User:Sublimeharmony/sandbox11
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California |
|---|---|
Key people | Michael Staton |
Inigral Inigral is a technology company that created the Schools App on the Facebook platform to help with college enrollment and student retention. (CR) The Schools App is a subscription-based enrollment management program for higher education built for Facebook, Android, and iPhone platforms. (BW) Inigral’s Facebook application creates a digital space for a college’s admitted students to learn about the academic institution and socialize with other potential students before they decide to matriculate. (CR) It provides a closed social environment for current students as a way to increase student retention. (DG) The network maximizes student engagement by allowing students to find others with similar interests, organize social events, and receive information from the college. (CR) According to Inigral founder Michael Staton, “The Schools App isn’t about using Facebook to communicate, it’s about using Facebook to facilitate the kind of relationship building every campus hopes to embrace.” (DG) The company currently partners with over 100 higher education institutions including Arizona State University, Gonzaga University, and Pace University. (CB)
Inigral is based in San Francisco, California. (BW) The company is led by CEO Jamie Glenn and company mascot, Bandit. (VCN)(IN)
History
In 2007, Inigral began building on the Facebook platform and developed an early Facebook app, Courses, that let students communicate with others in their classes. (IF)Staton’s experience as a high-school teacher inspired the Courses app. (SMC) He was often friended by his students on Facebook but he thought it was inappropriate to be friends with his students online. The Courses App allowed teachers to connect with students through the Facebook platform without friending each other. (SMC)
In 2009, Inigral created the Schools App for its clients– universities– to be better able to retain and communicate with prospective and current students and staff. (IF) The Schools App provides students with an environment to ease the transition to college. The Schools App re-launched the Facebook platform as a school community, a feature that disappeared when Facebook removed the requirement to sign up with a school e-mail address. (MH)
A new feature of the Schools App, Announcements, allows universities to communicate with students on various channels such as Facebook, text message, or iPhone notifications. (PR2) The Announcements feature helps students access vital information and engage at a rate 5x higher when compared with traditional email programs. (PR2)
Developments
In 2010, Schools App was responsible for nearly 35,000 new Facebook friendships between students. (GD) Inigral’s data shows that, before enrollment, students engaged in the Schools App on Facebook are five times more likely to enroll than those who are not. (DG) After enrollment, schools are 5% more likely to retain a student who is engaged in Schools on Facebook. (DG)
This data is significant because in the competitive college admissions process many students wait until the last moment to accept or decline. (PC) The number of students who join the college’s social network on the Schools App is close to those who end up attending. (PC) Schools are then able to make an accurate headcount of the number of incoming students and can better prepare their staff, schedules, and facilities. (PC) Columbia College discovered that 94 percent of admitted students who used the Schools App enrolled. (PP)
In November 2012, Inigral announced Enrollment Intelligence, a service that provides insight to university admissions faculty bout how likely a student is to enroll. (BW) The service analyzes data patterns across 100 partner universities and provides an algorithm to show predictive scores on which students are likely to enroll and which are at risk. (BW)
The app lets colleges track how many friends each student makes online and how many messages each student writes. (CL) More active students are more likely to enroll. (CL) The Schools App recently added demographic information to the data it provides university clients. (CL)
Institutional Use
Inigral supports full branding on the design and feel of each university’s private network on Facebook. (PC)
Clients for the Schools App include:
- Academy of Art University (EDU)
- Arizona State University (EDU)
- Columbia College Chicago (EDU)
- Maricopa Community Colleges (EDU)
- New Jersey Institute of Technology (EDU)
- Oregon State University (EDU)
- Pace University (EDU)
- Samford University (EDU)
- Savannah College of Art and Design (EDU)
- Stetson University (EDU)
- The New York Institute of Photography (IN)
- University of California at Berkeley (PR)
- University of Texas at Tyler (EDU)
- Western Governors University (PR)
Investments
In 2011, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation backed the education-focused Schools App with a $2.1 million investment. (GD)(IBT) This investment will bring The Schools App to schools that specifically serve students who receive federal Pell grants in the hope that the application will help improve post-secondary education in the U.S. (PC)(IBT) This marks the first time The Gates Foundation has made an investment in a for-profit company. (NPR)(CNE) It also marks the Foundation’s first technology investment. (DG)(IBT)
To date, Inigral has raised a total of $10.2 million in venture funding. (CB) The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Retro Venture Partners, and the Founders Fund financially back Inigral. (CB)(CNE)
Awards
In 2010, Facebook awarded Inigral Preferred Developer Consultant Status, indicating that Inigral’s Facebook applications were of the same quality of Facebook itself. (EDU) Inigral remains the only higher education focused company with that designation. (IH)
In 2011, Fast Company named Inigral one of the ten most innovative education companies. (FC)