Before discussing the role of an enterprise content management tool for education, let’s spare a moment and discuss what it is. Enterprise content management or ECM is a system that is used by organizations to manage their documents effectively. Using this system, word files, Excel spreadsheets, and other unstructured data is stored safely and is made accessible to the right people at the right time. Whether it involves supply chain, marketing, or HR processes, enterprise content management systems allow businesses to work more efficiently. It also enables them to let go of the conventional pen and paper methods.
Regardless of their operations, businesses use ECM software for the following purposes.
- Streamlining business activities, and making them independent of pen and paper.
- Enhancing productivity and ensuring customer satisfaction.
- Mitigating organizational risks
Up until now, we have discussed what ECM is. Now, let’s shift the gear and explore the major elements of enterprise content management software.
Elements of ECM
Digital Document Storage
With a high-quality ECM system at your disposal, you can digitally store documents, view them, edit them, and even store them in well-organized documents. It also saves time and money required to manage documents and enables you to abide by the organizational policies regarding document retention.
Document Capturing
The first step in the lifecycle of an organization’s content is the capturing and importing of valuable information, and storing it in digital repositories. The most common examples of captured documents are contracts, resumes, vendor invoices, and research reports. Some common capturing methods are mentioned below.
- Electronic forms
- Automatic categorization and filing of documents
- Paper document scanning
- Managing pre-existent digital content
Document Retrieval
Once the records have been stored, they enable you to do the following.
- Use full-length text to locate any document
- Determine specific keywords in the document’s text or meta details
- Search documents using the date of creation, user names, and meta details
An ECM system enables professionals to search documents automatically, save time, and get back to clients quickly.
Reduced Organizational Risk
ECM enables businesses to strengthen compliance restrictions in multiple industries. Nowadays, almost every other business out there is using ECM to enhance record management and also mitigate organizational risks. The security settings in a good ECM system should be customizable to allow organizations to protect their information from unauthorized access, theft, or misuse.
Academic Role of Enterprise Content Management Systems
Up until now, we have discussed what ECM is and what its elements are. Without further ado, let’s get right down to business and talk about the role of an enterprise content management system in the field of education.
Enhanced Collaboration
In the education field, the people who benefit from ECM the most are the teachers. Teachers on the same team find it much easier to access shared files, because of the ECM. An ECM allows teachers to upload and download curriculum files, course outlines and examination papers on their computers, without having to meet after school, and engage in unnecessarily lengthy conversations. With an ECM, new faculty members in educational can upload their curriculum plans, and receive feedback from their seniors. It also allows teachers to upload lessons for students of all capabilities. Furthermore, the teachers who work on multiple courses can connect and communicate with similar course instructors in individual units.
Student Information Security
Regardless of what grade level it is, student information must always remain secure. However, the risks tend to increase as you move towards higher classes or students studying in colleges and universities. By storing student information in a digital system, instead of recording in a paper register keeps the information safe, and it can only be accessed when needed by the right person. Furthermore, an ECM software tool allows educational institutions to create digital portfolios for every student. These digital student portfolios come in handy when resolving grade disputes, and drafting college applications and letters of recommendation. ECM software keeps you from handling piles and piles of paper, saves your valuable time, and also prevents information theft.
It’s Environmentally-Friendly
It sounds strange, but it still is true. People who have worked on ECM software understand how environmentally friendly it is. A majority of educational institutions have adopted a “go paperless” policy. Going paperless saves time, money, and space, keeps the environment cleaner, and saves environmental resources. Even today, most schools and colleges resort to paper for worksheets, course outlines, examination papers, and the list continues to go on. ECM allows you to distinguish between what needs to be digital and what requires printing. Depending upon the number of students in a class these days, using a digital portal such as ECM to upload performance evaluation reports isn’t such a bad idea. Less paper use equates to reduced paper waste. In the long run, going digital saves your school the money that is otherwise spent on buying paper and printing it.
Conclusion
ECM software enables our school and colleges to learn from the highly-competent business world. It also makes them learn and incorporate some of their tried and trusted digital techniques of content management. With ECM by their side, the faculty members no longer need to pin your grade report on the soft-board in the corridor. By switching to the digital sphere, teachers will enable themselves to save time, money, energy and resources. If you are the administrative manager of a school or any other educational institution, try switching to ECM as quick as possible. You will be amazed at how it will benefit your work. Once you adopt such a system, make sure to give your teammates ample time for training, and coming to terms with the new system. With a lack of training, your team will never adhere to the digital change, and your efforts will backfire.