Champions of Change: Driving Campus-Wide Adoption Without Adding New Staff

The Challenge:  

Disconnected Academic Operations Limited Efficiency and Data Accuracy  

Before implementing Coursedog, Isothermal Community College’s academic operations were  highly manual and fragmented across academic scheduling, event management, catalog, and  curriculum proposals. Each department managed academic and events scheduling processes  separately, creating major delays and inaccuracies in information for students and faculty.  

“Before Coursedog, academic operations were a highly manual process. We had silos of each academic department doing their own scheduling, which created conflicts and gaps in service. We had a lot of issues with course rebuilds, course conflicts, and corrections after the term began. Event planning was just as disjointed, as each building managed its own calendar, so no one person had a clear view of what was happening campus-wide without making multiple calls.” Rachel Mercantini, Registrar  

Catalog and curriculum processes were equally labor intensive. To review and approve  curriculum and catalog changes, Isothermal relied on manual updates and scattered feedback,  which undermined confidence that students always had access to accurate, up-to-date  information on their academic path.  

“Our catalog review process was disjointed and highly manual. We had reviews  that were carried out with written post-it notes and Adobe comments that had to go  through multiple review processes. Our curriculum proposal process relied on  paper submissions, which resulted in scattered feedback.” Sandra Lackner,  Associate Vice President for Student Affairs 

The Solution:  

Isothermal’s Academic Operations Transformation 

At Isothermal, resolving program conflicts before registration has transformed the scheduling  experience for students, faculty, and staff. Students benefit from a clearer, more seamless path  to registering for the courses they need, while faculty and staff can focus more on strategic  innovation rather than administrative tasks. What once created stress and delays is now  handled proactively, ensuring a stronger focus on student success.  

“Since centralizing course section builds in Coursedog, we’ve seen a clear  reduction in course rebuilds and last-minute corrections needed. Conflicts across  programs have dropped significantly because we can identify and resolve them  before registration opens. This means smoother scheduling experiences for students and less administrative back-and-forth for faculty and staff.” Rachel Mercantini, Registrar  

Managing campus events used to require significant coordination with little visibility for staff.  With Coursedog, event scheduling is now streamlined from start to finish, and approvals that  used to take nearly a week now happen within moments. Faster, more reliable approvals allow  the campus to host more events, foster community engagement, and keep facilities running  smoothly without added strain on staff.  

“We’ve noticed dramatic reductions in response times for event approvals. What used to take up to a week now often happens within moments or within the same day. We now know immediately which resources are available, and the system’s logic helps us automatically notify facilities staff for adjustments, ensuring campus events run seamlessly and securely even after hours.” DeeDee Barnard, Executive Assistant to the President and Director of Special Events  

Catalog updates are published instantly with consistent, accurate information. By keeping  the catalog and handbook up to date, the institution ensures students and advisors have a  reliable roadmap for academic planning, driving on-time graduation, stronger advising  outcomes, and greater trust across the college community.  

“With our catalog and handbook fully digitized through Coursedog, we’ve eliminated  manual compilation and version control errors. Content is now consistent across  departments, and updates can be made and published instantly. This leads to far  fewer inquiries from students and colleagues about outdated information, and  provides current and clear content about academic policies and program  requirements." Sandra Lackner, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs  

Curriculum changes now move quickly through a transparent, digital workflow instead of a  labor-intensive manual process. This expedited approach leads to faster approvals and  improved accuracy, enabling the institution to respond more rapidly to the evolving needs of its  students. This responsiveness is crucial as it allows Isothermal to quickly adapt its programs to  remain relevant to local workforce demands and aligned with student expectations. 

“We’ve moved from stacks of paper submissions and scattered feedback to a digital workflow where status and feedback are transparent and accessible at each step. This has shortened our approval timelines and improved the accuracy and completeness of curriculum changes, resulting in quicker program updates and a more agile response to academic needs.” Rachel Mercantini, Registrar 

Enhancing Visibility and Confidence Through a Unified Platform 

With Coursedog, Isothermal Community College centralized academic operations into one unified platform. By centralizing scheduling, curriculum, catalog, and event management, the college gained visibility across processes, eliminated silos, and fostered real-time collaboration among faculty and staff. With reliable, timely data, faculty and staff can confidently guide students, which equips them to take ownership of their education and stay on track to achieve their academic goals. 

“Coursedog has advanced our capacity to empower students to become increasingly well-informed, confident, responsible learners and leaders. And using a unified platform enhances data consistency, provides real-time updates, reduces duplication of effort, boosts collaboration, improves transparency, and frees up valuable time across the college community. It’s made a remarkable difference in how we work together and serve our students, fellow colleagues, and our greater community and has become the standard go-to across the college community.” Sandra Lackner, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs 

Successful Change Management Empowers Faculty & Staff: Creating Pack Leaders on Campus 

Maximizing Impact Without Adding Staff 

Isothermal implemented Coursedog without adding a dedicated full-time position by integrating responsibilities into existing roles. From the start, staff members became champions of digital transformation, recognizing how the platform could be woven into their daily work while advancing the institution’s greater goals. By introducing Coursedog early and providing consistent support, Isothermal ensured users felt confident and prepared before the system fully replaced old processes. Through early engagement and clear communication, staff clearly saw how Coursedog would simplify their work and ultimately support students throughout their academic journey.

“We involved our staff very early on in the process with Coursedog, which has been very helpful. We were able to get our staff’s support during meetings about a new digital platform, allowing them to find efficiencies in their workload using a new  system. Because of this, we were able to implement Coursedog without having to  add any additional staff. They were very excited about the process. We have implemented several Coursedog modules and we are looking forward to implementing more.” DeeDee Barnard, Executive Assistant to the President and Director of Special Events  

Driving Successful Campus-Wide Adoption  

To ensure a smooth transition, Isothermal took a people-first approach that emphasized clarity  and alignment. Policies and workflows were carefully mapped before rollout, and planning  meetings were tailored to each product and process. This approach empowered stakeholders,  built confidence across departments, and fostered a strong sense of ownership that turned  faculty and staff into true Coursedog champions.  

“To drive the successful adoption of Coursedog across our campus, we implemented several key strategies. We held targeted planning meetings  differentiated by each product and procedure, which helped us align policies and ensure that the right approval processes were built into our workflows.” DeeDee Barnard, Executive Assistant to the President and Director of Special Events  

Campus-wide demos, hands-on training, and accessible ongoing support sessions helped  faculty and staff not only adapt to the system but also embrace it as a tool to enhance their work  and better serve students.  

“We prioritized campus-wide engagement by kicking things off at convocation, offering live demos, and providing hands-on sessions both for key implementation  personnel and the wider college community. Throughout the rollout, we made sure  Coursedog training and support were easily accessible, hosting regular training  meetings. Big kudos to Coursedog for the collaborative expertise.” Rachel Mercantini, Registrar  

Looking Ahead  

Isothermal Community College earned Coursedog’s 2025 Change Management Award by  uniting faculty and staff around a shared commitment to transformation. This campus-wide effort  improved operations, increased transparency, and delivered accurate, real-time information to  students. Faculty and staff now have more time to focus on higher-value priorities that directly  support student success, while students benefit from clearer guidance and stronger support  throughout their education. 

“Coursedog is committed to creating innovative and trusted solutions that advance  the efficiency, transparency, processes, communication, and safety of our community. They are active partners in our commitment to serving our college community.” Sandra Lackner, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs 

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