Administrative | News

Penn State World Campus Centralizes Data Management

• By Tim Sohn
• 03/28/12

Pennsylvania State University has implemented a lifelong learning platform to help manage its online education program.

The university has deployed Destiny One for its Penn State World Campus program. World Campus offers the same courses online the university holds on its physical campuses. Options include 70 degree and certificate programs in areas such as health care, technology, engineering, business, and education. It is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

"Our initiative recognizes the unique challenges that adult students have in pursuing their goals. Destiny One's business capabilities have let Penn State World Campus improve the quality of a Penn State experience, even in the face of work and life obligations," said Wayne Smutz, executive director of Penn State World Campus.

"Our adoption of Destiny One enables us to re-imagine how we do business with current and prospective adult online students interested in a Penn State degree," said Wayne Smutz, executive director of Penn State World Campus and associate vice president for Academic Outreach. "The successful implementation of new services delivers a richer experience for adult learners to research and choose the best educational program to advance their career or prepare for a new profession."

Features of Destiny One include:

• Search engine optimization;
• A branded Web presence;
• Data mining;
• Targeted marketing campaigns;
• A dashboard that provides monitoring of degree progression, and student goals in real time; and
• Cross-marketing of courses.

Destiny One also provides financial and operational reporting tools such as analysis of marketing campaigns and enrollments, and profitability of courses and programs. The software consolidates data across students, partners, courses, and programs.

In addition, the software centralizes finance and accounting processes, such as registration, invoicing and payments, and refunds and credits in a single workflow system. Destiny One also synchronizes with student information, learning management, and payment processing systems.

According to Penn State, Destiny One has allowed its World Campus program to centralize all of its data onto one platform. Previously, it had information saved on several mainframe systems. In addition, it will help the online program increase both student engagement and enrollment.

So far, the university has "streamlined program and course development." Penn State will also use the platform for student-degree tracking, flexible payment and registration, and interactive enrollment.