Planning key to effective “success-tech” implementation in higher education
Higher education institutions in the US are using "success technologies" for the improvement of student grades, course completion rates, and for increasing engagement. Key factors for a smooth deployment of success tech include ensuring that sufficient resources are allocated so that increases in the take-up of a new system can be accommodated. Also, it is helpful to consider any system integration issues that might occur, to remain flexible on deployment timescales and to involve faculty and students in development. The most important thing is to keep focused on how to change the student experience; launching tools in itself isn't enough.

Dive Brief:

Recent years have seen the growth of higher ed "success-tech," tools that provide academic monitoring to ensure quality and timely degree completion.

Platforms like Tutor.com and early alert systems are providing institutions greater leverage in impacting student performance and access to learning resources, University Business reports.

University Business reports. Some university officials say that integration of success-tech takes great planning and monitoring to ensure stable rollout. “While we did our best to forecast the needs and timelines, there were internal and external pushes and pulls that sometimes got us off our targeted times,” Tina Balser, University of Missouri student success technologies coordinator, told University Business.

Dive Insight:

Technology integration of any kind requires a well-researched, methodical approach based in knowing the needs and predicted reaction of students and faculty. The best technology in the world to provide students an advantage in balancing school requirements and retaining information learned in class will fail if faculty cannot master the technology, or students find it to be incompatible with existing systems.

This is especially important for institutions with low resources, which cannot afford multiple rollouts of varying technology and the time required to get faculty and staff trained on new platforms. While vendors may sell certain systems as campus compatible, the best approach is to have a pilot group of faculty, students and administrators on board to preview and test drive tech which could costs hundred of thousands of dollars — and even more headaches.