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The Challenge
On the eve of launching their education startup in 2016, and after an exhaustive marketplace search for a vetted, viable online proctoring provider who understood their mission of making college more accessible and affordable for everyone, OnlineDegree.com selected PSI as a partner in developing their state-of-the-art program.
OnlineDegree.com’s platform is designed to remove the impediments that working adults face when returning to higher education through their academic immersion and credit bearing program. Students can take free college-level courses on the platform, and they receive credit toward their degree with a multitude of participating accredited universities. To enable this and pass the benefits – up to a 30% reduction in tuitions costs – onto students, their system requires an industry-leading, scalable online proctoring solution that is organized and streamlined enough to eliminate the technological confusion that the novice test taker, who may have little or no experience with online proctoring, frequently faces.
“Even A+ students who are technologically savvy might not have had experience with Learning Management Systems or online test-taking,” says Grant Aldrich, CEO and Founder of OnlineDegree.com. He adds, “Students will not do well if they aren’t fully comfortable with the technology. What PSI provides from a technological and support standpoint is unique in the marketplace and conducive to what we’re trying to do on a wide scale.”
The Solution
A Critical Step Before Students Reach Their Educational Goals
The stark reality in higher education is that drop-out rates among adult and online learners are significantly higher than those of traditional, residential students. OnlineDegree.com caters to these demographics with innovative, user-friendly technology solutions that are built to enable success at the university level and stem drop-out rates.
OnlineDegree.com students experience the benefits of PSI’s online proctoring firsthand during testing and are then uniquely equipped to move confidently on to the next phase of their academic journey. “PSI’s technology proves that these students have what it takes to succeed in an online environment,” says Aldrich, “and there’s a clear commitment to assuage any concerns or anxieties for people who haven’t been in a classroom for ten to 15 years.”
Institutions of higher education also benefit from OnlineDegree.com’s platform by not having to invest in their own immersion programs to quell drop-out rates when the student debt clock is ticking.“ Our students have already proven their commitment to pursuing their higher education goals, and that they have the technical skill to succeed in a rigorous online environment.”
The Known Standard in Customer-First Integrations
PSI’s online proctoring enhances the test taker experience at OnlineDegree.com with a leading design process and stellar support. In the words of Mr. Aldrich, “PSI has helped prepare our students for the rigors of student life by making it easy to understand the technology and how it works.” Whether it’s detailed preparation materials for test takers in the lead-up to the exam, advanced support during and after exam administration, or solution scalability with future-first AI baked in, Aldrich affirms, “What PSI does well is make the process of ensuring academic integrity seamless as the student goes from the course to the test.”
The secure storage of student exam data is another vital part of PSI’s solution offerings, and PSI has worked closely with OnlineDegree.com to establish a custom timeline for protecting student data while making it accessible to administrators. “We have a longer window of time where we need to be able to access the data,” Aldrich explains. “If a student takes several courses over a period of years and then decides to enroll in a university program,” he adds, “we still need to be able to access those records.”
PSI has a commitment to delivering exactly what our partners need, and we’ve worked directly with OnlineDegree.com administrators to facilitate their extended storage parameters. According to Aldrich, “PSI was able to accommodate the length of time over which student exam data is securely stored while being accessible for our administrators, and that flexibility has been great.”
The big differentiator for PSI is their people. Working closely with them to craft exactly what we need… that’s something that big enterprise always talks about and rarely delivers.
"We’re growing rapidly, and the partnership with PSI has enabled that to happen."
The Result
There are, by the industry’s own estimation, millions of adults who will enter or re-enter higher education annually, and many of those students are entirely unfamiliar with technology like online proctoring. “Most of the people we touch are new to online proctoring, because this is their first foray into higher education,” Aldrich explains. “It’s a testament to how good PSI’s system is that we never receive complaints from students who are brand new to the online proctoring process.”
As a leading non-collegiate provider whose mission is helping people get to college, OnlineDegree.com’s value is widely appreciated in the marketplace, and their enrollment rates are growing rapidly.
“The value of our courses for the working adult has been incredible, and we’ve seen huge adoption, over 10,000 registered students now,” says Aldrich. “As student debt levels continue to climb, the services OnlineDegree.com provides will become increasingly important to adult learners, and PSI is a huge part of that.” Likewise, PSI’s commitment to ensuring academic honesty in higher education through convenient, secure online proctoring will augment those platforms designed to help students succeed in pursuing their academic goals.
As digital platforms in higher education become more accessible and secure, key partnerships lead to better outcomes for students and educational organizations alike. When it comes to PSI’s future-first approach, and our commitment to aligning with the values of partner organizations, Aldrich notes, “By working together, PSI and OnlineDegree.com are pioneers in catering to today’s online learners who will benefit most from this technology. This relationship makes complete sense.”
