With UBC's implementation of Workday Student, some faculty have also expressed frustration about the transition creating possible delays and confusion.
The transition to Workday, which happened in May, is part of UBC’s Integrated Renewal Program (IRP), a project to replace the university’s decades-old IT systems. Previously, faculty used the Faculty Service Centre (FSC) for course management and grading. The FSC was changed to read-only access in September and all access to it will be removed at the end of June 2025.
In a written statement to The Ubyssey, IRP Student Co-Lead Sponsor Joanne Fox wrote tasks previously done through FSC have been transferred to new applications in Workday via the Teaching App, like the final grade submission tool and the student communication tool.
English Literature professor Dr. Stephen Guy-Bray said the transition has been "terrible" and has made some tasks "more difficult and complicated."
He also said he received an email from UBC saying emails could be sent to students through Workday. "But they also said it could take up to half an hour to set up ... I don't have half an hour to waste on it," said Guy-Bray and he has instead been using Canvas to send emails.
"It's definitely had some hiccups along the way and I think that's pretty normal ... Help has been pretty readily available, but it does disrupt things when something is new, and that's that's kind of what we're facing this year," said Dr. Kasim Husain, a professor in the coordinated arts program.
He also spoke about issues with miscommunication with students. Husain said his classes disappeared from students' timetables after rooms were changed.
Fox also wrote they "are not aware of classes disappearing for students," but if it is happening then it should be reported so the issue can be resolved.
"It's also changed the way I teach because typically I've taught a year-long course, and it seems difficult to accommodate that in Workday, and so my unit made the decision to split a year-long course in two," said Husain.
Fox wrote the Workday Student team "take all feedback we receive from the community very seriously and consider carefully where improvements are possible." She wrote that training and tutorial resources are available online in a virtual training hub.
"All trainings were offered via Zoom, recorded, and posted online for those who could not attend," wrote Fox.
Fox also wrote that "support for the UBC community will continue" and faculty can submit support requests through the UBC Self Service Portal.
“As with any new system, we anticipate there will be some challenges, and we remain confident that Workday is the right solution for UBC,” wrote Fox.
"We will continue to work with Workday to improve the system for UBC, so that it is aligned with the needs of our community, best practices, and positioned for sustainability into the future."
Share this article
