Tribal’s Higher Education Software Team Has Won A £1.1 Million Contract

PR Log (Press Release) – Jul 05, 2007 – University of Nottingham is Tribal’s 125th customer for higher education web-based student and course administration software

Tribal’s higher education software team has won a £1.1 million contract with the University of Nottingham for the provision of the market-leading SITS:Vision web-enabled student and course management solution. The system will provide improved systems and support for the academic life and career development of 40,000 students and 6,500 staff.

Dr Paul Greatrix, the university’s Registrar, explained, “SITS:Vision will enable us to provide an integrated system for academic administration at our campuses in the UK, China and Malaysia.  It will facilitate efficient and transparent processes and provide students and staff with accurate and high quality information.”  

Alison Slater, Head of Student Registry at the university, added, “With SITS:Vision, all our student information will be in one system; at the moment we have three country databases, plus separate databases for our nursing and education students.  We will no longer have to go to multiple databases for information, meaning that the quality of information will be more consistent and it will more easily accessible. Our data entry requirements will be reduced and more sophisticated reporting will be possible, leading to improved planning.”

The University of Nottingham is a founder member of the UK’s prestigious Russell Group of 20 major research-intensive universities and joins other Russell Group members, including the University of Edinburgh, as a SITS:Vision customer. Nottingham is one of the 75 top ranking universities in the world and in the top 10 higher education institutes in the UK.  

Tribal was awarded the contract with the University of Nottingham over the institution’s original preferred supplier. The solution met 99 per cent of the university’s requirements as standard and development work will ensure 100 per cent fit with the institution’s needs. Chosen for its rich functionality and web enablement, SITS:Vision will be implemented at the University’s five Nottingham sites, as well as campuses in China and Malaysia.

SITS:Vision will enable the university to carry out tasks such as curriculum planning, student records and scheduling, examination timetabling, assignment submission, assessment results management, placement management, fees management, award ceremonies and management of its alumni. The system also manages the ‘student lifecycle’ from point of enquiry, through to admissions, registration and enrolment, award ceremony management and finally to alumni records.  

In addition, the SITS:Vision solution includes powerful workflow and automation tools, which will enable the University of Nottingham to customise complex workflow processes that accurately map its business processes in a web-based environment. One of the most popular features of the system is our web portal known as e-Vision, which allows customised ’self-service’ access to all information, meeting the needs of all the university’s stakeholders, such as enquirers, applicants, students, alumni, tutors, sponsors, examiners and registry staff.  

Other web services functionality provided by Tribal for Nottingham’s central student database includes the use of an intelligent message broker, known as ‘StuTalk’. This allows the exchange of information with other university systems and external bodies instantly using XML messaging technologies.

Tribal’s SITS:Vision student and course administration system and e-Vision, a self-service web portal, are currently used by around 65 per cent of the UK higher education market, including University College London, University of Edinburgh, King’s College London, Cardiff University, University of Warwick, University of Bristol, University of York and University of Bath, as well as many Scottish further education colleges.

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Notes to editors:

1. Tribal is one of the most successful companies supporting the public sector in the UK today. We are a leading provider of professional support services, offering a range of consultancy and delivered services. Our turnover is over £250 million and we employ over 2,000 people from a regional network of offices. Our services are grouped into the following areas: consulting, technology, resourcing, education, property and communications.

2. Our services are provided to over 2,500 public sector organisations, predominantly within education; health and social care; local government, housing and regeneration; and central government. We work with 80 per cent of secondary schools; 75 per cent of local authorities; 95 per cent of further education colleges; 90 per cent of strategic health authorities; and 75 per cent of NHS trusts.

For further information, please contact the Tribal Group communications team on 01285 886020 or by email: media@tribalgroup.co.uk

For further information, please contact:
Catherine Dhanjal, TheAnswer Ltd
01883 650434 or 0794 166 9925
Email: Catherine.dhanjal@theansweruk.com