Configure Activity Data Input Forms
The Activity Input Form in Faculty Activity Reporting (FAR, Faculty180) contains dynamic data about faculty members that can change over time, particularly during academic terms. This article explains how administrators with the necessary permissions can configure the Activity Input Form.
Customization of this form should be performed at the highest level, such as the university level, and then for the next lower level, colleges, and so on. The collected data serves as the foundation for reports, CVs, accreditation documentation, and more.
Check out this article Overview of Forms and Sections for more information on the sections and fields within different forms.
Configure an Activity Input Form
- Navigate to the Setup page and click Activity Input Form under the Configuration section.
- Click the hyperlinked unit number to navigate to the Form Configuration page.
To find the Master Form at the very top level, look for the form with Form Name: Activity Input; Display Name: University Master; Unit: University.
- You can easily change the Form Type or Unit at the top of the page.
- You can easily change the Form Type or Unit at the top of the page.
- Click the Add button to create a new Activity Input Form.
- You can also click the Pencil (Edit) icon to edit an existing form. Doing this will navigate you to the Configure Form page.
- Select the Unit and Template on the Add Configuration window that appears. Click Add when finished.
After an institution has created a template, a lower unit may have the ability to make a copy of it to edit and configure to fit its needs.
- The Add window will then appear where you will select whether to Modify an Existing or Add a New Vita Template.
We recommend selecting Add a new for initiated workflows. Unlike Modify existing, which impacts what a unit sees in their Activities section, Add a new is simply a form that does not impact faculty views in their Activities section.
- The Configure Form page will display. Fill out the General Information section.
- Under the Content section you can show, hide, or reorder sections and Create Custom Input Sections. Check out the section below for information on Default Content Input Sections.
During implementation, the Institutional Implementation Team will work with the Interfolio Product Manager to configure this form. By default, the sections shown on the Activities screen for faculty members are based on the default Activity Input Form that is selected.
It is recommended to create any section that you want to show at a lower unit at the very top level in the top form. It is better to create it at the top and mark it as "Do Not Show" and then turn it on for lower sections rather than creating it only at the lower section. Selecting Do Not Show from the Reorder dropdown makes the section optional for lower units, while not selecting it requires the section for all units at that level and below. Check out this FAQ on removing sections at lower-level units to understand why this recommendation is important.
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Default Content Input Sections
| Section | Details |
|---|---|
| Teaching |
Displays a list of the courses that are currently assigned to the faculty member for the current academic term, along with any corresponding course attachments (syllabus, course, peer evaluations, and more) and faculty member teaching loads.
Check out this article on Managing Data and Edit Access Permissions for Courses Taughtfor information on changing the faculty's view of the Activities section. |
| Non-Credit Instruction |
Used to collect teaching that may occur outside of the classroom, or when the faculty member is not the instructor of record.
|
| Scholarly Contributions & Creative Productions |
Used to view and enter activities relating to scholarly or professional works (journal articles, books, proceedings) and creative works ( performances, exhibitions) participated in or completed. Specific options are listed below:
|
| Grants |
Used to add pending or current grant-related projects, proposals, awards, and renewals.
|
| Advising Load |
Used to specify the number of individuals being advised at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral levels.
|
| Mentorship/Supervision |
Used to manage information for all students currently being supervised or that have supervised previously.
|
| Institutional Committees |
Used to add any formal standing committee appointments within the academic institution.
|
| Other Institutional Service |
Used to add any services performed for the academic institution other than formal standing committees. This could include an ad hoc committee, dissertation/thesis committee, course development, faculty sponsor to a student organization, web page design, student recruitment activity, informal assignments, and non-research grants.
|
| External Service |
Used to add any services that have been rendered for an academic or professional organization. This could include committee appointments; journal editor or reviewer; a speech or presentation of a non-research paper at a professional meeting; community service; or moderator, discussant, or panelist at a conference.
|
| Professional Development |
Used to add any conferences, training, continuing professional education, or others participated in.
|
| Honors and Awards |
Used to note when a faculty member is recognized for their work.
|
| Professional Membership |
Used by faculty members to note any formal membership with professional/academic or community/civic organizations.
|
| Consulting |
Used to add any paid/unpaid consulting engagements that require professional expertise in support of a client, such as reviewing textbooks and textbook proposals.
|
| Activity Distribution |
Designed to represent the faculty member's workload distribution of responsibilities within the department.
|
| Reassigned Duties |
Used by faculty to note temporary adjustments to their regular activity distribution.
|
| Clinical Teaching |
Often utilized by Medical Schools.
|