Founded in 1870, Syracuse University is internationally recognized as one of the United States’ leading institutes of higher education.
Historically, paper forms and surveys were used campus-wide to collect student information and feedback. However, the reliance on paper forms proved problematic for the university's Office of Food Services and Office of First Year and Transfer Programs (FYTP).
The Office of Food Services distributed monthly comment cards to collect feedback on their nutrition programs. But low engagement rates were a persistent issue as students were less likely to participate when asked to write and submit feedback manually.
Similarly, the FYTP Office required new students to complete an array of paper forms for enrollment in services like healthcare, housing, disability services, and tutoring.
Putting the burden on students to download, print, manually complete, and submit these forms in person added to their existing stresses of adjusting to a new environment and often led to inaccurate or missing data. This ultimately cost staff members significant time and effort in error reconciliation.
To address these challenges, both offices sought to digitize their forms. However, the university's Information and Technology Services (ITS) department immediately recognized the effort and cost that would be associated with dedicating development resources to not only creating these forms but also to gathering and distributing results in an user-friendly format.
Instead, they sought a platform that would empower staff members to create their own custom solutions.