8 Ways Class Registration Software Means Better Registrant Access

Adopting a new class registration software comes with endless benefits for administrators. From progress tracking to hosting content, there are powerful tools at your disposal once you choose a platform that can meet your needs. One of the most useful benefits of class registration software is the opportunity to put more responsibility on the shoulders of registrants. Most tools offer self-registration, but growing organizations need registration management that also allows students to access their own information, such as with registrant access via a student portal.

This removes some of the associated burden from the shoulders of administrative personnel. Plus, having autonomy over their learning experience can promote motivated, independent learners. From research conducted by the American Psychological Association on autonomous learning, we know that nurturing these qualities sets students up for success in future decision-making.  Additional registrant access always helps!

Here are a handful of actions registrants can take for themselves—via a student portal—that they no longer need an administrator for: 

1. 1. Track continuing education credits: No matter what type(s) of education credit an organization issues or tracks, real-time reporting is available to the students via their personal portal. Registration advisors spend most of their day answering questions and providing information about students’ credits, what’s transferable, and what it means for their progress. With the help of the right software, your administrators can redirect their time to be supportive in other areas.
   2. External credit: Studying materials outside of the curriculum provided can give students another perspective and a better understanding of their course. While educational activities are tracked automatically via the registration software, students can also log other educational experiences—even if its reading literature associated with their jobs. When a student has a formal review with a supervisor, the external experiences can be included in their record of training.
   3. Transcripts: With secure credentials, registrants can access and print transcripts of professional development opportunities they have completed. Instead of submitting a request via email or telephone, navigating to the student portal can be a faster way to obtain transcripts needed at a moment’s notice.
   4. Certificates: If administrators issue certificates digitally, students can print or export them from within the portal anytime needs arise. Like transcripts, students may need immediate access to their certificates for personal records or professional advancement. Whatever the reason, submitting a request and waiting for a response can be frustrating. Including an official copy of certificates to student portals eliminates the need for administrative action.
   5. Pay balances: While some jobs or scholarships may cover the cost in advance, many students pay for classes out of pocket. If a student owes money for a class, they should be able to find their balance online. Classes with outstanding balances will populate a link to a secure payment platform where students can submit full or partial funds.
   6. Registration and attendance history: Weather it’s an advisor or teacher, students usually have to contact a school administrator to see an overview of their program. Normally this results in a round of emails where the administrator and student discuss the request together. With a comprehensive student portal, registrants can check important documents, see their academic path or check attendance records at any time.
   7. View media: As students progress through the class program administrators can grant access to media such as instructional videos and lectures. Organizations sometimes use additional software to host educational media, but this can lead to unnecessary technical difficulties for students. It’s simpler to keep all the content for classes in one central location – the student portal. Inside the portal, administrators can track access, viewing, and completion data via automatic reporting.
   8. Notes and comments: Making communication easy (and fast) for online learners should be a top priority for educators and administrators.  In the student portal, administrators can add notes to forms so registrants can fix any errors or add more information when needed. Online learners have busy schedules, so emails and phone calls may go unanswered which stalls their registration process. Those notes and comments will appear within the person’s portal, providing another easy form of communication between organizer and student.

Administrators are responsible for juggling a myriad of tasks without letting anything slip through the cracks. Even with a capable team it’s impossible to meet registrant needs and stay organized without the right tools. Upgrading your software can open doors to new possibilities for registrants and gives valuable time back to staff.   Additional registrant access means less work for your staff!

About two of every five Learning Stream customers take advantage of the software’s registrant access module (RAM), which is our name for the student portal. If you would like to know more about this feature or any other feature that streamlines registration management, please contact us.