Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences creates custom enrollment experiences with Jotform Enterprise

Hogeschool van Amsterdam (Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences) provides technical training, educational programs, and access to many research opportunities. Using Jotform Enterprise, the institution has created custom experiences to welcome, admit, and manage students of its various programs and position itself as a school of tomorrow.

Program manager and team lead Denicio Hilman uses Jotform Enterprise across the university’s digital channels to help staff accomplish critical tasks associated with the classes they offer and teach.

“Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences is dedicated to preparing professionals who are ready for tomorrow. Our goal is to be an institution of knowledge, for society and the future of Amsterdam,” says Hilman.

Before using Jotform Enterprise, Hilman and his team used a form tool embedded within the university’s content management system (CMS). Unfortunately, it was cumbersome and had limited features, causing frustration among the university’s content editors.

Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences also struggled with user experience problems that impacted data quality. Visitors frequently received error messages when filling out enrollment forms online, resulting in multiple submission attempts and a subscription list riddled with duplicate entries. It was time for a change.

Meeting the needs of staff, students, and security

Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences had several considerations for improving its system. Staff wanted a form builder that was easy to use and flexible enough to accommodate the university’s wide variety of programs.

They also needed a solution that complied with the European Union’s privacy standards, including the General Data Protection Regulation. Webmaster Renee Hol and an IT security team led the search for possible solutions.

“When we implement new applications, we do an information, security, and privacy workshop,” says Hol. The team needed to confirm that Jotform Enterprise complied with standards for the European Union (EU) and the Netherlands, including storing data locally on a dedicated server (local data residency).

When we implement new applications, we do an information, security, and privacy workshop. The team needed to confirm that Jotform Enterprise complied with standards for the European Union (EU) and the Netherlands, including storing data locally on a dedicated server (local data residency). The rules are always changing, so security and privacy are a priority. Jotform Enterprise was able to meet all of our needs.

Renee Hol, Webmaster, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences

Additionally, Hol notes, “As a webmaster, it’s my job to learn all the tools our content managers use and make sure that those tools do what they are supposed to do and are working for our staff.

We compared a few different tools, and Jotform Enterprise came out on top. It was a pretty quick decision.

Renee Hol, Webmaster, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences

Working as a team with Jotform Enterprise

One of the key features of Jotform Enterprise is its multiuser structure, which makes it easy to customize access and share forms and data.

Hol designed a custom template with a basic enrollment form and shared it with staff, so they could quickly create their own branded forms by swapping out fields, widgets, and other elements to suit their needs.

“The feedback from our users has been very positive,” says Hol. “They say it’s incredibly easy to use and works very intuitively.

Hilman agrees.

From a user perspective, it’s pretty easy to use and start Jotform Enterprise from scratch. Even people without a lot of technical background can quickly leverage the templates and forms.

Denicio Hilman, Program manager and team lead, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences

While the no-code drag-and-drop experience allows users from Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences to use the shared, pre-built templates to create their own forms quickly, some opt to dig into the customization options to add links, videos, and images to their forms, thank you pages, and confirmation emails, for a more engaging experience.

They’re also adding integrations and creating conditional logic to automate complex enrollment processes that save time and ensure a seamless registration process.

“They ask me about same-day workshops where enrollees can choose from various class options where enrollment is subject to limited availability,” says Hol.

We couldn’t create these custom options before, but we were able to figure it out with the widgets available through Jotform Enterprise. We’ve been able to do everything we need to do.

Renee Hol, Webmaster, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences

Additionally, high on the wish list of the staff at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences is collecting registration payments online by embedding a payment collection widget directly into a form. The Jotform Enterprise integration with preferred Amsterdam-based online payments processor Mollie will hopefully soon enable staff to collect payments, issue tickets, and confirm event registration in one seamless experience.

Dedicated support from Jotform Enterprise

Behind the scenes, Hol and other team members are working with their Jotform Enterprise dedicated support team to incorporate a new visual identity and brand for the university’s forms and templates. Naturally, they’re very excited to include these new elements in their user experience.

We’ve reached out to our dedicated support team to ask about a number of customization options and the response times are very fast. Everything we’ve tried to do is working.

Renee Hol, Webmaster, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences

A proven model leads to greater adoption

The team using Jotform Enterprise at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences is growing as more and more staff members experience the platform. One subgroup of colleagues designs templates and prepares fillable forms. Another larger group uses those templates and forms to invite students, colleagues, and coworkers to events and manage form submission data.

“We see a trend of staff adopting Jotform Enterprise,” says Hilman. “More and more staff are using the templates and forms for their classes and events, and we’re looking forward to using Jotform Enterprise more extensively.”

Creating the future of education with Jotform Enterprise

As Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences continues to evolve its brand and programs, the team sees more possibilities for maximizing their use of the Jotform Enterprise platform.

“We’ve learned in the past two years that it’s possible, and sometimes more practical, to host events online,” says Hilman. He expects this trend to continue, with the university offering a mix of hybrid programs, in-person events, and fully remote opportunities.

We have seen how the templates and forms are a more cost-effective way to accomplish our goals. It’s been very easy to get on board. At the same time, there are a lot of opportunities on the back end for us to explore.

Denicio Hilman, Program manager and team lead, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences

Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences is just beginning its journey with Jotform Enterprise. When the team has completed their rebranding and visual identity project, we look forward to hearing more from them as they explore additional ways to collaborate and reach their goals with Jotform Enterprise using Jotform Tables, Approvals, Apps, and more.