DIGITAL MEASURES ActivityInsight™ SYSTEM FOR FACULTY

Digital Measures’ ActivityInsight™ system is a secure and reliable web-based tool for faculty to collect, manage and report their teaching, research, and service activities, along with their accomplishments and professional activities.  At a minimum, tenured and tenure eligible faculty at the College will have access to the system.  In some schools, access will also be established for additional faculty groups and staff.

The database structure allows these data to be arranged in output documents, including but not limited to, a vita, presenter biography, a department roster, or reports required by accrediting bodies.  Many W&M faculty are actively involved in engaging students in a variety of exciting and meaningful ways. It is becoming increasingly important for faculty to document this good work so that it can be appropriately acknowledged in annual activity reports, tenure and promotion documents, and external reports to our various constituencies and accrediting bodies. DMS allows for this collection of faculty activities and allows administrators to view summary reports across department, school or college rather than collating information that comes in separately from faculty

WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES?

1. 24/7 Access: Faculty can review or enter new data into the database from any computer with an internet connection; eliminate last minute stress of compiling data for annual reports, accreditation, etc.; if activities and accomplishments are recorded regularly throughout the year, reports are just a click away.
2. Save Time:  Enter data only once, use it to generate different kinds of personal reports/documents (e.g. an annual Faculty Activity Report; a curriculum vita; tenure and promotion documents); several areas allow for data imports from Banner
3. Reduce Status Updates:  Instead of continually querying faculty for information about their activities, the unit head or dean can use the database to gather the information quickly and generate reports for accreditation bodies, faculty awards received, assessment, program reviews, nominations, etc.:
4. No Disappearing Records: Records do not disappear when personnel changes occur.

The School of Business and the School of Education entered five years of significant activities from faculty CVs in 2010-2011.  Business and Education relied on DMS reporting to respond to requirements of AACSB and NCATE, respectively, in the areas of teaching, research, and service. Education continues to enter older CV data for full-time instructional faculty with completion expected in March 2012, expanding the use of DMS reporting for the annual merit process.  In summer 2011, the Law School began entering law faculty CV data to the system.  By summer 2012, all full-time law professors and professor of practice will be able to pull their complete and most current CV from Digital Measures.  This system will enable faculty leaders, program coordinators, those in charge of accreditation within Law School departments, and key administrators to produce a number of different reports regarding faculty teaching, scholarship or service, as well as generating CVs in various formats, thus minimizing faculty or administrator responsibility to prepare separate documents.  VIMS’ efforts to enter faculty CV data into DMS are underway.  Arts & Sciences established a pilot across several departments and continues to evaluate the best approach to DMS implementation.

More information about Digital Measures and their ActivityInsight™ Faculty product can be found at Digital Measures Activity Insight Faculty Overview.  There is also a training video (can also be accessed from the Manage Your Data screen within the system).