case studies creighton

The application process was entirely manual at Creighton University’s study abroad office less than a decade ago. Sticky notes and file folders were used to track advising appointments. Searching for transcripts and other basic documents required an expedition to the file room. The process was time-consuming and inefficient.

Creighton’s study abroad team needed a better solution—something that not only streamlined its administrative processes but also digitized marketing brochures and materials. “It was time to enter the digital age,” said Lizzy Curran, Creighton’s Associate Director of Study Abroad and Special Global Programs.

In 2014, Creighton made the move to Terra Dotta’s Study Abroad solution.

THE CREIGHTON SUCCESS CHECKLIST

Better Student Experience

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Successful Program Growth

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Risk Mitigation

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Enhanced Communication

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Green light to efficiencies

By implementing Terra Dotta, Creighton gained:

Online applications that help drive a better experience for students

Digital management and automated processing of all student data

With these new capabilities, Creighton now enjoys continued program growth with big time savings.

Student Application and Intake Processes:

BEFORE TERRA DOTTA: Students applied through an online survey. After completion, the survey was then printed by an administrator, a student folder was created, and then the student would have to come into the office multiple times to receive advising, complete their paperwork, and obtain signatures on printed documents.

WITH TERRA DOTTA: Students complete the online application, upload all relevant documents, and gain access to learning material through a single portal in Terra Dotta.

Application growth

FALL SEMESTER

2016

113

STUDENTS

2019

234

STUDENTS

SPRING SEMESTER

2016

STUDENTS

2019

324

STUDENTS

SUMMER SEMESTER

2016

1226

STUDENTS

2019

1860

STUDENTS

STUDY ABROAD GROWTH

2012

STUDENTS PER SEMESTER

TODAY

100–130

STUDENTS PER SEMESTER

STRATEGIC WORK,
STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

Creighton’s study abroad team has worked tirelessly to scale its programs in the last few years. Curran credits Terra Dotta with enabling them to work more strategically, thanks to the data and reports generated on the platform, and their release from time-consuming data processing.

Time saved, insights gained

With Terra Dotta, Creighton’s study abroad team can:

Monitor programs with open seats so they can guide students to them.
Balance office workloads and assign team members more to particular regions of the world, partner institutions, or colleges so they can develop relationships within.
Track data stored within the solution to discover that interest for programs in east Asia is spiking or that specific majors send few students abroad, so they can bolster and create programs to meet students’ unique needs.
Help the admissions office recruit students. For example, with data from the platform, Creighton is able to demonstrate to prospective nursing students, who rate study abroad as a key interest, that a large number of nursing students participate in global programs during their sophomore year.
Follow up with students who let their applications languish. “Before, it was more like, I don’t think I’ve seen Cindy in the office since March,” Curran said. “It’s just much easier to objectively see each student through the process.”

STUDENT EXPERIENCE IMPROVED

From their laptop, smartphone or tablet, students can research programs, find lists of course offerings, fill out applications, and check the status of their application at any time and from anywhere. That ability to take charge of their study abroad experience from the start gives them more agency over the entire process.

Students now have ownership in their own planning.

— LIZZY CURRAN

TRAVEL REGISTRY:

RISK MITIGATION, BUDGET UPGRADES

In the midst of the pandemic, Creighton shored up its risk mitigation practices when it deployed Terra Dotta’s Travel Registry, which documents traveler information. Creighton now uses it to track both domestic and international travel.

“You realize, in a crisis, that you need to be able to quickly locate your staff and know how to best contact them,” Curran said. With Terra Dotta, Creighton can quickly and easily see where travelers are located.

But it’s not just about keeping people safe. It’s also helping Creighton’s budget tracking. Before Terra Dotta, travel plans were managed by individual departments. Now, with Terra Dotta’s Travel Registry, supervisors are notified and can ensure their travel budget is accurate throughout the year.

Communication enhanced.

Increased concerns over safety and security for all travelers prompted Creighton to invest in AlertTraveler, Terra Dotta’s app that monitors students’ locations and sends them critical information in real-time.

Thanks to AlertTraveler, it was effortless for Creighton to quickly communicate with students at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.

We just sent them notifications through the app as we were figuring things out. It was a much easier way to communicate with everyone at one time.

— LIZZY CURRAN

Today, Lizzy is eager to continue to build on the  success of Creighton’s partnership with Terra Dotta.

We discovered additional ways to leverage Terra Dotta during the pandemic and are excited to continue growing our programs!”

— LIZZY CURRAN

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF STUDY ABROAD AND SPECIAL GLOBAL PROGRAMS