Senators receive updates on Workday Student, enrollment, AI in research

Vice president and chief information officer Kristen Constant provided updates on Workday Student and the new Office of Student Information during the Faculty Senate's Oct. 8 meeting.

The establishment of the Office of Student Information earlier this year brought the financials, academics, and enrollment and engagement teams within Workday together into one office.

"In previous incarnations of this administrative structure, each of those groups worked independently and now they are working to make it a more cohesive singular experience for the students, faculty and administrators," Constant said.

The office has five current tasks:

  • Complete the Workday Student implementation
  • Respond to help desk tickets related to Workday Student
  • Identify training needs
  • Escalate requests to Workday to fit ISU needs
  • Implement continuous improvements

Check your email

As part of the Faculty Senate's review of the office of the president, faculty received an email invitation Oct. 8 to complete a confidential online survey.

Workday becomes the system of record this month. Constant said the goals this fall are to complete the 2024 financial aid disbursement, continue to improve student orientation and onboarding, and prepare for spring 2025 student course registration.

Constant also introduced the teaching dashboard in Workday designed to put frequent instructor tasks in one place. Instructors open the main menu and select "Teaching" in the dropdown apps menu. Instructors can view their teaching schedule and class roster with large student photos. They can enter midterm and final grades, tasks that also can be done in Canvas.

Information technology audit

The state Board of Regents' office of internal audit recently conducted an inventory audit of ISU's information technology services. The audit returned five areas for improvement that must be completed by mid-2025.

  • Inventory tracking
  • Purchasing/procurement
  • Inactive devices
  • Redundant software
  • Website inventory tracking

"The recommendation is that we develop new policies or modify current ones to address these areas," Constant said.

Artificial intelligence

Vice president for research Peter Dorhout discussed with senators the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in research. Dorhout said research publications use different rules and ideas on AI's use. Some do not allow AI to be listed as an author and require that its use be documented, while others do not allow AI use at all.

Dorhout also reminded senators that AI tools may not be starting with reliable information.

"Machine learning or computers depend very heavily on the input, so beware of the information used," he said. "It is important to know AI's limitations."

Dorhout said using certain AI chatbots, like ChatGPT, can be dangerous because they use any information they receive to build on their knowledge. ISU research not meant to be public becomes so once inputted. 

Enrollment achievements

Senior vice president and provost Jason Keith shared some strong enrollment and graduation numbers with senators. The one-year retention of students (fall 2023 to fall 2024) remained the same from a year ago at 87.6%, just 1% off ISU's all-time high. The four-year graduation mark set a record at 59.8% and the six-year mark remained steady at 75.5%.

Other business

Senators will vote next month on two proposed certificate programs in the finance department: 

  • A certificate program in risk management and insurance intended to attract students in multiple majors and provide a deeper understanding of personal and corporate risk management and the insurance industry. The certificate has four required courses and three electives. A certificate program is proposed because 70% of the courses overlap with a finance degree. The certificate would show prospective employers added skills of graduates without burdening students with the cost of a second undergraduate degree.
  • A certificate program in real estate focused on legal, economic and financial aspects. It would be open to all students but likely most useful to finance majors. It would prepare students for jobs in real estate sales, property management, mortgage lending and asset management. This certificate also has four required courses and three electives.