Faculty management is probably an overlooked aspect in the digital transition of education. Traditional educators have had to find their way in a maze of learning platform features, all while balancing lesson preparations and class management. Since most students are categorized as digital natives, the response to and usage of a new online medium is easier compared to the sometimes steep learning curve that teachers and faculty have to go through. Automation is great but training users on how to achieve its benefits effectively is the first step towards the virtual shift. Educational institutions also need to track and resolve faculty-related issues in time and this introduces the need for a faculty management system.
Calculated investments in a comprehensive, device-responsive, faculty management software helps institutions automate each step of the faculty lifecycle, right from onboarding, training, workload and project management and performance tracking.
- Faculty Hiring
The demand for teachers and educators has seen an uptick over the last year due to the evolved educational landscape and demand for digital pedagogical skills. HR departments are tasked with selecting candidates and the traditional process of recruitment can cost an institution in time and money. One of the reasons why faculty management software is preferred to perform this task is because it allows for automatic shortlisting of candidates based on set parameters, interviewing scheduling and digital documentation.
- Profiling
From the institution’s perspective, having faculty and admin profiles digitally stored enables easy retrieval and reference. Details related to education, work experience, certifications, compulsory trainings, subject interests can be captured and managed with ease. In addition, payroll information can also be mapped to each faculty member. Payments can be calculated automatically and required adjustments can be made with parallel email communications going out to the members, automating the tedious task of typing and printing out letters for each of them. Faculty management consoles offer a single view of faculty performance and institutions can make interventions at the right time with minimum effort.
- Course Scheduling
Faculty management systems help administrative functions in an institution with tasks like course scheduling and follow-up reports. Admin staff can view schedules of teachers and accordingly create timetables and allot necessary teaching materials. The faculty can then choose to accept or decline based on revisions in their schedule. The course scheduling feature saves time for the faculty and enables better lesson delivery in line with the learning pace of students.
- Trainings and Certifications
Heightened transparency and compliance can be ensured with a good faculty management software in place. All training pertaining to the courses they have to give, including platform training, can be planned and executed in a smooth manner. Documents that have to be generated for supervisory boards of education can be done easily and at any given time period. These features remove the need for manual tracking and chaotic email communications.
- Student Management
With all student data entered on the faculty management system, individual insights on the learning patterns of students is available to the educator and lessons can be given accordingly. Remote learning has resulted in the deprivation of vital skill development like interpersonal skills, and faculty needs to understand and design lessons to substitute such skills - either through academic or related courses. Until schools return to campus, digital education must involve these elements and faculty can better manage outcomes through lesson planning features in the software.
- Streamlined Processes
A predictable and smooth workflow and process lets faculty members dedicate more time for research and teaching. One of the pros of online learning is better time management as travel time to campus is cut down and class schedules are fixed keeping the absorption capacity of students in mind at a given time of the day. If used well, these systems complement effective teaching and limits or completely eliminates the time spent on tasks that are repetitive.
Report generation and other data analytics are also available to the institution and faculty to assess and act on pressing issues. With a variety of software platforms available, educational institutions must gauge requirements and faculty needs. Many solutions have their pros and cons and it’s best to forecast what kind of non-monetary investments will be incurred after the faculty management system is purchased, which is often overlooked when pre-determining ROI. Overall, there is a necessity of having faculty management software since management has also become remote in nature and these systems will ensure better workload management, control, monitoring and implementation actions. Institutions that have such systems in place are better at handling serious grievances and issues from faculty and administrators since a record of all information is stored and timely action can be taken. Using it to its full potential will help faculty derive a pleasant teaching experience with benefits passed on to the students as well.