Hybrid learning has introduced faculty and students to many new online learning platforms. Professors have spent the past year integrating these programs into the curriculum, both online and offline. In addition, college administrations were forced to create new ways to communicate with students on a regular basis, whether was to announce COVID testing, campus resources, virtual mindfulness sessions, or updates about final exams.
With so many arms of communication available—social media, class dashboards, local COVID data—students had to log into several different sites, often multiple times a day, to get up-to-date information about courses and campus life. Not only is this process time consuming, it can be difficult for students to remember so many passwords in addition to remembering to check the platforms themselves.
In a recent poll by Ellucian, 97% of students said that tech is as important inside the class as outside the class. Plus, 85% of those polled said that a single app eases a college transition and 73% agree that a single app also increases campus involvement.
That is why this Spring, education technology company Ellucian launched Experience, a cloud-based software for actionable information at universities. In other words, it is technology to simplify online use for students, faculty and staff in a single hub.
The new dashboard supports classes, grades and schedules, allows connecting with advisors, checking a financial aid, etc. The idea is to relieve a burden for students, reducing log-in time by up to 75%.
"In today's highly competitive environment, forward thinking higher education leaders understand the online user experience is a differentiator. As digital natives, students expect an intuitive experience, rather than logging on to multiple sites to access information," Laura Ipsen, president and CEO of Ellucian said in a press release. "That's why we created Ellucian Experience—the modern platform needed to navigate today's college and university applications. Everything is at the user's fingertips on one screen, with one login to provide a clear view of critical information."
The software is currently available in the U.S., Canada, Latin America and Caribbean. Several colleges and universities are already using Ellucian Experience with approximately 40,000 new students and administrators since January. Institutions on board include Owens Community College, Western Iowa Technical Community College, Lamar State College - Port Arthur, Life University, Barton Community College, Hannibal-LaGrange University and Massachusetts College of Art and Design.
In Ellucian’s recent survey of nearly 500 of current users, the majority (55%) reported they use Experience daily, with one third of respondents using the platform at least four times per day.
Mike Logan, CIO, Western Iowa Tech Community College, speaks highly of the integrated platform. “The entire college is speaking with one voice to the student,” said Logan.
For related information on working in a hybrid or remote environment, see:
"Toxic Communication in Virtual Workspaces: A Looming Liability for Remote and Hybrid Companies"