Watermark vs. Element451

December 4, 2023 Watermark Insights

Watermark vs. Element451

Choosing the right higher education software is vital for student and institution success. Higher education software provides actionable insights to enhance decision-making and better reach objectives. This process can bolster the student experience and create a more accessible way to find personalized support and resources.

Watermark and Element451 are two prominent platforms in the education technology landscape, and choosing which is right for you can be simple. Although both platforms offer unique capabilities, your needs and goals ultimately determine which software will be most beneficial for your institution. Discover the differences between these two platforms below. 

Comparing Watermark and Element451

Higher education institutions must stand out to attract and retain students. Higher education software can provide a competitive advantage, enhance decision-making, and create a strong foundation for creating and meeting new goals. Identifying your institution's needs and crafting clear objectives can help you determine what type of software you need to increase success. Choosing the right software can:

  • Maximize productivity: Data analytics and reporting capabilities empower institutions to identify pain points in existing initiatives or programs. This information encourages decision-makers to create new, more effective strategies for reaching institutional goals. 
  • Increase student success: Leveraging technology can increase student success in a variety of ways. The right software can empower students to reach out for help, find answers to vital questions, and seek support throughout their time at your institution. Centralized and effective communication can encourage students to determine their capabilities and create opportunities for institutional feedback. 
  • Improve campus experiences: Creating a centralized place for communication can encourage students to reach out to instructors and peers. These opportunities can lead students to form stronger connections and seek new experiences, creating a more worthwhile campus experience. 

The most significant difference between Watermark and Element451 is how and when they target student interactions. Watermark focuses on ensuring student success, while Element451 aims to increase institution admissions. 

Watermark offers a suite of solutions and tools to streamline processes, leverage data, and improve practices to enhance learning and teaching. This platform fosters continuous improvement, encouraging student success and boosting retention. Watermark enables schools to create personalized experiences to ensure the engagement of every student. Additionally, Watermark empowers institutions to engage with at-risk students to get them back on track.

Element451 guides prospective students through the admissions process and allows schools to provide accurate information to students at any time. Element451 has Customer Relationship Management (CRM) functionality. CRM functionality lets institutions store documents, maintain student profiles, and track interactions in one location to facilitate better collaboration and communication across departments. Institutions can use this information to improve the student experience and offer support throughout the academic experience.

Watermark overview

Watermark is a comprehensive platform for boosting student success and creating initiatives to improve retention efforts. Watermark solutions allow higher education institutions to improve, empower, and evolve. Innovative technologies and meaningful assessment practices drive institutional missions and make a difference for everyone on campus. This platform lets higher education institutions:

Watermark overview

  • Manage assessments: Watermark provides a tool to track student performance, design rubrics, and create, analyze, and administer assessments. These processes streamline workflows and provide an effective line of feedback to improve classroom and campus experiences. 
  • Centralize communication: This platform supports communication and collaboration among stakeholders, allowing administrators, students, and educators to engage in discussions and share data or feedback. 
  • Map curriculum: Institutions can use Watermark to map curriculum to learning standards and outcomes. Educators can align course activities, assessments, and objectives to improve engagement and better understand how various components contribute to educational goals. 
  • Access data analytics: Watermark offers robust reporting capabilities and data analytics. Institutions can use dashboards and visualizations to identify trends, track metrics, and make data-driven decisions. You can also use this platform to generate reports for stakeholders.

Element451 overview

Element451 is an AI-powered platform for higher education institutions. This platform enables student communications to originate from one data source to support continuous learning. This tool empowers institutions to answer questions accurately and instantly with 24/7 AI-powered bot capabilities and engage with students at the right time. AI-powered emails and texts let teams shift outreach strategies to boost success and growth. 

This platform is suitable for higher education institutions looking to increase recruitment and admissions efforts. Element451 can simplify the application process and lets students track their status as staff reviews documents. Data analysis features let institutions gain insights into recruitment strategies and optimize enrollment efforts. Element451 offers:

  • Real-time conversion: Marketing highlights new events and programs, and routes leads to admissions. This conversion allows institutions to engage with potential students while the students browse the site. Admissions staff receive alerts for potential outreach opportunities. 
  • Growth maximization: Staff can directly engage with admissions to address questions or concerns a wavering applicant may have. 
  • Rich experiences: Student success teams can use admissions data to create personal experiences during the onboarding process. Institutions can interact with students expressing concerns to ensure a supportive and seamless journey. 

Factors to consider before investing in a software

You must consider several factors before investing in higher education software. Establishing your needs and goals will help you find the best solution for your institution and students. Consider:

  • Retention vs. enrollment: While Element451 focuses on creating a more successful recruiting and admissions process, Watermark aims to boost student retention and engagement. Retention is more profitable than enrollment and creates opportunities for institutions to become more competitive. 
  • Personalization for students: Watermark provides the tools to personalize student coursework to create meaningful experiences. These holistic paths help students remain interested in learning and empower institutions to meet initiatives. 
  • Targeted interventions: Connecting with at-risk students is an excellent way to boost retention and create meaningful campus experiences. Watermark provides various ways to identify at-risk students and engage with them at the right time to get them back on track. 
  • Access abilities: Watermark empowers institutions to engage with students at any time or place. The Watermark mobile app guides students and creates an effective support system. The mobile allows actions, including completing assigned tasks, tracking attendance, communicating with peers, and scheduling appointments.  

Learn about our student success and engagement solutions

At Watermark, people are at the center of everything we do. We empower higher education institutions to improve student outcomes and make data-driven decisions to drive meaningful change. Our innovative solutions empower learners and educators to make connections and guide improvement. Watermark Student Success & Engagement can improve student outcomes and turn data into actionable insights. With us, you can support your students anytime, anywhere. Request a demo of Student Success & Engagement to see our solutions in action. 

Learn about our student success and engagement solutions

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