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Case Study: Zur Institute

Modernizing and migrating a decade+ old Learning Management System.

Remote
Ongoing
Zur Institute: View a Course

Introducing our client Zur Institute, a distinguished online platform dedicated to providing continuing education for mental health professionals worldwide. Renowned for its commitment to innovation, excellence, and lifelong learning, the institute offers an extensive array of online courses, webinars, and resources tailored for psychologists, therapists, social workers, and other professionals in the field.

Client Goal

The Zur Institute recognized the imperative to bring its learning platform in-house to align with its vision of innovation and excellence. The subscription-based outsourced solution no longer supported their goals and with an antiquated interface and user-unfriendly features, the previous system hindered their business expansion plans. Under new leadership, the institute prioritized increasing user engagement to overcome limitations posed by the outdated system. Key objectives included:

1. Creation of a Combined Website, E-Learning Store, and Learning Management System (LMS)

The new integrated learning system would allow for a seamless customer experience, enabling customers to easily complete courses and receive accredited certificates. A significant challenge was the inability to issue discount codes in bulk which was crucial for promotional activities.

2. Streamline Accreditation Process and Certificate Awardees for License Renewal

The Zur Institute, accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA), enables professionals to access valuable educational material while earning credits for license renewal. Thus, it was vital to ensure that the new system facilitates seamless credit accumulation and awarding.

3. Smooth Transition of User, Order, and Course Data from Multiple Sources

With a decade-long reliance on a third-party LMS platform, migrating tens of thousands of user, order, and course data seamlessly became crucial. Hence, the need to clean, normalize, and synchronize the data for a smooth transition for existing customers.

4. Integration of Live Webinars and Immediate Access to Complementary Courses

Seeking to streamline operations and enhance customer experience, Zur Institute pursued an integrated system with webinar integration, benefiting both the operations team and customers.

zur screenshot: quiz

The task at hand

The project involved completely rebuilding and migrating the old LMS system to a new one, aiming to drive customer growth by improving user experience and expanding product offerings. However, challenges arose during data export due to limited access to the old system's database. Migrating WordPress course content and databases into a unified system, while ensuring accurate quiz creation and certificate issuance, was essential. In total, over 50,000 existing users' certificates and courses were transferred. The initiative also aimed to reduce costs by eliminating reliance on a third-party e-learning provider, aligning with Zur Institute's goals of innovation and financial efficiency.

Solution

Uplift's solution seamlessly integrated custom development with strategic integration. Leveraging the Next.js framework for a fully customized frontend and GraphQL for communication with a WordPress backend, they ensured a robust system. WordPress plugins like WooCommerce and LearnDash were utilized for e-commerce and e-learning components, respectively. WordPress was retained as the CMS backbone, with an integrated e-commerce store added for seamless course sales.

The primary languages used are PHP for the backend and React with Typescript for the frontend.
The front-end uses React.
Data is stored in MySQL.
Frameworks used include WordPress and Next.js.
Web servers are hosted on Pantheon and Vercel.
The API uses GraphQL

Solution:

A meticulous process spanning several months was established to clean and normalize diverse datasets for import, resulting in an automated migration script that efficiently handled hundreds of thousands of data points. The transition was carefully staged to minimize disruption, ensuring a smooth transition within a few hours.

Transitioning from a user-based pricing model to a flat monthly fee achieved cost savings, while Uplift's solution significantly reduced manual workload during large-scale webinars. Integration with Zoom enabled immediate access to follow-up courses for attendees, eliminating manual enrollment and credit assignment.

Uplift's engineering expertise was evident throughout the project, from navigating data migration complexities to providing ongoing maintenance and support. Their commitment to excellence ensured a seamless transition, positioning Zur Institute for continued success with enhanced features and functionalities.

Milestones include:

1. Transition to React/GraphQL

This enhanced development efficiency and platform scalability.

2. Reuse existing brand

Create new certificate PDFs matching old ones, based on migrated course and user data.

3. Migrate users from the old system

Enable one-time email invitations for signup/password setup.

4. Testing

Test the UI for cross-browser compatibility. Validate across top browsers and address layout/functionality issues.

5. Migrate content

Develop automated scripts for course registration, quiz completion, and certificate issuance.

zur screenshot: cart

Develop enhanced site search functionality to improve user experience, using Algolia.

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Outcome

Uplift's solution has propelled Zur Institute towards a bright future. With a 20% increase in user base since the platform rewrite, Zur Institute thrives with stable hosting costs and streamlined daily operations. Users now enjoy a seamless experience through a unified login system, while course integration simplifies management. The new system also streamlines discount code management and reduces manual steps in webinar hosting, boosting efficiency. Zur Institute is poised for continued growth and innovation in mental health education.