The third rollout of student functions in Workday happens Monday, March 4. If you're a faculty or staff member whose job includes student processes and information, you'll see additional apps in your Workday menu that morning. Below are a few suggestions for making the most of familiar tasks in a new system. And, if your job doesn't involve student processes and data, you might watch this two-minute video for a quick overview of the Workday implementation -- and keep reading anyway to learn more.
"For some at Iowa State, March 4 will be business as usual. For our students and for all those who work with student data and processes, the change to Workday Student is impactful," said Geoff Janes, overall functional lead and senior manager of IT systems in the office of admissions who serves on a half dozen implementation teams and the steering committee. "We're the first Research I large university to use all the modules in Workday. We're learning, and Workday is learning with us."
Six small things to get off to a good start
Locate any additional apps in your Workday menu. Faculty and staff may find new apps for student functions at the bottom of their app menu in Workday. Remember, you'll see only the functions you need to use to do your job; access clearance is nuanced in Workday to assure this. Workday lets you view up to 20 apps at a time; if you're already at 20, click the "Add apps" button or "Edit apps" to move them into, out of, or higher on your list of 20.
Update your Workday search setting so you'll be able to access student records in your search results. Type anything in the search bar, then click "configure search" in the lower left corner, find "student" in the "more categories" list and drag it into your saved categories. Without this step, students won't display in your search results.
March 4 emails
All faculty and staff will receive an email March 4 from WorkCyte providing much of this same information. Students will receive their own email about onboarding in Workday and preparing for registration later in the month.
Visit the WorkCyte training pages . . . often since materials are added and updated regularly. More than 200 trainings are categorized both by topic and by 12 roles on the WorkCyte website to help you more easily locate what's relevant for you. Training also is available in multiple formats for different kinds of learners: articles to read, short demonstration videos to watch or even five- to 12-minute courses in Workday Learning (once in Learning, type "Workday Student" in the search bar to filter courses).
Watch the six-minute Overview of Registration video for some familiarity with how students will register for fall classes in Workday, either one course at a time or using a schedule they pre-built. Also see how a student drops, adds or swaps a course or course section. All employees play a role in helping students be successful; course registration is the first big task returning students will need to complete in Workday, starting in late March.
Website or app
Workday works on your desktop and has a mobile interface for tablets and phones. There also is a free Workday app you can download to your phone that lets you complete many, not all, functions in Workday.
Learn where to get help if you need it. A good start is to bookmark the WorkCyte Get Help page in your browser or Sign On dashboard. This is the top page of the training and learning pyramid, with links to a Workday glossary, FAQ, articles library, training videos and contact information for the admissions, financial aid and registrar offices for help with specific questions. Other help options:
- Email workcyte_feedback@iastate.edu.
- Contact the IT Solution Center.
- The six undergraduate colleges are planning college-staffed help rooms for academic advisors and students during the registration window for fall courses. Locations will open by mid-March and remain available through the registration period.
Finally, on March 4, read the Do This First article created for your role, found on the training page for your role. It includes suggestions for setting up favorites for certain reports or filters in Workday to save time. Also on that page you'll find a list of the "must have" trainings -- the short list for employees in your role.