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CMNS E-APT Preparers
Where to Find APT Procedures, Manuals, and Forms 
General comments about APT process & changes since last year
Elements of an electronic dossier, bookmark names
Pre-approval and complete approval processes
Software Needed for APT processes
HowTo: Instructions on combining multiple files into one .pdf & Bookmarking
HowTo: Instructions for digitizing a handwritten signature & using in an electronic document
webDrive Manual: Instructions for using webDrive to submit files to College electronic "folders."

Where to Find APT Procedures, Manuals, and Forms

Notes:
Prior training sessions: September, 2007; August, 2010.
Combining 11 units from CMNS w/ 4 units from CLFS

Departmental APT Preparers

*For questions regarding APT process items, contact EXAA Chris Fuller (cfuller@umd.edu), with a CC to ADFA Bonnie Dorr (bdorr@umd.edu).

**For questions relating to the E-APT technology, i.e. creating a .pdf, creating bookmarks, transferring files to the Dean’s server , contact ITO Jeanine Worden ( jworden@umd.edu or  x5 5062)

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Where to Find APT Procedures Manuals & Forms

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General comments about recent changes and electronic submission, 2010-2011:

• The timeline for Professorial Promotions has been revised as described.  Do not send these dossiers as attachments. Please email names of upcoming associate professor and professor appointment/promotion cases to EXAA, ADFA, and ITO one week prior to uploading the dossiers, so that electronic submission will be appropriately handled.  The ITO will respond with a pathname for the upload of your dossier(s), in one of these two formats (with XXXX replaced by your 4-letter unit identifier):

  https://dav.webhosting.umd.edu/CMNS/htdocs/internal/APT/Assoc-Prof/XXXX
  https://dav.webhosting.umd.edu/CMNS/htdocs/internal/APT/Prof/XXXX

• Research Faculty Dossiers for appointments and promotions may be submitted at any time of the year.  These are now reduced to minimal packets as described in Timeline for Research Promotions. Do not send these packets as attachments. Please email names of upcoming research faculty cases to EXAA, ADFA, and ITO one week prior to uploading the packets, so that electronic submission will be appropriately handled.  The ITO will respond with a pathname for the upload of your packet(s), in one of these two formats (with XXXX replaced by your 4-letter unit identifier):

  https://dav.webhosting.umd.edu/CMNS/htdocs/internal/APT/Assoc-Res-Sci/XXXX
  https://dav.webhosting.umd.edu/CMNS/htdocs/internal/APT/Sr-Res-Sci/XXXX

• The timeline for three-year reviews is described at Three Year Reviews. Do not send these packets as attachments. Please email names of upcoming three year reviews to EXAA, ADFA, and ITO one week prior to uploading the packets, so that electronic submission will be appropriately handled. The ITO will respond with a pathname for the upload of your packet(s), in one of these two formats (with XXXX replaced by your 4-letter unit identifier):

  https://dav.webhosting.umd.edu/CMNS/htdocs/internal/APT/3-Yr-Review/XXXX

• Senior lecturer packets are due in early March and must include the material at CMNS Policy on Senior Lectures.  Do not send these packets as attachments. Please email names of upcoming senior lecturer cases to EXAA, ADFA, and ITO one week prior to uploading the packets, so that electronic submission will be appropriately handled.  The ITO will respond with a pathname for the upload of your packet(s), in one of these two formats (with XXXX replaced by your 4-letter unit identifier):

  https://dav.webhosting.umd.edu/CMNS/htdocs/internal/APT/Senior-Lecturer/XXXX

• Faculty Data reports are to be submitted by March 25th (for the period between Feb 28 through March 1) using the form at CMNS-Faculty-Recruitment-Retention-Honors-Awards-Data-11.doc.  Please fill out this document and email it as an attachment to EXAA and ADFA.
  
  
• Long-in-Rank Reports for Research Faculty are to be submitted to by April 15th.   These reports are required for Associate Research Scientists at rank for 10+ years, and Assistant Research Scientists at rank for 7+ years.  Unit heads will receive notification from the ADFA regarding these cases and will then be expected to submit a report consisting of one of the following three responses: (1) This person is moving to a regular position or to some other position; (2) The unit is planning to promote this person by <insert date>; or (3) Discussions with this person have revealed that they are happy to stay at their current rank.
  
  
• For electronic submission of dossiers and packets for appointments and promotions, please note the following: (1) The external letters should be inserted electronically (please solicit electronic versions of letters).  Failing that, the letters can be scanned, but units need to move away from scanning. [See page 42 of APT guidelines] Letters should be inserted in the same order that they appear in the letter log.  (2)
  
  
• Ensure that teaching evaluations (for professorial faculty) follow the format in the APT manual (page 81, Appendix B). (3) Supplemental materials (teaching portfolio, articles, etc) should be included with the original hard copy dossier ONLY.  Please do not include them in the electronic format. (NO SCANNING!!!)

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Elements of an electronic dossier and bookmark names

The various components of the dossier should be bookmarked using the exact titles provided in APPENDIX A (including the numbers).  The materials required for pre-approval and complete approval of professorial and research appointments are described in APPENDIX B.

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Software Needed for E-APT process

The Electronic process, E-APT, is for the preparation of dossiers for Appointment or Promotion at the Associate-Prof/Associate-Research-Scientist level and above ONLY.  As of Fall 2010, 3 yr reviews will also be submitted following the E-APT process.

E-APT Tips/Reminders

• Scanning – should not be needed, at all.  Create .pdf’s directly from electronic documents using either Adobe toolbar icon or File/Print and choosing printer, “Adobe pdf”. 
  
  
• Remember to save the dossier so that the initial view includes the bookmark panel - Click File/Properties within Acrobat.  Click on the "Initial View" tab & next to Navigation Tab click & select "Bookmarks Panel & Page."  Then Save the .pdf.
  
  
• Typically completed dossiers range in size from 1MB – 3 MB.  If your file is larger than this, please take a look at your .pdf.  Within Adobe Prof., choose File/Reduce File Size from the menu.  Choose to make your document compatible with Acrobat 8 & LATER.  If you still have questions re: large file sizes, please contact ITO.
  
  
• To transfer the file to the Dean’s Server, Admins DO NOT need to create a folder.  This will be done for you.  If you don’t see correct folder or have questions, please contact ITO Jeanine Worden.

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E-APT “How To” (instructions compatible with Acrobat versions 6 , 7, & 8)

Creating a .pdf file from multiple files

1. Within Acrobat, select File->Create Pdf->From Multiple Files from the Menu.
   
   
2. Click “Add Files” icon.  Locate the directory where the source files are located.  (In Acrobat vers. 6 & 7 Select "Browse" to point to the directory where the source files are located.)
   
   
3. Use click, shift-click, or ctrl-click to select all the desired files to combine.
   
   
4. Click "Add files".
   
   
5. The files are listed in a window in the order in which they will be arranged in the .pdf.  Files may be reordered using click-and-drag in the “Files to Combine” box, or by clicking the “Move Up” and “Move Down” buttons.
   
   
6. Additional files may be added by repeating steps 2 - 5 in this section.
   
   
7. When all desired files appear in the “Files to Combine” box and are in the proper order, Click Next (or OK in vers. 6 & 7).
   
   
8. Make sure “Merge Files into a Single PDF” is selected (Acrobat Ver 8 ONLY).  Click “Create”.
   
   
9. Click “Save” then Select the folder in which to Save the new .pdf and enter the appropriate file name.
   
   
10. Click “Save”

Bookmark a .pdf file using Adobe Acrobat

1. Open the pdf dossier.
   
   
2. Scroll to the page where you would like to set a bookmark, e.g.  Page 1  should be the transmittal form
   
   
3. Click on the bookmark icon  (Click on the bookmark “tab” in vers 6 & 7), located on the left side of the document.
   
   
4. Click on the icon for New Bookmark (icon of open book w/ red bookmark in ver 6 & 7). 
   
   
5. Note:  If you do not see the “New Bookmark” icon, resize your bookmarks panel to be wider.
   
   
6. Enter the appropriate name for the Bookmark, e.g. 1. Transmittal Form.   See APT Procedures Manual for Bookmark naming conventions.  You may also view a sample e-dossier (http://www.faculty.umd.edu/policies/SampleElectronicDossier.pdf) but remember to use CURRENT bookmark naming conventions, which may differ from those used in the sample.

Sub-Bookmark a .pdf file

1. Create the bookmark as described above; e.g., a bookmark named “Smith (Com)”
   
   
2. After naming the bookmark, click-&-hold on the bookmark and drag so that the pointer is over the main bookmark; e.g., the pointer is over the bookmark for “13. Responses of External Evaluators”
   
   
3. Release the mouse-button and the new bookmark should appear indented underneath the main bookmark.  In the example given, you will now have “Smith (Com)” as a sub-bookmark under “13. Responses of External Evaluators”
   
   
4. To create another Main-level bookmark after creating sub-bookmarks, click on the previous, main-level bookmark and follow instructions under “Bookmark a pdf”.  Alternatively, you may click-and-drag a sub-bookmark out to a main bookmark.

Deleting a Bookmark

1. Click on the Name of the bookmark that you wish to delete.
   
   
2. Click on the Trashcan icon.  The bookmark will be immediately deleted. 
   
   
3. You may restore an accidentally deleted bookmark by clicking on “Edit” on the menu bar & clicking “Undo Delete Bookmark.”
   
   
4. If you delete a bookmark with sub-bookmarks, the bookmark and all sub-bookmarks under it will be deleted.  If you wish to keep the sub-bookmarks, you may click & drag them out from underneath the bookmark to be deleted.

Renaming a Bookmark

1. Right-Click on the Name of the bookmark that you wish to rename
   
   
2. Click Rename & type the new name.

Changing the Page to which a Bookmark points

1. Move to the new page where you would like to point the bookmark
   
   
2. Right-click over the Named Bookmark
   
   
3. Click “Set Destination.”  Click Yes to confirm the change.

** Setting the dossier to display the bookmarks when opened **

1. Click on File on the Menu
   
   
2. Click on “Properties” (“Document properties” in ver 6 & 7)
   
   
3. Click on the “Initial View” Tab.
   
   
4. Next to “Navigation Tab”  (“Show” in ver 6 & 7), select “Bookmark panel and page” from the drop-down menu.
   
   
5. Click OK.   Be sure to SAVE the .pdf with THESE settings.

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Electronic Signatures in APT Documents

Methods for Creating an Electronic Signature

1. Electronic Signature within the body of an email

An email message containing a typed name, title and affiliation, or an attached “vcard” is a form of electronic signature that will be accepted by the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences in lieu of a paper letter.  By sending a letter of evaluation electronically, the referee affirms that the electronic message suffices to fulfill the request for an official letter of recommendation.

2. Signature in an electronic document using script or personalized fonts

An electronic document containing a signature may be substituted for a signed, written document.  The electronic signature may be typed as explained above; or any regular font, script font, or personalized signature font may be used.

3. A digital image embedded in an electronic document

   A digitized version of a handwritten signature or an electronic version of a “rubber stamp” may be used to sign an electronic document.  Instructions for inserting the electronic image into MS Word and Adobe Acrobat are provided below.

Tips on Scanning your Signature

• Write your signature using a fine-point, black marker-type pen on the back of a business card.
  
  
• Scan in the signature at 300 dpi, black and white, with a paper size of “Business Card” and “Landscape” orientation. Save the file as a TIFF file. 

Preparing the Scanned Image for Use in MS Word or Adobe Acrobat     
(Instructions for Microsoft Word 2007 & 2003.  Instructions may differ slightly for other versions of MS Word.)
Insert the Image

1. Open Microsoft Word
   
   
2. On the Word Menu, Choose Insert—>Picture (2003: next choose “From File”)
   
   
3. Find the TIFF image that you scanned and click the “Insert” button.  This will place the image on the page.

Set Transparency

1. Select the image by clicking on it once.  Eight “dots” marking the border of the image will appear, these will be referenced in the following documentation.
   
   
2. 2007: Click “Recolor” on the menu ribbon. 
   2003: Right-click on the image and select “Show Picture Toolbar”
   The toolbar, as pictured below, will appear.
   
    
   
3. Click “Set Transparent Color” (2003: Click the Icon for Transparent Color as illustrated by the arrow in the picture above.)
   The mouse pointer will change to resemble the icon pictured,  .
   
   
4. Left-Click once anywhere in the white area of the signature picture.  The only noticeable change is that the mouse pointer changes back to the “arrow” pointer,  .
   

Define the Layout

1. 2007: Click “Position” on the menu ribbon.  Click “More Layout Options.” 
   2003: On the picture toolbar, click on the icon for Format Picture
               Click on the “Layout” Tab. 
   
   
2. Click on the icon labeled, “In Front of Text.”
   
   
3. Click OK.
   

Create a matching “Paper Size”

1. Click on the page, outside of the signature image, to deselect the image.  The border “dots” should disappear.
   
   
2. 2007:  On the menu ribbon, click “Page Layout”.  Click the “Margins” icon.  Click “Custom Margins.”
   2003:  On the Word Menu, Click File -> Page Setup.  Click the “Margins Tab.”
   
   
3. Set Top, Bottom, Left, and Right margins to Zero. 
   
   
4. Click on the “Paper” tab within the same window. Under “Paper Size”, click in the “Width” text box and enter an approximate size for the width of your image, e.g. 4”.  Click on the “Height” text box and enter an approximate size for the height of your image. e.g. .1”. 
   
   
5. Click the OK button.
   
   
6. You may need to reposition your signature image.  Click and hold the left-mouse button.  Drag your signature in the desired direction until it is completely visible on the page.  If you are unable to reposition the signature so that it is completely visible, you will need to adjust the paper size, as describe in step #4.

Save the File

1. 2007:  Click on the round, Office Button in the upper-left corner of the window.
   2003:  Click “File” on the menu
   2007 & 2003: click Save As and name the file so that it can later be identified as your signature, e.g. MySignature.  Save as type Word Document.
   
   
2. If later you will be applying this signature directly into a .pdf document, convert the MySignature.doc to a .pdf.  Note: you must have Adobe Acrobat installed to Convert a Word .doc to .pdf.
   

Convert a .doc file to a .pdf file:

1. If you have the Adobe icons or see “Adobe PDF” on the Word Menu (to the right of the “Help” menu option), follow steps #2-3 below.  If you have an Adobe PDF printer option, located on the Word Menu through File->Print, Printer Name “Adobe PDF” or equivalent, follow steps #4-5.  Otherwise, you will need to have Adobe Acrobat installed on your PC.
   
   
2. Click on Adobe icon in the Word toolbar .  
3. Name file and save
   
   
4. Optionally, choose File->Print on the Word menu.  Select the printer Name “Adobe PDF” if installed.
   
   
5. Click OK.
   
   
6. If neither option is available, you will need to have Adobe Acrobat installed on your PC.

Inserting Image into Microsoft Word

1. Open the Word document in which you wish to insert a signature.
2. Click in the area where you would like to insert the signature.
   
   
3. 2007: On the Word Menu, Click “Insert”.  On the Ribbon, click “Object.” 
   
   
4. Click on the “Create from File” Tab. 
   
   
5. 2003: On the Word Menu, Choose Insert—>File…
   
   
6. Find the .doc file that you created in the Save the File section above, e.g. mySignature.doc. 
   
   
7. Click the “Insert” button.
   
   
8. This will place the image on the page.
   
   
9. Select the image by clicking on it once.  Eight “dots” marking the border of the image will appear.
   
   
10. To reposition the image, click & hold the left mouse button somewhere inside the image and drag the image to the desired location.  Release.  To finely adjust the position of the image, hold down the CTRL key while pushing either the up, down, left or right keyboard arrow key one or more times to move the image in the corresponding direction.
    
    
11. To resize the signature, click and hold on one of the 4 corners of the image and drag until the signature is the desired size.           

Inserting Image into Adobe Acrobat
1.  Launch Acrobat and choose View   Toolbars    “Comment&Markup” (ver 8) OR “Commenting”(ver 6 & 7)
  Ver 6 & 7 view

Set Up a Custom Stamp (done first time only)

1. On the Commenting toolbar, click directly on the down-arrow next to the Stamp button. (ver 8 )
   
   
2. Choose Create Custom Stamp and click the browse button to find the PDF that you created containing your signature, e.g. MySignature.pdf.  (Described in the section above, Preparing the Scanned Image for Use in MS Word or Adobe Acrobat)  Click Select button.
   
   
3. Click OK.
   
   
4. Type a category name, e.g. Signature, into the Category box.
   
   
5. Type a signature name, e.g. My Signature, into the Name box.
   
   
6. Click OK.

Apply the Signature Stamp

1. Click directly on the “Stamp Tool” button . 
   
   
2. If prompted, Enter info. in the “Identity Setup” box, or leave blank.  You may want to “check” the box next to “Don’t Show Again.”  Click complete.
   
   
3. Move the “floating” signature, to the place you would like to locate it within the .pdf, and then left-click.
   
   
4. To reposition the image, click & hold the left mouse button somewhere inside the image and drag the image to the desired location.  Release.
   
   
5. To resize the signature, click and hold on one of the 4 corners of the image and drag until the signature is the desired size.

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Finding WebDrive Software on your desktop

WebDrive is a software that is used on PCs only to transfer documents to the folder on the Dean’s office secure server.  The webDrive software can be downloaded from OIT by going to the following site (cut & paste):

https://directory.umd.edu/cgi-bin/um_login?apptitle=Software&appurl=https://www.helpdesk.umd.edu/cgi-bin/software_download&appparam=package%3dwebdav/webdrive912.zip

Once webDrive is installed on your PC, the software is found in one of three locations.  (1) An icon on your desktop.  See Figure 1, identified by pink arrow.  (2) An icon in your icon “tray”.  See Figure 1, identified by green arrow.  (3) Located under “Start”, Programs, WebDrive.  See Figure 2, identified by pink oval.
  
Figure 1.
  
Figure 2.

Connecting to the WebDrive

You may connect to the webDrive in one of two ways.

Example 1:
Double-click the icon on your desktop labeled “WebDrive”.  (Figure 1. pink arrow)  Make sure the Site Name and Site Address/URL that appears in the popup correctly identifies the specific type of E-APT appointment or promotion.  (See Figure 3, below).

The Site Address/URL line that you will use to transfer the file will be email’d to you when the folder has been created by the Dean’s office, but will look SIMILAR to one of the following where XXXX represents your unit name:

Associate Professor (promotions or appointments)
https://dav.webhosting.umd.edu/CMNS/htdocs/internal/APT/Assoc-Prof/XXXX

Professor  (promotions or appointments)-
https://dav.webhosting.umd.edu/CMNS/htdocs/internal/APT/Prof/XXXX

Associate Research Scientist  (promotions or appointments)-
https://dav.webhosting.umd.edu/CMNS/htdocs/internal/APT/Assoc-Res-Sci/XXXX

Senior Research Scientist  (promotions or appointments)-
https://dav.webhosting.umd.edu/CMNS/htdocs/internal/APT/Sr-Res-Sci/XXXX

Three Year Reviews-
https://dav.webhosting.umd.edu/CMNS/htdocs/internal/APT/3-Yr-Review/XXXX

Senior Lecturer (promotions or appointments)-
https://dav.webhosting.umd.edu/CMNS/htdocs/internal/APT/Senior-Lecturer/XXXX

Click the Connect Button.  Connection errors are almost always the result of “typos” within the URL line.  (Cut & Paste of the URL from the email sent by Jeanine is recommended.)
 
 Figure 3.

Example 2:
Right-click the icon in your icon tray.  (Figure 1, green arrow).  Select “Connect To”, click on “E-APT” (or a similarlynamed profile for the specific type of E-APT appointment or promotion)

Figure 4.

Once you have chosen to “Connect”, you will be required to login using your University DirectoryID and password.  This is the id and password that you also use for ARES. 

After you have authenticated, you will have access to a new drive, W:, which points to the storage area for your Department’s APT files.  The Dean’s Office and the APT committee will access the APT files from this  area.

Saving Files Directly to the WebDrive
When you have correctly connected to E-APT as described in the section, “Connecting to the WebDrive,” a drive W: becomes available.  You may specify drive W: directly when converting a .doc to .pdf or when saving .pdf mail attachments.  When performing a “Save”, click on the drop-down box as highlighted in green on Figure 5 and click on “E-apt on Webdrive (W:)”
 

Figure 5.

Copying Files from your PC to E-APT/ Use of Windows Explorer

Windows Explorer may be used to copy files on your local PC to E-APT.  Windows Explorer is found under Start/Programs/Accessories/Windows Explorer, as seen in Fig. 6.   
Figure 6

In Windows Explorer, see Fig. 7, expand the list under “My Computer” by clicking the “+”.  You should see E-apt on Webdrive (W:) if you have properly connected following the directions in the section,  “Connecting to the WebDrive.”

Figure 7

Using Windows Explorer, locate the .pdf dossier on your PC.  Place the mouse over the .pdf file that you want to copy to E-APT.  Click+HOLD while you drag the mouse pointer to the W: drive.  When the W: drive is selected (has a dark highlight) release the mouse button and the file will be copied to E-APT.

Disconnecting from E-APT
When E-APT is not in use, it should be disconnected for security reasons.  To disconnect E-APT, right-click on the webDrive icon in the icon tray.  (See Figure 1, identified by green arrow.)  If E-Apt is connected, you will see W:E-APT above “Exit” in the pop-up menu as shown in Fig. 8.  Select “W: E-APT” and click on “Disconnect” in the sub-menu as shown in Fig. 8. 

Figure 8

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