Software firm unites top higher education thought leaders in an online forum, provoking collaboration and community to progress higher education

TORONTO, January 17, 2011 – Destiny Solutions, the leading innovator of lifelong learning business solutions, today announced a grassroots initiative aimed at increasing discussion about lifelong learning and improving higher education.

First and foremost a means of uniting individuals, the initiative, called the EvoLLLution, is an online newspaper, written exclusively by higher education stakeholders. Its contributors come together to form the only community, devoted exclusively to exploring and improving non-traditional education.

Contributors Edward Abeyta, director of K-16 Program at UC San Diego, Rebecca Smith, vice president of San Diego Workforce Partnership and Terry Rawls, provost of Heald College, explain in a short documentary why the EvoLLLution is needed.

“Our profession of lifelong learning is so fragmented and so variant in approaches that having an entity like EvoLLLution pulling all these different mindsets and views into a vibrant and organic community … ultimately helps the profession of lifelong learning define itself,” Abeyta said in the documentary.

The EvoLLLution is the brainchild of Destiny Solutions Founder and CEO, Shaul Kuper. It was founded as a means of bringing together a community of thought leaders, who embrace non-traditional education and lifelong learning.

“In the 10 years that I’ve been a part of the education industry, I’ve seen some incredible innovations and ideas that stand to change higher education for the better,” Kuper said. “The problem is, there has never been a forum for all stakeholders to come together, discuss their challenges, leverage their successes and propel education into the 21^st century.”

Higher education has undergone substantial change over the last few decades. Today, only about 15 percent of higher education students still fit the traditional definition of young adults, age 18 to 22, who live on campus and go to school full time. Furthermore, the rapid pace of technological advancement has meant that education can no longer be a one-time experience and has instead turned into a lifelong pursuit.

Aiming to lead the transformative change in lifelong learning, the EvoLLLution brings the innovations founded in extension schools and continuing education divisions to the forefront of their institutions by provoking discussion among those who are already spearheading the requisite changes in higher education.

The EvoLLLution will be launching on January 30. For more information, please visit our website.

Pioneering continuing education division modernizes constituent, enrollment and administrative management processes and consolidates many disparate systems

TORONTO, December 20, 2011 – Destiny Solutions today announced that North Carolina State University’s McKimmon Center for Extension and Continuing Education (MCE&CE), a 28,000 student center named in honor of the service of the continuing education pioneer, Dr. Jane S. McKimmon, has successfully implemented Destiny One to enhance constituent engagement, increase enrollment and improve customer service.

“From the very beginning, we chose Destiny Solutions because they have the products that satisfy our continuing education business needs now and also our future needs, as our programs and services evolve,” said Alice Warren, vice provost, Continuing Education. “Our experience with the implementation of Destiny One is proof that institutions can undertake a business infrastructure realignment that results in a new view of information and solid business processes without vast customizations.”

Operating eight distinct units, each offering multifaceted services and programs, MCE&CE was challenged by disparate business systems and processes. Systems for program offerings, enrollment and registration, marketing and administration simply weren’t interfacing with one another, which hampered business operations, collaboration and compliance, and hindered improvements to enrollment, student self-service and overall student satisfaction.

By extending North Carolina State University’s PeopleSoft Enterprise Campus Solution with Destiny One, MCE&CE has been able to retire numerous legacy systems, centralize common administrative processes and fortify brand cohesion among its operating units. Furthermore, through Destiny One’s flexible architecture, MCE&CE units now have greater agility to execute their own constituent engagement strategies, while gaining the economies of a shared services platform and one version of the truth for reporting and business intelligence of enrollments, courses and other key business indicators.

Today the new system supports approximately 40 users and thousands of students, and will scale to other campus units during 2012.

“With Destiny One, North Carolina State University is able to leverage a unified business suite designed exclusively for non-traditional education. With best practice workflows, pre-built integrations and implementation methodologies, Destiny One empowers NCSU with better business improvements with IT investments, business and IT agility, and lower total cost of ownership,” said Shaul Kuper, president and CEO of Destiny Solutions. “We look forward to our continued work with MCE&CE and providing greater visibility, capabilities and business value to both their organization and students alike.”

For more information on Destiny One, please visit: http://www.destinysolutions.com/product/destinyone-overview/

About Destiny Solutions

Destiny Solutions is the leading innovator of lifelong learning business solutions. Since 2001, Destiny Solutions has delivered breakthrough technology designed exclusively to meet the divergent needs of non-traditional higher education. Our flagship product, Destiny One,^TM is the only business solution that offers integrated constituent, enrollment and administrative management on a single software platform. Crafted with the lifelong learner in mind, Destiny One is the most complete, agile and trusted business solution. It transforms traditional administrative systems so educators can grow revenue, enhance student experience and success, and improve operational efficiency.

2011 Virginia Community College System (VCCS) Conference on Extreme Innovation in Workforce Development Unites a Wide Variety of Stakeholders to Overcome Education Business Challenges in Innovative Ways…

Do more with less. You’re all ears to the old refrain. But how do you put ideology into action?

How do you hurdle the obstacles, invent creative programs and burst through closed doors to provide the resources and services Virginians need?

Well, this is why each year, a diverse group of highly qualified stakeholders unite to answer this question as it relates to workforce development in Virginia.

The 2011 Hire Education Conference, presented by VCCS, promises to bring professionals from Virginia’s community colleges as well as partner agencies, legislators, economic developers and business leaders to gather at The Homestead.

That’s because, The Homestead is home to to the 2011 Hire Education Conference. This year’s rendition of the annual meeting is exclusively designed to explore, share and discuss trends, best practice and strategies for improving Virginia’s workforce system in these calamitous times.

Finally Discover How to Do More With Less

You may be interested in professional development, leadership training, or exchange of the latest information. But no matter what you’re specific focus, you can expect to broach enthralling subjects from a perspective of extreme innovation. You can finally understand how to do more, with a lot less.

You’ll also have the chance to discover (first-hand), innovative technologies with breakthrough functionality, such as Destiny One, the premier lifelong learning business solution, designed exclusively for the divergent needs of non-traditional education. In this way, you can understand, experience and enjoy complex software systems with multiple layers of built-in innovation.

This Could be Your Chance to Break Through Frustration

By understanding evolving education business models, and the complex software systems that are increasingly driving them, you can finally get a leg up on your relentless competition. Just attend VCCS. At last, you’ll see how innovating the way you administer your education business can trigger the avalanche of change (and profits!) your desperately in need of.

Attend 2011 Hire Education Conference to Harness Extreme Innovation for Your Education Business

If you’re wondering how you can join the annual VCCS seminar, you should first check your calendar. The meeting is coming up quickly. But even if your schedule looks stacked December 7-9 2011, you should seriously think about taking a trip to the The Homestead, in Hot Springs Virginia.

To learn more about the event specifics, and register for a spot to attend what promises to be a powerful proceeding, simply click this link

We can’t wait to see you!

Education institution investing in new technology to help change the way it serves students and the community

TORONTO, November 21, 2011 Destiny Solutions, the leading innovator of lifelong learning business solutions today announced an agreement with Portland State University (PSU) to revamp business systems for the university’s certificate programs to make them more accessible and affordable.

“Portland State’s long-term viability in the certificate area depends upon a streamlined approach that improves access to our programs for adult learners and reduces costs, “said ­ Kevin Reynolds, vice provost for Academic Fiscal Strategies and Planning at Portland State University.

As part of the partnership, Destiny Solutions will help PSU to streamline its marketing, enrollment and administrative procedures from disaggregated databases to a single unified system.  PSU’s School of Education and School of Extended Studies will be able to integrate marketing with administrative procedures and make it easier for students to research programs and courses, make comparisons and choose their career pathway.  To help achieve this, PSU will utilize Destiny One, the lifelong learning business solution designed for the needs of non-traditional students. The solution includes a web-based enrollment system to offer students more registration and payment choices, including discount programs that PSU intends to make available.

Like many institutions, PSU has numerous silos of data that result in a costly “build and test” way to identify new courses and programs. Instead, PSU will utilize Destiny One’s technology platform to consolidate all records onto a single database, providing PSU with more accessible information about enrollment, courses and programs.  Using this information with Destiny One’s curriculum management module, the university will reduce the time and cost involved in developing and introducing new curriculum for its students.

Using Destiny One, PSU will also be able to centralize and automate management of end-to-end finance and accounting processes, including reporting and auditing. PSU will support the Payment Card Industry’s Payment Application Data Security Standard version 2.0, the latest security standard to protect personal information and e-commerce transactions.

“Today’s announcement demonstrates the importance of improving market competitiveness in serving adults learners while maintaining operational efficiency and institutional transparency,” said Shaul Kuper, president and CEO of Destiny Solutions. “Destiny One is crafted exclusively with adult students in mind. It is the only business solution for non-traditional education that offers integrated constituent, enrollment and administrative management on a single software platform.”

For more information on Destiny One, please visit: http://www.destinysolutions.com/product/destinyone-overview/

About Destiny Solutions

Destiny Solutions is the leading innovator of lifelong learning business solutions. Since 2001, Destiny Solutions has delivered breakthrough technology designed exclusively to meet the divergent needs of non-traditional higher education. Our flagship product, Destiny One,^TM is the only business solution that offers integrated constituent, enrollment and administrative management on a single software platform. Crafted with the lifelong learner in mind, Destiny One is the most complete, agile and trusted business solution. It transforms traditional administrative systems so educators can grow revenue, enhance student experience and success, and improve operational efficiency.

For more information, please visit: www.destinysolutions.com.

4.6 Billion. That’s the number of mobile subscribers in 2010. It includes 300 Million Americans.

Discover what that means for professional and continuing education at UPCEA Marketing…

“Much of higher ed is still figuring out how to leverage this technology and communication trend. In this panel discussion, we look at how to “go mobile” from strategies for getting started, content development, support and maintenance, staffing, selling it to your boss, technical frameworks, device platforms (iPhone, Android), technical architecture (native v. web app) and outsourcing to in-house development.

-UPCEA Marketing

This new panel discussion, entitled “Where do we go now-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow? – Going Mobile” will unveil the mystery of mobile marketing before your very eyes. But why is mobile marketing in continuing education a game changer?

Well, the modern non-traditional student is demanding more accessibility than ever before. Quite simply, mobile marketing technology satisfies this demand from learners. And here’s why you as a marketer should be interested…

You should be interested as a marketer because mobile technology enables instant access for time crunched students. They can use mobile technology to inquire, enroll, review grades or schedules or even to learn while on a bus. The ease of use and instantaneous access is unparalleled. How else can you get in your students’ pocket like this?

This enthralling mobile marketing panel discussion features a diverse set of expert stakeholders. The interactive session will be moderated by University of Richmond School of Professional & Continuing Studies Web Manager, Daniel Hocutt, who will get the ball rolling with a few icebreakers questions before opening it up to the audience for an unscripted discussion on mobile marketing mastery for continuing education.

The session will feature a wide array of stakeholders, including Michael Trachtman from story+structure, Texas Tech University Marketing Director Michele Moskos, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide Campus Creative Director Trish Kabus, and Yancy Oshita, Chief Marketing Officer at Destiny Solutions. The broad spectrum of opinions, paired with an extremely engaging format promises a valuable learning opportunity for audience, panel and moderator alike.

Attend this panel discussion and you can expect to discover…

1) Reasons for Mobile Capacity: Unparalleled ease of use and instant access all the time – the vehement demands of the new non-traditional student.
2) Practical Adoption of Mobile Use Cases: Inquiry, response and mobile content packaging cases.
3) Why Mobile Content is Different Than The Web: Discover design and technical constraints.
4) School Brand as an App: The value and ease of personalized content.
5) Strategy Formulation: Security, scaling and the system of truth.

With the information from this marketing panel discussion you’ll be armed and able to take advantage of the mobile marketing trend. This is the future of continuing education marketing. The train is leaving the station. Are you on it?

Attend this mobile marketing panel discussion session, and finally understand how to interact with students anytime, anywhere, at the click of a button. On Thursday November 17, at 4:30pm, simply check your UPCEA Marketing schedule to find the room number for this Marketing 101 and S&I track session. Get a head start in this competitive space. Full steam ahead.

You won’t find anything like this nearby. That’s because higher education marketing is a highly specialized field with very unique applications. But fear not.

The UPCEA Marketing Conference is all you need. UPCEA Marketing Seminar 2011 marks the 20th anniversary of higher education marketing thought-leadership. This annual meeting consistently brings out the brightest minds in higher education marketing. And today, you finally have a chance to join the club.

Well, there are a few good reasons. And they all relate to making more money. So even if there’s only an iota of marketer in your blood, I should have your attention. Right? Because in this economy, who doesn’t want to grow revenue? Exactly. I’m glad you see my point.

Now that you’re interested, let me tell you exactly how UPCEA Marketing 2011 can help make your next year the most profitable yet. Let’s start at the top of the sales funnel, shall we?

Great. First of all then, UPCEA Marketing is the premier conference of its kind, designed to bring together leaders in continuing, professional and online education marketing. Even before you hear the first keynote, you’ll be surrounded by industry experts. But that’s just the beginning.

Once the ball gets rolling, you’ll be briefed on the latest higher education marketing tactics for increasing qualified lead generation. And guess what? Most of these methods are easier than what you’re doing right now. You’ll see how higher education leaders are leveraging technology to easily automate the lead generation legwork.

Except, as all good marketers know: What value is a lead, if you can’t convert? That’s why the UPCEA wisdom doesn’t stop at lead generation. You’ll finally get a chance to understand what the best in the business are doing to turn cold prospects in to paying customers (and to keep them coming back to class). We are in the business of continuing education, after all.

But it gets even better. See, the UPCEA Marketing Seminar schedule was designed in a way to let you get the most out of the experience, given your personal strengths, shortcomings and sales goals.

With multiple sessions running concurrently, there is always something for every higher education marketer. That means, it doesn’t matter if you’re an old pro, a naïve newcomer or a technology titan. You can be assured to find something of value… If you can get in!

Registration is filling up fast. But if you still want to take advantage of the few remaining spots… and join over 200 of the industries brightest marketing minds… here’s what to do.

Simply visit this website and select the appropriate package. You might even qualify for a discount.

UPCEA Marketing 2011 promises to be a great opportunity to meet with renowned marketing mavens. But don’t take my word for it. Check out what last year’s attendees are saying

What’s in a leader?

Well, if you’re in the business of continuing education IT… the right business leader is nothing short of… transformational! Now honestly, I hate hyperbole as much as the next guy. So I appreciate your skepticism. But if you’re in the business of managing continuing education IT, here’s why the right leader is revolutionary.

Finally Understand Why a Continuing Education IT Leader is a Vital Asset

It can be a mess. Typically, the continuing and higher education IT landscape is challenged and fragmented by many IT stakeholders across the organization. This often compounds head-aches and hang-ups common in an inherently complex IT environment (one populated with multiple enterprise-scale management software systems running concurrently). Sounds familiar? Well, unfortunately, this is an increasingly familiar situation among post-secondary institutions in North America. But bear with me. I’m not trying to depress you.

See, since the current continuing education IT environment faces significant hurdles, a breakthrough innovation seems long overdue. And an innovation in the way IT business processes are run would surely be capable of impacting significant revenue growth. Fast, too.

Learn How You Can Make More Money Faster with a Continuing Education IT Leader

The right continuing education IT business solutions can radically improve the efficiency of your extension institution, without impacting day-to-day operations. And that’s why you can make much more money faster with an innovative continuing education IT leader bent on implementing software system best practice. Believe it or not…

This IT Leader can be one of your greatest assets! Treat ‘em well! Given the amount of data that flows through your campus, you probably aren’t surprised to hear you should value your continuing education IT leader. But we get it, transformational IT leaders eager to work in continuing education can be hard to come by these days. So…

If you’re in the lucky 20% that has a visionary at the helm of your information technology efforts, this checklist will make their job easier. But…

If for whatever reason you don’t currently boast an IT leader, well, you can still make quantum leaps in transforming your institution into a burgeoning business of continuing education and lifelong learning. Here’s what you need to know.

• Central integration is essential. Immediately minimize risk by reducing multiple points of failure. This is easier said than done of course. And why you need a stellar customer care team.
• Upon integration, you’ll also reduce costs and streamline operations, this happens once shadow systems are consolidated.
• Transform your business by implementing a model of shared information services. This model maximizes efficiencies in your continuing education business. You can experience a radical leap forward.
• Increase accessibility and ease by requiring only one source of identity and authentication credentials across one or more campuses.
• Business-wide integration enables fingertip response. You proactively monitor system integration tools that alert you to any issue. You can act rapidly to drive resolution, be it browser-based tools for fault tolerance, troubleshooting, retry, configuration and notifications, – you’re ability to diagnose your system will improve.

So if you want a continuing education business software solution to automatically manage these software best practices institution wide, what should you do?

It’s simple: Just click here to schedule your free tour of the first and only complete business management solution for continuing education.

Posted by Jeff

Note: This post is part of the continuing education software best practice blog series. Click here to read more about continuing education business best practice.

At Last, Uncover 6 Accounting and Finance Functionalities a Continuing Education Business Platform Must Have.

Welcome to the core. Effective continuing education business management starts with acounting and finance. Obviously, the key metrics are revenue and expense (sorry, nothing quite groundbreaking thus far… bear with me). But because these critical success indicators are intricately connected to every facet of the continuing education business operation, you need more…

You need a view of the entire continuing education business.

Now I know that sounds simple. But to get an accurate and up date picture of revenue and expense information (including the peace of mind that comes with it!) you absolutely need timely, accurate and consistent reporting from every school or business unit in your continuing education organization. You might think that sounds less simple. But getting this information at your fingertips is critical. All of the most profitable CE businesses are operating this way.

With that in mind, I’ll share the easiest way to achieve this.

The most straightforward way to acquire the business information you need is with a clear decision-making structure and robust business process management practices. I can hear you already, “Easier said than done.” Well, if that’s how you feel, you mustn’t be using a software system that automates accountability. Because with the right software system, you ensure transparency and accuracy in the financial management processes of your continuing education business. And that’s the bottom line…

Accounting and finance are not to be handled haphazardly. You must always be ready for the auditor. That said, when it’s all systems go… you feel great! Here’s why.

Mastery of a complex system, especially one as dynamic as a continuing education business, is enabling, rewarding and immensely powerful. The right continuing education management software system can make your life much easier. It’s a business management solution that automates accountability (and takes care of accounting and finance in the process). That’s right…

It’s time to enjoy life in the captain’s chair. Did you notice the fine Italian leather?

Meanwhile, you can give the following checklist of continuing education finance and accounting business software best practice to your first officer. Let your trusty right-hand do the shopping so you can put your feet up and swivel around in that new chair. It’s comfortable, isn’t it?

6 Accounting and Finance Functionalities a Continuing Education Business Platform Must Have

• Consolidated account balances available in real-time, for each customer: Improve visibility into student financial history.
• Meet financial governance and industry-specific guidelines of compliance: The continuing education business management system must achieve compliance by defining and enforcing standard fees and business rules.
• Peace of Mind Policy for Refunds: Ensure governed approval of at least two designated individuals for any refund. This way, the person requesting the refund is not the same person approving the refund.
• Limit Overdue Acount Damage: You can go a long way to minimizing liability and financial risk by choosing a business management system that automatically flags and holds any accounts (students, corporations and third-parties) that are owing.
• Ensure seamless registration: The business of continuing education is increasingly student-focused. Compliment the enrollment experience by differentiating receivables from third-parties so the appropriate contact can be followed-up with for payment, allowing registration to continue.
• Cutting-Edge Data Security: Protect confidential data with regulatory and security standards that comply with PCI PA-DSS v2.0 requirements. Do the most for your data.

With this comprehensive list of finance and accounting best practice for continuing education business software, you can underwrite the operations of your institution.

So what’s next?

Hopefully this blog post has cleared up most of what you need to know. But every situation is unique. So if you’re hungry for more information, here’s how we can help.

Just request a free tour. We’ll help you to understand exactly how robust finance and accounting features look in action.

Click here to take advantage of this free offer and schedule a tour today.

Posted by Jeff

Note: This post is part of the continuing education software best practice blog series. Click here to read more about continuing education business best practice.

Is your student information system a well-oiled machine or a dangerous clot in your institutional aorta? How do you even know?

Finally Discover What to Look For in a Student Information System… (Including Exactly What To Avoid in an Upgrade!)

Students are demanding. Maybe even a little needy, depending on who you ask. Don’t believe me? Let’s just look at student-related data needs, for example. As you know, some of the standard requirements for student-data management systems include…

Cataloguing test scores and assessments… Building student schedules… Tracking student effectiveness. And that’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. We’ve only scratched the surface here. Actually, today’s modern student information systems contain more functionality than you might know what to do with! That leads us to the first consideration.

Student Information Systems: Do You Know What You’re Looking For?

With something this critical, here’s the first thing you should keep in mind to make your decision as easy as possible: What are you looking to achieve? It sounds simple. But with student information systems there is immense variation in scope, capability and size. Let me give you an illustration to depict what I mean. Imagine going on a trip…

Are you chaperoning your son’s 8th grade concert band fieldtrip and need an overnight stop en route to The Big Apple? Then Motel 6 should be fine. But if you’re more interested in taking your spouse for an incredibly romantic 4 day weekend in Napa, well you might want a top-tier hotel or a cozy bed and breakfast (you know, something with a little more class). Now you might be asking, what does this have to do with a student information system? Well, everything, really. What you need depends on where you’re going. Map out the scope of software system that would be the best fit for your situation.

And if you don’t know how to do that, here are some questions to get you started.

For example, do you require the management of a small set of student records in a single office, or a business solution that spans enterprise-wide? Maybe you’re a multi-campus organization that requires full system roll-up with diversity in local customization. In fact, are you even looking for customization? Or will out of the box workflows more than make do? Where do you stand today?

And your institution is probably looking to grow, right? After all, you can offset investing in a new student information system, by using this new software to grow revenues through increased recruitment and retainment of new students. Further, if growth is on your roadmap, will you need additional functionality from your system down the road? Think this through. Don’t rush to a decision you’ll regret. For example, patching on functional modules down the road could hamper the performance of your system. Think about how fast your home computer was before your kids downloaded all those videos and installed the latest games. By the way, are you looking for a software-as-a-service (SaaS) based solution or onsite hosting?

So as I’m sure you can tell by now, there’s a ton of options. You must define your organizations goals and potential obstacles to achievement, before you invest in a student information management system. By answering these questions today, you’ll get a ton of the toughest work done up front.

When you know the right questions to ask, you get the most out of any future call for proposals. And that’s critical if you want to grow your business effectively.

Student Record Systems are a Business Solution

The continuing education business is very complex. Students are demanding choice and access (especially online), like never before. I already went so far as calling them needy, remember? Either way, the business of continuing education isn’t easy.

And a lot of school systems are juggling multiple campuses, making things that much harder. Often, they’ll require decentralized marketing and curriculum management, which means mean you need to effectively delegate local responsibility (while ensuring accountability system wide). At the same time, you require reporting, registration and enrollment data to roll-up across the entire institution. With this much complexity, do you see why a robust software system is important? Well, if not, here’s another reason.

Since financial transactions are collected alongside student information, it’s critical for the viability of your business that these systems are secure and audit-compliant. Therefore, you should always look for the highest security certification available when dealing with a third party vendor to implement a campus or school management system. This is something we take very seriously.

For example, Destiny One, the first complete continuing education business platform, is crafted by Certified Information Security System Professionals (CISSP), and designed to be the only platform that is Payment Application Data Security Standard (PA-DSS) v2.0 certified. This represents the most stringent security standard from the Payment Card Industry (PCI) standards council for personal information protection and e-commerce transactions.

If you want to protect the viability of your continuing education business, you need secure and sound management of student information. You’re investing in foundational business infrastructure. You need the best. Consider the needs of your entire business when evaluating a student information system and you open the doors to an easier life. Achieve peace of mind by building a bright business future.

Now that you’ve given some thought to how a student information system fits into your institutional business plan as a whole, it’s time to familiarize yourself with what exactly defines a great student information management system.

What Does a Great Student Information Management System Do For You?

There are many things the best student information system does. We’ll touch on a few of the most important ones here today. If you have specific concerns, I suggestion you request a free system audit to figure out exactly what you need done.

For now though, you’re going to want your student information system to integrate with all of your CRM and marketing processes. This results in the most effective handling of student inquiries. This is how you maximize conversions. You don’t want qualified enrollments to slip through your conversion funnel. In fact, there should be a seamless flow from inquiry through enrollment. How does your current system stack up, anyway? If you’re like most schools, you have room for improvement in your marketing funnel.

Beyond enrollment, the perfect integrated student information systems automatically create schedules for programs, courses and instructors. You can easily manage exams, assessments and academic progress. You might be interested to know an increasingly common practice being used to boost revenues is to proactively drive student success with personal reminders and notifications to compel a positive course of action. The best student information systems make this kind of interaction and engagement intuitive.

Does the student information software you’re using today track all correspondence with students in one single record, which is easily accessible and always up to date? Does your student information system accommodate interactions with parents? (Just think about who pays the bills for little Johnny’s Physics course… Exactly).

Some student information systems are even integrated with HR services that take advantage of the ability to track attendance and absences. Budgeting, accounting and even health records are available in some instances. It comes down to thinking about what you realistically need to grow your business in the future. Otherwise you’ll be stuck in the past.

Why Do You Need to Replace Your Legacy Student Information Management System?

Things have changed. 21st century students are demanding a 21st century education. And the institutions that ride this trend are cashing in on enormous opportunities. Meanwhile, less proactive post-secondary school systems cry afoul about crisis. Face it, business isn’t just a 9-5 thing anymore.

Students, staff and even parents are demanding 24/7 access to their information and other campus resources. Your legacy main campus software systems simply aren’t configured for this increased end-user demand. Times have changed. Eventually, you’ll need to deal with it. And between you and me: The sooner you start making money off these increased access requirements, the better.

Beyond the individual requirements for more information, the computing power required to manage all of the data you must collect is always growing. Your main campus software, which has probably been installed for many years, lacks the horsepower to really make the most of all the information you’re capturing. Even worse, processing is slow and system add-ons over the years have adversely influenced the information architecture. Sometimes, you just need to upgrade.

As collection of data becomes ubiquitous, universities and colleges that can harness the student information most effectively are the ones boasting a competitive advantage. Knowledge is power, right?

Thus, institutions with complete integration, actively moving towards a standard interoperability framework are the most agile, most flexible and most complete. A more complete student information system allows you to better leverage the data you harvest. This can be a significant boon to your continuing education business management efforts. So with such a good case for student information software upgrades, what’s holding you back?

Four Common Pitfalls to Student Information System Upgrade:

It’s a difficult premise. You really don’t want to jeopardize daily operations. You’re not just downloading the latest patch for Internet Explorer, after all. There are a TON of moving parts to consider when implementing a new software system, – especially a software system with hundreds of users spanning multiple campuses. Yet you obviously want to ensure business as usual while performing the upgrade.

To identify exactly what you need to take your student information system, (and your continuing education business) to the next level, here’s what you do. Simply click this link and schedule your free system audit. Our experts will ask just the right questions to find out exactly what you personally need. It’s free. And it’ll give you actionable insights into your system. You can even use these ideas as your own, should your boss ask you for input at the next meeting. So here’s what to watch for.

First of all, your institution undoubtedly has a ton of customized workflows. To lose them would be disaster. Your concern is appreciated on this here blog. The way you do business requires the utmost attention, after all. You absolute must ensure no data (including less tangible aspects of your operation like workflow) are harmed during the conversion to your new student information system.

Depending on how data was collected and how historic reporting was done, if you’re not careful (and properly backed-up) all of your historical archives can be lost upon integration with a new student information system. That’s something you might call your worst nightmare. The transition to a new system should be about smarter information system management. Make sure whoever is implementing your software solution is tuned in to how you do things.

As you oversee the implementation of a new information management software system, you’ll want to make sure you understand how the new reporting functions work. Before you get started with implementation, define what you require as mission critical. Then, add the other functionality as the installation progresses. It all comes back to the scope of your needs. But ensuring continuity in your reporting should be of the highest priority. Again, continuing and professional education institutions deal with very sensitive information that must be managed securely. I know it’s a lot to keep in mind, but you’re well on your way to covering all your bases.

The final thing you should consider during a system upgrade is how long it will take everyone to get trained on the new integrated student information management system. Have you budgeted for downtime? Hopefully, if things are done right, you won’t need to. But these are absolutely the kind of things you must think about beforehand. It’s also the reason that customer support matters.

You’ve heard the rumors about the big software company that quotes you a low price but then leaves your institution hanging after the whirlwind implementation tour, right? Exactly. Not cool. And in the intermediate to long-term, that’s bound to cost you more. Make sure you follow continuing education software best practice.

Best Practice in Student Information Management Software Systems

The business of continuing education is undeniably complex. And it’s increasing in intricacy. You need smarter systems and automated workflows to keep up. It’s not just about managing grade submissions anymore. To ensure system wide integrity and reliability you need to be careful about incorporating best practice workflows. Proactive personalized reminders can be programmed to automate the most menial administrative tasks. But you’ll find these customizable workflows, vertical roll-up and complete integration maximizes staff as well as student success.

The best student information systems integrate completely to take care of the minutia and empower you and your staff to focus on better adding value to student experience. Automating internal administration gives you more time to focus on students, which will also grow your bottom-line.

While our team of developers work night and day to bring the most cutting-edge technology to your continuing education extensions, one of the most innovative thing about a premium student information system is how it allows you to work smarter. You’ll stop getting bogged down.

In this way, not only will a new student information system enable you to get more done in a day, but it will also make you smile more. That’s not trivial. You’ll be free to excel at the opportunities you enjoy. Our continuing education business solutions – complete with student information systems – bring out the best in everyone, even you.

Next Step: Sign-Up for a Free Student Information System Audit!

If, after reading this blog post, you feel like you’d benefit from an expert audit of your system, just click here to schedule your free appointment. Our in-house experts will be happy to help you in every way. They know exactly which questions to ask in order to improve your ability to make an intelligent and informed decision about the state of your student information software. If you don’t know where to start, start here.

This is a limited opportunity you don’t want to miss. If you would like to join the growing cohort of increasingly informed institutions, this is your chance. And the sooner you know what’s wrong, the faster you can correct course. The link won’t be active forever, so make sure to secure your free student information system audit. Click here now.

If you don’t feel you require it, just think of your needy students and how much money you could generate serving them better.

Schedule a system audit today.

Posted by Jeff

Note: This post is part of the continuing education software best practice blog series. Click here to read more about continuing education business best practice.

By automating standardized enrollment policies and enriching student experience, innovative student registration systems are transforming the business models of universities and colleges across North America.

Finally discover how legacy student registration systems are currently holding you back from recruiting and retaining hundreds of new continuing education students each year.

It’s a balancing act. You need to provide a flexible student registration experience. But when you’re inputting time-sensitive and secure information in to multiple systems, the stakes are high. The room for error is little. And you’re accountable, should something goes wrong at any point in a student’s registration experience… Therefore…

You may be curious to discover how to eliminate all student-registration-associated headaches (and make A LOT more money for your college or university while you’re at it). Sounds good, right? Read on.

Student Registration Experience is a Competitive Differentiator in Continuing Education

“21st century students live in an environment of choice and access… Technology can provide new capabilities enabling institutions to create significant competitive advantages.” (Gilfus Education Group, 2010). But for most schools this is a dream. Most schools remain chained to their main campus legacy systems. For most schools, registration is a cumbersome process. Student experience suffers. And success falters. Do you know how much this is costing you, right now?

Most continuing education administrators don’t have a clue about the opportunity cost of their student registration systems. But hey, don’t be too hard on yourself. You’re not alone. After all, it’s a tough nut to crack. Do you want to know why? Okay, here it is…

Optimizing student registration systems is difficult because while your staff might know what they should do, they lack the resources to executive effectively. Meanwhile, the top continuing education divisions in America have tuned in to the opportunity gap, prioritizing student experience and customer service (all the way to the bank, no less!) Which begs the question…

What do the top continuing education institutions look for when managing their student registration system?

Innovative Student Registration Systems are Data-Driven!

It’s all about data. Specifically, when considering different student registration systems you need high quality information to be accessible in real-time by anyone who needs it (and all in one place). The availability of this registration information is crucial, if you want to deliver a premium registration experience for both students and staff. You do want to deliver a premium experience, don’t you? Well, here’s why it’s worth your while.

It’s this improved (data-driven) experience that fuels an easy registration process and keeps students coming back. This is why student experience (improved through seamless registration) is a competitive differentiator contributing to higher growth and retention of new students. If you want to make sure all of your bases are covered, here’s exactly the kind of information to look for from your student registration system.

Course Registration System Checklist:

• Real-time course availability to prospective students. For would-be-students, nothing is more frustrating than an out of date course-calendar. They don’t want to pick up the phone to find out what’s available. They don’t want to keep checking their status on a waiting list. Students want choice and online access to what’s available right now. This is the first critical step in a smooth registration system. Understand it. And if you‘re forced to use a waitlist, at least ensure the requisite management is automated.
• Facilitate third-party programs, enrollments and flexible payment options. Doing this makes growing revenue from sizable corporate partnerships easy. It accommodates the unique needs of the partner’s bulk enrollment requirements without any extra work on your end. You make it easy for students to sign-up, qualify for special group discounts and add or drop courses using an Amazon-style shopping cart. It’s all powered by your dynamic real-time reservation engine. An easy online experience keeps students coming back and eliminates extra work for you and your staff.
• Administrative workflows and standardized enrollment policies promise the most flexible student registration solution by enabling the enrollment or sale of any course or ancillary item to anyone… without requiring admissions processing! Dynamic pricing, automatic waitlist managing and real-time profit and loss monitoring are what you’re business decisions will come to rely on.
• Automate online systems to eliminate the most tedious aspects of student registration, like duplicate information suppression and record merge tools. These automated processes ensure one point of contact with students to make communication as easy as possible and avoid any confusion. Forget about minutia. Focus your energy on improving conversions.
• Allow students to proactively engage in the student registration process. By allowing students to self-track certificate and degree completion you fuel success and loyalty (seemingly automatically). Take it a step further by proactively notifying and granting certificates upon completion by student. If these processes are completely integrated with main campus legacy systems, you’re getting pretty close to a winning student registration system.

Now, if your student registration solution is lacking even one of these features your whole system could be out of balance. Don’t sit idly by. Or inevitably, your lack of real-time information and flexible registration will adversely impact student experience, (and eventually top line revenue). Choosing the right student registration system matters. Make sure you keep this in mind.

Where Do Most Student Registration Systems Come-Up Short?

We’ve only touched on this. But it’s important. So listen up: Complete integration of your student registration system with the rest of your continuing education division (and main campus software) is an absolute MUST. See, most student registration software solutions lack this feature (at least to an extent). However, full-integration will create tremendous value by saving you unparalleled amounts of time and energy. It’s never been this easy (especially compared to what you’re doing today).

The right student registration system is driven by full program flexibility. You’re able to dynamically change course offerings with a real-time reservation engine. And (yes, you guessed it!) All these changes are synchronized with main campus systems, providing easy access to historical student data. This integration is one of the biggest secrets behind driving loyalty and improving student success (both of which lead to revenue growth).

Smarter Student Registration Software Systems Mean Sustainable Success

There’s a lot of moving parts. That’s why it’s such a tough balancing act. But when you’re able to accommodate a rich student experience with standard enrollment practices and policies, a few things happen to your student registration system. In short though: You enable more profitable decision-making, faster. You improve student access to registration. And here’s a little secret: In this day and age, schools gaining the most traction are increasingly student-focused in their approach to business.

You make it easy for students to join by clearly communicating your ability to accept secure payments with credit cards and other common options. Your course offerings are accurate and accessible. Students are easily able to see if they qualify for discounts or special pricing options when they register. They can also register through custom third-party arrangements you’ve already established with their employers. (These corporate partnerships are a great way to grow your business).

Either way, students see an easy to use shopping cart on their single-instance web login. This makes managing their learning profile simple and intuitive. (For you, and for them). Plus, any wait-lists are managed automatically. You have complete access to their historical data and easily program personalized reminders that keep them on track for their certificate attainment. You have one central record, so the historical data for any given student is always synchronized and up to date, making interactions with the school simple. Once a student graduates, this personal history makes it easy to suggest logical next steps to continue their education. In this way, you improve opportunities for students’ success in the workplace and world at large. The rising expectations of students (especially online) make all this critical. Differentiate your student experience from your competitors by making your registration process smarter.

Student Registration Systems Made Easier

Can peace of mind be purchased? The answer is yes. And all it requires is a simple investment in a more effective student registration system. It may sound daunting. But fear not. It’s actually quite easy.

If you’re having trouble balancing all of the student registration puzzle pieces, it isn’t too late. You can learn more about the ideal student registration system and how it fits in to your continuing education business plan. But you better do it quick.

The new semester is only around the corner. And the faster you invest in your student experience the bigger your move into the black will be. If (after reading this blog post) you feel your current student registration system is holding you back (which it probably is), this is your opportunity to join a privileged few.

Simply click here to schedule a virtual meeting. Our experts will provide free expertise on how you may want to streamline and improve your current student registration system.

Posted by Jeff

PS – Keep in mind that student registration systems are but one part of the customizable student management solutions being used at leading post-secondary institutions today. Learn more about student information systems.

Note: This post is part of the continuing education software best practice blog series. Click here to read more about continuing education business best practice.