Asiera was pleased to host its first combined IBUG (Irish Banner User Group) and ACUG (Academic Credentials User Group) event of 2026, held at North Dock 2 on 23 April. The event brought together a broad cross-section of users from both Student Records Management and Academic Credentials communities across the Asiera client base.
The morning session focused on Banner-related developments, opening with a welcome from outgoing chair Patrick Brophy, who introduced the first speaker, Elena Iskreva of DXC. Attendees received a comprehensive update on planned releases for 2026, including the end-of-support timeline for Banner 8 pages, new developments within CRM Recruit, and ongoing enhancements to the Dynamics call logging portal.
Asiera’s Helena Thompson and Airidas Vekeriotas followed with a detailed and thought-provoking presentation on key considerations ahead of a Banner site merge. This was complemented by Susan Hudson of ATU, who outlined her institution’s preparations for consolidating three Banner environments, highlighting the implementation of a unified Argos reporting platform to support testing and report harmonisation.
Further sector-wide insight was provided by Janice Lau of the HEA (Higher Education Authority), joined by Dr Vivienne Patterson, who delivered an update on the progress of the HEA SRS 2.0 project and outlined anticipated outcomes.
The session concluded with committee elections, with Helen Forde (TUS) and Susan Hudson (ATU) appointed as joint chairs, alongside Niamh Ní Mhurcú (TUS) as secretary. Attendees expressed their appreciation to outgoing chair Patrick Brophy (IADT) and Secretary Bridie Coleman (ATU) for their significant contributions.
Following lunch, the afternoon session shifted focus to Academic Credentials and the Parchment platform. Lis Heffernan of MTU presented on the institution’s adoption of the SmartMerge solution, outlining the project journey and the operational benefits now being realised.
Claire Mortimore and Adam Irving of Instructure then provided an overview of the Parchment platform, including upcoming enhancements. This prompted an engaging discussion, with participants contributing suggestions for future developments, particularly in relation to student engagement and the expanded use of digital badges.
This event marked a productive and collaborative gathering. Asiera looks forward to continuing its work with the newly appointed committee and the wider client community to support further events throughout 2026.