Campus management systems are the most complex IT systems used by universities. Among all IT systems employed at a university, they have the largest number of users. They directly support the university’s core mission in the area of studies and teaching and cover all processes within the student life cycle.

Integrated IT systems enable the combination of technologies, methods, and processes, thereby creating a comprehensive and consistent system landscape.

Web-based applications are accessible via the Internet – via a web browser – on different devices and provide dynamic content and interactive user interfaces.

The system will be used at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, including the Academy of Fine Arts, the Mainz School of Music, the University Medical Center, as well as at the Germersheim campus. It will be used by prospective students applying for a spot at the university, by students to select modules and register for courses and examinations, by professors and academic staff to publish courses and examinations, and by administrative and technical staff to process administrative procedures throughout the student life cycle. These include enrollment, leave of absence requests, fee management, issuing transcripts of records, and preparing final documents such as degree certificates and official confirmations.

In June 2024, the Executive University Board of Johannes Gutenberg University decided to replace the current campus management system CampusNet with its web front-end “JOGU-StINe” and to introduce the HISinOne system from HIS eG instead.
HISinOne | www.his.de

This was preceded by a preliminary project with HIS eG in the form of a feasibility study, which examined whether the functionalities of the HISinOne software meet JGU’s requirements for an integrated campus management system. The result was the recommendation to switch to HISinOne. The Executive University Board has followed this recommendation with the proviso that the associated processes should be standardized as far as possible in order to be able to use the system efficiently and effectively.

Basis 

HISinOne is web-based and can be used independently of end device and operating system. A central point of access for all user groups enables efficient entry and maximum transparency. Open interfaces allow additional systems to be connected at any time. The open-source approach guarantees an independent and future-proof foundation. Workflows and design can be individually configured according to the needs of JGU.

Technologie

HISinOne not only offers a constantly growing range of functions, but also uses future-proof technologies. In addition to the service-oriented design of the software architecture, this also includes open source code, free libraries, accessibility and much more.

HIS eG sees itself as the universities’ software provider. It was founded in 1969 as Hochschul Informations System GmbH, from which the abbreviation “HIS” originates. In 2014, the limited liability company (GmbH) was transformed into a cooperative society (Genossenschaft), which currently counts more than 200 universities among its members. The cooperative principle enables universities – through the General Assembly as the central governing body – to participate in shaping the strategy and business policy of HIS eG. The governing bodies and committees of HIS eG are staffed with representatives from the member universities. During the course of the preliminary project, the project management of HIS eG proved to be trustworthy, and HIS eG demonstrated itself to be a reliable contractual partner.

In addition to the complete replacement of the current campus management system, the goal is to standardize the associated business processes as far as possible.    

The HISinOne implementation project started in October 2024. It is planned to run for a total of 5 years and is divided into 2 phases. In phase 1, the application and admissions processes including the allocation of study places as well as student administration and doctoral candidate management will be moved to HISinOne. Phase 2 will cover  degree program, examination and course management. Even in phase 1, a major challenge is the migration of data from the legacy system to HISinOne. Since both systems will be used in parallel for different functionalities during phase 2, the data must be continuously synchronized during this period. Only after project completion will all functionalities be available in the new campus management system HISinOne.     

The implementation project for HISinOne is under the strategic leadership of the CIO of JGU, Prof. Dr. Franz Rothlauf.  The project team, headed by overall project manager Julia Rehe, consists of staff from HE 4 – Campus Management System (CaMS) within the Academic Affairs division, with operational project manager Tina Clüsserath, as well as staff from the Data Center (ZDV), which provides the technical project leadership.

The project structure agreed with the responsible departments at JGU is as follows: 

The client of the implementation project is the Executive University Board, while the contractor is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, who also assumes strategic responsibility for the project. Overall project management is located within Academic Affairs, directly affiliated with the CIO. Operational project management is handled by HE 4, which serves as the central administrative unit responsible for this implementation project, and is complemented by technical project management from the Data Center (ZDV). Beneath this structure, sub-projects are organized, each with its own sub-project lead responsible for the individual product areas of HISinOne.

The overall project management reports regularly to the CIO. A CaMS advisory group has been established, consisting of representatives from academic disciplines, central university units, and members of the Executive University Board. This group advises the CIO and overall project management on a regular basis and has a veto right on fundamental decisions. In addition to its advisory role, the CaMS group also acts as a multiplier, disseminating project information throughout the wider university community. Furthermore, students and teaching staff, as key stakeholders, are actively involved in the rollout of individual product areas. Relevant HISinOne functions are specifically presented to these user groups and prepared for testing prior to deployment.

The staff council has been informed about the implementation project and receives regular updates on its progress. The university’s data protection officer is consulted whenever relevant data protection issues arise.

In both phases, the future users are intensively involved in the design and configuration of the system. In phase 1 (January 2025 to November 2026), this includes applicants, students, and doctoral candidates, as well as, in particular, Student Services and doctoral supervisors. The latter groups work continuously with the respective sub-projects and also participate in workshops. In phase 2 (March 2027 to the go-live in August 2029), the involved groups include teaching staff, examiners, and administrative staff, and especially employees of the student advising offices and examination offices. These stakeholders also collaborate continuously with the respective sub-projects and take part in workshops.

As JGU will host the application itself, the Data Center (ZDV) will take on all administrative tasks as a service provider, from installing the servers, setting up the system infrastructure and maintenance to the regular semi-annual updates.