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Faculty introduction to HUB rolls out
Starting this week, faculty will see a new tab in MyUB—the “HUB Faculty Center”—a self-service page where faculty can manage class- and student-related activities.
Part of the UB 2020 Student Services Transformation, the HUB Faculty Center will enable all faculty to view their class teaching schedules for summer and fall 2011, as well as class rosters for these semesters—including photos and student email links—as students enroll. Teaching schedules and class rosters from previous semesters will be accessible through the Faculty Center as well.
Beginning with summer 2011 classes, faculty also will be able to access web grading features.
Faculty members teaching classes this summer will be the first to experience some of the new features and process changes. To facilitate a smooth transition, orientation websites with online tutorials have been created to assist faculty, staff and students. All faculty are invited to visit the Hub Training website to access the content appropriate for their needs; there will be a direct link for faculty seeking help.
Faculty members will receive additional communication throughout the transition period to guide them to resources and assistance.
“The immediate impact on faculty is limited. Tasks that most of us currently perform, such as entering grades or viewing exam schedules, will largely remain the same; MyUB’s new HUB Faculty Center will simply point to a new location to access these administrative functions,” says A. Scott Weber, vice provost and dean for undergraduate education. “At its heart, HUB is really about integration and the ability to share student biographical information across functions for course registration, financial aid, degree audits, class and exam scheduling, force registrations and a variety of other information we collect, track and use.”
During the current spring semester, demonstration sessions for faculty are being planned at locations on both the North and South campuses. Hands-on lab sessions will be offered just prior to the start of the summer sessions for faculty teaching during those sessions. All faculty will be introduced to the new system in the fall. Departmental schedulers, advisors and administrative staff already have received training on features in HUB, as their roles have required more immediate access.
HUB project leaders are pleased with the pace of the new system rollout, but advise members of the university community to be patient during the transition to the new system as a significant change in operation such as this typically results in a campus-wide learning curve.
“During the transition to the new system, a temporary performance dip is to be expected, given the extensive nature of the changes being made,” says Tom Furlani, interim associate vice president and CIO. “However, there will be substantial benefits for students, faculty and staff as we move forward that will be well worth the investment and effort.”
More general information about the Student Services Transformation is available on the UB 2020 Transforming Operations website.
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