Adapt IT Pilots Student Chatbot at NUST

“The move gives the six institutions ‘bleeding edge’ technology, focused on ongoing enhancements and an improved student experience.”

Zadrik Welthagen, Executive Manager Technology Services – Education at Adapt IT, expands on the SA tertiary institutions that have implemented Adapt IT’s upgraded education ERP solution, which prioritises student experience and DevOps and the outcomes.

Adapt IT rolled out the upgraded ITS Integrator 4.1, Adapt IT Education’s comprehensive administrative Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution at six South African tertiary institutions, positioning them to benet from signicantly enhanced student experience and future feature upgrades.

This move gives the six institutions ‘bleeding edge’ technology focused on ongoing enhancements and an improved student experience. ITS Integrator 3, Adapt IT’s trusted ERP solution, focused heavily on administration management. However, our research and focus groups indicated a need to prioritise the student experience. The new version 4.1 supports the goal of smart, secure campuses with full-suite student self-service.

The ITS Integrator 4.1 student self-help application registered 142,200 students against the 16,552 back oce (walk-in students). This means that 89% of the students registered via the INTERNET at the following institutions: University of Johannesburg; Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University; University of Venda; Namibia University of Science and Technology; Tshwane University of Technology and Sol Plaatje University.

“An innovation partnership such as the one between NUST and Adapt IT is a way to develop and try out new ideas rapidly, and it also allows end-users to be involved in the design of the solution.”

The solution was developed by Adapt IT as part of our innovation agreement with NUST. The agreement creates a partnership in
terms of which Adapt IT and NUST co-create software, pilot it on campus and then commercialise it.

The pilot, which runs on the live system, was launched in March to around 300 students and, so far, feedback has been very positive.

In due course, it will go live to the whole student body, and the scope of the information, as well as the interface, will be developed.

An innovation partnership such as the one between NUST and Adapt IT is a way to develop and try out new ideas rapidly, and it
also allows end-users to be involved in the design of the solution.

This pilot is a good example of the benets of such a partnership: it is developing a way to facilitate greater access to information and,
by giving students and sta more autonomy, promises to improve their experience greatly.

NUST is now well on its way to implementing its strategy to develop a smart campus.

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