Category: College ERP

In an era where colleges face increasing demands and resource constraints, the need for streamlined processes within admissions teams has never been more crucial. This blog delves into a foolproof strategy to empower college admissions teams to accomplish more with fewer resources, ultimately fostering efficiency and enhancing the overall admissions experience.

The Challenge:

College admissions teams are often confronted with the challenge of managing growing application volumes, diverse applicant profiles, and evolving selection criteria. With limited resources, this uphill battle can lead to bottlenecks, delays, and a potential compromise in the quality of the admissions process.

The Foolproof Approach

Implement Smart Automation:

Integrate advanced automation tools to handle repetitive and time-consuming tasks such as data entry, document verification, and communication processes. By automating routine tasks, admissions teams can redirect their focus to more strategic and value-added activities.

Utilize Data Analytics for Decision Support:

Leverage data analytics to extract meaningful insights from applicant data. This enables admissions teams to make informed decisions, identify trends, and allocate resources more effectively. By understanding the applicant pool better, colleges can optimize their selection processes.

Enhance Collaboration with Technology:

Invest in collaborative technologies that facilitate seamless communication and information sharing among team members. Cloud-based platforms and project management tools enable real-time collaboration, reducing the reliance on physical meetings and streamlining workflows.

Implement a Holistic Applicant Tracking System (ATS):

Deploy a comprehensive ATS that centralizes all applicant information, simplifying the tracking and monitoring of each candidate’s progress. This not only enhances organization but also ensures that crucial details are not overlooked during the admissions journey.

Personalize and Streamline Communication:

Leverage personalized communication strategies through email automation and chatbots. Tailored communication not only improves the applicant experience but also reduces the time spent on generic inquiries, allowing admissions teams to focus on more nuanced aspects of the process.

Invest in Training and Skill Development:

Equip admissions teams with the necessary skills to navigate modern technologies effectively. Providing training on the latest tools and methodologies empowers teams to adapt to changes swiftly, making them more resourceful in managing complex admissions processes.

Conclusion:

By adopting this foolproof approach, college admissions teams can revolutionize their admission operations, achieving higher efficiency and productivity even with limited resources. Embracing smart technologies, data-driven decision-making, and collaborative platforms positions colleges to not only weather challenges but also thrive in the ever-evolving landscape of higher education admissions.

Read our case study for more used case information on this: False Bay College, Muizenberg, South Africa

If you ask a group of students which college they want to study when given a choice between an accredited college and a non-accredited college — the answer would always be the former. 

Accreditations from reliable regulatory bodies are a strong pull for students. Accreditation say a lot about the quality of education a student receives in an institution. It is one of the primary criteria for a student when seeking admission. 

But only if it was so easy to be accredited. Every accreditation agency has its own criteria & parameters that an institute needs to follow to get successfully accredited. Be it NAAC or NBA, they are required to submit reports related to administration, library, student support, admissions, and other aspects of a higher education institute. 

This requires institutes to keep a detailed record of administrative and academic activities in an institute. It is of utmost importance that the data is accurate and provides a deep dive into every ongoing operation in an institute. It should be well-evaluated. Certainly, the accreditation process is quite tough and the accreditation bodies give a lot of importance to quality. So, if you want to get your university or college accredited you need software that provides you with good data management of all the operations in your institute. 

Caption: Criteria & Weightage defined for NAAC Accreditation Higher Education Institutes.

Credit: http://naac.gov.in/index.php/en/assessment-accreditation  

Manage Heaps of Data using Campus Management System

Campus management software helps you in managing huge amounts of institutional data and can help you save time and effort during the accreditation process and otherwise. Relying on manual documentation means inviting a lot of human errors in reporting which can cost you a lot when you are dealing with strict accreditation bodies. 

Digital management of data thus helps you improve accuracy in the reports and ultimately provides a quicker path toward attaining accreditation. Moreover, they help you streamline your work processes and manage every operation in detail while keeping a log and record of the activities and key information. 

Using Campus Management System you can manage:

• Academic Details 
• Students, Alumni & Faculty Information
• Infrastructure & Learning Resources
• Campus Extension Activities
• Financial Operations
• Management & Administration of the institute
• Student Feedback System
• OBE

More features to get an easy accreditation

College is asked to provide detailed information without any error alongside documents of past few years to support the information. In addition to data, precise compliance reports related to administration, library, admissions, etc. is going to be requested by the assigned team. 

Generating accurate reports manually within a limited time frame is a big hurdle. Hence, most colleges face huge difficulties in attaining college accreditation. Most of all, the data shared with anyone over an excel sheet is so much easier to manipulate. But when you use a campus management system that governs authorized access to information and data you have a well-protected database there is no chance anyone unauthorized gets to change the information. 

Since colleges generate a large amount of data on an everyday basis, data management has been a key challenge — but only until now. You see, a good education ERP solution will help you manage the accreditation process better by offering you various functionalities. 

Wrapping Up

A college ERP solution can help institutions save time and streamline processes and smoothen operations along with generating a variety of compliance reports. All-in-all college ERP software makes the journey to accreditation much easier and can even help you get one faster. The key here is to have a system that systematically stores and manages institute data. Since manually it is not possible and can eat up a lot of time for your human resources you can simply invest in a good ERP that does that work for you. If you did like to get one, try Academia CMS – a college ERP software. Connect with our ERP expert and request of Academia College ERP software demo today.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing higher education by providing innovative solutions to enhance the learning experience, improve academic outcomes, and streamline administrative processes. AI technologies, such as Natural Language Processing, Machine Learning, and Deep Learning, can automate repetitive tasks, provide personalized learning experiences, and support data-driven decision-making. In this blog, we will explore how AI is transforming higher education. 

Personalized Learning 

One of the most significant advantages of AI in higher education is its ability to personalize the learning experience for each student. AI can analyze student data through machine learning algorithms, including their learning styles, strengths, and weaknesses, and recommend customized learning paths that match their needs. AI-powered learning platforms can adapt to each student’s pace, provide targeted feedback, and recommend additional resources based on their progress. 

For instance, AI-powered adaptive learning platforms like CogBooks and Knewton can analyze student performance data in real-time, identify knowledge gaps, and provide personalized recommendations for study materials, exercises, and assessments. This methodology has been shown to significantly improve student engagement, retention, and academic outcomes. 

Automated Administrative Processes 

AI can also streamline administrative processes and reduce the administrative burden on faculty and staff. AI-powered chatbots automation can handle routine inquiries, such as enrollment procedures, course schedules, and grading policies, freeing up staff time to focus on more complex tasks. 

Chatbots can also provide real-time support to students, answering their questions and guiding them through the learning process. 

AI can also automate administrative tasks such as course scheduling, grading, and plagiarism detection. For example, Turnitin uses AI-powered algorithms to scan student papers for plagiarism and provide instructors with an originality report. 

This saves instructors time and ensures academic integrity by identifying and addressing potential instances of plagiarism. Improved Student Retention 

AI can also help identify students at risk of dropping out and provide targeted interventions to improve their retention rates. By analyzing data such as attendance, grades, and engagement levels, AI can identify students needing additional support and provide personalized recommendations to improve their academic outcomes. This approach can help institutions improve their student retention rates and reduce the costs associated with student attrition. 

For example, Georgia State University has implemented an AI-powered predictive analytics system that analyzes student data and identifies students at risk of dropping out. 

The system provides personalized interventions such as tutoring, mentoring, and financial aid counseling to support these students and improve their retention rates. 

As a result, the university has seen a significant improvement in graduation rates and reduced student loan defaults. Conclusion 

AI has the potential to transform higher education by providing personalized learning experiences, automating administrative processes, and improving student retention rates. However, it is important to recognize that AI does not replace human instructors and advisors. Rather, AI should be seen as a tool to support and enhance the work of faculty and staff, allowing them to focus on high-value tasks such as mentoring, research, and curriculum development. By adopting AI technologies, higher education institutions can create a more effective and efficient learning environment that benefits students and faculty.  

Take a step towards automation and digitalization for your higher ed institution by taking a live demo of the Academia ERP/Student Information System. You can also check our higher ed plans and choose the best-suited one for your institution’s requirements. 

In the last year, 64% of higher education organizations have fallen prey to ransomware virus attacks. Not only technology has evolved in leaps and bounds but also cyber security threats. They are more advanced and continue to threaten the education niche. Facts indicate the contemporary response mechanisms and security protocols may not be enough to protect you from these advanced cyberattacks. 

One such widely trusted method of security — MFA or Multi-factor Authentication to is not the surest pathway toward data security any more. The primary reason for that is human errors. Hence, data security specialists and technology mavens prepare to take humans out of the equation as much as possible when it comes to handing the key to security. Phish-resistant multi-factor authentication is one such attempt.

Why MFA is not the ultimate tool for security?

Multi-factor authentication is an added layer of security to access accounts, devices, data, and systems. It has become one of the most common yet, reliable solutions to ensure security in modern software systems. Leaving traditional usernames and passwords behind. 

But eventually, cyberattackers found a way around MFA. New types of cyber attacks such as social engineering, eavesdropping, man-in-the-middle attacks, weak verification between components, weak default configuration settings, physical attacks like copying of fingerprints, and more emerged. 

New Type of Cyberattack Doing Round in the Education Industry

Social engineering is a new type of cyberattack that is doing rounds in the education industry. Social engineering of which has been very successful in helping cyber attackers to get through the MFA barrier. 

This is done through an MFA fatigue attack. An attacker steals the login credentials and inundates a targeted victim with MFA push notification sent via text, phone, or email. The attacker hopes the victim would accept the request or it directly calls the targeted victim impersonating someone from IT and get the authentication code. This coerces the user to accept the MFA request. 

So, MFA itself is not a weak method of security assurance, but human nature, and gullibility or lack of knowledge of technology lead to people falling prey to these attacks. 

Switching to Phish-resistant MFA 

Since, vigilance and awareness cannot be completely trusted with the security of the data, experts have created a better security feature. This is Phish-resistant MFA. The new technology is immune to attackers intercepting or tricking users into revealing information. It is similar to traditional MFA only it does not use people to authenticate the access but hardware and devices to validate who you are. 

Phish-resistant MFA removes the concept of OTPs, instead, the authentication is almost entirely done between your device and website. Access to unauthorized or unrecognizable devices thus is evaded. 

Setting up Phish-Resistant MFA for your university

Talk to your ERP vendor about FIDO/WebAuthn and PKI-based MFA. Get more details about both and decide what is the best option for you. Think about which implementation phase is most important for your institute. Look at the type of resources you want to protect and identify which users are more likely to be targets of an attack. 

One step closer to data security 

Technology would continue to evolve and so would cyber attacks. The best protection is to stay abreast with modern technology trends and new methods of securing data in your institute. 

As phishing continues to threaten higher education institutes, think about implementing Phish-resistant MFA. Moreover, educate the stakeholders in your institute about data security and commonly used phishing methods. Teach them methods to identify phishing attacks and update your systems as needed. Also, go with Cloud ERP solutions for the education industry rather than on-premise solutions. 

Colleges and universities are combating declining enrollment rates and precarious financial situations. As the institutes struggle to devise strategies that are suitable for dealing with this looming demographic cliff, one thing is well understood — legacy software needs to go out and new-age modern systems need to come in. 

Learn how in the age of declining enrollment rates, higher education institutes can find solace and definite solution in modern systems such as Education ERP to maximize enrollment and ROI. 

Education ERP for improved Student Recruitment & Retention

One of the best ways to avert the situation is by effectively managing the admission phase in your college or university. Attract the right students, engage them throughout the admission phase, support them throughout the academic year, and retain them. And investing in a modern ERP specifically designed for higher education institutes can help you in this course. 

Modern ERP can help Recruit Right Student To Your Campus

An ERP for higher education comes with an in-built Human Capital Management System and Finance Management System that is centrally mapped with the student database. The modern systems are also equipped with rich analytics features and help colleges and universities to gain insights into the type of program that is most preferred by the student population. Using this, an institute is able to plan more seats in these programs, offer a more wholesome curriculum, invest in more resources, and higher better faculty to attract students. This can be a great pull for the students and can help an institute to increase enrollment in the programs that are most profitable. This can be a very impactful recruitment strategy. 

Modern ERP can help institutes attract Students that are a right fit

A student needs to be academically as well as culturally attached to the college or university to apply and enroll itself. Hence, modern ERP solutions can help an institute to reach out and attract students that are a right fit for their campus. 

Tools such as personalized messaging, push notifications, multi-media messaging, and automated responses for faster query resolution can work wonders in attracting and engaging students. 

Also, modern software is equipped with a Scholarship Management tool that can help you in segregating deserving candidates from the thousands of applications and provide financial assistance and aid to the right students. With modern ERP built for colleges and universities, you can simplify scholarship distribution, reimbursement, and other financially complicated processes. This would further help you retain your students better and provide a channel for you to have a sustainable revenue stream. 

Modern ERP can help attract new students

One of the latest trends seen in the education industry is that of the growing number of non-traditional, older-generation students. 

The older students tend to be more inclined towards learning and are more career focuses. They usually have responsibilities such as full-time jobs or families to look after and hence they usually go to colleges and universities that provides flexible degree and credentialing programs that can help them gain high-paying career. 

ERP for higher education can enable students to effectively offer hybrid learning options alongside competency-based education programs, micro-credentialing and badging programs. The types of education that provide the fastest pathway to employment for these learners can serve profitable for your institute. 

Modern ERP for retaining existing students 

Engaging applicants is not a 100% assurance of a sustainable revenue stream. You need to constantly keep students engaged to combat the enrollment crisis. It is important that you retain students and increase your attrition rate. According to a study by Education Data, 40% of students that enroll in an undergrad program drop out and these dropout rates are higher for non-traditional students. 

ERP for higher education can help you devise and execute a student retention strategy. Using in-built data analytics and predictive modeling you can identify students at risk and provide institutions with the tools necessary to intervene early. 

Through early intervention, you can engage a student and avert the situation in which a student drops out.  

Wrapping Up 

Modern ERP gives campuses many tools to help attract and retain students. But it also helps institutes to manage their processes and operations better and ensure a better experience of their students not just academically but overall. Modern ERP enables students to better engage, advise and empower the learners. It supports small to big operations and frees up your staff and faculty to solely focus on the growth of students and assist them throughout the student lifecycle. 

It promotes transparent communication and improves decision-making through data. It provides better options to personalize education and manage programs and courses. Modern Education ERP solutions built for colleges and universities are very successful in attracting, engaging and retaining students.