kingston university case study
David Rimmer, Faculty Technical Manager at Kingston University, tells us how the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences has simplified processes through the use of connect2.
His institution purchased connect2 to manage bookings for rooms and equipment, plus the connect2 checkout module for the collection and return of items through the use of bar coding.
Background
“We previously used a variety of booking systems for controlling the loan of equipment and specialist rooms, these had evolved as the student numbers, our range of courses and the equipment available for hire increased. Our systems included a self-made database, a paper calendar and a wooden board which students would fill in a card and place it in their desired time slot.
These were all very ‘homemade’ and were not user friendly for our staff or students, nor did they reflect the technology available within the University.
Our faculty has grown dramatically since these systems were first created, and we found it almost impossible to manage the resources available. This lead us to look for an online booking solution that would automate processes on a daily basis”.
what we were looking for
“Our practical courses such as drama, film, media and TV in particular, had grown in size and the demand for the related equipment and specialist room bookings increased in line with this. We also welcomed the music department to the faculty providing an additional complication with having to manage bookings over two physical locations.
Combining these issues, we created a needs analysis which resulted with us having the following requirements:
1. Ability for students and staff to make online bookings for equipment and rooms
2. Automated authorisation for all loans
3. Facility to fine students for late returns
With the involvement of our library, technical and financial staff, we decided that an ebooking solution was needed. After researching the market, we found connect2 to be the only solution that would be able to meet the majority of our requirements. Very importantly, it could be used to cover our two sites with one centralised system”.
“After a face to face demo onsite followed by an online demo, we were given access to the system so that we could test run it. We were very impressed with connect2 and with our Account Manager, who was extremely knowledgeable on the product – an absolute essential!
Our installation was relatively simple. Wanting to integrate with LDAP meant a more challenging setup, however lorensbergs put in maximum effort to get this implemented. Due to the vast amount of equipment the Faculty manages, the set up took a while, but once done, it was completely customised to our needs and very easy to use”.
the benefits for our staff
“Our staff love connect2! They now have improved access to resources, and very importantly, our academic staff no longer need to authorise loans as LDAP automatically manages user authentication through roles and permissions in connect2.
The return rate of resources is far improved due to the introduction of fines and staff can clearly see availability for any room and the availability of resources both now and in the future.
The faculty’s loans staff are particularly pleased as they are able to plan their time better, processes have been simplified due to the elimination of paper forms a major benefit of the system is the ability to disable items if there is a problem with them, which was a huge issue before the introduction of connect2”.
the benefits for our students
“As with the staff, students are now able to clearly see availability of rooms and resources and can better plan their time. Our students in the music department are thrilled with connect2 as they can now reserve the rooms and equipment they need.
We have also linked the system to our plasma screen in the music room to show upcoming bookings and future availability, which both our students and staff love”!*
the future...
“We’re hoping for connect2 to grow with our requirements and continue to meet the ever changing needs of our university. lorensbergs always encourage us to provide feedback on developing the solution and we look forward to our continued relationship with them”.
Since this case study, Kingston University have surveyed their students with regards to using the connect2 system. When asked their opinion on the ease of use of the system, 81.25% of respondents rated it either excellent, good or okay.
For more information on how connect2 could work for your organisation, give us a call on 01992 415500.
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