LA JOLLA, CALIF. – National University, the second-largest private, nonprofit institution of higher education in California and the 12th largest in the United States, has launched the new Facebook Schools App in an effort to provide an online community for its students, the University announced today.
The Schools App offers National University’s students the ability to connect through a private Facebook community designed to help students make friends, form online study groups, and share interests.
The Schools App was customized for National University by Inigral, Inc., with the goals of enhancing the student experience by creating a better connection among the ever-increasing number of students taking online classes at National University.
Many universities use Facebook Pages to communicate with prospective and current students, but typical Facebook pages don’t facilitate community building the way the schools application is designed. A Facebook page is a one-way waterfall of information, whereas the Schools application is a college-focused experience that some students admit “checking more than my regular Facebook account,” according to Brandon Croke, Community Manager for Inigral, Inc., which has worked with more than 65 universities to build community and improve enrollment and retention outcomes.
ABOUT NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
Founded in 1971, National University is the second-largest private, nonprofit institution of higher education in California and the 12th largest in the United States. With 22,000 full-time students and 240,000 alumni, National University is the flagship institution of the National University System. National University is dedicated to making lifelong learning opportunities accessible, challenging, and relevant to a diverse population of students. Four schools and one college – the College of Letters and Sciences; the School of Business and Management; the School of Education; the School of Engineering, Technology and Media; and the School of Health and Human Services – offer 100 graduate and undergraduate degrees and 22 teacher credentials at more than 45 locations throughout California and in Henderson, Nevada. A leader in online education, National University offers more than 70 degree programs via the Internet. National University is headquartered in La Jolla, California. To learn more, visit www.nu.edu.
ABOUT INIGRAL, INC.
Founded in 2007, Inigral, Inc. has worked with more than 65 universities to build community to improve enrollment and retention outcomes. In 2011 Inigral was named one of the top 10 most innovative education companies by Fast Company and received the first ever program related investment from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to explore how social media can improve post-secondary outcomes. To learn more, visit www.inigral.com/.