Elements

What is Elements?

Elements is a third-party reporting system owned and administed by UGA's Office of Faculty Affairs (OFA) 

Elements collects information on research, scholarship, creative works, and professional activities of faculty, postdocs, and graduate/professional students. Some information is fed from other systems, but much of it must be entered and/or claimed by the individual. 

All UGA faculty members are expected to maintain up-to-date profiles as part of the annual performance evaluation process. Additionally, CAES Faculty are expected to maintain up-to-date profiles to support CAES reporting and marketing and communication initiatives.

Why is Elements Reporting Important? 

Data collected in Elements is used not only for individual review, but also at a department and college level to report effort and output.

CAES pulls data from Elements to support reporting initiatives including:

• Faculty annual Summary (EAS)
• Government Compliance Reports
• Website, infographics, & marketing material
• Stakeholder reports
• Performance metrics dashboards

These numbers, especially those reported to outside entities, may impact funding efforts. Therefore consistent, accurate reporting is critical. 

Elements Reporting: Deadlines

CAES begins utilizing Elements data from the previous year on January 15th for Annual Performance Reviews and Departmental Metrics. Current Elements data is used throughout the year for reports such as the quarterly CEU Report and Office of Marketing and Communication initiatives. Additionally, CAES pulls Elements data in early July for several critical reports, including the UGA Strategic Plan and Governor's Office of Budget & Planning (OPB) Report. 

At a minimum, all CAES faculty should ensure their Elements data is up to date by January 10th and July 10th to support CAES' ability to provide the most accurate reflection of efforts and outcomes to internal and external stakeholders.  

Reporting is easier and more accurate when done at more regular intervals. It may be helpful to set a personal deadline for reporting weekly, monthly, or at least quarterly. 

Where Does the Data Come From?

Much of the information in Elements is fed from authoritative sources. Records that are auto-fed from an external source are generally not editable within Elements. They must be corrected in the source system. 

Data that is not auto-fed must be entered by the individual, or by a delegate managing the individual’s profile. Examples of these data types can be found: Scholarly & Creative Works, Sponsored Projects, Instruction, Professional Activities 

Elements Reporting: Activity Types

For detailed information on Elements Reporting Activity Types, see Activity Types Defined. 

Elements Support & Training

UGA’s Office of Faculty Affairs:

• Owns and administers Elements for the University.
• OFA’s Elements Support Team maintains an Elements Quick Reference Guide that is helpful for understanding and troubleshooting the system and data.
• OFA provides Intro to Elements & Elements Refresher trainings annually. These typically are held in January. Information on trainings can be found in the Elements Quick Reference Guide. 

For CAES specific Elements system or data questions, email CAES Reporting.

Training Archives

• Intro to Elements for New Faculty (1/5/2023) - video archive  - slide deck
  
• Elements Update for Experienced Faculty (1/5/2023) - slide deck

Elements FAQ