Implementing the Student Perspective

Mancini wanted a platform with web and mobile parity. Instead of needing a separate app or mobile experience, he believed students should have the same experience regardless of where they access their student portal. 

Like many other two-year colleges, the IT Department at Montco has limited time and financial resources. Therefore, maximizing efficiency both from a human capital and technological perspective are imperative to giving students the best possible experience.

Despite limited resources, Mancini always keeps his eyes open for the newest innovations when they’re capable of benefiting the student population. Encountering Pathify turned into an opportunity for Mancini to help the IT Department do more with less while simplifying the student experience at Montco. 

He first learned about Pathify at EDUCAUSE where Mancini typically discovers the latest and greatest technology available for his institution. Mancini immediately gravitated towards Pathify’s web and mobile parity capabilities and took the idea back to a student focus group for feedback.

This group saw the value Pathify offered and encouraged Montco to move forward, paving the way for a net-positive change on Montco’s campuses.

Yet, as many community colleges might recognize, change is easier said than done. Even when new technology makes a positive impact, it requires a change in culture.

“A cultural shift, regardless of the situation, is really a challenge,” Mancini said. “Almost perhaps more challenging than implementing the technology itself.” 

Montco kept the student experience in perspective at each step along the way. The institution mostly used the focus group to understand how students preferred to communicate today. 

“We primarily leverage [student focus groups] for technical insight, communication preferences, and things of that nature,” Mancini said. “During our implementation of Pathify, their input and feedback helped to guide the process to make it the most effective for students.”

Another positive aspect that arose during the testing phase was the ability to communicate through Pathify via the Communities module, allowing students to connect with other students.

“Being a community college is different from a university where students reside on campus,” Angela Cavaliere, Assistant Director of Digital Experience at Montco said. “Most of our students are coming and going, so they often may miss that sense of community.”

Making the Most of Pathify Communication Tools

When it was time to go live with Pathify, Montco wanted to guarantee they met students where they are. As a result, Montco implemented a number of ways to ensure students received the necessary resources in a format they would most likely use.

Montco connects with students through multiple channels such as FAQ pages, push notifications, and email outreach. This makes the college more accessible and helps to prevent students from falling through the cracks. 

One way Montco helps students stay on track is through the Success module. Success helps students stay on top of various tasks by sending automated reminders related to what they must complete. It keeps important messages in front of students and helps administrators understand where students are on their onboarding journeys.

The Success module pulls tasks out of various systems such as a Student Information System to help the two-year college get the most of its investments. Drawing from the various systems within Pathify not only helps Montco to ensure students see reminders of incomplete tasks, but it also greatly simplifies the process.

Students no longer log into different systems to accomplish everything they need to enroll. Instead, everything they want is viewed through a single pane of glass in Pathify.

“Students don’t need to learn about how to navigate their menu and web interface,” Mancini said. “Once you’re [in the portal], you just add the class, pay your bill, whatever it might be. We’re really making a concerted effort to make Pathify the one place to navigate to your tasks, to communicate, etc. We’re really trying to simplify it.”