Minneapolis, MN, December 1, 2005 – Seward Inc, a leader in the design and development of custom e-learning software and e-business solutions, in partnership with the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system (MnSCU) and WCET, a non-profit organization whose mission is to advance the effective use of technology in higher education, is establishing the Center for Transforming Student Services (CENTSS).
CENTSS, located online at www.centss.org, is a virtual resource for higher education institutions interested in assessing the quality of their student services offered via the Web. Primary among the Center’s resources is the CENTSS Online Audit Tool, developed in partnership with Seward Inc. and MnSCU and used by its 32 member institutions. Institutions can license the tool for staff to benchmark their online student services and a confidential report helps institutions identify their strengths and weaknesses. Using aggregated data from the participating institutions, CENTSS plans to issue an annual report providing participating institutions with a basis for comparison of their services with those of other institutions.
In addition to the audit tool, CENTSS provides information about best practices in student services online based on its research of services at institutions across the country. In its first release of best practice profiles, CENTSS provides detailed information such as key features, goals, outcomes, technology infrastructure, and lessons learned about more than 10 online services at several schools including Penn State, Kent State University, Washington State University, Central Piedmont Community College, University of Delaware, and Northern Virginia Community College.
Other CENTSS resources include links to articles related to providing services online identified by experts in each service area, and invitations to workshops and other events focused on providing better service to students with the use of technology.
The CENTSS Web site has been selected by StudentAffairs.com as their December "Web Site of the Month".
"CENTSS is an awesome resource and hits the mark with helping institutions understand what it takes to meet student/consumer needs/expectations", says Ann Motayar, director of the Career Services Center at Kent State University.
The CENTSS site, which debuted on November 3, 2005 for WCET members at its annual conference in San Francisco, is now open to the public.
About WCET
WCET, a non profit organization based in Boulder, CO, is an internationally recognized leader in advancing the effective use of technology in higher education. Its members are higher education institutions and government agencies, non-profit organizations, schools, and corporations that are providers and users of educational telecommunications. For more information, see www.wcet.info or contact Patricia Shea at pshea@wcet.info.
About Seward, Inc.
Seward Inc. provides high-quality, ROI-based e-learning and e-business solutions to educational institutions, businesses, professional organizations, and government agencies both nationally and internationally. For more information, visit www.sewardinc.com or contact Victoria Frank at vfrank@sewardinc.com.
About MnSCU
The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system comprises 32 state universities and community and technical colleges serving the higher education needs of Minnesota. The system serves about 240,000 students per year in credit-based courses and an additional 130,000 students in non-credit courses. For more information, see www.mnscu.edu or contact Paul Wasko at paul.wasko@so.mnscu.edu.