1. ABOUT KAPLAN UNIVERSITY
Kaplan University is an institution of higher learning dedicated to
providing innovative undergraduate, graduate and continuing professional
education. Its programs foster student learning with opportunities to
launch, enhance or change careers in today’s diverse global society.
Regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), the
University is committed to general education, a student-centered service
and support approach, and applied scholarship in a practical environment.
Kaplan University is dedicated to broadening access to education, offering
expert resources to help students achieve their academic and career best,
and upholding the highest ethical standards in everything it does. Kaplan is
proud to be included in the rankings of “Best Online Bachelor’s Programs”
by U.S. News & World Report for the third consecutive year in 2016.
KAPLAN UNIVERSITYLEVERAGES FACULTY ACTIVITY REPORTING TO RECOGNIZE ACHIEVEMENTS,
EASE ACCREDITATION AND PROMOTE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
KEY IMPACTS
• Accurate and complete records
of faculty qualifications and
professional development
• Robust customization for
reporting to multiple accrediting
bodies
• Strengthen connections between
faculty and community
Nationwide
www.kaplanuniversity.edu
SOLUTION
Digital Measures Activity Insight
THE SCHOOL

2. In 1937, with the country still in the throes of the Great Depression, the American
Institute of Commerce (AIC) opened in Davenport, Iowa, to provide access to
postsecondary education to workers seeking better employment opportunities. And
in 1938, Stanley H. Kaplan began offering tutoring services to immigrant families
eager to better their chances in America. Kaplan believed that everyone deserved
an education. He grew into a leader and innovator in tutoring and test preparation,
aiding individuals preparing for entrance into colleges of every caliber.
In 1999, AIC became one of only 15 participants in the U.S. Department of Education’s
Demonstration Grant, allowing them to offer distance education courses via the
Internet. Soon AIC needed more educational support resources and know-how.
Kaplan, with its experience in creating and fostering innovations in educational
access, was the solution. In 2001, AIC became Kaplan College, and 34 students
enrolled to take all of their courses exclusively online. In 2004, the school was
officially renamed Kaplan University, raising the bar for its academic offerings.
Today, Kaplan University serves 34,000 degree-seeking online and campus-based
students, most of whom are adult learners, juggling competing responsibilities
including raising families and working, while pursuing higher education.
BACKGROUND
With a nationwide online presence as well as physical campuses in seven
states, Kaplan University needed a faculty activity reporting (FAR) system that
would allow it to provide the reporting required for HLC accreditation, multiple
professional accrediting bodies and the state educational governing bodies
to whom the university reports. As Joni Boone, Faculty Developer at Kaplan
University’s Center for Teaching and Learning shared, “As an online school, we
have students and instructors from all over the country, and that means that we
must comply with education regulations that can vary from state to state.”
In addition, the university sought a solution that could also be used for
annual reporting, adjunct faculty evaluations, online faculty profiles, monthly
departmental benchmarking and promoting faculty achievements.
CHALLENGES
We think of Activity Insight as a one-stop shop. It’s very comprehensive,
and that means our approximately 2,500 faculty don’t have to go to
various places to report on their activities.”
Joni Boone, Faculty Developer,
Kaplan University Center for Teaching and Learning

3. With so many external stakeholders and such a large faculty body, Kaplan
University needed a FAR solution with the ability to tailor reports to the requests
of individual states and agencies. “When we need faculty information, it has to be
in one place because each state has different requirements,” Boone explained.
Boone, along with her manager Marla Cartwright, Director of the Center for
Teaching and Learning, and other stakeholders at Kaplan University provided
input and suggestions for new reporting.
In addition to monthly and annual reporting, university leadership uses Activity
Insight reports to monitor the professional development and scholarship of
faculty. Externally promoting faculty accomplishments by automatically updating
faculty profiles on its website is a powerful way to spotlight faculty who are
contributing to their disciplines and strengthening the University’s reputation
through their scholarship. University President Betty Vandenbosch, PhD,
uses reports from Activity Insight to recognize faculty publications and other
achievements with the university via live, interactive web chats and faculty town
hall meetings regularly throughout the year.
DECREASING DATA ENTRY, INCREASING DATA QUALITY
The University draws data from internal systems including Workday and
CampusVue into Activity Insight to ensure that personal and contact information,
yearly data, permanent data and classes taught are synchronized with data from
these systems of record. Faculty manually input some information on professional
development activities, publications and awards, but Boone’s team is working
to minimize manual data entry as much as possible. “One challenge we face is
accuracy of reporting. At times faculty will select an incorrect category for their
professional development or leave out information that could help strengthen our
reports,” Boone explained. Data accuracy is essential when providing accrediting
agencies with faculty qualification information.
To help solve this challenge,
the University recently piloted
the Data Import feature to
capture participation in
Kaplan’s annual professional
development conference.
SOLUTION: ACTIVITY INSIGHT
With everything related to faculty housed in Activity Insight, we can
pull existing reports or customize reports to quickly provide various
individuals their requested information.”

4. info@digitalmeasures.com 866.348.5677 digitalmeasures.com
The pilot proved a success, so Boone and her team are now rolling out Data Import
for all professional development activities sponsored by the University’s Center for
Teaching and Learning. They are looking for additional opportunities to import data,
both to ease the data-entry burden on faculty and to continually improve data quality.
KAPLAN AND THE COMMUNITY
Kaplan University’s next big initiative is promoting
community engagement. “Our faculty live throughout the
country and are involved in community initiatives. We have
the opportunity to deploy some of those faculty as liaisons
to encourage service and promote educational opportunities
with students in their areas and organizations with whom
they are involved,” explained Boone. “We are planning to
use Activity Insight to help make our community connections
throughout the country stronger.”
Our goal is to save our faculty time and ensure that the professional
development they are entering is correctly recorded,” Boone explained.
“Our faculty often attend many sessions at this conference. By recording
their attendance for them through Data Import, we saved them time and
ensured the data is accurately entered in the correct screens and fields.”
Digital Measures focuses exclusively on web-based data management and reporting
for universities. More than 250,000 faculty members at 60 percent of the largest 500
universities in the United States and in more than 15 countries trust Activity Insight,
its market-leading faculty activity reporting solution. Founded in 1999, the company
is based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
ABOUT DIGITAL MEASURES