Customer stories/

Towson University streamlines and redesigns its online hub with Skuid

Townson University

Townson University

Towson University streamlines and redesigns its online hub with Skuid

Towson University’s internal web hub serves a diverse population of students, faculty, and staff quite well. However, the site didn’t reflect their updated branding and the user experience left something to be desired. To deliver a more engaging, easy-to-use, and cohesive online portal, Towson turned to Skuid.

22,000

students

3,600+ Updated websitesFor both students and faculty 

employees

updated websites

for both students and faculty 

With our transformed digital experience, Towson can better deliver on its promise to students and employees alike…Skuid’s solutions have been instrumental in contributing to that mission.
Susan Miltenberger
Susan Miltenberger

Deputy Chief Information Officer

Challenge

A dynamic, user-friendly self-service presence is essential for just about any organization, particularly those in the higher education space. Maryland-based Towson University, with more than 22,000 students and over 3,600 employees, recognized this and had already made significant investments in its myTU internal web hub. Built upon PeopleSoft HCM and Campus Solutions, myTU worked well for the diverse populations the university served. 

Still, it lacked the engaging, mobile-optimized experience that today’s users have come to expect. The site displayed a lack of consistency and couldn’t ensure a streamlined interface that integrated with PeopleSoft and other third-party services. At the same time, Towson had recently gone through a full brand refresh, which included a new logo, messaging platform, and visual guide. The university wanted their improved self-service experiences to reflect this new look and feel. 

Solution

To increase digital accessibility and elevate its web-based services, Towson partnered with Skuid. The company’s in-depth expertise around PeopleSoft, plus their experience creating dynamic web portals for institutes of higher education, were key differentiators from other solutions.

Using Skuid, they got to work, building a dashboard landing page that provided a modernized gateway to different applications and self-service functions. In December of 2019, the student-facing component went live, and the employee-facing version followed in early 2020. The reaction from both groups was very positive, with students, in particular, appreciating the more interactive and visual interface and improved mobile navigation – no screen pinching or squeezing required. 

Although such a major change typically required some adjustment time, students and staff embraced it immediately. “Because the user interface is so seamless and so easy to navigate, people got used to it a lot quicker than usual,” said Susan Miltenberger, Deputy Chief Information Officer.

And the user experience would only improve with time. With Skuid’s ability to provide analytics into the features students and employees interacted with, the University could also continually optimize myTU, elevating what people used most and reprioritizing content with lower engagement.

Results

Although the updated myTU portal was launched prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, it proved incredibly helpful when the crisis hit. The new system proved crucial as employees switched to remote work, and many classes were delivered online via the portal. With in-person time significantly limited, digital experiences became critical to keeping students and faculty connected.

The University was so impressed with the new solution that they’re continuing the partnership. For example, they’ll soon implement a new timesheet functionality, using Skuid to enhance PeopleSoft’s Time Entry and Approvals offering.

“Most importantly, with our transformed digital experience, Towson University can better deliver on its promise to students and employees alike,” Miltenberger said. “We aim to not only provide the tools they need to be productive but also feel inspired and proud to work and study where they do. Skuid’s solutions have been instrumental in contributing to that mission.” 

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