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In today's fast-paced educational landscape, efficiency, accuracy, and adaptability are paramount. Running an educational institution, especially an RTO, comes with numerous challenges. From managing student records to ensuring compliance with various regulatory bodies, the need for a streamlined, centralised solution is paramount.
In this article, Amina and Wes, aXcelerate Onboarding experts with prior leadership experience in RTOs, shed light on how aXcelerate’s integrations can provide RTOs with a centralised point of truth.
“One thing that most people are looking for is a place that's a centralised point of truth for all the different things they need to run their business, and I think that's what aXcelerate excels at," highlights Amina.
aXcelerate is equipped with an array of native integrations that cater to the specific needs of RTOs. Government agency integrations like USI, NCVER and training.gov.au ensure compliance and efficient data reporting.
“These integrations help the RTOs to remain compliant and up to date with the most current changes and requirements of national reporting bodies,” says Wes.
But aXcelerate doesn't stop there. It offers a broad spectrum of business-specific integrations. For instance, Marketing integrations with platforms like HubSpot, SMSGlobal, Messaging Media and WordPress enable efficient management of sales pipelines, helping RTOs reach prospective students seamlessly.
On the financial front, integrations with systems like Xero and MYOB ensure that financial data remains synchronised with the central aXcelerate environment. These integrations serve as the bridge connecting aXcelerate with other essential systems, making it the single point of truth for RTOs.
Flexibility in payment options is yet another highlight of aXcelerate. RTOs can choose from various payment gateways like Eway, EzyPay, and Stripe to collect student payments. This flexibility accommodates different payment structures, from one-off credit card payments for short courses to instalment plans for longer-term qualifications. Simplifying the enrollment process and offering payment choices can be a significant factor in attracting students.
Another addition to aXcelerate's integration repertoire is its Outlook and Google Calendar integrations. This feature enables two-way synchronisation between trainer and assessor calendars and aXcelerate, ensuring that scheduling remains hassle-free and always up-to-date. It's a valuable feature since most businesses use Microsoft or Google as their office suite, making aXcelerate even more versatile.
“The ability for aXcelerate to still get that point of truth, but then push the requirements out to those external systems is so powerful,” emphasises Wes.
Academic integrity is another crucial area for RTOs. The Turnitin integration within the Learning Management System employs Artificial Intelligence (AI) detection to enhance academic integrity. With increasing concern about students seeking shortcuts using AI resources, Turnitin's ability to check the quality of student responses independently is a powerful tool in ensuring compliance and academic rigor.
“The Turnitin integration is fantastic because it also leverages AI, which I know is front of mind for many people at the moment,” says Amina.
“Absolutely, the ability for students to find those kinds of resources like ChatGPT online and feed their questions through it and get an answer is an effortless way to cheat the system from a student perspective. So, a Turnitin integration where the quality of that student's response is checked externally is again super powerful,” agrees Wes.
Looking to the future, aXcelerate continues to evolve. The platform now supports the issuance of digital qualifications and badges through its integration with Learning Vault. These digital credentials are valuable for students and help promote RTOs and their qualifications on social media platforms, further enhancing their visibility.
In conclusion, aXcelerate is a comprehensive solution for RTOs, offering centralised control, many integrations, and a commitment to academic integrity. Its continuous evolution ensures that it remains at the forefront of educational technology, making it an invaluable tool for institutions looking to thrive in the ever-changing world of education.
Martin Powell is the CEO of the VET Development Centre, whose experience working with ACPET and on the National Advisory for Tertiary Education Skills and Employment has established him as a prominent leader in the VET industry. He sits down with Reay Mackay, founder and managing director of aXcelerate, to discuss his experiences in the industry.
