Student Counselling Portal

The NYCDOE-endorsed online counseling portal offers students access to support for academic, personal, and emotional well-being. It aims to eliminate barriers of accessibility and stigma associated with traditional counseling. The project focuses on identifying issues and providing actionable recommendations to boost student engagement with the platform.

Client : Student Counselling Portal
Category : CMS Data Scraping SAAS

This is a list of the challenges that students and tutors were having, and our client was looking for a solution.

Mental Health Support
Academic Support
Safe and Confidential Space
Accessibility
Early Intervention
Improved Student Success

Let’s See how we helped the client to solve the problem statements:

features

Stepwise onboarding process
User Role and Permission Management
Dynamic Dashboards using google charts
Twillo Communication - Calls, SMS
Email Management via SendGrid
Schedule Events via Google Calendar
Creating and Managing Survey Forms
Share Resources, Services and Notes
Customer Help and Feedback
Resource Repository
Data Scrapping via Scrappy
Collaboration via Share and Follow up
Import and export data using excel/csv
User Friendly and Responsive Interface

our Student counselling problem statement

Call

The communication module has been efficiently developed so that the user can effectively make calls to students/guardians. Users can also find the full call log list here.

SMS

The user can view the SMS shared via the Share module here. Also, the responses received for the SMS can be viewed here by the user.

Email

The user can view the Email shared via the Share module here. Also, the responses received for the Email can be viewed here by the user.

This feature has been developed so that the user can access the following modules:

Follow-up

Follow-up notifications that are lined up can be viewed in this section.

Information/content shared from the Share module can be viewed here.

Done

Follow-ups that have been completed successfully are displayed here. The User can refer to the Share history here.

This module has 4 sections:

My Notes

The admin can use this section to add notes for their reference and use in the future. These notes can be shared with other users such as students, guardians, or providers.

Student’s Notes

Here, the admin can add notes specific to any student.

Guardian’s Notes

Here, the admin can add notes specific to any guardian.

Provider’s Notes

Providers are third-party organizations who are willing to extend their help for various issues faced by students. In this section, the admin can add notes which are specific to Providers.

This module has 2 sections:

View Providers –

In this module the user can find the full list of providers who are willing to extend their help for various issues faced by students. The provider list can be filtered by different categories based on the type of service provided by them.

Add Provider –

Here, the user can add new providers to the list by filling up all the details & information of the provider.

This module has 4 sections:

All Students –

Here, the user can find the full list of students enrolled in our platform. The user can select and add students into different groups. An option where survey forms can also be sent directly to students from this page is also available.

Add Student –

The user can add new students to the existing list of students. All information pertaining to the student needs to be entered and saved.

Import –

Student information can be imported and integrated into our platform in this section. Users can attach CSV files & import them accordingly.

Export

A list of students can be selected and exported by the user, from the option available here.

Dashboard

The User Dashboard has been developed so that the user can have an overview of all the features of the platform along with an enhanced notifications system for Email or SMS. We have organized the dashboard template in such a way that the user can easily assess all information with one click!

Calendar

The Calendar feature has many modules which include Event creation and meeting link addition. Users can add important events and manage their meetings using this feature. The calendar can be referred to quickly and is very useful for the User to note down.

Guardian

We have developed the Guardian feature so that the user can easily access and store information about guardians. The student associated with the guardian is also displayed here for reference purposes. There is also an option for sending survey forms directly to the guardian.

Resources

Resources are information that can be quickly referred to by the user. The admin is authorized to add new resources when required which can be accessed by other users. The admin can also view all the resources that are added in a list view and access them in detail.

Leverage data reports determining social-emotional needs

With this application, you will be able to tie the things you know to be true with the data informing you of that truth. We have prepared Wireframes and Front end design using Adobe XD, Photoshop in coming up with the initial design and mockup and followed by further design revisions

Design graphic user interfaces elements, like menus and tabs
Illustrate design ideas using storyboards, process flows
Built page elements such as custom graphics and illustrations
Developed UI mockups and prototypes that clearly illustrate how sites function and look like
Layout adjustments based on user feedback

Technology Stack

Has the problem statement of the client been addressed?

The following are the changes that have occurred at the school since the Student Counseling portal has been implemented:

Many students experienced mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and stress. Having our counseling portal helped the students with a safe space to discuss their concerns with a trained counselor.
Students who experienced academic difficulties (having trouble with a particular course or managing their time) are now using our counseling portal to receive academic support through counseling and connecting them with the right resources.
Our counseling platform provided students with a private, secure environment where they may share their worries without being judged or condemned.
Our student counseling portal provides students with the support and resources they need to succeed academically and personally, making it an important addition to any school.

Help & Feedback

As a step to enhance the feedback mechanism, there is a feature available for Help & Feedback. Any queries or suggestions can be filled in and sent via this module. There is also an option available for attaching files while sending feedback.

Organize notes, referrals, and follow up in one location

Establishes a holistic view of the students in your school community by utilizing both non-academic and academic data

Student support staff from working in isolation to keep track of the needs of students, families, and colleagues.
Keeps track of notes and an important follow-up to ensure no child gets left behind
Gives School Personnel one location to text, email and print resources for students and families
Saves valuable time by reducing the time-intensive process of finding the “right" resource

Help Students

Track of Notes

Our Challenges / Solutions

Trust and Confidentiality: Establishing trust and ensuring the confidentiality of student information in an online setting is a significant challenge. Students may have concerns about the security of their personal data and the privacy of their counseling interactions
Resource Diversity and Relevance: The online counseling portal may lack a diverse range of resources, materials, and tools that address the specific needs and challenges faced by students and guardians.
Engagement with Multilingual Students: New York City is a linguistically diverse environment, and the portal may face challenges in effectively engaging with students who speak languages other than English. Ensuring multilingual support is crucial to inclusivity and reaching a broader student population.
Inadequate Utilization of Available Services: The portal may offer a wide range of counseling services, resources, and tools, but students/guardians may not be aware of them or might not know how to access and use them effectively.

Trust and Confidentiality: Implement stringent privacy policies and procedures to safeguard student information.
Resource Diversity and Relevance: Expand the range of resources available on the online counseling portal to cater to the specific needs and challenges faced by students and guardians. Collaborate with counselors, educators, Virtual Assistants, and relevant stakeholders to develop resources that align with the educational and personal goals and address the unique experiences of students in the New York City school system.
Multilingual Support: Offer the counseling portal in multiple languages to accommodate the diverse linguistic needs of students. Provide multilingual counseling services and ensure that resources are available in various languages commonly spoken in the city.
Personalized Outreach and Support: Implement personalized outreach strategies to engage students based on their unique needs and concerns. Utilize data analytics to identify trends and patterns, allowing counselors to reach out proactively to students who may require assistance.

The application was approved and certified by NYCDOE Cloud Review & Compliance Board. Implemented a robust authentication system to ensure user privacy and confidentiality. The portal utilizes secure call, sms, and email functionality, and resource libraries to deliver counseling services virtually.
Virtual Assistants and other school faculties will align the resources and providers based on the students/guardian’s personal and educational goals by communicating unique resources via Call, Email, and SMS or sending Survey Responses to address their needs. The portal utilizes secure audio conferencing, chat functionality, and resource libraries to deliver counseling services virtually.
The application allows the School Faculties to communicate with the students multi-lingually.
The application allows the schools to send out personalized surveys to get insight into students’/guardian’s needs and concerns. Based on the survey responses the school can align the students/guardians with the resources available with personalized positive messages.