Faced with growing educational challenges, Peninsula School District 401 sought to overcome account generation, automation, and resource optimization hurdles.
Before adopting ClassLink's suite of products, the school district relied on internally developed account generation tools that weren't sufficient to meet the changing needs of their learners. The need for an optimized solution was evident. With the introduction of ClassLink, the district overcame these challenges and transformed its approach to digital learning.
Challenge
Peninsula SD 401's existing account generation tools were no longer aligned with the dynamic needs of education. Executive Director of Digital Learning Kris Hagel mentions they "needed a solution to replace [their] portal and help with account automation and generation.”
With the past system in place, managing and automating the creation of student, staff, and teacher accounts posed difficulties, leading to inefficiencies and potential errors. Moreover, inadequate tools hindered seamless access to online resources and automated account-related processes.
Solution
In response, Peninsula SD 401 strategically decided to implement ClassLink's suite of products. LaunchPad emerged as a user-friendly portal, simplifying students' access to online resources and enhancing the overall learning experience.
Roster Server became the linchpin for efficient account management, easing the creation and maintenance of accounts while reducing the burden on administrative staff. Hagel also praises Roster Server's security and interoperability capabilities, saying, "in its infrastructure and the way it's built, Roster Server protects your data by default and supports all of the major protocols necessary to work with all the vendors."
OneSync introduced a robust solution for automated account generation, saving time and improving accuracy in the account creation processes. Hagel mentions how the district innovated and saved time with ClassLink, saying, "We're doing things like tying OneSync into Zapier to create Google Drive folders. Essentially, we're saving almost a half-time position strictly from having OneSync."
Last but not least, Analytics played a pivotal role, enabling data-driven decisions for budgeting. By analyzing usage patterns, the district tailored its budget to include only actively utilized resources, ensuring a more cost-effective approach.
Results
The results were transformative. Hagel says, "in the last ten years, ClassLink has been far and away the best purchase in our district." Efficiency gains in account management and automation alleviated the workload on administrative staff, minimizing errors associated with manual processes. LaunchPad provided students with an intuitive platform, improving access to online resources and enriching the learning experience. OneSync's automation led to significant time and cost savings in account generation. Analytics empowered the district to make informed budgetary decisions, allocating resources to tools and materials actively utilized by students, staff, and teachers.
"The array of options for the value you get, the amount of time-saving it has brought to our district can't be matched with any other edtech tool we've had."