Choosing faculty reporting software is an important decision for colleges and universities. The right system can make it easier to collect faculty activities, generate reports, maintain faculty information, and support accreditation.
But not every faculty reporting system works the same way.
A useful system should do more than replace a spreadsheet. It should make it easier for faculty to maintain their information while giving administrators reliable information they can use for reporting and other institutional needs.
If you’re new to faculty activity reporting software, start with our guide to faculty activity reporting software.
1. Make Faculty Data Entry Easy
Faculty members are the people who know their own activities best, so they need to be able to enter and update information without an unnecessarily complicated process.
If maintaining faculty activities becomes a burden, information can quickly become incomplete or outdated.
Look for software that makes routine data entry straightforward and allows faculty members to maintain their information throughout the year rather than requiring them to recreate everything when an annual report is due.
The easier the system is to use, the more likely faculty members are to keep their information current.
2. Look for Flexible Activity Categories
Faculty activities can vary considerably between institutions, departments, and academic disciplines.
Teaching, research, publications, presentations, professional development, service, committee work, and advising are just some of the activities an institution may need to track.
A faculty reporting system should be flexible enough to accommodate the activities that matter to your institution.
That flexibility is particularly important when different departments have different reporting requirements. The goal should be to provide a consistent system without forcing every academic discipline into exactly the same structure.
3. Make Sure the Information Can Be Used for Reporting
Collecting faculty activities is only part of the job.
The information needs to be useful after it has been entered.
When evaluating faculty reporting software, consider how easily administrators can turn faculty activity information into reports. Can they retrieve the information they need without manually combining spreadsheets or asking faculty members to submit the same information again?
Good reporting capabilities can make faculty activity information useful for annual reporting, institutional planning, faculty profiles, and other administrative purposes.
4. Consider Accreditation Support
Faculty information can play an important role in accreditation.
Institutions may need to demonstrate faculty qualifications, professional activity, and contributions to their academic programs. Gathering that information can become particularly difficult when it is maintained in separate documents or collected only when an accreditation review approaches.
Faculty reporting software can help by maintaining faculty activities as an ongoing institutional record.
When evaluating a system, consider whether it can organize the information needed for accreditation reporting and make that information easier to retrieve when it is needed.
5. Think About Faculty Profiles and Other Uses
Faculty activity information can be useful for more than internal reports.
Institutions may also want to use faculty information to publish faculty profiles or present information about faculty expertise and accomplishments.
A system that maintains faculty information in one place can make it possible to use that information for multiple purposes rather than collecting it separately for every need.
This is one of the advantages of maintaining faculty activities as an ongoing institutional resource rather than treating reporting as a once-a-year exercise.
6. Look for a System That Fits Your Institution
Finally, consider how well the software fits the way your institution actually works.
Different institutions have different reporting requirements, organizational structures, and expectations for faculty participation.
Ask questions such as:
- Can the system accommodate your reporting categories?
- Can different departments use the system appropriately?
- Can faculty members maintain their own information?
- Can administrators generate the reports they need?
- Can the system adapt as your requirements change?
The best faculty reporting software isn’t necessarily the system with the longest feature list. It is the system that makes faculty activity reporting easier for both faculty members and administrators.
Choosing Faculty Reporting Software
Before evaluating specific products, take some time to understand your current process.
Where is faculty activity information stored?
How often is it updated?
How much time do faculty members spend entering the same information in different places?
How much administrative work is required to prepare reports?
What information is difficult to retrieve when an accreditation review or other reporting requirement arises?
The answers to those questions can help you identify what your institution actually needs from faculty reporting software.
Faculty Atlas is designed around a straightforward approach to faculty activity reporting, with flexibility for different institutional needs. Explore Faculty Atlas features to see how the platform helps institutions collect faculty activities, generate reports, publish faculty profiles, and support accreditation.