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Create or Edit a Template to Use as a Starting Point for Cases

This article provides information on how to create and edit a template for new cases in Interfolio Review Promotion & Tenure (RPT). Templates provide a basic starting point for an RPT case. Colleges, schools, and departments can use templates to save time when creating cases and to establish a repeatable process as they conduct their reviews in Interfolio. Unit Administrators and Template Administrators can create a template filled out with instructions, forms, document requirements, and case review steps that can be automatically be included as a part of every cases built using the template. Templates can be attached to any organizational unit and can be used for cases created by that unit, or by lower administrative units. Templates can be created for any case type including, promotions, tenure reviews, annual reviews, appointments, reappointments, or sabbatical cases.

Administrators at institutions who subscribe to Dossier can also choose to publish the instructions and requirements for a template as Guidelines to help users at their institution prepare for upcoming reviews.

 

Create a Template

  1. Click Templates under Review, Promotion & Tenure (RPT) on the navigation menu.
    Review, Promotion & Tenure section with Templates selected
  2. Click Add Template. 
  3. Enter the Title, Description, and Unit for the template.
  4. Click Continue when finished. 

    A template can be added to any organizational unit such as a university, school, college, or department, and that template will be available as a starting point for cases created within that organizational unit or by units beneath it in the hierarchy.

     

1. The Template Information Section

  1.  Select the case Type of the template being created.
  2. Click Add Case Data Form under the Case Data Forms section to add a case data form to the template

    Candidates will never see the questions or answers of a case data form. This is a required form to be completed about a candidate or case.

     
  3. Click Save when finished.
  4. Click Save & Continue to continue to the Candidate Requirement page.

Case Data Forms must be created by a Unit Administrator from the Administration page, and can be filled out by a Unit Administrator or Case Manager when creating a case.

 
 

2. The Candidate Requirements Section

Here users can change the candidate packet settings, including the deadline type and candidate section settings to allow or disallow candidates to submit packets after the deadline. Users can also add specific instructions to the candidate about assembling their packet and any other procedures, policies, or deadlines at the institution. Links can be included to required forms and online resources such as instructions or handbooks outlining policies. 

 

Note that when building a case from the template, users can edit some settings here if they need to make specific changes.

 
Section Details
Candidate Packet Section Settings

Click Edit Packet Settings under the Candidate Packet Settings section. Set candidate packet settings:

  • Packet Deadline Type: The deadline type is set by a Unit Administrator as a setting on the Administration page and applies to all cases across the institution. A deadline type can be selected on the template level and applied to all cases that use the template.
    • Soft Deadline: Candidates can submit packets after the deadline.
    • Hard deadline: The selected roles will be notified of automatic packet submissions after the deadline has passed.
  • Candidate Packet Section Settings: Allow candidates to add their own sections to their packet. 
Candidate Instructions Add instructions to the candidate about assembling their packet, procedures, policies, or deadlines at the institution. Links can be included to required forms and online resources. These instructions will appear for any case built using this template.
Faculty Activity Reporting Vita This option will only appear if the institution uses both RPT and Faculty Activity Reporting (FAR, Faculty180). 
Packet Requirements

The packet requirements created here will become available for any case built using this template. 

 

A single packet section labeled Candidate Documents appears by default, but new custom packet sections can be created for materials desired to receive from a candidate. Each section can contain a due date, a description, and requirements for particular materials, such as a CV, teaching statement, and syllabi.

  1. Click Add Section.
  2. Enter the Name, Description, and Due Date for this packet section. 
  3. Indicate whether or not Candidates can add additional documents to this section by selecting the checkbox.
  4. Click Save when finished.
  5. If desired, click the Edit icon (pencil) to make desired changes.

Click Continue when finished.

 

3. Internal Case Sections

Internal case sections can be created to help committee members or individual users organize documents that will be added during the process of reviewing a case. Internal case sections will not be visible to the candidate. Sections added here should correspond with larger groups of materials that will be organized together.

 

Note that with internal case sections, a space for documents added to the case by committees and reviewers is being created. Specific document requirements can be created for reviewers of the case when adding case review steps.

 
  1. Select Above or Below the candidate packet to decide where internal case sections will appear on the case page.
  2. Click Remove to remove the external evaluation section from the template or case.
  3. Click Add Section to add another internal section.  Add a name and description for the new internal section.
 

4. Case Review Steps

The case review steps added will form a preconfigured workflow for cases built using this template. These steps should match the particular review process of the organization. Users may need to add other steps to the process, or more committees or individuals to a step when they are creating a case based on the template.

 

Additional committees can be assigned if multiple committees require access to the packet at the same step.

 

If the institution uses academic levels to manage access to cases (bulk recusal), check out this article on how to Use Academic Levels to Manage Access to Cases.

 
  1. Click Add Step to begin setting up the workflow of case review steps for the template.
  2. Enter the Step Name, set a Due Date for when the step must be completed (optional), select who is reviewing the case at this step, and select the Academic Level.
    • Standing committees are created at the unit level (university, school, college) and can be reused for cases in that unit.
    • Ad-hoc committees are created on a per-case basis. A Unit Administrator or Case Manager will need to add members to this committee before a case can be initiated.
    • An individual user can review the case, but will not be able to collaborate with others. To allow multiple members to review together, create a standing or ad-hoc committee.
  3. Click Save when finished.
  4. Continue adding steps until the steps desired to include have been built out.
  5. Click Continue when finished.

Step Details section

Action Steps
Add multiple committees to step
  1. Click Edit adjacent to the desired step.
  2. Click Add Committee adjacent to the Reviewers section.
  3. Select who will review the case at this step.
  4. Click Add when finished.
  5. Keep adding steps until the steps desired to include in the template have been built out.
Manage Academic Levels
  1. Click Manage Academic Levels under the Academic Level section. This will display a list of Unit Administrators and Case Managers with access at this step in the workflow.
  2. Click Recuse adjacent to the desired Unit Administrator or Case Manager to recuse them. Once recused, the Unit Administrator or Case Manager will not be able to view or access the case at this step. 
  3. If necessary, click the addition sign to add the Unit Administrator or Case Manager back.
Change the order of steps
  1. Select Reorder from the Additional Options dropdown at the top of the page.
  2. Drag and drop the steps to change the order for the template.
  3. Click Done when finished.

 

Tabs under the Reviewers section

Tab Steps
Instructions
  1. Select the Instructions tab for the desired committee.
  2. Click Edit Instructions to add or edit committee instructions.
  3. Click Save when finished.
Required Documents
  1. Select the Required Documents tab for the desired committee.
  2. Click Add Required Document. 
  3. Enter a Name and Description.
  4. Click Add when finished.
Settings

Select the Settings tab for the desired committee to indicate whether or not each committee or individual can move the case forward or backward. If checked, the  Committee Manager or the individual reviewer can move the case forward or backward in the workflow of case review steps.

When creating a template, Unit Administrators or Case Managers who should not have access to cases built on the template at a particular workflow step can be recused.

 
 
 

5. Template Summary

The last page, the Template Summary page, allows a review of the template. Select any of the previous sections to go back and make any necessary changes.

 

With Dossier, it is possible to choose to allow Dossier users at the institution to view Guidelines, such as the description, candidate instructions, and packet requirements for cases built using this template. Click Enable Dossier Visibility to enable this setting. Viewing Guidelines can help users prepare for upcoming reviews.

 

Click Preview to see how the information will appear to Dossier users at the institution.

 

 

Preview, Edit, Duplicate, or Delete a Template

  1. Click Templates under Review, Promotion & Tenure (RPT) on the navigation menu.
  2. Select the Options drop-down for a template on the shown list
  3. From the dropdown window that appears, you can select to preview, edit, duplicate, or delete the template.
    On the template page, the options drop down is selected for a template displaying the options: Preview Template, Edit Template, Create a Duplicate, and Delete Tempate
Template Action Description
Edit
  • Changing a template's title will update the title for all existing cases (open and closed.)
  • Changes to requirements will only affect future cases created after changes were made.
  • When editing the internal sections of a template that has already been used to initiate a case, you may see a tag that some sections are “in use.” This happens when a case created from the template has a document added to that section. The only way to remove that section from the template is to manually remove any documents added to that section within the cases. The title and description can be edited and those changes will only be reflected in new cases created after the change.
Delete Templates can be deleted even after cases have been created from that template. Once deleted, you can never retrieve the template again. Deleting a template will not have any impact on the cases created from it. The cases will remain in the system and the historical record of the template used to create the case(s) will remain in the case log for reporting.

Next Steps

Our sample template guide will help you gain insight into how to build advanced templates as well as transform your current processes into RPT. The template guide breaks down the candidate requirements, internal case sections, case routing, and helpful forms for each faculty process.  Examples include templates for Faculty Awards, Equity Adjustments, Tenure Clock Extensions, and Alternate Work Locations.

 

 

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