Case Study with Northeast Iowa Community College
Jeni Kohlmeyer, RDA, CDA, EFDA, B.S., Dental Assisting Clinical Coordinator/Faculty, Allied Health
From Server Strain to Cloud Success:
Northeast Iowa Community College's Dental Assisting Program Transformation
In the rolling hills of Peosta, Iowa, Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) has built a long-standing reputation for producing highly skilled dental assistants that are consistently recognized as excellent practitioners after graduation.
NICC’s CODA-accredited Dental Assisting Program has continued to shape the next generation of dental assistants through a blend of faculty expertise and comprehensive curriculum that has consistently led to 100 percent job placements for the past five years.
However, behind the scenes, operating within a college-wide network of multiple on-premises servers was creating persistent strain on NICC’s Dental Assisting Program. Faculty had to work around software incompatibilities, server maintenance was limited to a single IT resource, and only a handful of workstations could access the system.
These constraints were prolonging workflows and shifting focus away from clinical work. NICC sought out a cloud-based solution that would address these constraints and elevate student learning.
The Challenge
Dr. Jeni Kohlmeyer, RDA, CDA, EFDA, B.S., Dental Assisting Clinical Coordinator and Faculty in Allied Health, held discussions with internal stakeholders which brought greater attention to the operational inefficiencies of their former on-premises setup.
The program relied on a separate server that demanded constant upkeep— creating storage limitations, missing software updates, and having a single IT resource responsible for keeping everything running— diverting time and attention from clinical work.
Faculty and students were confined to eight workstations and incompatible software that failed to support their x-ray sensors meant juggling multiple vendors. Jeni recalled that responding to a simple patient inquiry would require her to drop everything and walk across campus to access the system.
The on-premises software and server struggles led to:
- Inflexible software access for faculty
- Limited feedback and evaluation tracking for students
- Incompatible tools requiring them to manage multiple vendors
- Heavy maintenance burden on IT
- Security vulnerabilities and compliance risks
The IT teams also had concerns with an on-premises infrastructure’s security vulnerabilities, which increased the imminency for a cloud-based solution. That is when NICC took the leap forward with Ascend Academic.
The Turning Point: Evaluating Ascend Academic
After evaluating different cloud -based options, NICC selected Ascend Academic to modernize its Dental Assisting Program. Ascend Academic offered the flexibility longed by faculty and students of NICC, the compatibility to eliminate juggling multiple vendors, and a review by their security team confirmed Ascend Academic as the most secure option available.
“We are very pleased with how well our students do when working with Ascend Academic,” shared Jeni. “Its easy layout with tutorials [is] just a click away. Even our less computer savvy faculty praise Ascend’s ease of use.”
Ascend Academic offered:
- Cloud-based access for faculty and students across campus and at home
- Integrated tools for imaging, charting, and patient management
- Secure cloud-based infrastructure to align with the IT team
- Real-time tracking of student progress and competencies
- Built-in evaluation tools for faculty oversight and feedback
- Reduced maintenance burden on IT resources and shift to strategic initiatives
- Simplified vendor management with a single, consolidated platform
The Implementation: Seamless and Supportive
The transition to Ascend Academic was a collaborative effort across departments. While the move from legacy systems came with its challenges, NICC approached the rollout in three focused phases.
“I don’t even really have to look back there anymore,” Jeni noted. “They [Ascend team] did a great job transferring things over.”
“The training was amazing—very thorough and allowed for a lot of time for questions. You just don’t have to worry—if you don’t get something, you look it up or put in a support ticket.”
1. Needs Assessment
- Jeni Kohlmeyer and key stakeholders chose Ascend Academic after evaluating cloud options with IT, Cybersecurity, and Finance.
2. Deployment
- NICC migrated their data and imaging files from previous systems into Ascend Academic. The migration was handled smoothly, with minimal disruption.
3. Training
- Training during the semester break was challenging, but we provided steady support and clear instruction. Integrated tutorials empowered students to learn independently, easing faculty workload.
The Payoff: Accreditation, Efficiency, and Empowered Students
NICC's change to cloud with Ascend Academic has driven measurable impact.
“Evaluations are crazy awesome. They allow me not only to have communication back and forth with the students, [but] it ensures that they're going to do their self-evaluations.”
Jeni Kohlmeyer, RDA, CDA, EFDA, B.S.,Dental Assisting Clinical Coordinator and Faculty in Allied Health
From On-Prem to Empowered: NICC’s Cloud Transformation
NICC’s move to Ascend Academic unlocked major efficiencies and eliminated long-standing limitations.
- No more server maintenance or missed updates—Ascend Academic’s cloud platform stays current automatically and increases clinic time.
- IT resources freed up—no longer reliant on a single person to manage infrastructure.
- Flexible access and storage—files are organized and accessible without local space constraints or limited workstations.
- Simplified vendor management—one secure platform replaces multiple vendor.
Ready to Elevate your Program?
NICC’s journey shows how the right technology can transform not just operations—but outcomes. If you’re ready to modernize your dental or allied health program, Ascend Academic is here to help.
Key Takeaways:
- Go cloud-first to future-proof your programs and reduce IT strain.
- Reduce security issues with cloud architecture.
- Centralize clinical workflows to limit vendor management.
- Choose flexible platforms that adapt to your workflows—not the other way around.
- Elevate student learning with comprehensive evaluation tools.
