Tech Updates
Streamlining the way students access their books and make payments at the Campus Store and Dining Hall came to the forefront this summer with tech updates.
Most notably, Belen Jesuit partnered with TextbookHub to provide a simpler and innovative way of deploying and accessing student textbooks. The company worked directly with Blackbaud to quickly create a process of integrating their platform with onCampus. Additionally, teachers received hands on training by the company’s Chief Operating Officer, Javier Jurado.
“It was important for me to train the teachers in person so that they have a true sense of how to use the platform, and also how to understand and use the analytics that it provides,” said Jurado. “For example, teachers will not only be able to see how much time a student is utilizing his books, but more specifically, how much time is being dedicated to each page. This data is valuable because it will help teachers adjust their lesson plans if they notice that the class as a whole is spending too much time in a specific area.”
Students will be able to view their books using the TextbookHub iOS app. All books, with the exception of workbooks, will be in a digital format. The platform is device agnostic (works on any device), fully downloadable and offers 24-7 customer service.
“I am so excited to work with Javier Jurado and Textbook Hub,” said Director of Technology Carol Vila. “They accomplished an integration with Blackbaud’s onCampus in record time, which will only get better with Belen Jesuit’s input. What I thought was a dream became a reality in a matter of months.”
The Campus Store and Dining Hall also received a tech upgrade. The Dining Hall point of sale system is integrated with MySchoolBucks, which provides a quick and easy way to add money to a student’s meal account using a credit/debit card or electronic check. This service allows parents to deposit money directly into their son’s school meal account and view balance/purchase information for the past ninety days. Parents can also view recent purchases, check balances, and set-up low balance alerts. Gone are the days of using the student ID to make purchases in the Campus Store. Now, anyone who wants to purchase the latest Belen gear can do so using cash, credit card, Apple Pay, Android Pay or check. Coming soon is the revamped Online Campus Store which will include more inventory for the Belen community to enjoy.
BELEN JESUIT PREPARATORY SCHOOL
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: webmaster@belenjesuit.org
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: webmaster@belenjesuit.org
Belen Jesuit Preparatory School was founded in 1854 in Havana, Cuba by Queen Isabel II of Spain. The task of educating students was assigned to the priests and brothers of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), whose teaching tradition is synonymous with academic excellence and spiritual discipline. In 1961, the new political regime of Cuba confiscated the School property and expelled the Jesuit faculty. The School was re-established in Miami the same year, and over the next decade, continued to grow. Today, Belen Jesuit sits on a 30-acre site in western Dade County, only minutes away from downtown Miami.