Case Study with Madison Area Technical College
Barbara DeBoer BS, RDH, Faculy, Dental Hygiene, School of Health Sciences and Leslie Schleusner, RDH, Laboratory Coordinator, School of Health Education
Protecting What Matters:
How Madison Area Technical College Transitioned to Secure, Cloud-Based Dental Education
In Madison, Wisconsin, Madison Area Technical College’s (MATC) Dental Hygiene Program has long focused on preparing students for real-world care, balancing clinical precision, patient experience, and academic excellence. But as technology expectations evolved, so did the stakes behind the scenes.
The program faced a shift that many institutions are navigating today: moving away from on premise systems in favor of cloud-based platforms that could better protect sensitive data and support modern workflows.
For MATC, this wasn’t just a technical decision. It meant ensuring that security improvements wouldn’t disrupt clinical education, student learning, or daily operations in a busy dental clinic environment.
After evaluating options and consulting with peer institutions, the program made the move to Ascend Academic, establishing a more secure, centralized foundation for both clinical care and student success.
The Situation
MATC’s Dental Hygiene Program was directed to move to a cloud-based dental software platform. This shift was driven by a need to strengthen data security and move away from on-premise systems that did not offer the same level of protection as a hosted solution.
The program needed a platform that could meet these security requirements while continuing to support clinical education, student learning, and patient care.
Faculty also sought a system that was accessible, reliable, and capable of supporting both educational and operational workflows.
The Breaking Point
The move away from on-premises software introduced several challenges:
- Existing systems did not meet updated data security expectations
- On-premise infrastructure lacked the flexibility of cloud-based access
- A transition to a new system required alignment between faculty, IT, and clinical operations
- Ensuring continuity of clinical education during a technology change was critical
- The program needed a solution that would not only meet security standards but also support teaching, learning, and patient management without disruption.
The Turning Point
After evaluating options and consulting with peer institution, MATC selected Ascend Academic. The decision was influenced by recommendations from other college and validation from internal IT stakeholders, who confirmed the platform could meet both technical and security requirements.
Ascend Academic provided a cloud-based platform that centralized clinical and academic workflows while addressing the institution’s need for stronger data protection.
Implementation with Ascend Academic
The implementation process involved close collaboration between MATC’s IT team, program leadership, and Ascend’s support team.
Training required an adjustment period as faculty transitioned to a new system and workflows. Over time, the experience improved significantly as faculty developed structured approaches to training and support increased post‑implementation.
The program established a collaborative model, with lead faculty and lab coordinators teaching different aspects of the system. Students were able to pick up the platform quickly, and the flexibility in workflows supported different learning styles.
1. Needs Assessment
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Madison Area Technical College partnered with IT, faculty, and clinical leadership to identify a secure, cloud-based solution that could support clinical education and patient management workflows.
2. Deployment
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Ascend Academic facilitated data migration, imaging integration, and system configuration to support a seamless transition to a cloud-based environment.
3. Training
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Faculty and staff developed a structured training approach that helped students quickly adopt new workflows and clinical processes within Ascend Academic.
The Payoff: Greater Access, Student Independence, and Operational Efficiency
Since implementing Ascend Academic, MATC has seen improvements in both operational efficiency and the student experience
Partnering with Ascend Academic Team on Continuous Improvement
MATC values Ascend Academic’s ongoing commitment to product development and customer collaboration. Faculty highlighted the quality of ongoing support and responsiveness from the Ascend team:
Together, Madison Area Technical College and Ascend Academic continue to refine workflows that support both clinical operations and student learning.
“The experience has been good regarding sharing feature enhancement feedback with Ascend.” – Barbara DeBoer
🔍 Accreditation Prep Simplified
Detailed tracking and automated reports make it faster and easier to prepare for CODA accreditation.
Ascend Academic supports compliance with CODA standards by enabling:
- Competency tracking
- Patient classification documentation
- Self-evaluation tools
- Real-time dashboards
- Comprehensive reporting
Key Takeaways for Other Institutions
For colleges looking to move towards efficient paperless operations, Madison Area Technical College‘s journey offers key insights.
Key Takeaways:
- Cloud-based platforms support stronger data security and IT compliance
- Centralizing workflows improves both clinical operations and student experience
- Accessible systems enable students to take greater ownership of patient care
- Strong vendor support is critical for long-term adoption and success
- Modern platforms help align student training with real-world practice environments
Hear from Barbara DeBoer about her journey with Ascend Academic
“As the second year Faculty Lead, I would highly recommend Ascend to other colleges. We train over 75-80 students each year and graduate anywhere from 35-40 students each year. We feel our students are very well prepared for private practice and our students share the same support for the software experience.”
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