CollPoll launches its ‘Back to Safe Campus’ initiative in institutes across the country

Colleges and university campuses were once considered places where students could foster learning, establish key relationships, and be a part of a community of like-minded individuals. Although the education sector has made great strides in providing new and innovative educational solutions (be it hybrid classrooms or online classes) owing to the pandemic, a key component of campus life remains compromised.

According to Hemant Sahal, Founder and CEO, CollPoll, “The prolonged closure of campuses due to COVID-19 has caused many students to miss out on learning opportunities and social interactions which are essential for their overall development and wellbeing.”

To this end, Bengaluru-based edutech company CollPoll has created a comprehensive, mobile-first enterprise suite featuring 40 different technologies to help improve student learning outcomes, enhance their educational experience, and help campuses become digital, contactless, and safe.

CollPoll offers web and mobile-based campus automation, digital learning and an analytics platform that streamlines the complex operations and functions that run today’s modern campuses. The CollPoll platform offers ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) for administration, a Learning Management System with video conferencing integration, AI-proctored examinations, workflow automation for contactless and paperless campuses, and campus social networks to foster digital engagement.

Student speak - the ‘Back to Safe Campus’ survey

On December 15, CollPoll released the findings of their survey - Back to Safe Campus - which was conducted in 23 campuses across 10 cities, with more than 1,300 students participating in the study. Students belonging to premier institutions such as D Y Patil Pratishthan Pune, IIHMR University in Jaipur, Swarrnim Startup & Innovation University in Gujarat, New Delhi Institute of Management, ISBR in Bengaluru, among others participated in the survey.

The findings in the survey point to the students’ need to have a well-rounded college and campus experience, with over 75 percent of students wanting to return to campus and half of them missing in-person interactions. Moreover, 45 percent of students preferred physical classrooms over online classes, as compared to 30 percent of respondents who want to pursue their studies online. A quarter of the respondents considered the availability and support of professors as the most important factor in the online learning experience. Finally, almost half of the respondents expected strong protocols in place to prevent COVID-19 transmission once they returned to their campuses.

A step in the right direction

The survey discussed is part of a launch of a new initiative by CollPoll. This initiative is a step towards helping educational institutions across India become contactless and smart through innovative technological solutions, which in turn will enable them to reopen their campuses safely for students to return.

“With CollPoll’s ‘Back to Safe Campus’ initiative, progressive educational institutions can rapidly build capabilities assisted by technology to support the overall campus experience. Now is the time to plan and put the structures in place to welcome students back to the campus. We aim to impact 100,000+ users studying in Indian higher education institutions and empower campuses by being their long-term technology partner,” said Hemant.

Over the next 12 months, CollPoll’s ‘Back to Safe Campus’ initiative will aim to empower colleges by offering critical technologies that are simple to implement, easy to use, and effectively collaborates with multiple stakeholders in the college ecosystem. Over 100 institutes will adopt this suite of technologies, which include need-of-the-hour solutions such as the elimination of potential COVID-19 transmissions, automation of physical operations, and increased engagement of the student community, including professors and parents.

A suite of solutions for smart campuses

CollPoll’s product offerings are split into two key elements - modules and integrations.

Under modules, CollPoll offers master data management, admission automation, fee management, academic management, outcome based education, learning management system, examination management system, AI proctored online exams, placement and internship management, infrastructure, and venue booking management.

CollPoll’s modules also include key elements that contribute to campus safety and efficiency, through hostel management, mess and canteen automation, campus entry and exit management, communication and student welfare, a help centre, and more.

Students can enter and exit campuses smoothly and safely through the auto-verification of individual COVID vaccination status, through IVR-based parent/warden approvals on gate pass and real-time tracking through RFID Card integration. Furthermore, a check will be conducted on COVID history of community members and, finally, institutes will obtain consent from parents/ guardians about sending their wards back to the campus and hostels. The suite of solutions will also automate 20 workflows, allowing contactless operations for services such as transportation, IT help desk, hostel services, campus facilities including the automation of the aforementioned hostel, mess, and canteen operations.

In addition to automating the administrative tasks and ensuring student safety through new protocols, CollPoll aims to preserve and encourage the vibrancy of campus life. According to a study published in the Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 58 percent of students experienced a significant increase in their stress levels, anger, anxiety, and loneliness.

Keeping this in mind, the buzz and activities of campus life will also be captured on CollPoll’s Campus Social Network, which will feature campus updates, online events, and Q&As. Official communication between the institution and the community (teachers, students, parents) will be provided on the CollPoll parent app, where students can receive e-notices and other updates through automated notifications.

An initiative born from the collaboration of CollPoll, AWS and Intel, the ‘Back to Safe Campus’ tech stack is built on Intel and powered by AWS. By leveraging Intel technology and the tools, solutions and security offered by AWS, CollPoll was able to quickly scale up to meet and match the meteoric rise in demand for digital campus solutions. AWS has also directly contributed to CollPoll’s offerings by adding functionalities like AI-proctoring for online examinations. Partnering with AWS and Intel has enabled CollPoll to scale and manage its cloud-based digital infrastructure for more than 100,000 users, while simultaneously ensuring a seamless customer experience.

“In these unprecedented times, ensuring safety on campuses has been a major area of focus and concern for educational institutions. We are glad that we have not only made our operations contactless by automating several workflows but also digitally engaged students at JGU. CollPoll’s highly adaptive platform has surely helped us be prepared to provide students with a safe and engaging campus experience when they get back," shared Karan Kumar, Head, Additional Director - Information Technology, O.P. Jindal Global University.