mywcc: Creating a transformative, college-wide communications platform

Waubonsee Community College

Client Info

Founded in 1966, Waubonsee Community College serves the Western suburbs of Chicago with multiple locations in Sugar Grove, Aurora, and Plano, Illinois. With over 20,000 students enrolled in 90+ Associate of Applied Science degree programs, they provide both online and classroom instruction to meet diverse learning needs.

Industry

Higher Education

Top challenge

• The mywcc online portal was not mobile responsive—a particular pitfall considering the strong reliance on mobile devices among the student persona group that mywcc needed to accommodate.

• Information and resources were difficult to find within a system of outdated applets. Student frustration in finding needed information led to frequent phone calls to administrative staff for help.

• Student calls to the main administration office for help in finding information or accomplishing tasks via the portal were a time consuming and inefficient use of staff time.

• Multiple persona groups utilizing the portal have a wide range of disparate information needs.

• Students did not distinguish between waubonsee.edu and the mywcc portal, and expected all log-in and password information to be the same.

• Many students did not realize that they had a college email account, and among those who did, email was often not checked on a regular basis. While this was not technically a challenge with the portal.

Top solution

• Rebuilding mywcc on Drupal 8 ensured mobile responsiveness with the same features and functionality for both mobile and desktop.

• A “Resources” page provides quick access to high-demand information, as well as integration with a robust search capability to efficiently direct users to whatever else they need to find.

• More streamlined navigation and greater integration of mywcc into student life are reducing the need for staff support with the site.

• The Drupal SimpleSAMLphp module enables students and all users to log on to mywcc using their existing account number and log in.

• Promet’s custom-built Audiences module, implemented through Drupal Taxonomy, directs specific content items to specific user groups, such as students, faculty, staff, trustees, and parents, based on the user’s log-in information.

• Leveraging Drupal’s Google email API module, previews from students’ five most recent emails to appear on and are clickable from their mywcc homepage.

Waubonsee Community College mywcc screen shot

Every milestone and every expectation has been met and for a project of this size and scope, that’s truly an accomplishment. We attribute the success to excellent, ongoing communications with Promet Source, plus a depth of dedication and expertise. We’re very proud of the work that’s been done.

Lauren L. Black, MBA

Digital Marketing Manager, Waubonsee Community College

What We Did

Promet Source transformed the existing home-grown mywcc platform into an integrated, easy-to-navigate system that serves students, faculty, staff, and other stakeholders. By leveraging Drupal modules and the existing Waubonsee.edu theme while adding custom capabilities, we created a comprehensive communications platform that streamlines college business and information access.

Enhanced Mobile Experience

The new platform delivers identical features and functionality across both mobile and desktop versions, meeting students where they are with a fully responsive design that supports their on-the-go lifestyle.

Streamlined Resource Access

The new Resources page fast-tracks access to high-demand information, while enhanced search capabilities help users quickly find what they need, significantly reducing administrative support calls.

Personalized User Experience

The custom-built Audiences module directs specific content to different user groups (students, faculty, staff, trustees, and parents) based on login information, ensuring relevant information reaches the right people.

The Result

The new mywcc platform has successfully transformed into a top-of-mind, go-to resource for conducting college business and accessing essential information. Student adoption has increased through improved mobile responsiveness and streamlined access to high-demand information. The integration of enhanced search capabilities and the new Resources page has achieved the full scope of priorities for an easy-to-use, fully integrated communications platform serving all stakeholders.

Technical Development

Drupal 8 migration
SimpleSAMLphp integration
Google API implementation
Custom module development

Platform Integration

Waubonsee.edu theme integration
Email preview functionality
Single sign-on implementation
Mobile responsiveness optimization

Content & Structure

Resources page development
Audience-based content targeting
Navigation restructuring
Search enhancement

Let’s start your project

Ready to create an integrated platform that serves all your stakeholders while reducing administrative burden? Let's build a solution that drives engagement and streamlines access to critical resources.