Engagement Promotes Student Retention

While Facebook has had some bad press regarding privacy here lately, the overall impact and popularity of social media in general and Facebook in particular is undeniable and has become a permanent part of online culture. Why? Because Facebook is, by design, set up in such a manner that it is both extraordinarily easy to use and navigate around, and because it has a well-documented tendency to "suck you in" - it keeps you engaged with the platform. It's easy. It's interesting. It's fun. It's entertainment. So what does that have to do with Schoology, you ask? Immediately after registering for my Schoology account provided by my grad school (MBA student), I was very surprised to see what looked and felt just like Facebook, but with an academic focus. The main feature is the user's feed, which looked and felt exactly like any social media feed. It contained posts from the school admin and financial aid, posts from instructors with information, videos, etc., pertinent to the current material, and posts from fellow classmates asking questions so classmates and the instructor could all interact on the thread. Users are able to "Like" a post or even direct message others in a private, Messenger-style chat feature. Surrounding the feed are links to everything the student needs for college success, from financial aid to wellness. Simply put, Schoology's brilliant adaptation of a popular technology makes studying easy, interesting, fun, and entertaining.

Pros

Schoology is academia's answer for engaging with today's social media obsessed generation of students.

Cons

I can virtually ALWAYS come up with something that I didn't like, Schoology however is one of those few exceptions. For the sake of entering a "con" however, I will say the one lacking feature I did wish users had would be an option to switch from the blaring white to a dark mode type theme. Helpful for battery life when using mobile devices and also more conducive for night-time study and eye health. After all, many students are working while studying, leaving night time as their only option to get their classwork done.

Schoology - Powerful, but User Friendly LMS

Schoology has been a game changer for us. As a district that previously used an open source alternative, we really took a risk by rolling out a new product that was not free. Teachers have really embraced the platform, which is allowing us to move toward a model where learning is individualized and focused on the needs of the learner.

Pros

Schoology feels like a social media platform. It's easy to use and makes sense when you're using it. It has a tremendous ability to be extended with integrations with Google, Microsoft, etc. and connects well with other learning platforms that are important in K-12 settings.

Cons

At the enterprise level, sometimes support the can be lackluster when dealing with things such as the synchronization between Schoology and PowerSchool. On the positive side, we anticipate with PowerSchool's purchase of Schoology that this might improve over time.

Schoology Review from Admin Side

I would recommend Schoology for teachers that have a good understanding of technology. The price is a bit much but it does a lot if the teachers are willing to spend the time on it.

Pros

Schoology is a very good LMS and is very versatile. I allows my teaching staff to communicate with their students on a regular basis. It also helps my teachers with parent communication. The program is also nice for students that have been absent or that are going to miss school for sports or a vacation.

Cons

The cross over from our SMS to this program is not always smooth and is a bit frustrating at times.

Terrible app even worse customer service

Terrible app with even worse customer service

Pros

It was easy to manage my son's schooling.

Cons

It's clunky you have to go in and out to see different grades instead of being under one easy tab. Don't even think of forgetting your password. There is no reset function available and when you ask for help you get a super snarky email. I will copy and paste Hi Cmac0521, We are no longer accepting ticket submissions from Basic users. Helpdesk ticketing support is a feature of our Enterprise subscription. You can see whats included in Enterprise here. To support our millions of free (Basic) users, we have invested in providing you easy access to better support resources, like the newly launched Schoology Guide Center. We also recommend visiting the Schoology Help Center where you can access a wealth of information about Schoology as well as engage with our member Community. Not sure if youre a Basic account holder? Instructors: if you see the word Upgrade in the upper left corner of your Schoology account of your account - that means youre Basic! Parents and Students: check with your instructor! Sincerely, Schoology Support Basically "you didn't pay we don't want to help you, go annoy the school. You're Basic LOL" - Schoology "customer service"

Connect Learners and Content via Schoology

Schoology has been essential in our school's mission to be more agile and flexible when thinking about how we schedule and deliver courses to students. It is a major component of our success in meeting our goals.

Pros

Schoology is a turn-key solution for any school, college, university looking to deploy blended/hybrid learning or develop online courses. Schoology allows for increased communication, collaboration, and connectedness among your class, content, and students. It is extremely easy to use, set up, and navigate for both instructors and students. Its integration with both Google and Microsoft365 increase the efficiency of assignment collection and grading than ever possible in a class without a Learning Management System. Schoology also provides a free version of their platform for teachers who may not be within an organization able to fund the full Enterprise version.

Cons

Schoology needs to devote more of its engineers to expanding the platforms LTI integrations and UI to surpass its competitors.