2 page Case Study - Posted 6/22/2009
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Students Welcome Collaboration Services in College’s Web-Based E-Mail Offering
St. Louis Community College (STLCC) did not offer students a standard e-mail service, so students used their own—and the college never knew whether they received campus communications. STLCC standardized on Microsoft® Live@edu, hosted collaboration services that include Windows Live™ SkyDrive™ for password-protected online storage and Windows Live Spaces for personal spaces. Now students can share documents and work productively, anytime, anywhere.
Business Needs
St. Louis Community College (STLCC) in Missouri annually serves more than 100,000 students enrolled in credit courses, work force development programs, and continuing education classes. The largest community college in the state, STLCC offers 15 college-transfer options, 57 workforce development programs, and more than 100 career programs. STLCC employs 4,000 workers, including 2,000 faculty members.
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With Live@edu, we can provide the social-networking features that excite students and get them involved in campus life. |
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Craig Klimczak
Vice Chancellor, Technology and Educational Support Services, St. Louis Community College |
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Until recently, STLCC did not provide a standard, college-endorsed e-mail service for its students. The majority of students used their own hosted e-mail accounts, which they were supposed to register in the college’s SunGard Higher Education Banner enterprise resource system so that faculty and staff could communicate with them.
“Students changed their e-mail provider frequently, and they didn’t always update the Banner system,” says Craig Klimczak, Vice Chancellor, Technology and Educational Support Services at St. Louis Community College. “We didn’t have a consistent, reliable way to communicate with our student body or to build relationships with alumni. We never knew if all students received important campus news. Also, faculty wanted a better communication tool to improve learning outside of the classroom.”
The Student Government Association heard from students who expressed a desire for an .edu e-mail address so that they could take advantage of educational promotions. Students also wanted more storage and less unsolicited e-mail. “I had an account with AOL, but I got so much junk e-mail, I couldn’t use it for college communications,” says Leon Henderson, a student at STLCC.
Other students wanted to build a better campus community. “We talked about the benefits of a college e-mail service at our meetings,” says Demetrius Stuckey, Student Government Association President. “Before coming to STLCC, a lot of our students didn’t have an e-mail address at all, so we discussed how it would be good for them to have a standard way to communicate with everyone.”
Solution
In late 2007, St. Louis Community College chose an e-mail service for its students and alumni—Microsoft® Live@edu, a set of hosted communication and collaboration services. Each STLCC student receives a Windows Live™ Hotmail® Web-based e-mail account for life. Other services include Windows Live SkyDrive™ storage technology, which provides 25 gigabytes of online storage in a highly secure environment, and Windows Live Spaces for creating personal spaces and writing blogs.
“We began provisioning accounts in January 2008,” says Klimczak. “Today, we have 59,339 accounts provisioned. We also created accounts for faculty and staff to communicate as well.”
In August 2008, STLCC, upon the recommendation of the college Leadership Team, mandated that all students use their my.stlcc.edu accounts as the formal communications platform for the college. “I was a new student, but the college and Microsoft really promoted the service with prizes and contests,” says Henderson. “Microsoft donated a computer package and that was really cool.”
Some students actively promoted the service to peers. “In the Campus Life office, we handed out a lot of information about the service for students so they would be prepared for it for the fall semester,” says Stuckey.
To activate their accounts, students look up their my.stlcc.edu e-mail address on the Self-Service page of the student Banner system, and then they go to the Windows Live site and perform a special, first-time logon. “It was a simple process to get started, and an easy transition because I already was familiar with Hotmail,” says STLCC student Jalisa Robinson.
Benefits
With Live@edu, St. Louis Community College is delivering a leading-edge, fully integrated set of communication and collaboration services that’s building a sense of community across its four campuses. “With Live@edu, we can provide the social-networking features that excite students and get them involved in campus life,” says Klimczak.
Standardizing Campus Communications
Today, the my.stlcc.edu e-mail account is the official communications channel with all students. STLCC faculty and administration know that important e-mail messages reach everyone. This is important for a distributed campus that includes many part-time, adult students. “Accounts for students who don’t register for three Fall or Spring terms are marked as ‘alumni,’ so even students who take long breaks stay connected to the college,” says Klimczak.
Improving Student Organization
Robinson is more organized now that she uses Live@edu to manage both her academic and her social life. With one password to access a whole suite of communication and collaboration tools, she’s streamlined her contacts and online presence, while organizing her study sessions and social life. “I love the fact that all the services are rolled into one, and there’s no more junk mail,” she says. “I’ve gotten rid of all my old profiles and just use Windows Live Spaces, so I keep track of my friends there. We send each other songs and post pictures. I also send meeting reminders to members of the Poetry Club.”
“I can take care of all my school business and communicate with teachers and other Student Government Association members with one e-mail address,” adds Stuckey. “The Live@edu e-mail looks good and is on all my resumes. I recommend it to other clubs on campus because they can use the Windows Live Spaces to advertise what they do.”
Building “Anytime, Anywhere” Productivity
Students are using Windows Live SkyDrive to access their stored work and stay productive anywhere there is an Internet connection. “With SkyDrive, I don’t have to carry around flash drives,” says Henderson. “I know my work is secure and I can print it out anywhere and work at friends’ houses. Now it’s easy to stay on top of my work.”
