WSSU students begin the semester with RAMGuide
Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) students will begin the 2018-19 academic year on the right path with “Guide,” a mobile advisor developed by the education research and technology company EAB that enables college students to manage their education from their phones.
EABGuide, known as RAMGuide at WSSU, went live on campus, Monday, Aug. 13, just in time for Ramdition, WSSU’s weeklong freshmen orientation.
“WSSU places high importance on providing a student-centered, equity-minded experience,” said Dr. Carolynn Berry, senior associate provost at WSSU. “With RAMGuide, we have a comprehensive resource to help students succeed, from orientation to graduation.”
Berry said faculty, academic advisors, and staff from numerous departments all worked together with EAB to develop the app.
Guide enables students to schedule appointments with advisors, connect with activities and resources on campus, look up information about academic programs, and sync their class schedule to their calendar – all in the palm of their hand.
WSSU’s 950 incoming freshmen are encouraged to download RAMGuide, with tables set up during Ramdition. Once students download the Guide app, the app will begin to keep them on track.
Additionally, the university upgraded GradesFirst, a web-based student performance monitoring system, to a more robust student success management system called EABCampus. This web-based software tells advisors which students are at risk of falling behind, allowing staff to reach out to them and offer assistance.
“EABCampus offers faculty, academic advisors, and the student success staff a comprehensive range of information about their advisees,” Berry said. “This upgrade to GradesFirst is designed not only to improve student success but also allows our faculty and staff to be more effective and efficient.”
WSSU was awarded $225,000 by Margaret Spellings, president of the University of North Carolina System, to support the adoption and implementation of EAB’s Student Success Collaborative (SSC) technology tools. WSSU is one of six UNC System campuses with SSC membership.
Student Success Technologies Suite
EAB Guide and Campus represents just two of the new and enhanced technologies WSSU has embraced to help their students succeed in college.
This year, WSSU has rolled out a dozen technologies that are designed to improve retention and graduation rates, and to help students, faculty and staff work smarter.
Additional technologies include:
- Adobe Creative Cloud, which allows WSSU students, faculty and staff with a registered university email to have access to Adobe CC favorites such as Photoshop CC, Illustrator CC, InDesign CC and Adobe XD CC. WSSU is the first historically Black college or university (HBCU) to be considered an Adobe Creative Cloud campus.
- Canvas, WSSU’s new learning management system, replacing Blackboard.
- CAREERlink, a career management system that allows users to manage their applications and RSVP for programs and workshops sponsored by the Office of Career Development Services.
- Degree Works RAMPath, a web-based tool that helps students and advisors monitor progress toward degree completions.
- The Scholarship Database, which allows current students to search for scholarships they may be eligible to receive.
For more information about these new tools, visit the Student Success Technologies website.
This is one in a series of articles highlighting what's new for the 2018-19 academic year at WSSU.
About EAB
At EAB, we are making education smarter. We harness the collective power of more than 1,200 educational institutions to generate insights that address education leaders' top challenges. Then we apply these insights through research, technology, and services: We help leaders find and enroll the right students through enrollment marketing and financial aid optimization. We support student success through our student success management system, which helps advisors, faculty, and staff guide students through school and to the post-graduate outcomes students want. And we provide institutions with the strategic guidance and data they need to improve mission-critical outcomes and prepare for tomorrow's students. For more information, please visit www.eab.com.
About Winston-Salem State University
Winston-Salem State University fosters the creative thinking, analytical problem-solving, and depth of character needed to transform the world. Rooted in liberal education, WSSU’s curriculum prepares students to be thought leaders who have the skills and knowledge needed to develop innovative solutions to complex problems. Founded in 1892, WSSU is a historically Black constituent institution of the University of North Carolina with a rich tradition of contributing to the social, cultural, intellectual, and economic growth of North Carolina, the region and beyond. Guided by the motto, “Enter to Learn, Depart to Serve,” WSSU develops leaders who advance social justice by serving the world with compassion and commitment.
