Covid 19 as a catalyst for change and innovation: The University of Guyana registry

Abstract

COVID 19 severely affected all service delivery entities, hindering their ability to deliver services throughout the world. Higher Education Institutions were no different. The University of Guyana was challenged to move from face to face to online delivery of its programmes. This poster presentation will depict and explain how the University of Guyana’s Registry rose to the challenge in supporting the University’s shift to online delivery. The Registry provides support services to both students and staff across campus from the admissions process to graduation and beyond. In addition, the Registry provides support for the smooth operations of the University’s governance processes. As such the Registry is the custodian of both student and institutional information/records. In order to play its supporting role and to assist the University with the successful implementation and delivery of online classes, the Registry’s staff had to devise ways to ensure that its own services adapted to the changing Higher Education environment created by COVID 19. These adaptations include the use of online technology to complement processes in admissions, examinations, records and data management, students’ services, and governance. For the first time data wise decision making emerged and students were surveyed to provide information for the improvement of services. Almost two years later as we look back at those changes, it is clear that the ability to adapt as quickly as we did is because of the resilience and innovative nature of both people and systems within the University. More importantly, we have come to realise just how important our information and records systems are in both informing and guiding change initiatives. This presentation will show how the Registry adapted and how both institutional records and the Students’ Records Management System played a role in allowing the entire University to adapt quickly with relative success. It will also provide information on lessons learnt and future possibilities for continued innovation.