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Implementation Outline

February 3, 2025  |  EDLD 5305  |   Spring 2025

"The goal of digital education is to create learning experiences that are engaging, personalized, and accessible to all."

Year 1:  
Development and Initial Implementation (Month-by-Month Breakdown) 

  1. January - March: Needs Assessment and Stakeholder Engagement

    • Conduct surveys and focus groups with students, faculty, and administrative staff to identify key needs and features.

    • Establish a project committee consisting of IT staff, academic advisors, admissions representatives, and faculty.

    • Research best practices for digital student engagement platforms (Brown et al., 2020).

    • Develop a project roadmap and establish budgetary considerations.

  2. April - June: Platform Design and Selection

    • Evaluate existing digital platforms or decide on custom development.

    • Define core functionalities:

      • Prospective student application tracking and departmental communication.

      • Continuing student advising system with course recommendations and graduation timeline.

    • Develop a prototype for testing.

    • Begin discussions with vendors or internal IT teams for development.

  3. July - September: Pilot Phase and Testing

    • Develop a beta version of the platform.

    • Conduct usability testing with a small group of students and staff.

    • Gather feedback and refine features.

    • Address technical bugs and user experience issues based on initial testing feedback.

  4. October - November: Training and Launch Preparation

    • Train faculty, advisors, and administrative staff on the system’s functionalities.

    • Develop user manuals and video tutorials for students (Smith & Johnson, 2019).

    • Finalize system integrations with university databases.

    • Conduct final testing and adjustments based on feedback from training sessions.

  5. December: Official Launch and Initial Evaluation

    • Implement the platform for incoming and continuing students.

    • Offer live support for troubleshooting.

    • Collect feedback for continuous improvement.

    • Prepare an evaluation report on the initial performance and areas for future enhancement.

Year 2: Expansion and Optimization

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  1. System Refinements and Enhancements

    • Analyze data from the first year to identify areas for improvement.

    • Optimize the user interface and experience based on student and staff feedback.

    • Introduce AI-based course recommendations for advising.

  2. Integration with Additional Campus Services

    • Expand platform functionality to include financial aid tracking and career services access.

    • Improve cross-departmental collaboration within the platform.

  3. Student Engagement and Support Enhancements

    • Develop mobile app functionality for accessibility.

    • Offer virtual advising sessions through the platform (Garcia, 2021).

    • Implement chatbots for quick student inquiries.

Year 3:
Full Implementation and Institutionalization

  1. Scalability and Future-Proofing

    • Ensure the system is scalable for a growing student population.

    • Upgrade cybersecurity measures to protect student data.

    • Develop analytics dashboards for institutional reporting.

  2. Institution-Wide Adoption and Continuous Improvement

    • Fully integrate the platform into the university’s strategic plan.

    • Regularly update features to align with evolving student needs.

    • Conduct an impact assessment to measure student success and retention improvements.

References:

Brown, T., Smith, R., & Lee, K. (2020). Digital transformation in higher education: Strategies for student engagement. Education Technology Review, 18(2), 45-62.

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Garcia, M. (2021). Virtual advising: The future of academic support in higher education. Higher Education Trends, 27(3), 102-118.

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Smith, J., & Johnson, L. (2019). The impact of digital advising platforms on student success. Journal of Academic Technology, 12(4), 78-95.

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