MINNEAPOLIS, MN, March 12, 2010
/24-7PressRelease/ -- The Ohio Learning Network has renewed its license for the CENTSS online student service audit tool (www.centss.org) for two more years. The CENTSS tool helps higher education institutions assess their development of online student services. Ohio initially piloted CENTSS in 2007 with four institutions, expanded the pilot to 12 more institutions later that year, and added six new institutions in 2008. To further improve their data around online student services, Ohio will add 6 institutions to the CENTSS audit program this year for a total of 28 participating two- and four-year, public and private institutions.
The leaders of the Ohio Learning Network became interested in CENTSS because they wanted to improve their web-based student services, perform gap analyses of student services technology as a means to calculate ROI, and create a basis for making technology purchases at the system, collaborative, or institutional level.
After using the tool for three years, the CENTSS audit has allowed Ohio educational institutions to:
• Establish a baseline of how they are delivering online student services now
• Identify "low hanging fruit" services that can be added with little investment
• Quickly identify problem areas and develop strategies for improvement
• Benchmark their progress against peers, locally and statewide
• Track their progress year over year with comparison audits
• Inform decisions about technology purchases using tested and individualized data
Additionally, George Steele, Director of The Ohio Learning Network, says that the CENTTS audit helped the Ohio Learning Network create a common language for improvements to online student services. One Columbus State staff member who took the audit observed, "We realized the importance of thinking functionally rather than departmentally and aligning our online tools to enable students to progress through the enrollment process without barriers and limitations."
To date, more than 150 institutions have used the audit tool to assess their services. Additionally, all of Minnesota's institutions have used the CENTSS audit to identify areas in online student services in need of improvement.
For more information about the CENTSS audit, go to http://www.centss.org.
About CENTSS
The Center for Transforming Student Services (CENTSS) provides educational institutions with the tools and training they need to develop and deliver high-quality student services online. Effectively implemented student services are a critical component of student retention, engagement, and satisfaction. Through CENTSS, institutions are able to blend the power of technology with the personal attention of traditional support services.
About Seward Inc.
Seward Incorporated is a leader in the design and development of custom eLearning and eBusiness solutions for corporate, academic, and government clients locally, nationally internationally. Founded in 1990, Seward Inc. has conducted information architecture and infrastructure consulting, design and development services for a wide variety of public and private entities, including 3M, HealthPartners, Medtronic, Target, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, University of Minnesota, Minnesota Department of Education, U.S. Department of Education, and the U.S. State Department. For more information, call 612-721-4444 or visit http://www.sewardinc.com or http://international.sewardinc.com.
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