Key points:
- Close to 40 million American adults left college before earning a credential
- Students are accustomed to attentive service–give them a smarter scheduling option
Colleges and universities that use Excel sheets or their Student Information Systems (SIS) to build student schedules not only leave their students frustrated with the registration experience, but they also make it difficult for staff to create schedules.
Time conflicts, the inability to find seats in the right classes, and location restrictions are but a few of the common frustrations students experience repeatedly when trying to register. Not only do they create unnecessary obstacles to delivering a high-quality learner experience, but they actively contribute to students taking longer to complete their degrees than necessary. Is it any wonder nearly 40 million American adults left college before earning a credential?
Many traditional institutions hire full-time staff members to support the scheduling process. They put in hours of manual effort to create schedules–they have to remember time blocks, meeting patterns, instructor preferences, assigned teaching faculty, credit hours, release hours, and more.
Leveraging an intelligent student scheduling system that’s purpose-built for higher ed can turn frustration into opportunity – a win-win for both students and staff. Using algorithmic scheduling, such a system delivers the registration experience that students expect and the staff deserves. It creates smart schedules based on monitoring student search and enrollment activities, including course supply and anticipated demand. It accounts for common course conflicts and provides student persistence and enrollment heat maps. On top of all that, it is quick and simple to use.
Amrit Ahluwalia is senior director of marketing and strategic insights at Modern Campus, ensuring thought leadership assets align with industry trends. He is also Editor in Chief of The EvoLLLution, the online newspaper developed by Modern Campus to create a conversation hub focused on non-traditional higher education and the transforming postsecondary marketplace. Follow Amrit on LinkedIn.