Educational institutions have huge volumes of data like records of teachers, student records, log books, public relations records, attendance records, equipment records, statistical records, financial records and so on. The records of the institutions reflect the vision and objectives of the institute and are essential for performing the activities of school while also enabling to plan future programs and budgetary reforms. Conversion of various school records with the help of a document scanning company is the best solution to manage these huge files. School records are at the heart of many processes in schools and in higher education. A school must maintain a complete, cumulative record of a student’s personal data, transcripts, grades and course from the time of admission. A school record should contain the following details:
- Student’s name, address, phone number and social security number
- Data of classes taken and grades received
- Test scores
- Degree, certificates or awards
- Attendance data
- Immunization data
- Disciplinary data
- Medical issues
Many educational institutions are burdened with voluminous paperwork, handling applications, transcripts, student files, and medical records for every student. The outbreak of COVID 19 forced many of these institutions to switch to paperless classrooms and office rooms. Document scanning of school records have been helpful for teachers at the time of pandemic. It helped them share assignments and notes easily and also perform various school activities without serious interruptions.
Significance of Scanning School Records
Document scanning helps schools eliminate the need for paper and protects student records against physical damages or other disasters. It also helps in proper organization of the records that can be easily accessed and retrieved. Without paper files, schools need not waste office or building space on massive filing cabinets. Instead, they can use this space for something more useful to the staff or students.
For Students
Younger students can use document scanning to examine and analyze their progress in study whereas older students can use document management system to prepare for big tests. They can also keep the scanned copies of the teacher’s notes that will help them for research purposes.
For Teachers
Document scanning and management helps teachers to get better hold of their classroom. Scanning and uploading documents like notes or assignments helps them access these notes on any device from any location, giving them greater ability to track students’ progress throughout the year and on-demand.
Scanning Ensures Safety of Data
Just like businesses, schools also face certain security risks because of the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend. It is vital to increase security on the back end with document scanning and management systems. Massive quantities of sensitive information for students, teachers, workers etc. that is controlled by the school can remain secure even if there are shortcomings when protecting individual devices or accounts.
Schools Are Already Embracing Document Scanning
In 2017, Ocala, Florida, school district invested hugely on paperless document scanning and management and remote capture to handle a massive backlog of documents. According to the Ocala Star Banner, the school district had 9.4 million individual pieces of paper to scan, filed away in 4,700 different boxes and stored at 55 different locations. The district decided to go paperless by the beginning of 2018.
According to Odessa America, in Texas, in 2017 the Ector County Independent School District transitioned all classrooms to a mostly paperless education system operated by Google. After a session of training at some of the district’s high schools, the platform was rolled out.
Once the data is entered into the computer, student identification, access control, library checkouts and payments details can be verified easily. This will improve the efficiency of the working of educational institutions.
Many schools face the problem of storing and managing the school records for a longer period of time. This problem can be resolved by converting these records into digital form. With the help of reliable and experienced document scanning services and their special equipment, trained technicians can quickly convert all paper-based assets into digital format at affordable rates.
