CASE STUDY
Improving Academic Catalog Management at Lethbridge College
Lethbridge Creates Catalog Management Efficiencies with CourseLeaf
At a Glance
Institution Type: Two-Year Public
Enrollment: 3,900 students
SIS Integration: Ellucian Colleague Integration
Challenge: Paper-based catalog management; Manual website updates; Slow approval process; Paper-heavy workflows
CourseLeaf Solutions: CourseLeaf CAT Academic Catalog Software
Building a Better Catalog Process
Founded in 1957 as Canada's first publicly funded community college, Lethbridge College serves more than 6,900 students through over 65 certificate, diploma, apprenticeship, applied degree, and pre-employment programs.
As the institution continued to grow, maintaining its academic catalog through paper-based processes and manually updated documents became increasingly time consuming. The college recognized an opportunity to improve efficiency, strengthen collaboration, and provide a more sustainable approach to catalog management.
Replacing Paper-Based Catalog Management
Before implementing CourseLeaf CAT in 2019, Lethbridge managed its academic catalog through word processing documents that were used to produce a printed catalog and PDF. Staff then manually updated the institution's website using information from the PDF.
According to Alison Grandmont, Associate Registrar, the process required significant manual effort.
"It was a very manual process," recalled Grandmont.
Maintaining multiple document versions also created challenges during the editing process.
According to Dale Gerber, Business Process Analyst, "edits were lost in draft versions."
The college wanted a more efficient process that would improve collaboration while reducing the time required to maintain accurate catalog information.
Finding the Right Solution
As Lethbridge began evaluating online catalog management systems, the project team researched available solutions and consulted with peer institutions.
"When we started to look for an online catalog management system," said Jean Schnarr, Business System Analyst, "we viewed other institutions' websites and did some investigative work into the products available."
Following additional research and conversations with colleagues at a higher education conference, the college selected CourseLeaf CAT.
For Grandmont, the combination of functionality and affordability made the difference.
"CAT provided us the management pieces we wanted at a cost that aligned with the size of our institution."
Improving Workflow and Collaboration
After implementing CourseLeaf CAT, Lethbridge quickly saw improvements in the way catalog content moved through review and approval.
According to Schnarr, the new workflow simplified catalog management across campus.
"CAT cut down on the amount of time required to get information, organize it, and maintain it. The reduction of the amount of paper that we produced to enable the process is immense. CAT's workflows allow information to move quickly through the appropriate approvals."
Grandmont also found the workflow easy to adopt.
"I love the workflow processes. They're very easy to work through. CAT has provided us with the management pieces we wanted at a cost that aligned with the size of our institution."
Faculty and staff also embraced the new process.
According to Schnarr, "The academic program faculty and staff have been very receptive to the product and love the improvements we've been able to establish."
He also noted,
"The ease of use makes adopting CAT simple. The online help is very extensive. If you still require help, the help desk is very responsive."
Seeing Immediate Results
Lethbridge implemented CourseLeaf CAT in 2019 and published its first catalog using the platform for the 2020-21 academic year.
The improvements were noticeable from the first publication cycle.
"We saw an immediate improvement," said Grandmont.
Both Grandmont and Schnarr have since recommended CourseLeaf to colleagues based on their experience.
Supporting Continuous Improvement
Today, Lethbridge manages its academic catalog through connected workflows that improve collaboration, reduce manual effort, and make it easier to maintain accurate academic information.
By replacing paper-based catalog management with a structured digital process, the college created a more efficient foundation for supporting faculty, staff, and students while reducing the administrative burden of catalog publishing.