Rising to Success: HPU’s Rise App Guides Students

This story is featured in the Spring 2021 edition of the HPU Magazine.

Pictured above: During their first semester on campus in fall 2019, Class of 2023 students Grace Todd (left), Kayelin Cosgrove (center) and Kaylee Hanooman (right) discussed the badges they earned through HPU Rise, the university’s exclusive app that guides students through the four-year journey.

Would you drive across the country without Googling the best route?

Would you make a major purchase without reading the reviews?

Grace Todd, a member of the Class of 2023 from Ohio focused on pre-medicine, certainly wouldn’t.

Todd is a planner. She has a long list of goals that will help her get to medical school. That’s why she utilizes Rise, the university’s exclusive app where students view their educational journey and track their progress on their smartphone.

Students began their academic careers with Rise thanks to the success coach team and Dr. Stephanie Crofton, HPU’s vice president for experiential learning and professional development.

Crofton was uniquely positioned to spearhead the custom built app. With more than 20 years at the university, she oversees the freshman success coach program and understands the unique challenges new students face.

One of those challenges is being surrounded with opportunity when freshmen arrive to campus. With Rise, new students can streamline the endless list of options, such as joining clubs, conducting undergraduate research, choosing their major and attending events.

“A roadmap goes a long way,” says Crofton. “College is one of the most important investments in a student’s life, and we want our students to maximize HPU’s transformational process.”

An Extension of Mentorship

Rise is a digital extension of HPU’s unique success coach program. Every freshman at HPU has a success coach that serves as a point person and first-year guide. The university knows that students who build a solid foundation early in their academic careers can achieve more during their four-year journey.

Success coaches encourage students to utilize Rise, too, because it’s always in their pocket, providing digital reminders and incentives for completing important tasks.

Through the app, new students like Todd can see their next steps and earn badges for meeting their goals.

“The app motivates you to accomplish a lot of extracurricular activities you might not have thought about getting involved in,” says Todd. “Earning badges makes you feel accomplished. My friends and I love that we can keep track of badges we’ve earned in one place.”

Data from the app gives success coaches more touch points with their students because they can view which events are most popular and which badges students most frequently earn.

“Coaches can congratulate their students on earning new badges and offer tips on how to achieve the next goal,” says Crofton. “It’s an effective tool in HPU’s mentorship process.”

“The app motivates you to accomplish a lot of extracurricular activities you might not have thought about getting involved in,” says Todd. “Earning badges makes you feel accomplished. My friends and I love that we can keep track of badges we’ve earned in one place.”

A Four-Year Life Skills Transcript

The level of mentorship HPU provides to its newest students reflects the university’s standing as a National Top 50 University in First Year Experiences by U.S. News & World Report. The benefits of using the app, however, extend beyond freshman year. When graduation arrives, Rise will provide a four-year life skills transcript that quickly articulates their journey.

“HPU students gain a wide variety of technical and life skills, and Rise tracks both,” says Crofton. “They can literally print a transcript outlining the skills and experiences they’ve amassed, just like an academic transcript.”

Todd joined Research Rookies during her first semester to bolster the experience she can include on her future medical school applications. The unique HPU program introduces freshmen to scholarly research, which most universities reserve for upperclassmen.

When students accomplish objectives, they scan a QR code to earn badges. Now, when Todd opens her phone, she can scroll through a list of badges she’s earned, such as the Research Rookies badge.

While Rise helps students accomplish goals, it also encourages them to explore campus and meet new people. Ryan Roy began using Rise during Summer Advantage, a program that gives freshmen a head start on earning academic credit.

“The app encouraged me to experience the campus and take advantage of the resources housed here,” says Roy, a game design major from Maryland. “It provided me with clear direction, like meeting professors in my major and attending professional development events. Having an app that pushes us to go out and experience all aspects of campus is very helpful.”