Background: McGill University

A Tradition of Success

McGill University is one of Canada's best-known institutions of higher learning and one of the leading universities in the world. International students from more than 150 countries make up nearly 30% of McGill's student body ‒ the highest proportion of any Canadian research university.

McGill is recognized around the world for the excellence of its teaching and research programs. Ernest Rutherford's Nobel Prize-winning research on the nature of radioactivity was conducted at McGill, part of a long tradition of innovation on our campuses that includes the invention of the artificial blood cell and Plexiglas. Today our professors are building the new field of epigenetics, developing alternative energy sources from crop plants and driving human achievement in every field imaginable.

In addition to a stellar faculty, McGill is known for attracting the brightest students from across Canada, the United States, and around the world. McGill students have the highest average entering grades in Canada, and our commitment to fostering the very best has helped our students win more national and international awards on average than their peers at any other Canadian university. The prestigious Rhodes Scholarship has gone to a nation-leading 147 McGill students

Challenges

Overcoming Communication Hurdles: McGill University's
Student Outreach Struggle

McGill University faced communication challenges in reaching incoming students effectively. With a high rate of unread campus emails, critical messages like advisor communications and academic deadlines were frequently overlooked. Additionally, the lack of a reliable system posed security risks due to the inability to ensure timely delivery of vital campus information. Navigating orientation difficulties, McGill found it challenging to relay important activities, services, and messages to their incoming student population.

The Ready Education Solution

The right social communication solution

Both McGill and Ready Education worked through a set of requirements in order to establish McGill's needs. The Campus Wall enables campus-sourcing answers to low-impact student queries, significantly saving staff time.

Targeted push notification delivery ensures the right message goes to the right student at the right time. This especially helped new students looking to get to grips in their early months at their new place of education. 

• Using the campus newsfeed, students and administrators answered over 1,500 questions about orientation.
  
  
• Students across campus used the app to make new connections, send messages, and engage with their campus community.

The right social communication solution

Key security measures were established throughout the campus to offer peace of mind for students and parents with several key features that Campus App could offer. The  'Stubborn' push for critical security messages can override notification settings and require a long-press to release.

• Orientation staff saved over 250 hours of staff time by crowd-sourcing knowledge through the campus wall.
  
  
• 9 out of 10 students surveyed through the app said that it helped them get off to a good start at university.

Outcomes

Enhancing Student Engagement:

• 80% of students reported that the app facilitated a positive start to their school experience.
• An impressive 90% would recommend it to their peers.