Background: The University of York is committed to student success but faced significant challenges regarding student engagement and welfare tracking before the implementation of Presto. A 2022 UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) audit was critical of the university's inability to effectively monitor student attendance, raising concerns about international student compliance. The institution had previously tried to develop an attendance tracking app before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the initiative was unsuccessful, leaving gaps in its ability to detect and intervene when students "went dark." These issues posed risks to student retention, academic success, and institutional income, particularly as several policies, systems, and processes were dispersed across 28 different departments.
The need for a robust, integrated, and proactive student engagement system became paramount. In response, the University of York partnered with Simac to implement Presto as the cornerstone of the university's "Check-In" initiative.
The Presto system and the Check-In initiative were designed to achieve the following key objectives:
Early Identification of At-Risk Students: Support the timely identification of students facing challenges that may impact their academic engagement. This proactive approach aims to reduce dropout rates and foster a greater sense of belonging.
Proactive Support System: Enable academic and professional services staff to reach out to students in need of support promptly, ensuring a more personalised experience that prioritises student wellbeing and success.
Why Simac Presto? Simac Presto was selected for its ability to align with the university's strategic aim of "Providing an education that empowers." The platform offered a range of capabilities that addressed York’s specific needs:
Real-Time Insights: Presto provides real-time data on student engagement, enabling departments to identify students who may be struggling and prioritize welfare and well-being support.
UKVI Compliance: The system supports UKVI compliance requirements by ensuring attendance tracking for both domestic and international students.
Personalised Student Support: Presto enables staff to reach out proactively, offering personalised assistance to students based on their engagement data.
Student Self-Monitoring: The system will empower students to monitor their own engagement and seek help when necessary.
Improved Retention Rates: The comprehensive support system aims to reduce student attrition by offering timely intervention to both home and international students.
Project Timeline and Implementation
The University of York implemented Presto in an impressive three-month period. Key milestones include:
● July 2023: The contract was signed, and internal communication was launched.
● August 2023: Technical work, integrations with existing university systems, and system testing began.
● September 2023: Phase 1 rollout of Presto, including student self-registration and Check-In functionality for both staff and students.
● Phase 2 of the project introduces additional features such as PrestoFlow, virtual learning environment (VLE) integrations, and expanded well-being processes.
The Check-In Initiative: A Proactive Approach to Student Engagement powered by Presto, is a proactive framework that monitors student engagement and attendance across the university. Through this system, students can check in to classes, tutorials, and other university events via challenge code entry, and staff are alerted when a student's engagement patterns suggest they may be at risk of academic or personal difficulties. The initiative is designed to foster a sense of belonging and encourage students to engage with their academic responsibilities and university life.
Furthermore, the system helps academic and support staff to proactively reach out to students who may require additional assistance, offering targeted guidance and resources to ensure students can overcome any challenges they may be facing.
Success and Results Within just four weeks of going live, the Presto system proved to support outstanding engagement:
Over 90% of the participation from teaching staff and students in the check-in process was achieved using the challenge code entry system.
The system has exceeded expectations in its early identification of students facing difficulties, allowing academic and support staff to take timely action.
According to Darren Geary, Project Manager at the University of York, "The responsiveness, support, and collaboration from Simac have been exceptional. This has allowed us to have a live and integrated instance of Presto available for all our staff and students within 3 months of signing a contract with Simac. Within 4 weeks of going live, we are seeing over 90% observation of events from our teaching staff and students, which far exceeds our expectations."
Contact details: Darren Geary, darren.geary@york.ac.uk, 01904 320000
One year on………..
In April 2024, the project successfully closed and the system now operates as business as usual under the supervision of Academic Engagement Manager Elle Stockdale
“Since its implementation, we have seen over 19,440 student users of the system. We have a richer engagement picture than ever before, including from September 2024, a SITs integration and students having access to their engagement data. We use the engagement data to proactively reach out to our students, who may be struggling, to ensure that we can support them in achieving their full potential at the University of York. We will continue our collaboration with Simac, including developing earlier identification. Simac has consistently supported and collaborated with us, and we look forward to continuing this in the future.”
Contact details: Elle Stockdale elle.stockdale@york.ac.uk 01904 320000
