The students of a higher educational establishment should be viewed as the college or university’s customers, because satisfied students, just as with satisfied customers, equals more income.
Student lifecycle management is a data-driven approach of an educational institution that focuses on the entire student journey, right from the very first time the student becomes aware of the institution, through to admissions and then on to alumni.
Student lifecycle management focuses on student satisfaction and success, and also word of mouth advertising that encourages other enrollments for the educational facility.
As is the case with most industries, higher educational establishments are in a period of transformational disruption, and 2020 will see exciting trends that set the stage for opportunities.
Colleges and universities can really set themselves apart from their competitors by improving student lifecycle management.
Opportunistic trends to look out for in 2020
#1: Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the way we work and is being built into the latest student lifecycle management technology, simplifying and smartening up cumbersome processes that put a strain on institutions and students. Facial recognition, for instance, is one type of AI technology that can be used to streamline mundane tasks. Tasks like exam access, class attendance and campus access, can be automated and thus freeing up invigilators, lecturers and security guards to focus on more pressing matters. Sophisticated technology completes tasks in a fraction of the time, and performs the job with greater accuracy than humans.
As institutions implement more AI, some roles will become obsolete, and new roles will need to be created for tasks that have not even been thought of yet. AI also increases student engagement and changes how students interact with facilities. For example, smart campus chatbots (see point #3 below).
#2: Online education
Online education offers more people an opportunity to get educated because not everyone can easily get to a higher education’s physical location. For instance, there are many employed people who are looking to further their careers by studying, and so they need to juggle between work and their studies. Or mothers looking to resume their careers, but still have to care for their children at home.
While these people would not be able to study if it meant going to a physical location, they are able to study if it means doing it through the internet.
Online education is generally more affordable, and it’s the greatest appeal is that it offers flexibility and convenience. For the institution, online education makes it easy to manage the entire student process. Beyond that, online learning addresses a very real need: it allows for more registrations than a physical campus which can only accommodate a certain number of feet.
#3: Smart campus chatbots
Innovations in technology and the changing behaviour of people including students is a motivating factor to developing smart campuses. The learning environment is a key differentiator amongst colleges and universities.
A smart campus uses networked technologies for collaboration, resource efficiency, enhanced security, reduced cost, and to make the campus a more connected and enjoyable place for students.
AI enables smart campus chatbots from which students are able to source information from with a few clicks, right from their mobile devices so they neither need to stand in queues or take up the time of a human resource.
Adapt IT Education will soon add a student chatbot to ITS Integrator system, which will act as an alternate way for students to access their student data, update contact details, or ask questions that would usually require the time and expense of a human resource.
#4: Internet of Things
The Internet of Things (IoT) will change the world, including higher education institutions, and provide the opportunity to dramatically enhance student learning.
Institutions who utilise IoT will not only enhance learning outcomes by providing better learning experiences, but IoT will also improve operational efficiency, and provide real-time, actionable insight into student performance.
IoT will impact the way classes are taught by smart learning:
- Learning by action, i.e. virtual labs
- Adaptive teaching
- Automatic translation systems
- Collaborative learning
- Gamification in learning
#5: Customised learning
Students are demanding more customised learning experience, which is tailored to their individual needs and goals.
Technology provides higher educational establishments with methods of tailoring the learning experience around the individual and also helps students master core skills. In addition, technology can be used to develop guided routes that not only assess progress toward graduation but can also make suggestions to challenges that pop up.
ITS Integrator enhances the student lifecycle management
The ITS Integrator is an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) tertiary software solution that is developed with AI and other latest technologies to vastly improve student information management, productivity, efficiency, and the student experience in educational institutions.