These days, solid analytics and reporting aren’t a “nice to have,” they’re a “need to have.” Tackling data and analytics tasks manually can be a huge time suck. Equally, it can be extremely frustrating to adopt an automated data solution that theoretically is there to make things easier, but in reality, throws you into the deep end without customer support. How do you find a solution that does the job and has your back? Sol Plaatje University and Lorraine de Haast have personal experience tackling this crucial question. 

Founded in 2014, Sol Plaatje University is one of two universities created during South Africa’s democratic era and is critically engaged in learning, research, and development while enhancing democratic practice and social justice in society. Sol Plaatje University has established itself as a scientific center for data and analytics and as a seat for humanities that stands out in the fields of heritage, anthropology, archaeology, and African languages. Also an emerging hub for management sciences and entrepreneurship, Sol Plaatje offers undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications in Economic & Management Sciences, Education, Humanities, and Natural & Applied Sciences.

Lorraine de Haast is a Senior e-Learning Systems Administrator at Sol Plaatje University. An experienced Information Technology Administrator with a breadth and depth of experience in the education management industry,  she is skilled in Moodle, Quality Assurance, and Office Administration.

Sol Plaatje University has been using IntelliBoard with their Moodle learning management system (LMS) since 2018 when de Haast was confronted with analytics tasks that she had to perform manually. During the two weeks it took her to complete these tasks, she resolved to find a better way to maximize the utility of the data in the University’s LMS and did some digging online. De Haast found IntelliBoard, signed up for a trial and never looked back.   

When the University pivoted to remote learning in 2020, IntelliBoard went from helpful to critical. 

“[IntelliBoard] became quite a crucial tool for us to be able to see which students weren’t engaging with Moodle and the content within their modules, and it was easier for the lecturers to see who was in danger as well. I could also give more in-depth reports to our Centre for Teaching and Learning, which reports to the Senate Committee, on the engagement between the lectures and the students as well.”

During the pandemic, de Haast and her team began using IntelliBoard to track which students were attending class and who might be in need of support. While a weekly user access analytics report to check how many students logged into the LMS became a mainstay, de Haast and her team also began delving further into IntelliBoard capabilities. 

De Haast was able to turn to IntelliBoard any time she needed help.

“Something that has stood out for me with IntelliBoard is the customer support. I have never struggled. Whenever there’s an issue, I previously worked with Mariana [Robson IntelliBoard Regional Sales Director for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa] and now with Paulyne [Dellapina, IntelliBoard Adoption Manager] […] I think that’s another reason why we renew our subscription every three years […] You never struggle. Anything that you aren’t sure about, you just ask and then it gets sorted out.”

Currently Sol Plaatje University mostly utilizes IntelliBoard reports at the institutional level; de Haast and her team have made increasing use of the learner and instructor dashboards part of their strategic plan for the near future. 

Thank you so much for sharing Sol Plaatje University’s story with us, Lorraine. We look forward to continuing to be there to support you and the University on your journey every step of the way.

Are you interested in partnering with a learning analytics and reporting solution that has your back? Schedule a chat with us, take advantage of our webinars. We’d love to help you harness the power of your data.