LionPATH is the new student information system that will gradually replace ISIS (Integrated Student Information System). As a student, you are most likely familiar with the front-end Web service of ISIS, called eLion. For students, the transition to LionPATH means that the way you enroll in classes, check financial aid, retrieve your degree audit, and pay your bill will change. Below are a few of the commonly asked questions regarding the new system.
Why is Penn State replacing eLion?
eLion is the front-end Web portal for students to conduct business with the University. It is fed by ISIS, a system that is used by administrative offices to update student data and perform business transactions. ISIS was designed by Penn State in the early 1980s and reflected processes and University structure at that time. Now more than 30 years old, it is no longer serving the needs of Penn State.
Why LionPATH?
After an extensive vetting process, Penn State decided that it was most cost effective and efficient in the long run not to build a new system in-house, but to purchase Oracle’s PeopleSoft Campus Solutions to replace ISIS. Campus Solutions was chosen because it’s a mature product and was the only commercial solution scalable to Penn State’s size. It is used at more than 600 U.S. institutions, including six of Penn State’s Big Ten peers. LionPATH is the name that Penn State gave our version of Campus Solutions.
Will the look of the interface be modified in the near future?
As with any purchased software package, local customizations are both very costly and time-consuming. LionPATH is being implemented with as little changes as possible to the vendor-provided system. Instead, the time and resources for the project are focused on data accuracy and system functionality. In addition, adding customizations could cause potential problems each time an update from Oracle is pushed out.
A dedicated team of Penn State staff and external consultants have been working together since early 2014 to convert all of our data from ISIS into Campus Solutions and to configure the new system to conform to the way Penn State conducts business transactions for its student-related processes.
As Oracle continues to enhance the interface, Penn State, in turn, will integrate the vendor provided upgrades into LionPATH.
Why can’t I see all of the features in LionPATH?
LionPATH is implemented in a “rolling go-live.” This means that features are being rolled out along a student’s typical path through a semester. For example, the schedule of classes was the first functionality to be deployed, with the final "go-live" culminating with the distribution of grades in December 2016. Since activity for spring and summer 2016 will still be done in ISIS/eLion, not all features will immediately be available in LionPATH.
For instance, the degree audit will only be available in LionPATH after grading for the spring and summer semesters has been completed, and then converted from ISIS into LionPATH. The full transition from ISIS/eLion to LionPATH will be completed by the end of 2016. All features will then be available in LionPATH.
For more information about LionPATH, visit http://launch.lionpath.psu.edu.