First Online Registration Release

First Online Registration Release

6/22/2021

 

For a few years we’ve planned to update the Online Registration module.  We offer some functionality today, but our goal is to invest and improve our offering.  Once upgraded, we’ll charge a subscription fee for it (we don’t today).  Here are a few articles we’ve written on the topic:

 

https://www.teacherease.com/app/news/article/2021-22-Annual-Renewals-and-Future-Development-Plans-202103017

https://www.teacherease.com/app/news/article/Announcement-Online-Registration 

 

After delivering a Financial module last summer and working to support COVID this past year (check-in, attendance changes, support for Google Classroom, etc), we’ve finally been able to dedicate development resources to Online Registration.  We are about to push the first release of the new module, just in time for registration season.  We expect it to go live Wednesday night (6/23) with a few updates:

  • Easier to set up and configure

  • Improved visual layout when parents enter registration data

  • Parents can partially complete forms and continue later

  • Autosave as parents enter data

  • Better UI for admins to view and accept changes

 

As part of the release, we’ll migrate customers’ existing online registration data.  Everyone’s configuration should work in the new software without modification.  There are a few customers who’ve already started Online Registration, and their process should continue without interruption.  While we spent considerable effort doing QA, we would encourage customers to preview their own forms/process.  You’ll likely want to become familiar with the new layout, and may find opportunities for small optimizations.

 

This is just the first release, and the work was mostly foundational.  We basically rewrote a significant portion of Online Registration with updated technology (one that will allow us to add great new features).  We still have lots of work to do, and plan follow up releases.

 

Most of our customers do Online Registration in July, and we wanted to get this release out in support of those efforts.  We probably won’t do another big “new feature” release this summer, once most of our customers are actively using the software.  We will fix bugs as they are discovered, as usual.

In the future, we’ll add more features.  Here’s a short and incomplete list:

  • Document Upload

  • Mobile Support

  • Better Integration with Fees

  • Address verification to check whether families live within district borders

  • Logic to make forms adaptive in response to parent input

  • Add ability to update contact information on the parent portal

 

Since there’s still much to do, we’re not charging for Online Registration in the 2021-22 academic year.  We plan for it to be complete next academic year.  We hope you like the new functionality, and that it makes your registration season better.

 


The Common Goal Team