Document management helps schools boost security, among other benefits
Schools or entire districts that opt to go paperless – and instead rely on remote capture and ongoing document management – instantly gain a number of benefits. In addition to the clear cost-cutting effort, they may gain more security, and perhaps most importantly, observe better classroom outcomes.
Data suggests that there may be a positive correlation between efforts to create a paperless classroom – by giving every student their own laptop to use throughout the school year – and better grades and test scores, according to a report from National Public Radio. These results vary from one state to the next, but experts say there may need to be more effort put into refining classroom strategies to better suit an all-digital approach.
Overcoming hurdles
Amy Johnson, who researches education policy at the University of Southern Maine, told NPR that while test scores in Maine – the only state that offers laptops to all students in certain grades – haven't risen appreciably, that may be because teacher training hasn't appropriately accounted for the new technology.
Significant benefits
However, it's worth noting that when school administrators start relying on paperless workflows and processes beyond the classroom, they see positive results in other ways, according to CNET. For instance, these efforts can quickly and easily increase data security, even in the face of rising hacking and phishing attacks on personal accounts for students and administrators alike.
Security experts say schools will always face certain security risks because the bring-your-own-device trend that has been so troublesome in other industries is inherent to the education sector, the report said. However, by increasing security on the back end with document management systems, the potentially massive quantities of sensitive information schools control for students, teachers, workers and more can remain secure even if there are shortcomings when protecting individual devices or accounts.
The more administrators can do to make sure their schools or districts are set up for ongoing document management, the better off they may be across multiple fronts. The cost savings these initial investments can provide are significant, but the benefits go well beyond dollars and cents.
