Case: Karel de Grote Hogeschool
The Karel de Grote Hogeschool is a Catholic university of applied sciences in Antwerp with more than 13,000 students, both international and Belgian students. KDG asked us to think along about improving the pre- and onboarding of international students. Read more below.
Challenges
KdG faced the challenge of onboarding its new international students in an easy way and putting them in touch with a suitable buddy.
- Offering international students a warm welcome at KdG
- Bringing international students into contact with each other and with Belgian students
- Manually matching buddies takes a lot of time (and less choice for the student)
Solution
KdG has launched its own community for its students where:
- New students can easily choose their own bilingual buddy
- Experienced students can register themselves as a buddy
- Both international and Belgian students can participate to make contact outside their bubble
- Anyone can connect securely without having to share contact information
Why Joinby?
The reasons why KdG chose Joinby:
- Platform helps to connect both international and local students
- Much more functionalities than other solutions
- Can add own logo & colors
- Possibility to add functionalities based on wishes of KdG
Results
Concrete results of KdG:
- 1,900+ students participating in the KdG community
- 100+ buddy matches
- 100+ groups and activities created by students themselves
- 50,000+ mutual chat messages in the first 2 months after launch
In the media
Read the article about the launch of the KdG student community to stimulate encounters between students
Solutions for
Student services
Improve student well-being at your school by offering your own place for students to connect with like-minded people
- Your own place to find fellow students with similar interests
- Having good contacts prevents loneliness
- More participants and less time lost with organizing events
International office
Connect international students with existing students immediately after registration, for a warm welcome on campus.
- Already in contact with fellow students before arrival
- Place to ask questions to fellow students and locals
- Easy integration with other students
Student recruitment
A sollution for 'summer melt'. Connect enrolled students to existing students and to their new classmates.
- Introduce students to your campus right after enrollment
- Making connections in advance reduces the fear of starting
- Student to student marketing
Curious?
Would you like to discuss your challenge with us? Schedule a no-obligation introduction of 45 minutes and we will discuss: your challenge(s), what possible solutions are and how our platform works.
