How to Onboard/Train a New Academic Administrative Assistant

Academic Administrative Assistants support one or more academic departments in one of the following Colleges:

Access College
College of Arts and Sciences
College of Business
Christ College
Christopher Center Library
College of Engineering
College of Nursing and Health Professions
Graduate School

The following plan outlines the knowledge and skills needed to perform the daily functions of their jobs. This plan may be used as a checklist when onboarding a new academic administrative assistant to your team.

Prior to Start Date:

Activity or Training Topic	Notes	Trainer	Training Date/Time/Location
Email Deans, Dept Chair, and VAST (vast@valpo.edu) to share new hire name and start date.	The VAST cohort consists of all academic administrative assistants on campus.	Supervisor
Complete Notice of Employment Form located on Human Resources website.	On the form the Supervisor should request system access modeled after the previous Academic Administrative Assistant or an Academic Admin. Assistant in the VAST group. This helps IT know how to prepare for the new hire. Admins use systems such as: Colleague, EMS, Wordpress, Informer, and department S Drive.	Supervisor
Contact FM to request keys for new hire’s office and office cleaning prior to start date. Stock office with pens, pencils, post its, scissors, calculator, stapler, tape dispenser, ruler, and legal pad. If the admin will be doing purchase orders, have a PORC stamp available (reach out to another admin if you are unsure what this is).	Supervisor should enter office and check file drawers to ensure personal belongings were not left behind by previous occupant. (We want our new hires to see we've prepared for them and created a welcoming, clean space)	Supervisor
Hardware: Request phone and computer if needed. Provide access to building printer, scanner.		Supervisor

After Start Date:

Activity or Training Topic	Notes	Trainer	Training Date/Time/Location
How to clock-in, submit time card and request time off	Instructions for approving employee time cards. Payroll dates.	Supervisor or AA Trainer
Office, mail, kitchen, workroom, and general building tour.		Supervisor or AA Trainer
Make in-person Faculty introductions. Then, point new hire to dept web page to learn faculty names and departments.		Supervisor or AA Trainer
Policies and General Procedures: · University Mission and Values · College Mission, Vision, Values · College Leadership Team · Vacation · Work Attire (Business/Business Casual, Friday Jeans & Valpo Gear) · Review Job Description and explain Performance Review process · Paid Campus Activities, example SEAC Coffee Break	Performance Evaluation Instructions	Supervisor or AA Trainer	Set goals within 30 days of start date.
Human Resources Intranet/Resources. It is common for faculty to ask the AA for policy and process information. Follow the links in the notes section to locate much of the information requested.	Common HR Forms Process Information for Supervisors	AA
Gmail: · Set Up Brand Signature · Email Features · Sample Professional Emails	Valpo Email Signature Template	New Hire
Google Calendar: · Calendar Sharing · Scheduling (Busy/Free Search) · Subscribe to Academic Year Faculty and Registrar Calendars · Send Mtg. Invitations/Add Google Meet Option · Auto Generate Mtg. Notes Template Calendar	Import Registrar's Calendar dates to Admin Calendar from the Registrar's website	Supervisor or AA Trainer
Input office and phone number in University directory	Access DataVU. Log in. Select employees tab. Select Office and Emergency Phone Information. Enter office location and phone number. Submit	New Hire
How to set up voicemail		New Hire
Campus Tour (especially Harre Union) Enjoy a meal together to introduce Admin. Assistant to Parkhurst options as Admin. Assistants use them for catering.		Supervisor or AA Trainer
Intro to Google Suite	Recommended LinkedIn Learning Modules: Google Drive and Files Google Calendar Google Docs Google Sheets Google Forms	AA
Photocopier: Create user in photocopy machine and train how to use photocopier. Academic Admins do not typically assist with photocopying related to research. Printing should be limited as online resources abound. Refer to the copyright policy to familarize employee with Faculty photocopying limitations: "An instructor may make a single copy, without the copyright holder's permission, of any of the following for his or her scholarly research or use in teaching or preparation to teach class: A chapter from a book. An article from a periodical or newspaper. Page 1 Approved by President’s Council: October 16, 2012 A short story, short essay or poem (whether or not from a collective work). A chart, graph, diagram, drawing, cartoon, or picture from a book, periodical, or newspaper. "	Copyright Policy	Supervisor or AA Trainer
S Drive Access (Show new hire the shared drive, folders within, and the types of documents stored there)		Supervisor or AA Trainer
Admin. Assistant sends a message at the beginning of each semester, or as as needed, to faculty with the link to ITicket. Faculty should be completing their own tickets. Troubleshooting a ticket is best done by communicating directly with the person experiencing an issue.	ITicket (Help Ticket)	New Hire
Faculty Office Hour Signage	Prior to each semester, Admin. Assistants point faculty to Office Hour template. Ask faculty to complete, and either print and post or send to Admin. to print and post. Office hours need to be posted by the first week of classes.	AA (Self Guided, during work hours)
Sending and Receiving Campus Mail/Mass Mailing Locate Building Codes and Use Directory to find people on campus	University Mail Center Building Codes	Supervisor or AA Trainer
Share textbook adoption instructions/order link with faculty. Faculty complete their own textbook adoptions. Admin. Assistants help with desk copy requests.	Textbook Adoption Site Textbook Adoption Instructions Suggestion: Bookstore contact present instructions annually at Chair's Meeting and New Faculty orientation.	Bookstore Contact, Julie LeBeau, julie.lebeau@valpo.edu.
Event Planning: 1. Estimate guest count 2. Schedule room in EMS 3. Order catering 4. Invitations (via Google Calendar) 5. Manage RSVPs 6. Event marketing		Supervisor or AA Trainer
Schedule a Room using the EMS System	Discuss Meeting, Class, Conference Rooms	Supervisor or AA Trainer
How to order Catering using Catertrax	Discuss checking budget and knowing guest estimate prior to ordering	Supervisor or AA Trainer
WordPress training	Dean's Assistant is responsible for updating Dean's website and Dean's Intranet site. *Colleges need to determine what is expected of Admin. Assisistants in terms of website updates vs. content creation. In the past IMC has created content and admins make simple edits.	Contact: webmaster@valpo.edu
How to Pull Majors and Minors List in Informer		Supervisor, AA Trainer, or Enterprise Processes and Projects Team member
Course Evaluations: 1. Supervisor, contact Office of Institutional Effectiveness to verify new Admin. Asst. has access to CourseEval program. 2. Supervisor, submit an ITicket requesting new Admin. Asst. access to the Department's Course Eval folder located within the College's main Course Eval folder on the College's S:/ drive.	Each semester the Office of Inst. Effectiveness emails survey adminstrators (which are the admin. assistants) with survey dates. Upon receipt of this email, the administrative assistants have 3 key things to do: Verify course evaluations are going out for all the courses/instructors the department intends to be surveyed. If the admin doesn't know, they may check with their Dept. Chair. Communicate survey open, close, and results available dates to department faculty. Download course eval results to the department folder within the College's Course Evail folder. This is located on the College's S:\ drive.	Office of Institutional Effectiveness Teaching/Course Evaluation Resources Page
Syllabus archive	Each semester Admin. Asst. must download syllabi to College S drive for records retention. If Professor is using Simple Syllabus- you do not need to download their syllabus.	Supervisor or AA Trainer
Order Valpo Letterhead and Envelopes		Supervisor or AA Trainer
Budget Work 1. Print budget report from Colleague 2. Share report with Chair 3. How to request funds be placed in another object code 4. Locate and share instructions with Faculty: How to complete check request forms 5. Locate and Share with Faculty: How to complete travel expense forms	Colleague Forms Travel Expense and Check Request Forms	Finance Office and Supervisor or AA Trainer
Procurement 1. Request Credit Card/Credit Card Training 2. How to create a requisition/purchase order/PORC 3. How to order from Staples and Amazon 4. Technology Purchasing	Colleague Procurement (Purchasing) Instructions Colleague Forms Technology Purchasing Policy	Procurement Office and Supervisor or AA Trainer
Academic Functionsn in Self-Service (Interface to Colleague) Dept. Chairs and Instructors grant students permission to a course in Self-Service. They may need to be pointed to the directions (in the column to the right) from time to time.	Grant Student Permission to a Course	AA Trainer or Enterprise Processes and Projects Team member
Student Workers	Student Hiring Instructions	Supervisor or AA Trainer
Building Manager Duties Maintenance/Key requests		Supervisor or AA Trainer
Office of the Provost 1. Introduction to Office of the Provost Team 2. Review Faculty Handbook 3. Sabbaticals 4. Tenure and promotion documents 5. Faculty Hiring Process		Office of the Provost team member

Department Specific Training

Activity or Training Topic	Notes	Trainer	Training Date/Time/Location