Excellence in Information Technology Solutions 2004 Award Winner

2004 Winner: eArmyU

Customer Service Management with Compliance Tracker Capabilities

In 2001, the U.S. Army launched an innovative e-learning program, eArmyU, to serve more than 46,000 soldiers around the world, giving them Web access to over 1,600 courses in 146 degree programs through a consortium of 29 higher education partners. A critical priority for eArmyU is student success in passing courses (goal: successful completion of 80 percent of courses attempted) and completing semester-hour program milestones. Coordinated student support services, critical to meeting these goals, are founded on an innovative, Web-based customer relationship management (CRM) system that streamlines processes and links all vendors and schools in the eArmyU system with two priorities: (1) to offer a single point of student access to comprehensive support for all questions and all users, and (2) to support proactive tracking and outreach to help students meet their program milestones.

The CRM solution was designed to be set up quickly, with an inexpensive infrastructure that integrates vendor- and education-partner systems. It allows students and end-users to generate a “help desk case” directly through the eArmyU portal or by calling one 24/7 help-desk phone number and speaking with an agent—the user no longer needs to know which school, vendor, or support staff to call. A help-desk agent can escalate the case to more specialized “tier 2” support anywhere in the world. When the case is closed, the user receives an e-mail with the resolution and can view the full case history in the eArmyU portal.

A second powerful innovation is a Distributed Compliance Tracker component, a tool that can be utilized in any environment where progress in meeting milestones must be tracked and flagged. The “behind-pace” component of the compliance tracker system allows an instructor to leverage an entire support network when trying to reach out to a student who is falling behind in a course. The tool coordinates a series of outreach activities, including automated cautionary e-mails, and changes the color of the traffic light indicators on a student’s “case summary” page, signaling program mentors and other student support staff to take action.

Through these sophisticated customer service management tools, eArmyU has been able to serve a growing number of students and end users while maintaining relatively constant support staff. More than 100,000 cases were resolved from September 2002 through January 2004, with high student satisfaction. The average time to close a help-desk case has dropped from 11 to 1.2 business days, and help-desk costs per user have dropped from $7 to $3.

2004 Winner: Sinclair Community College

Student Success Planning

Like most community colleges, Sinclair serves a high proportion of students who require extra support to achieve academic success. During the past three years, an average of 45 percent of the new, degree-seeking students at Sinclair left during their first year. In response, Student Services staff, faculty, and IT staff partnered to develop a technology infrastructure that could tie together processes for identifying at-risk students, providing support, and tracking progress. The resulting Web-based support system for students and counselors includes a screening process that enables the college to determine the students’ risk of failure and provide a Student Success Plan (SSP) for identified at-risk students. The SSP offers assessments, a case-management counseling approach for both new and current students, and transition plans that range from intensive support services to self-service and Web-based systems.

The SSP begins with an online screening survey to identify students who need additional support. Such students meet with a counselor to complete a more extensive interview and risk assessment that yield information about their understanding of processes, confidence, learning styles, and motivation. Results are recorded and can be referenced by any counselor who interacts with the student. Counselors and students agree on a “Student Success Plan” that may include courses to be taken, tutoring services to use, financial aid and childcare options, disability services, and other support services provided by the college. The SSP is documented in a password-protected Web-based tracking system, and a customized to-do list guides students in their next steps. Counselors can add progress notes, record completed tasks, and monitor progress; various service providers across the institution can coordinate activities and follow up as appropriate. The application builds on Sinclair’s former success with implementing a database-driven Web site using content management technologies—authentication and role-definition software modules developed for the Web site were reused for the SSP, ensuring integration with existing systems (including an early-alert process).

Since its release in July 2003, over 2,000 students been served. Surveys show high student satisfaction with the counseling system: they appreciate the collaborative process and the combination of individualized counseling sessions and the ability to track their own progress independently. Research on the tool is providing trend data not available anywhere else in the Sinclair community and has sparked conversations about curricular change that will improve retention.