Advantage Design Group selected as Ellucian Ethos Connected Partner

Advantage Design Group^®, originators of Advantage Orientation^®, is an Ellucian Ethos Connected Partner. Ellucian Ethos is the higher education platform connecting people, processes, and applications across the institution to power coordinated programs designed for student success. Advantage Orientation^® was validated for its integration capabilities specifically with Ellucian’s Banner^® and Colleague^® software solutions. Advantage Design Group^® is the only online orientation production company included in the Ethos Connected Partner Catalog as a recruiting and admissions technology partner.

Initial validation feedback highlighted the creative use of Ethos data models. Integrations are dynamic to take advantage of information and change how it is presented to the student on the fly. Additionally, integration gives institutions the ability to personalize content for any number of student types in one platform.

Two-Way, Real-Time Data Communication

While the process starts with a core code repository, each platform ends up being single tenant, programmers work closely with every client and adapt to each use case. Once basic information about data storage and codes used is established, the solution is configured to map to whatever models are needed.

Integration is available two ways to retrieve data from and write data to Banner^® or Colleague^® systems. Ellucian Ethos data models are used to retrieve student-specific, or “profile” information, including admission types, such as first year, transfer, veteran, staff, etc. This capability allows administrators to present relevant content specifically to each audience and segment data analysis by each designated “member group.”

Additionally, the platform enables data communication back to the system to write (or “post back”) the date of orientation completion on the student record. This capability automates data entry and is most often used to release registration holds when orientation is required before completing enrollment. The solution calls the Ethos APIs to post data in real time, alleviating the need for file exports or manual processes.

Creative Use Cases of Ethos & Advantage Orientation^® Integrations

Advantage Orientation^® is a customizable software solution for colleges and universities seeking to provide comprehensive online orientation and onboarding for new students, their families, and new hires. Approximately 20 percent of Advantage Orientation^® institutional clients use Banner^® or Colleague^®. Most recent platform deployments using Ethos data models demonstrate valuable outcomes that streamline and personalized the student experience and improve staff efficiencies.

Use Case 1

• Software: Banner^®
• Institutional Type: Community College
• Enrollment*: 4800+
• State: Tennessee
• Objective: Update student record to release a registration hold
• Integration: Pull specific student hold records and update an end date to indicate when the hold ended. The student can then seamlessly continue the enrollment process.
• Outcomes: Institution is confident orientation is completed and hold release is automated in real time.

Use Case 2

• Software: Colleague^®
• Institutional Type: Community College
• Enrollment*: 2000+
• State: Iowa
• Objective: Indicate when an assessment is completed and apply a score
• Integration: As students complete the orientation, a score value and date is sent back to the assessment.
• Outcomes: Assessment scores and completion dates are automatically recorded.

Use Case 3

• Software: Banner^®
• Institutional Type: Community College
• Enrollment*: 4800+
• State: Louisiana
• Objective: Present personalized orientation content to African American students.
• Integration: By pulling the race value, the student is assigned to designated “member group” within the orientation.
• Outcomes: Orientation content intended for this group is designated and assigned within the platform to be experienced only by this group.

“This partnership with Ellucian expands our ability to provide practical solutions that add real value for our clients,” said Catherine Swingle, founder of Advantage Design Group®. “What an opportunity to extend our already strong relationship and reinforce our commitment to serving higher education.”

About Advantage Design Group

Advantage Design Group^® is a multimedia production and software development firm established in 1998. This certified, woman-owned small business is the largest online orientation production company in North America, employing over 40 full-time staff. The company’s diverse talent includes digital specialists in art direction, UX design, programming, video production, content development, project management and training.

Advantage Orientation^®, the company’s cloud-based orientation solution, is currently deployed by hundreds of higher education institutions in three countries. The platform, available in four, customizable packages, provides a personalized, interactive, and video-rich experience to support successful transitions for new students and new hires.

To experience Advantage Orientation^® and learn more about our family of virtual experience solutions, request a live tour.

*Source: 2018-19 Undergraduate Enrollment, US Department of Education (IPEDS)