Rebuilding the Online Platform for Expansion of a US-Based Nonprofit Organization
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The client
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National University System is a US non-profit whose mission is making high-quality education reachable for adult learners. Affiliated universities and educational initiatives around the country partner with it, so students can master marketable skills at tuition rates well below other private universities.
Its online platform blends remote and on-site study in whatever way costs the least time and money, encouraging engagement and giving students more flexibility over scheduling and faster routes to a degree.
The challengeWhat the teams actually needed
Netguru started working with NUS in 2017, when the organisation was affiliated with a single university.
Challenge 01A platform built for one relationship
The existing platform supported that one-to-one affiliation adequately and could not expand to meet the organisation’s goals.
Challenge 02Online education’s reputation
At the time, online learning still carried the perception of being inferior to being in a room with a teacher.
Challenge 03Interaction at a distance
It could not deliver the same level of teacher-student interaction or the same engagement as the in-person experience.
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What we did
A platform that could take more than one university
The work aimed at a platform matching the organisation’s ambitions rather than its starting point.
Beyond a single affiliation
The platform had to serve educational initiatives and partner universities right across the country, not one affiliate.
Making online work
Fostering student engagement is what closes the gap between an online course and a classroom.
Scheduling on the student’s terms
Greater flexibility over when classes happen is the reason adult learners can study at all.
Skills that pay
The platform is aimed at skills that give a graduate an advantage in the job market, and at routes to a degree that take less time.
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What’s next