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Month: September 2020

6 Reasons to Use Admission Management System in the Next Academic Session

Posted on by Hemant Mahajan

Make the admission process simple, seamless, and efficient with an automated admission management system

Though the admission season remains for a limited period it takes a toll on academic staff and creates a lot of challenges. It becomes more difficult when institutions do all the administrative work manually. It takes a significant amount of time and effort from admission form sales to student registration. Considering the current situation when the COVID-19 pandemic caused a screeching halt in the entire world. now achieving the admission targets will become even tougher. Without the implementation of an online admission management system, institutes will have no other option than to wait for reopening.

With the help of the admission management system, all these problems cease to null and the admission process becomes super simple, and effective and reduces the paperwork significantly.

  • Social Distancing & Safety

The impact of the corona is going to stay for a while. We all have to find a way to live with it by keeping each other and ourselves safe and sound. Social distancing is one of the best ways to render the spread of viruses. But we can’t stop working. Can we? That’s why educational institutions should have methods to maintain institutional continuity.

Academia Student Information System offers a holistic admission management system that allows institutions to kick in online admission so that students don’t have to come to institutions or talk to someone. They can simply go to the website and apply for admission and keep the track of their application via the applicant portal. The admin responsible for managing the student admission process can work on the software anytime anywhere.

  • Productive hours bank

With the smart usage of technology, it becomes quite easy to manage all of the work in an effective time frame. Today, we live in an era where time is the essence of everything. With the admission management system, the staff gets to save a significant amount of time that can be utilized in other productive hours.

Academia ERP offers inquiry management, campaign management, and other record management features. You can easily manage every step of the process and keep track of it. It also offers Y-O-Y tracking by which you can compare your target from previous years and analyze what works for you. It helps you to generate online reports without any fuss and that reduces time investment in manual tasks and gains productive hours that can be used in other fruitful work.

  • Paper-less Solution

Nobody likes to go through piles of paperwork. Not only is it time-consuming but it is mundane and tedious. In the fast-paced work environment, there is no place for sloth movement. Nowadays everyone is going digital to ensure less paperwork and more productive work.

Academia ensures the 360-digital transformation of educational institutions. From e-receipt of fees, invoices, and administrative reports, complete automation of day-to-day activities. The records of fees are easily shareable with students and parents. Scholarship and sponsorship candidates can check the details on their portal and the fee is easily transferable online.

  • Seamless admission tracking 

Manual admission requires endless phone calls by parents and students for all kinds of questions looking for updates and information for admission processes, updates on the application status, registration date, updates, and more. It creates hassles for students, parents, and admissions officers.

However, with the Education ERP system communication with parents and students becomes super convenient. With Academia Applicant Portal, they can check the application status, fee requisite, offer letter, and all the updates. Once the application is accepted, the application portal turns into a student portal and students/parents can check all the information, of course, attendance, fee, scholarship, etc.

  • Superior parents experience 

Nowadays, both parents are working professionals. They have a scarcity of time and resources. They don’t want to come to the institute, stand in the long queue, fill out the form and wait for updates. They expect today’s educational institutions to be advanced and agile.

Using admission management can help schools and higher education to fulfill their expectations. Administrators can send automated SMS/email via the software. With the use of Apps and Parent Portal, they can do all the processes from the comfort of their workplace or home. The Education ERP makes sure that admission can be done anytime from anywhere, without any complexity.

  • Multiple academy control

Many institutions have multiple academies at various locations. And it becomes difficult to align the admission process, reports, and records in all the academies. It also creates a non-uniform experience for students and parents and thereby decreases the brand value or experience of the institution.

With an online admission process, you can control all the academies from one platform irrespective of their location. You can easily link them together, and access the information whenever you want. It also helps to understand the performance of each institution, compare them with each other, and analyze where improvements are required. It brings a smoother workflow across all the locations and helps in institutional development.

In the end

To sum up, the admissions management system is a necessity not a luxury anymore. Schools and Higher Education Institutions have to empower their admission process with automation and bring seamless and efficacious administrative processes.

Want to improve the admission rate in the upcoming session? Know how Academia SIS is helping 220+ institutions to boost student enrollment in our Free Demo. Book Now!

What are the Benefits of School Fee Management Software?

Posted on by Hemant Mahajan

Managing fee records in school is difficult if done manually. There are multiple fee structures, various departments, and n-numbers of students; it’s an art to keep track of everything and be able to access the exact details whenever there is a need. It is time-consuming and lacks flexibility, transparency for parents, and students. 

However, it becomes smooth with a fee management system to handle all the fee-related tasks in school.  It gives a platform that connects the entire campus, multiple academies in one place, and simplifies administrative processes. 

Here are the seven benefits of using fee management software in school:

  • Streamline Fee Collection

Online Fee Management System gives you a centralized platform to handle all the resources in one place. It makes the entire process super easy, simplifies data management, and makes the workflow seamless. There is no need to use multiple software programs for a particular function. Parents can submit the fee online via Parent Portal or Mobile Apps; there is no need to come to the institute and wait in line to do the same. 

  • Scalable & Configurable 

Every school strives for growth, and therefore it should have the software that can support the development. Academia ERP is such enterprise resource planning for educational institutions. Its fee module is scalable to the needs of the school. It is adjustable to increasing numbers of free spectrums, making it easy to use education ERP. If a school has multiple campuses in various locations, it is configurable, according to every institution.

  • Mobile Apps, SMS & Email Integration

No more paper waste! School Fee Management Software is provided with the facility with the SMS & Email. Students and parents get the notifications for upcoming/pending fee details. After the fee submission, they again get the confirmation message for the same. Not only that, but they can also access all these details and previous fee records via the app. Academia ERP offers a Student/Parent App for the same to give them the power to access the details anytime, anywhere. 

  • Invoice Management

With the automation of fee management processes, invoice management becomes hassle-free. All the invoices for tuition fees, registration fees, scholarships, sponsorships, etc. all can be done quickly with this software. Users can send the e-invoice to parents/students or share the document in their portal. It reduces the stress of paperwork and storage. 

  • Fast payment

Fee submission can be as simple as buying stuff from Amazon e-commerce. Within a few clicks, parents/students can do the transaction any time they want. Fee management software is integrated with multiple payment gateways that provide quick remittance for fast payment, which is safe & secure. They also access various payment modes, such as VISA, MAESTRO, credit/debit card, internet banking, etc.

  • Comprehensive Reports

School Fee Management applications provide a comprehensive and smart reporting engine for the entire department. With its analytics, you can efficiently deal with fee structure student-wise, course-wise, and more. It also offers visual aids with colorful charts that help in faster and better-informed decision making.

  • Easy Calculation

Some schools offer scholarships, sponsorship, sibling discounts, and more facilities like that. With the school fee management software, you can perform all the calculations within seconds. There is no need to go through calculators and paperwork.  

In Conclusion

Implementing this software is highly beneficial for schools as well as higher education. It empowers educators, saves significant time, makes management processes proficient, and easy for everyone. It reduces the staff workload, makes fee records error-free, and allows them to focus on students.

Do you want to streamline the fee management process in your school? Check out the working of the Fee Management Module in a FREE EDUCATION ERP DEMO with our experts. Book Now!

5 Step Process to Implement OBE In Your Academic Institution

Posted on by Hemant Mahajan

Outcome-based education or OBE is the latest development in the education industry. It is a type of education delivery model that focuses on mapping, measuring, and achieving pre-determined educational goals. It prioritizes student learning and development by nurturing the pre-existing skills in students to help them grow in their professional and personal life. 

Clearly, it is a major leap from the existing education delivery model where a lot of time and effort is spent on scoring good marks in examinations rather than skill development and knowledge acquisition. OBE thus can help you change that, and provide a definite solution for the increasing problems such as unemployment, skill alignment as per the global market standards, and more. 

If you are thinking about implementing OBE in your education institute, here are some tips to successfully implement it, and ensure better student outcomes.

 

 

Outcome-based Education Process – Step By Step OBE Implementation

  • Goal Setting 

First and foremost, it is imperative to set short-term and long-term goals for individual students in terms of learning outcomes, personal growth, skill development, and institute overall performance. Institutes can follow the given steps to define vision and mission department-wise. 

  • Start by brainstorming with experts and experienced faculty of various departments
  • Speak with industry professionals and alumni batches
  • Analyse the opinion and define a solid plan of action 

Once the vision and mission are clear, the institute needs to focus on teaching and learning processes.

  • Program and Education Objective and Program Outcomes

Program Educational Objectives help teachers define the expected outcomes for the students once they graduate, this includes academic and behavioral aspects both that are absolutely necessary to excel in their career. 

  • The vision and mission set in the first step should be central to the action plan.
  • Experienced faculty members and the heads of various departments must draft and share it across their respective departments. 
  • The draft and processes need to be implemented and discussed thoroughly for gaining the approval of authorities. You can iterate the draft to prepare a final draft. 
  • Once the final draft is ready after taking all the considerations of people involved in the implementation process, it is presented to Program Assessment Committee so that it can further be forwarded to Departmental Advisory Board. 
  • The Departmental Advisory Board reviews the points mentioned in the draft and sends them to the Board of Studies & Academic Council for final approval. Once the approval comes in, the draft is taken as a guide to design a fresh curriculum for the students to grow personally and professionally. 
  • Institutions need to analyze the student learning outcomes periodically to identify the learning gaps and rectify them. It is usually focused on Professional Skill Development, Problem-Solving Skills, Industry-Specific Skill Development & Creative Enhancement. 
  • Establishing Program Outcomes 

POs or Program Outcomes are defined as the objective achieved at the end of the specialization or discipline. These attributes are defined while a student is undergoing education and determined when they get a degree. 

Here is a step-by-step approach to establishing the POs for the institution. 

  • The Program Coordinator consults with the senior faculty to prepare a draft for program outcomes. 
  • The Coordinator speaks with alumni, industry experts, and various employers to understand the skill requirement and new trends in the industry. On analyzing the views, a synthesized version of the draft is created and sent to the Program Assessment Committee. 
  • The Program Assessment Committee reviews the draft and sends it to the Department of Advisory Board to get the final approval from them. 
  • Department Advisory Board makes the final decision by moderating the draft.
12 Graduate attributes mentioned By the National Accreditation Board In Their Guidelines to attain POs successfully
PO1 Knowledge PO7 Environment
PO2 Problem Analysis Capability PO8 Ethics of Individuals
PO3 Development & Designing of System PO9 Teamwork & Individual Contribution
PO4 Analyze & Solve Complex Problems PO10 Communication
PO5 Use of Latest Tools & Devices PO11 Finance & Management of Project
PO6 Society’s Responsibilities PO12 Life-long Learner
  • Establishing the Course Outcomes

Course Outcomes are different than Program Outcomes. The objective of CO or Course Outcome is to define the objectives that are achieved at the end of a semester/year. It is basically the outcome that is achieved in theory and practical lessons concluded at the end of the year or semester.

  • CO-PO Mapping Process

To thoroughly analyze if a student has successfully achieved the goals set at the beginning of the process, it is important to map Course Outcomes with Program Outcomes. To do that, follow these steps: 

  • Specify and obtain the course outcomes
  • Map COs with POs
  • Set an appropriate weightage for the CO assessment
  • Measure the COs through assessment given to students
  • COs & POs attainment calculation needs to be done. 

Concluding

Outcome-based Education can help you stand out in the education market and offer a quality education. But for that to happen you must have a great implementation strategy on your hands. Use the above-mentioned steps to achieve successful implementation of OBE. To assist you in your course toward redefining education consider an ERP solution that offers process streamlining, simplified processes, better results, easy CO-PO mapping, and more. Explore the Academia ERP OBE module here. 

Technology in Education: Key Takeaways from NEP 2020

Posted on by Hemant Mahajan

In July 2020, India’s HRD Ministry was renamed Education Ministry and it unveiled the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, a revolutionary regulation with ground breaking changes in Indian Education. This policy, while focusing on various aspects of education, weaves in technology at every stage. 

The NEP has been welcomed by educators all over the country who insisted it was long due. In the last few years, India has turned itself into an information focused society and it has become the need of the hour to embrace technology in the field of education. The NEP 2020 states that one of the main drivers of the education system will be ‘extensive use of technology in teaching and learning, removing language barriers, increasing access as well as education planning and management’.

It has become even more relevant in the current pandemic situation when virtual learning is the new normal, to re imagine conventional learning and teaching techniques. The Policy drafts a vision of education for the new generation which will help to build a self-reliant India.

According to the policy, a dedicated e-education unit and a National Education Technology Forum (NETF) will be set up to boost digital content, infrastructure and capacity building. Through NETF, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, computing devices and other educational software and hardware will be incorporated into education at all levels to improve classroom processes, boost student progress, support teachers development and streamline administration and management.

Let’s look at some of the key aspects of NEP 2020 dealing with technology.

Primary Education

  • Recognising technology as an aid for teachers, bridging language barriers between teacher and student, creating digital libraries, enabling greater access to education, specifically for differently abled children.
  • Coding to be introduced in school curriculum as an important skill for students to develop.
  • Technology can be effectively used for teacher education and online teacher training.

Professional & Higher Education

  • Technology to be a part of professional education (legal/health)
  • Technology to be used to achieve 100% literacy has been proposed. For this, quality technology-based options for adult learning has to be introduced.
  • Recognising the importance of technology in addressing different challenges of society and to promote interdisciplinary research and innovation. For example, setting up a National Research Foundation has been proposed to grow a culture of research and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have been encouraged to open start-up incubation centres and technology development centres
  • The National Educational Technology Forum (NETF) to be set up to serve as a platform for the free exchange of ideas on using technology to enhance learning, assessment, and administration.

Administration of Education

  • The Academic Bank of Credit is to be created, which will digitally store academic credits earned from various HEIs. These credits earned over a period of time will help to grant degrees.
  • Focus on using technology to ensure efficiency and transparency of regulatory bodies like the State School Standards Authority, the Higher Education Commission of India and also its four verticals (National Higher Education Regulatory Council, National Accreditation Council, Higher Education Grants Council and the General Education Council).

Adapting to Artificial Intelligence

  • Recognising the challenges arising from the widespread use of Artificial Intelligence, the Policy focuses on the need to adopt changes occurring due to excessive use of AI across sectors.
  • The NETF will identify and categorise emerging technologies according to their potential and estimated timeframe for disruption, and present a periodic analysis to the Education Ministry, who will formally identify the relevant technologies.
  • The Policy is pioneering the need to generate awareness and conduct research on various facets of the emerging disruptive technologies, including concerns about data handling and security.

Learn How Academia helped bring online class culture at Ashoka Schools.
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Digital India

  • The Policy foresees creating a dedicated unit to frame the development of digital infrastructure, content and capacity building to take care of the e-education needs of school and higher education.
  • On a national level, the NEP 2020 calls for

> Investing in digital infrastructure
> Developing online teaching platforms and tools
> Creating virtual labs and digital repositories-Training teachers towards becoming quality online content creators
> Designing and implementing online assessments
> Establishing quality standards for content and technology
> Pedagogy for online teaching-learning

It has to be acknowledged that the NEP 2020 has done a path breaking job in incorporating technology in the Indian education system, but this also raises certain concerns and challenges that cannot be ignored.

A large part of rural India is still digitally challenged. According to a government survey conducted between July 2017 to June 2018, the results released in November 2019 say –

(a) Only 4.4% households in rural India have computers as against 23.4% urban households.
(b) 14.9% of rural India has internet facility as against 42% urban households.
(c) Internet users are growing in rural India, though access is almost always through mobile phones, in rural as well as urban areas.

For the purpose of education, it is necessary for students to have exclusive access to any form of digital hardware, be it a smartphone, computer or tablet. However, in today’s scenario, a majority of students from under privileged backgrounds have limited or no access to devices, internet and in some cases, even electricity.

While NEP 2020 recognises these limitations and the efforts to eliminate them with campaigns like Digital India and making affordable computing devices available, practical solutions are needed along with awareness on the importance and use of technology. Also, the human factor of education is crucial and technology is meant to further amplify the learning experience.

The NEP 2020 is undoubtedly a progressive step towards education of the future, with technology playing an invaluable role in facilitating teaching and learning. Hence, it is important to develop a coherent road map for promoting successful technologies and also providing effective data security and privacy, with the help of ed-tech companies which offer holistic education management information systems .

Estimates say that by 2022, the Indian K-12 ed-tech market, including educational ERP softwares, will be worth USD 1.7 billion and post K12 ed-tech market will be worth USD 1.8 billion. The policy also offers an opportunity for cooperation between the various industry stakeholders and regulatory authorities/educational institutions.

Finally, the success of NEP 2020 will depend on how well it is implemented, and how effectively the objectives of the Policy are integrated within the existing initiatives while also involving the relevant stakeholders in delivering the policy effectively.

The NEP 2020 is a great step in accepting that education in the future will mean greater dematerialisation and digitalisation of content and working towards staying ahead of the curve. For a country steeped in a traditional education system, this itself for India is an extraordinary feat.

NEP Policy: Opportunity for Educational Institutes in Distance Education

Posted on by Hemant Mahajan

NEP policy has introduced a new concept of credit transfer: a student can take a course offered by an educational institution registered with the Academic Bank of Credit and use the credit for his degree. NEP policy has also allowed students to take various courses as part of their undergraduate and postgraduate programs. 

This approach has created an opportunity for educational institutes to offer their courses in Distance Learning mode to the students. But running a distance learning program also needs the appropriate ERP systems. Some unique requirements of distance learning are:

  • Easy online distribution of study materials/ Assignments

    Students may be far away in distance education. So the physical distribution of course materials is not possible. An ERP system with the option to upload various course types and materials (pdf, ppt, video, program files, etc.) with targeted distribution capability can help educational institutes.

    AcademiaERP has options where faculties can upload various course materials and distribute them to the students of specific programs. There are options to send course materials to students of multiple programs or a particular set of students. Also, the availability of course materials can be restricted by time, so it is ensured that the students access the course materials within the stipulated timeline. It also has the option to send an automatic real-time email, whatsapp messages, etc., to the students once the study material is uploaded to the ERP portal. 
  • Online submission of assignments by the students and correction of the assignment by the faculty

    Due to physical distance, students enrolled in distance education should be allowed to submit assignments online, and faculty should have the condition to upload corrected assignments online.

    AcademiaERP has options for faculty to upload assignments on the portal and distribute them to the proper recipients. The assignments can also be made available till a particular time. Students can access the assignments and submit their assignments via Student Portal. They can also access the corrected assignments via student portals. To ensure automated communication, there are options to enable automated real-time email. These whatsapp messages among students and teachers get triggered by uploading assignments by the faculties, submitting assignments by the students, etc.
  • Online Fee Generation, Fee Collections, and Fee Receipts



    Institutes can generate fees in AcademiaERP and assign them to the program(s). There are options to offer multiple payment schedules like one-time, installments, and opportunities to offer discounts/ scholarships based on students’ performances. AcademiaERP is integrated with various payment gateways to enable students to pay online fees. Receipts are also generated online and can be downloaded in the student portal.

    AcademiaERP comes with multiple fee dashboards and charts where the admin can see the total fee collected, fees overdue, etc., at various levels like program level, institute level, etc. There are also options to create and send automatic emails, whatsapp messages on fees overdue to the students and admins.

Interested to know more? Learn all about the new National Education Policy here.

Know how Academia ERP can help your institute to be the pioneer in this digital age. Contact us to learn more!

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