APU students now have another way to help them graduate on time and make it easier to track academic progress throughout their enrollment.
With the spring semester in full swing, APU has recently partnered with a new program company called Stellic. This new system is designed to help college students graduate on time by navigating their time at university more easily with clearer tracking of available classes, required courses and schedules.
Brian Mercer, Director of Academic Business Systems at APU stated, “In my 26 years at APU, I can’t remember a software system that has united the campus to the extent that Stellic has. All areas of the university are or will be involved and will benefit from this new initiative. But it is the students who are the real winners. It is such an honor to be part of bringing such a next level experience to APU, one that will make a tangible difference in the lives of our students.”
What began as a start-up company made of undergraduates and academic advisors from Carnegie Mellon University turned into a program that has witnessed an increase of students (up to eight times as many) being more engaged in their degree plans. Now, it has been adopted across the world with over a hundred countries using Stellic in various universities.
The program’s ultimate goal is to help university students receive the most value out of their academic journeys during their time in college. This is so that they can be more prepared and skilled when they graduate within their majors before entering the workforce.
This is achieved through several important points.
Students Have More Control Over Their Academic Paths
The first is allowing students to have a bigger role and influence over their academic journeys. Many students either stick with the major they chose from the beginning or pursue a different major. Stellic offers students personalized plans that are focused specifically for them rather than a broad schedule that caters to many students.
These plans are called Stellic pathways. These pathways will not only allow students to build their own schedules with help from academic advisors, they will also allow students to receive more effective and personalized advising. Advisors, in turn, will also be notified if students ask for help regarding their academic planning and what courses they need or want to take.
Advising is Easier and More Meaningful
Stellic also helps advisors better communicate with their students to provide the best experience possible for both themselves and the students through easy, accessible reports. These reports help advisors see where each student is at with their academic progress, as well as receiving quick notifications from students asking for clarification, a change of major or wanting to take specific courses that aren’t part of their academic plans.
Stellic also simplifies communication between advisors and students through the use of text and email. This creates more direct communication between advisors and students, which helps them communicate with fewer limits.
Messages can also be organized by using Stellic to centralize notes, read large texts more easily and send a message to multiple students all at once. This is helpful when advisors need to communicate with students quickly, especially if some of their students are falling behind in their academic progress.
A More Connected Campus
While Stellic has been helpful both for college students and academic advisors, the program also allows universities to manage major requirements and see the current status of all courses more easily. This is aimed to help administrators keep track of what majors need certain courses and what classes are being offered per semester. If any changes are made, such as a course no longer being provided or a new course being offered, then it can be quickly edited to fit into what majors and schedules work the best.
At the same time, those in administrative positions can also see which classes students are currently enrolled in along with their academic progress. For example, Stellic provides a collection of data on current trends going on in their university, like the amount of students missing a specific class, students who have or don’t have financial aid, and how many senior students applied for graduation. With this collection of important information made accessible, the university can make better decisions regarding these matters.
Informative Reports And Data
Stellic can show a university’s trends, such as the most popular majors and the classes that seem to have the most influence on specific groups of students. These reports also allow the school to see the amount of students who fall into different categories, such as first-gen students, transfer students, specific ethnic groups and the year they’re currently in. This allows the school to focus on helping these different groups so that they may succeed.
Professors can also use Stellic to check their classes’ average grade, to check the amount of students that have passed or failed and to optimize their course to be more efficient in giving students necessary information. Students, in turn, can use the system to give reports on their instructor’s overall performance and how they think the course could be improved or left to be as it is. Finally, the school can determine which opportunities would be best fit for students while also seeing how often students take those chances.
With APU adopting Stellic for better efficiency and communication, this could improve the school’s system to allow management to be more effective along with advisors and professors to keep better track of student progress. As for students, Stellic provides a valuable opportunity for them to further engage with their academics and excel in college.