campus app

New venture tackles mobile engagement


Improving student success will be the main goal of a new cloud-based engagement technology

A new cloud-based technology company is aiming to improve student success through personalized mobile engagement.

ClearScholar is led by former Harrison College president and chief executive Jason Konesco and is being developed in partnership with Butler University. The technology bridges the gap between the myriad systems used to support colleges and universities and today’s mobile, always-on student.

The ClearScholar technology is expected to first appear on Butler University’s campus this fall, and it will power a new mobile student experience.

The initial solution is expected to give students personalized news and information feeds, marrying calendaring with tailored events, instructor- and university-driven polling, location-aware or emergency notifications and a secure mobile student identification.

Insights from student interactions on ClearScholar will provide a view into student engagement and give leaders a new opportunity to target efforts to drive deeper engagement and increase student satisfaction, said Konesco said.

(Next page: The challenges that mobile engagement presents to higher education)

“Institutions increasingly struggle to engage students throughout their life-long relationship,” Konesco added. “By bringing together High Alpha’s digital expertise and Butler’s leadership in student-centered education, ClearScholar will provide an entirely new way to improve engagement and fuel student success.”

“Innovation has become an important differentiator among universities, as we work to create learning experiences that enhance student engagement and success,” said James M. Danko, Butler University president. “Our active role in the development of ClearScholar is another example of Butler’s commitment to leadership in innovation and the student experience.”

Student engagement in higher education is one of the greatest challenges and opportunities institutions face in today’s mobile-first world, Konesco said.

According to Pearson’s 2015 Student Mobile Device Survey, 86 percent of college students regularly use smartphones and 64 percent using a smartphone every week for school work. With 5 billion smartphones projected to be in the market by 2017, Konesco said the company sees a huge opportunity for ClearScholar to bring mobile engagement to higher education.

“Education is an important lever for transforming our economy, which is why we believe it is critically important to bring innovations like ClearScholar to market,” said Mike Fitzgerald, High Alpha partner. “Combining our unique partnership with Butler and Jason’s decades of leadership we can deliver higher education a new mobile-first approach to engagement that drives student satisfaction and success.”

ClearScholar is expected to be generally available in late 2016, following an on-campus beta debut at Butler University. More information can be found at ClearScholar.com or on Twitter at @ClearScholar.

Material from a press release was used in this report.

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