The AlertTraveler® App Activation material provides travelers with a streamlined activation experience by allowing applicants to activate via a material directly within their application.
As an added bonus, the app activation material allows admins to track app-activation compliance via Study Abroad's Progress Audit feature.
This article covers the following topics:
- Access and Permissions
- Understanding the App Activation Material
- Enabling the App Activation Material
- Editing App Activation Material Content
- Suggested Material Content
- Deploying the App Activation Material
- Traveler's Perspective
- FAQ
- Troubleshooting
Access and Permissions
The settings for the App Activation Material are accessed via the following navigation path: AlertTraveler> Settings>Admin>App Activation Material.
In order to enable and edit the App Activation Material, the admin must be in the following permission group:
- AlertTraveler
Note: This group should have the AlertTraveler: Settings permission.
Understanding the App Activation Material
AlertTraveler admins on Study Abroad sites can elect to enable the App Activation Material feature. By default, the feature will be disabled. Enabling this feature creates a material that will be deployed to applicants once they are eligible for AlertTraveler®. The material appears in the Post-Decision phase of the application and is created with the following default language:
Default language shown in image: Your institution is providing the AlertTraveler® system to help keep you safe while traveling. AlertTraveler® is designed to keep you informed of critical events that may impact you while abroad and will allow your institution to better assist you in the event of an emergency. Click the link below to download and activate the AlertTraveler® app.
If the traveler clicks on the "Click here to activate AlertTraveler" link within the material from their desktop, they will be taken to the following screen:
From this screen, the traveler should download the app onto their mobile device, and follow the system prompts to login/activate the app.
Note: The app activation process is simpler if the traveler accesses the app activation material from their application in the same mobile device that has the downloaded app. For more information on this see this article's Traveler's Perspective section.
Once the Traveler has followed the App Activation Material's prompts and has downloaded and logged into the app, the App Activation Material should automatically check off as received within their application:
The traveler can only complete this material by activating the AlertTraveler® app. However, the administrator can mark the material as received if necessary (for example, if the traveler activated prior to the material being enabled and deployed).
To track app activation compliance for a current or future app cycle, admins can use the Progress Audit feature to quickly determine which travelers have downloaded and activated the app. A traveler's activation status can also be determined by visiting the AlertTraveler®: License Manager.
Enabling the App Activation Material
To enable the App Activation Material, navigate to AlertTraveler> Settings>Admin>App Activation Material and select the radio button next to Enabled:
Taking this action will generate a material for every program type that supports itineraries for which your site has an existing program, regardless of the program's active status, or your AlertTraveler® eligibility configurations. For example, on this site shown in the screenshot above and below, I have created programs for Outgoing, Incoming, Travel Registration, and Risk Management program types, so enabling the material has created a material for each type:
Don't worry if some of these programs are not eligible for AlertTraveler; only eligible applicants will receive the material in their application.
The following program types do not support itineraries, so a material will not be generated for them:
- Program Enrollment
- Incident Report
- Scholarship
- Advising
Important Note: The names of these materials should not be edited anywhere within the software.
Optional vs Required
After enabling your material, determine whether the material should be optional or required. By default, the tick box will be checked as Optional and will display as blue:
If the material is marked as optional, the applicant will not be required to complete the material or activate the app. The material will factor into the complete flag and the traveler will not receiver reminder emails regarding the material.
If the Optional tick box is unchecked, the traveler will be required to complete the material, they will receive reminders, and the requirement will count towards the progress wheel that displays at the top of the application in the applicant view. The material will not be present in the admin view of the application, but will appear to the applicant in their view of the application in the section entitled Additional Services. For compliance purposes, best practice is to uncheck the material, making the material required:
Once you have enabled the material and set the optional/required status, if you do not wish to edit the material's content, scroll down and save your changes at the bottom on the Admin tab:
Editing App Activation Material Content
Clicking the caret next to the name of the material in AlertTraveler>Settings>Admin>App Activation Material expands the content editor drop down:
Each material will be generated with default content, however, you can edit the content to make it better apply to the travelers from your institution (see Suggested Material Content). The content should only be edited on this tab within the AlertTraveler settings menu, not within Content Management or Process>Materials.
The default content is as follows:
Your institution is providing the AlertTraveler® system to help keep you safe while traveling. AlertTraveler® is designed to keep you informed of critical events that may impact you while abroad and will allow your institution to better assist you in the event of an emergency. Click the link below to download and activate the AlertTraveler® app.
Once you save your settings at the bottom of the page, a link entitled "Click here to activate AlertTraveler" will be automatically generated and added to the material's content.
Important Note: AlertTraveler® App Activation Materials are system-generated and designed to work cooperatively with AlertTraveler® Eligibility functionality. For this reason, they behave a little differently than other materials found in Content Management. To avoid disruption, the content of these materials should only be edited from the following location: AlertTraveler > Settings >Admin >App Activation Material. The associated deployment rules should not be edited.
Suggested Material Content
While the default material content is sufficient, the content editor provides an opportunity for admins to provide travelers with additional information that could be helpful to them as they move through the app activation process. Below you will find some language that other institutions have found success with:
[Institution Name] provides the AlertTraveler® system to help keep you safe while traveling. AlertTraveler® is designed to keep you informed of critical events that may impact you while abroad and will allow [Institution Name] to better assist you in the event of an emergency.
Please watch this video to learn how to download and activate the AlertTraveler® app: Downloading and Activating AlertTraveler®
Or follow these written instructions:
1. Install AlertTraveler:
Installing AlertTraveler (iOS devices)
Search the Apple App Store for AlertTraveler® by name. Once you find the app, download and install it on your iOS device.
Installing AlertTraveler (Android devices)
Search the Google Play store for AlertTraveler® by name. Once you find the app, install it on your Android device.
2. Access your [Institution Name] application from your mobile device.
Use your mobile device's web browser to access your [Institution Name] application. From your application, look for this material, entitled "AlertTraveler [Program Type] Material."
Open the material and click the link at the bottom of the material screen that says "Click here to activate AlertTraveler"
3. Activate the AlertTraveler App®
When prompted, enter your mobile number in the required field, then click "SAVE & LOGIN TO ALERTTRAVELER"
Important Note: AlertTraveler® App Activation Materials are system-generated and designed to work cooperatively with AlertTraveler® Eligibility functionality. For this reason, they behave a little differently than other materials found in Content Management. To avoid disruption, the content of these materials should only be edited from the following location: AlertTraveler > Settings >Admin >App Activation Material. The associated deployment rules should not be edited.
Deploying the App Activation Material
Once you have enabled the App Activation Material and saved your edits under AlertTraveler> Settings>Admin>App Activation Material, the system will automatically create a deployment rule for each material:
Important Note: The AlertTraveler® material deployment rules should not be edited. The rule condition criteria is auto-created based on the settings found under AlertTraveler> Settings>Admin>Eligibility. Additionally, the App Activation Material should not be deployed by any rule other than the rules generated by the system; it is not recommended to create your own rule to deploy the material, or to add the materials to any existing rule.
If you are using process maps, the materials will be automatically mapped to your applications in accordance with AlertTraveler> Settings>Admin>Eligibility.
Traveler's Perspective
Once the applicant is eligible for AlertTraveler®, if the App Activation material is enabled, the material will appear in their application within 1 hour:
Clicking on this material will provide them with your material content as well as a link that states "Click here to Activate AlertTraveler"
Clicking the link will take the applicant to the activation modal. The traveler will have a slightly different experience depending on if they are accessing their application and the material from their mobile device, or their web browser:
Mobile Device (Preferred):
From this panel, the applicant should take the following steps:
- Download the app onto their mobile device.
- Enter their phone number into the provided field.
- Opt-in to SMS text messaging.
- Select LOGIN TO ALERTTRAVELER. Clicking this button will automatically log the traveler into the app (if they have already downloaded it). If the traveler has already activated the app, they should select ALREADY ACTIVATED.
To see a video of this process, click here: Downloading and Activating AlertTraveler® (Video)
Web Browser:
From this panel, the traveler should:
- Download the app onto their mobile device.
- Enter their phone number into the provided field.
- Opt-in to SMS text messaging.
- Select NEW TO ALERTTRAVELER. Clicking this button will provide the user with a confirmation message that states, We have sent you an email with your login credentials and a link to auto-login to AlertTraveler:
- The traveler will then be emailed their app login credentials, along with a link to auto-login to the app. Note: The link to auto-login to the app will only log the user in automatically if the applicant is accessing the email from the same mobile device that has the app downloaded on it.
- If the traveler has already activated the app, they should select ALREADY ACTIVATED.
FAQ
Q: Is the App Activation Material Available on Travel Registry sites?
A: No, the App Activation material is not available of Travel Registry sites. However, Travel Registrants can easily activate AlertTraveler via the AlertTraveler panel in their Travel Registry profile:Q: Can the App Activation Material only be used for app cycles using Deployments rules?
A: The App Activation Material can be used with Deployments rules and Process Maps.
Q: Can several program types share the same App Activation Material?
A: No, each program type should have it's own material that is autogenerated by the system.
Q: What is the difference between activating the app and logging in?
A: App activation is defined as the first time a user logs in to the AlertTraveler app.
Q: When will the material appear in the application?
A: The material will appear in the application within 1 hour of the applicant becoming eligible for AlertTraveler. If you need the material to appear immediately and you are using deployment rules, try refreshing the application's rules.
Q: If a traveler has multiple applications that are eligible for AlertTraveler, how will this impact the material being checked off as received?A: Each time the traveler logs into the AlertTraveler app, the system should check to see if they have a material that needs to be checked off. This means that if the traveler activated via a material in a previous application, they can go through the material's process again, selecting "ALREADY ACTIVATED?" or log out of the app and log in again.
Troubleshooting
-
The app activation material is not appearing in the application, or it is appearing in some applications but not others.
- The cause of this is typically the applicant's eligibility. Check that they meet the [eligibility requirements]. Once they are eligible, the material should appear in their application within 1 hour. If it does not, try refreshing the application's rules.
-
The materials have no name, or the name displays as Untitled
- This is an indication that the material has been edited from the wrong location. The material's content should only be edited from AlertTraveler>Settings>Admin>App Activation Material. To fix this, you will need to open a case with Terra Dotta Support.
-
My applicant's have multiple app activation materials in their application.
- This is typically occurs when a material has been deployed by an additional rule, other than the system generated AlertTraveler [Program Type] material rules. You will want to audit your rules to ensure no rules, other than the system generated rules, are deploying the app activation materials.
- Another cause for this could be if the material is disabled, and re-enabled after the applicant activated via the old material. If this is the case, the admin can manually mark the new material as received.
-
The app activation material is not checking itself off after activation.
- The applicant should try to open their study abroad application from the same mobile/cellular device that has the app downloaded on it. From their application, they should access the app activation material and select "LOGIN TO ALERTTRAVELER" or "ALREADY ACTIVATED?": If taking this action does not mark off the material, and the admin has confirmed the traveler has an activated status in the License Manager, the admin can manually mark the material as received in the application by hovering to the left of the material:
-
The applicant has the material earlier than expected.
- The applicant will receive the material as soon as they are eligible for AlertTraveler® and are in the post-decision phase. This means that, if the Traveler is eligible from a past program, or their "AlertTraveler Eligible" parameter is manually set to "Yes" by an admin, the applicant will receive the material as soon as they reach the post-decision phase in their current application.
-
The user is not receiving the AlertTraveler® login credentials email.
- Email deliverability is an issue that should be escalated to our Support Team. However, as an immediate solution, the applicant should:
- Check their spam folder
- Add alerts@alerttraveler.com to their email contacts and request their passcode again.
- Access their application and the App Activation Material from the same mobile device that has the app downloaded on it. This action automatically logs the applicant in, without the need to access their email.
- Another option would be for the applicant to access their AlertTraveler® passcode from the AlertTraveler tab in their applicant home:
This tab will appear in the applicant home page (not to be confused with the application) whenever an applicant's "AlertTraveler Eligible" profile parameter is set to "yes"
Note: The tab will appear as a panel if the Applicant Experience is not turned on:
- Email deliverability is an issue that should be escalated to our Support Team. However, as an immediate solution, the applicant should:
-
A user who has already activated receives the following error message when they click "ALREADY ACTIVATED?":
- The user should try logging out of the app and then logging in again. They should then try to click "ALREADY ACTIVATED?" again in the material. If this does not work, they should try deleting the app, redownloading the app, and then log in again. They should then try to click "ALREADY ACTIVATED?" again in the material.