Here are ten tips to encourage your tech adoption to support remote learning.

Digital learning is the new normal, and technology adoption is more critical to student success than ever before. But higher education IT professionals still see technology adoption as one of the biggest obstacles when supporting faculty and students during online learning.

As another difficult academic year drives new online learning challenges, here are some tips on how to help members of your university embrace the tech they need for successful learning outcomes.

1. Check the progress of your app’s adoption - What percentage of your students have downloaded it and are utilizing it on a daily basis? Has your app been reviewed in the iOS and Android stores? Once you have a baseline and perhaps have identified areas or groups of students where adoption is lower, the below points can help you drive up adoption.
   
   
2. Make it THE place to access everything - Embed it into your campus and make it essential for everyday academic life. Raise awareness that the app is THE place to access support whether that be emotional, financial or academic or a combination of all three. Also position the app as the only place to complete important tasks and aim to phase out all other methods. 
   
   
3. Promote, Promote, Promote! - Promote your app via on-campus materials, social media, your website, at orientation and welcome week, and also via campus and student news outlets. Add a QR code to promotional materials and in orientation classes so your app can easily be found. You could think about incentives and merchandise as part of that promotion. Mid-term is a great time to remind students of the app and re-promote.
   
   
4. Keep the content fresh, up-to-date and engaging all the time - Optimize and always consider the end-user and their experience. Build on your brand recognition and create an environment that fosters a sense of belonging, enhancing the navigation to suit the student. 
   
   
5. Consider setting up best practice forums and app champions - These individuals should be those who can share use cases and be responsible for different areas of content. These champions should talk about the benefits of using the app in different forums - encouraging awareness and visibility. Within these best practice forums, provide training and support on best practice use of the app, how-to videos and key FAQ articles for example. Furthermore, these forums can help your student leaders promote organizations and events or create a formal peer mentorship program using the app as a communication platform.
   
   
6. Personalize the experience - Universities are expected to know their students and the most important trend, and the one that is delivering phenomenal return on investment for third-level education, is personalization. Create targeted content, notifications and alerts which are actionable and relevant to the student. 
   
   
7. Ensure your students’ voice is heard - What do they want to see in the app? It’s important to ask for and respond to regular feedback and provide an opportunity for discussion.
   
   
8. Show how the new technology will benefit everyone - Make it clear you’re not asking for new technology because it is the latest trend or because there are a few loud voices who want it. To rally support from faculty, staff, students and budget holders create strategic plans to demonstrate why everyone at the university will benefit.
   
   
9. Focus on Improving Digital Literacy - Low digital literacy means low tech adoption. Steps for creating action plans to increase digital literacy at colleges and universities include:
   
   Assess current staff capabilities
   Identify growth areas
   Develop strategies to implement digital literacy practices
   
   
10. Make It Easy for Faculty and Staff to Transition to New Systems
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    Your staff may feel hesitant about your solution and reluctant to adopt the new technology.  It is important to understand the thinking behind this resistance. The solution may just require more communication in response to their reasons.

We hope that this post helps maximize the adoption of your dedicated mobile app. We would also love to hear how your campus has increased app downloads and how your app has driven student success.

If you would like to chat more about ways to maximise your student app, please reach out to your designated Campus Success Consultant or contact cs@readyeducation.com