Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/139946
Details in the N E I L OVE RY/G ETTY I MAG ES BY TRICIA BISOUX Selecting a software system to meet your school's data management needs can be a complex process. Read on for advice on how to choose and implement the best platform for your faculty and staff. A ll-in-one or a la carte? In the cloud or locally hosted? Purchased offthe-shelf or designed in-house? So many questions are involved in choosing the right system to support two areas of utmost importance to the business school: faculty contributions and the assessment and assurance of learning. Putting the right system in place can be a high-stakes affair, especially when faculty development, promotion and tenure, student learning, and even accreditation hang in the balance. The functions of different commercial platforms (often called "software as a service" systems, or SaaS) often overlap. That means that making the right choice can be as much about comfort level as it is about functionality, says Peter Ewell, vice president of the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems in Boulder, Colorado. "These are commercial products, so of course companies will claim a lot. You need to test drive a system with your own data to see if it can do what you need it to do," says Ewell. "What's most important is how comfortable you feel with the interface and whether it's compatible with how you work." However, choosing a software platform isn't even a school's most critical decision in this process. It's more important for schools to first identify the problems they face and decide what their larger goals are, says Geoff Irvine, CEO of Chalk & Wire of Ridgeway, Ontario, in Canada. "Don't rush to buy a tool based on a huge shopping list of items," Irvine advises. "Instead, consider how you want people to feel and act differently a year, three years, or five years from now." But how can schools make sure that a system will add value to their programs over the long term? Voices from around the industry advise schools to think of their choice and implementation of a system of data management as a three-part process. First, establish the school's objectives and the faculty and staff's desired workflow. Second, promote a culture that sees the ultimate value of the system, through ongoing communication. Finally, design and implement the system, working out the kinks over time with the support and ongoing contributions of faculty. BizEd July/August 2013 35