Student Information System is outdated: Reasons & Alternative

Student information system (SIS) has been in use in schools and campuses all over the world for years. It was believed to be the best way to keep track of class registrations and attendance, grading, and test scores. However, such a system is obsolete in this new digital era. Why so? And what is the alternative for this? – Let’s find out!

Student Information System is time-consuming and ineffective

What is a Student Information System?

A Student Information System (SIS) is also known as a Student Management System (SMS), or Student Information Management System (SIMS), or Student Record System (SRS). The SIS is a tool that allows educational institutions to store and handle all of their students’ data, including test scores, enrollment, and other curricular information. There can also be some added modules like Tuition Fee Payment.

The SIS implementation takes way too long

Many schools have applied this system as a part of their tech infrastructure. Typically, an SIS acts as the central database for all school operations. But this basic function is not enough, most educational institutions need customized features, which means more advanced modules to be integrated into their SIS. This results in a longer implementation. As per data of Listedtech’s research on 289 HigherEd implementations, in 2018, the average time to install an SIS was 30 MONTHS.

To adapt to new changes, the SIS also requires updates yearly. For example, in the U.S, 86% of higher educational organizations made changes to their established SIS for dynamic needs (as per ECAR research data). This process is time-consuming as a whole.

The SIS implementation is not a well-rounded solution

The system works mostly on students’ information, yet plays little role in the school management process. Students are undoubtedly the center of education, but successful school leadership is also expected. Hardly does any SIS integrate the bus management or provide effective communication among key stakeholders. There is no involvement of teachers and parents in this management system, so they can not take action promptly to enhance students’ performance. All in all, the SIS is not as effective as it seems to be.

Besides, a majority of the SIS is web-based only. The websites can be easily loaded using a computer, but they are not so mobile-friendly. There can also be errors or even crashes, especially in “rush hours” such as enrollment deadlines. While more and more people tend to use mobile phones to work and study, the SIS is not convenient enough.

Digitalization in school management: A well-rounded and optimal alternative

What is digitalization in school management?

The term “school management” refers to the process of enabling learning and teaching experience. Digitalization in school management means a digital transformation in the way the administration records, tracks and analyzes data of classes and school activities.

Why is digitalization in school management a must?

School digitalization is a well-rounded and effective solution for school management. It would benefit all stakeholders including the administration, teachers, learners, and parents.

• School digitalization is a well-rounded and effective solution for school management. It would benefit all stakeholders including the administration, teachers, learners, and parents.
• Learners have the motivation to learn actively and with more efforts
• Parents can keep track of their children’s performance at school.
• Digitalization in school management helps teachers with important activities such as parent conferences. They can easily check the schedule, register for a meeting, or have 1 on 1 conversations with parents if needed.
• The management board can manage all school activities including curriculum, attendance, enrollment, merchandising, purchasing, etc. just in one app!

Unlike the Student Information System, digitalization in school management does not require many updates as most modules are available since the beginning! This will save schools both time and cost.

Furthermore, a cloud-based school management solution also means that it can be on both web and app. This brings far more convenience compared to the obsolete SIS. For example, if there’s an urgent notification, teachers and parents can easily receive it on their mobile app, no matter where they are. Such a communication channel is instant and free!

How to digitize your school?

There’s no doubt that digitalization in school management is a must. It is an optimal alternative for the old-fashioned SIS. However, we should be careful and take thorough consideration.

Firstly, you should review all of your school processes. Figure out what you have done well and what room for improvement is. The administration can conduct a survey that asks for the needs and wants of parents and teachers. This would help you decided to integrate exactly which modules.

The next step is choosing a suitable digital school solution provider. This depends on a lot of factors, but a trustworthy and experienced partner who offers customization should surely be on your shortlist.

A case study for this is AIS – a large international school in Ho Chi Minh city with more than 1.300 students from 40 countries. They were looking for a digital solution in most school processes. The most noticeable need here is bus management, and they have discussed it with Helen – Interactive School Solution Provider. We have made customization and helped AIS integrate bus routes & attendance management into the current system. As a result, the AIS school saves huge time and labor costs.

With solid credentials in tech and education as well as experiences in numerous school digitization processes, Helen team is confident to help you effectively digitize your management.

The Student Information System is now obsolete, so do not hesitate to leave us an inquiry or find more about us at: https://helen.edu.vn/about/