Berkeley College Sees 12.5 Percent Increase in One Year Retention for New Online Students Following Implementation of Courseload and Other Student Success Efforts

INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Courseload, an educational technology and services solution for the delivery and use of eTextbooks and other digital course materials, and Berkeley College are pleased to announce an increase in student retention for the Berkeley College Online^TM program through student success efforts led by the College, which included the implementation of Courseload.

Berkeley College selected Courseload following an initial pilot, which yielded overwhelmingly positive feedback and quickly expanded to the entirety of its Berkeley College Online program (approximately 250 to 275 sections per quarter). Courseload was selected for its ability to address Berkeley College's three key areas of need: a single sign-on with Berkeley College's learning management system, the collaboration tools (highlighting, annotations, etc.) within the course materials, and analytics that could be used in performance evaluations and course material assessments.

The Berkeley College evaluation team initially looked at a number of providers before deciding on Courseload because it met or exceeded all of their established requirements. "In addition to just meeting our needs, Courseload offered that extra 'experience' we were looking for in a partner. They understood our needs and were willing to work with us on making enhancements," said Joe Canova, Director of Systems User Support, Information Systems at Berkeley College.

Through the implementation of Courseload and its other student success efforts, Berkeley College recognized the following improvements for its Berkeley College Online program:

• 12.5 percent increase in one-year retention for new students.
• 7 percent year-over-year increase in overall student retention.

In addition, Berkeley College surveyed its faculty and students, both during the original pilot and following the initial implementation, regarding the use of Courseload for eTexts and digital course materials and found:

• 74 percent of students in the pilot enjoyed using Courseload for course content.
• 90 percent of faculty surveyed following initial implementation agreed that Courseload offers the same or better value for their students than a printed textbook.
• 81 percent of faculty surveyed following initial implementation noted that using Courseload makes it possible to engage with students earlier in the term, utilizing a full 12 weeks for instruction.

"These results demonstrate how a pioneering institution like Berkeley College can take advantage of Courseload's unique business model, technology and partnership to advance their goals around access, affordability and success," said Mickey Levitan, CEO and founder of Courseload. "We value our collaboration with Berkeley College and look forward to working together to build upon their already substantial achievements."

"Courseload's client support has been great. They are always receptive to our suggestions, probably more than any other vendor I have dealt with in my career. Many of our ideas end up in future releases.  It is a pleasure to deal with such a collaborative organization like Courseload," said Berkeley College Chief Information Officer, Len DeBotton.

To learn more, read the full case study or stop by Courseload's booth at EDUCAUSE, #365.

About Berkeley College
A leader in career-focused education for more than 80 years, Berkeley College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and enrolls more than 8,700 students, including over 800 international students, in its Baccalaureate and Associate degree and Certificate programs. The College has nine locations in New York and New Jersey as well as Berkeley College Online, and offers programs in more than 20 career fields. For more information, visit www.BerkeleyCollege.edu.

About Courseload
Driven by a commitment to increase access, lower costs and improve learning outcomes, Courseload is the leading innovator in the aggregation, delivery and use of digital course materials in higher education. Courseload eliminates the barriers that have impeded the print-to-digital evolution in academia through a business model inclusive of all stakeholders, an innovative platform incorporating study tools and real-time analytics to enhance both learning and pedagogy and a team with deep experience in implementing educational technology solutions. For more information, visit www.Courseload.com.

SOURCE Courseload