lot more with organization and stuff,” Lowe said.

Stephanie Aitken, department chair of Langara’s fine arts department said that she hopes the new system will fix design flaws in the current system that waste staff’s time.

“I’m hoping that we’ll be able to make email lists with students,” Aitken said “It’s completely ridiculous how long it takes to email a group of students.”