The NSW Institute of Teachers (NSWIT) supports quality teaching in all NSW schools. Its charter is to advance the status and standing of the teaching profession.

The Institute oversees a system of accreditation and recognition of a teacher's professional capacity against professional standards. It also provides a process for the profession to influence the quality of initial teacher preparation and continuing professional development.

Business Challenge

The Institute was faced with a number of challenges that impeded the smooth running and progress of the organisation.

The management and stability of the existing NSWIT website was proving difficult. Updating and publishing information to the site was an onerous task for staff and users of the site found it difficult to navigate and access relevant information.

The integration of Microsoft CRM (Customer Relationship Management) into the website facilitated the capture of some basic teacher information through application submissions. However, its scope was limited and it didn’t provide NSWIT with a comprehensive view of a teacher’s professional development.

The overall inefficiency of the website and the unmanaged and limited teacher data collected in CRM impacted the quality of communication between NSWIT, teachers and others in the broader Education community.

Solution

BlueArc was engaged as a trusted technology partner to improve the stability and usability of the NSWIT website, as well as the overall management of important teacher data.

BlueArc designed and developed a new website based on IgnitionSuite Web Content Management System (CMS). IgnitionSuite allows content authors to keep the site updated without the need for technical skill.

The IgnitionSuite Extranet module was integrated into the existing CRM system to provide stakeholders including teachers and principals with secure access to information and areas of the site, specific to them.

The enhanced functionality of the website gives teachers the ability to self-manage accreditation applications and submissions and supporting documentation.

BlueArc transformed the existing system so that all information captured online can be stored in CRM. With this extended functionality, CRM interacts with the website and provides real-time status updates so that teachers can track the progress of their application online. It also gives NSWIT a single, central repository for easy access and management of data for over 100,000 teachers.

Benefits

The BlueArc solution has provided NSWIT with a stable and user-friendly website. The integration into CRM allows NSWIT to maximise the value of information captured online from teachers. The information is easily accessible and managed and provides NSWIT with greater insight into overall operations. Other benefits include:

  • Improved communication with stakeholders
  • Increased accuracy of teacher accreditation details through improved site usability and functionality
  • Reduced cost of maintaining the website with IgnitionSuite web Content Management System (CMS)
  • Reduced overall IT costs
  • Improved staff efficiency and productivity
  • Time savings with easy reporting functions and management of data in CRM

BlueArc has provided NSWIT with the tools and technology to better meet the needs of teachers and other stakeholders in the education community.

What the client said

“Since engaging BlueArc, many of our problems seem to have disappeared. Our website is easy to manage and efficient and has saved us so much time. The team at BlueArc are very good to work with. They are good problem solvers and forward thinkers and have consistently helped us come up with more effective ways of doing things.

Their approach is very thorough. They clearly define a course of action and achieve what they set out, in the time they promised. The team at BlueArc has added great value to our organisation.”

Spokesperson, NSW Institute of Teachers