Moves to introduce a new $21 million student management system to replace an ''ageing'' one at the University of Otago will soon take a major step forward.
It is understood the phased moves involve the biggest changes in the university's Student Management System for at least 10 years.
Within a few days, the university will be ready to begin the ''cutover'' this month to much more of its new and integrated administration system.
The system aims to reduce duplication and fragmentation of core student information, and to provide better staff access.
This is the third in a series of phased steps towards creating a ''one-stop shop'' for student administration activities, through the new system, known as ''eVision''.
The system, used by many leading universities overseas, included inquiries, admission and enrolment as well as examinations and graduation, university officials said.
Many in-house information systems will be replaced by the new system.
The third stage changes would bring together most of the rest of ''the student life-cycle'' within eVision, including course approval, timetable publication, student fees and finances, university director of academic services John Price said.
Information on the university internet site notes that some university systems, including those involving course of study changes, will be unavailable during the cutover period.
Mr Price said the ''go-live cutover'' was a complex activity requiring ''major updates'' to the eVision system, including the transfer of large amounts of data from existing systems.
The cutover had been deliberately timed for the mid-semester break, April 16-23, when most students and staff would be taking a break, particularly as Easter and other holidays, including Otago Anniversary Day observation, occurred in the same week, he said.
The new system would provide an ''up-to-the-minute approach to handling the university's diverse and often complex administrative processes''.
The university had been reliably served by an ''in-house-built'' system that had ''evolved and expanded'' over many years.
But fewer universities were still using such systems because of the ''difficulties and costs of trying to keep abreast of advances in technology''.
Students expected services to be available online, and the new platform would allow future services to be delivered in other ways, including through mobile devices, he said.
University human resources director Kevin Seales said there had been ''no substantial change'' to university staffing, but some people would undertake their roles in different ways.