Sheridan’s mobile onecard in the spotlight again

Over 60 representatives from the postsecondary sector across North America recently joined partnering vendors at Sheridan’s Hazel McCallion Campus to hear more about the launch of Sheridan’s mobile onecard for students, the application of card use data and AI in the campus card office.

The workshop was part of the National Association of Campus Card Users (NACCU) one-day Near You program; a series of face-to-face educational events designed to bring valuable learning opportunities directly to campus identification and transaction system professionals.

In August 2022, Sheridan became the first Canadian college to roll out the TouchNet OneCard Campus ID in Apple Wallet, enabling full-time students to use their iPhone and Apple Watch to access classrooms, labs, make purchases, and more. This service was expanded to Android users ahead of the Fall 2023 term.

The campus card plays a vital role in the higher education experience, providing students, staff, and faculty with access to many campus services, including dining and meal plans, housing and dorm access (currently in process of being provisioned at Sheridan), event tickets, and more. The implementation of mobile credentials and digital IDs means that the identification credential can now meet students where they are in their digital world.

Full-time Sheridan students can conveniently and securely add their Sheridan onecard to their smartphone to complete any action they would previously complete with their physical onecard. Once the onecard is added to a student’s mobile device, it serves as their official student ID and enables students to tap to enter a room or building or tap to pay at locations on and off campus where the onecard is accepted.

Aesha Brown, Sheridan’s Director, Campus Services, presented several key metrics from the mobile version’s introduction at the recent workshop. “We have seen a 72 per cent adoption rate by first-year students. It’s 90 per cent faster to get a mobile onecard than a plastic one. And in our experience, we have been able to eliminate lineups at orientation and start of term; to the point where we don’t even produce plastic cards at orientation.”

Sheridan has also reduced the production of the traditional plastic card by 65 per cent – which Brown says ties in with the institution’s Mission Zero initiative and strategic plan, Sheridan 2027: Forging the Future.

From a budget perspective, Sheridan has also reduced demand for in-person card production.

“In the two years since launch, we have seen over 25 per cent of our onecards being provisioned outside of regular business hours,” said Brown. “Being digital means being able to get your onecard 24/7, no matter where you are in the world.”

Rhonit Handa, a Project Management post-graduate program student, explained that as a peer mentor at Sheridan, the mobile onecard allows him to help other students with their needs, such as locating and accessing specific services.

“Post-COVID, we’ve moved even further into the digital age. With this, we are going forward.”

Sheridan alumna, and now onecard administrative support officer, Sharmeen Taheri (Child and Youth Care ‘21) said the simplicity of the process, combined with the expansive functionality of the mobile onecard, is a critical factor for students today.

“All of the campus services are on the app. If you need help, it’s on the app. If you need to find Financial Aid, it’s on the app. Today’s students have an expectation when they are looking at postsecondary options. They want to see there is a digital option.”

Other presentations on the day included an introduction to using AI in the campus card office by McMaster’s Yarden Segal, card system data uses by Sheridan’s onecard administrator Kevin Halligan and revenue generating opportunities by Trent University’s Patti Kidd.

Sheridan’s mobile onecard initiative earned an Honourable Mention from the Canadian Association of University Business Officers’ (CAUBO) Quality and Productivity Awards Program in early 2023 for Sheridan being the first in Canada to launch a fully-functional mobile student ID program.

NACCU is a North American association dedicated to serving professionals who manage campus identification programs on higher education campuses.