How Continuing Education Can Automate Enrollment Workflows for Non-Traditional Students

Could your enrollment use a boost?

That nifty add-to-cart button is just one feature that has helped to revolutionize user experiences and produce happier customers likely to return. It’s no wonder various industries, including higher education, work hard to ensure their digital experience mimics the likes of Amazon and other e-commerce giants.

As the fall term peeks over the horizon, many higher education units—including continuing, professional and workforce education divisions—are in a reflective and proactive state, brainstorming ways they can create a smoother term start than the year before.

In the world of higher ed, the fall term typically triggers peak enrollment numbers, applications, class scheduling changes, and several other course administration activities. Registration teams, program advisors, and program coordinators are usually on the front lines, trying their best to manually respond to and resolve every student inquiry and need.

This doesn't have to be your reality.

University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) is just one of the many institutions that enhanced their self-serve menu, allowing students to confidently enroll themselves in required courses.

Elisabeth Rees-Johnstone, executive director of continuing education and professional learning at OISE said “non-traditional students want to be able to self-serve, to shop a bit to determine what it is they’re looking for and what they need. They want to know the system will remember their information,” Rees-Johnstone continued. “Offering an experience that’s quick and easy is key.”

Automating student management workflows improves the lives of students and staff alike. Automation has the power to encourage lifelong learning from satisfied students, retain happier staff through optimized workloads, and ultimately increase your bottom line—achieving the higher ed trifecta.

Support lifelong learners with ease

What if I told you simultaneously managing credit and non-credit student enrollments could be painless?

If your continuing education division is dreading the process of administering non-credit learners in your main campus’ traditional system, it may be time to explore non-traditional student information management systems that can better serve your unique needs.

“Customer experience, staff experience, inefficiencies for workflow and then of course data and risk were the core reasons why we needed to look for a new system,” Rees-Johnstone said. 

Save time processing non-credit student requests and regain focus on scaling your business.

Reduce the tedious and time-consuming patchwork of merging non-credit and credit records in a system not designed for non-traditional learners.

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Enrollment Growth Student Experience Scaling Non-Degree Education

Last updated: July 27, 2022