Faculty Information System Upgrade Guide: What has changed?

Overview

This article summarizes and provides guidance on the most notable changes in prominently used areas and features of the Elements System. Users will see these updates and improvements with the launch of the system update in October 2024.

Quick Reference

Overview	Changes
Interface/Navigation	New Link: scholars.pitt.edu Redesigned pages with new branding and layouts New ‘Notifications’ feature found on the Header Toolbar (has replaced the prior Inbox feature) Accessing the menu and the layout of the menu has changed. There is also a new ‘menu search’ feature. A new toolbar was added to the left of the screen with the option to select the Home Page, Profile, or Reporting Hub for quick access
Home Page	A tile for the object ‘Projects’ has been added to the Home Page Home pages are now customizable Publication tile now has two view options: List or Graph
Object Pages	All Object Types: Object pages (Publications, Grants, Professional Activities, Teaching Activities, and Projects.) have been redesigned. There are new tabs, including Labels and Relationship There is a ‘Focus on’ selector There is the ability to edit object thumbnails My Publications Only: New filter option – to filter by publication status. A new Metrics tab is available and specific to publications Contributions can be added from detail page A new Publication type has been added: Preprint
Profile	When viewing a profile, there are tabs that separate objects so they can be viewed individually (Publications, Grants, etc.) Users can now choose to have a Preferred Name display on their Profile There is an additional Privacy Option for items in a user profile: Internal Only.
Reporting Hub	The Reporting Hub is a completely new area in Elements. It is a page dedicated to housing and centralizing available reports.
Account Settings	There is now an option to manage a Preferred Name in a user profile There is now an option for users to hide their title on their profile (Dr, Ms, Mr, etc.)

See below for additional details and visuals on the changes listed above.

Interface/Navigation

What has changed?

Interface and Navigation within Elements has had many adjustments with this system upgrade. These changes have been made to improve accessibility as well as overall functionality and presentation. Main differences you will notice as you access the system are:

The link to the system is now scholars.pitt.edu. It can still be accessed from myPitt as well.
Pages have been redesigned with new branding, colors, and overall changes to the look and layout. Here is an example of the differences you can see with the update:

Old Version:

New Version:

The Elements header toolbar is still available, but now has a notification feature represented by a bell icon in the upper right corner. This is replacing the Inbox feature

The menu is now accessed using a “Hamburger button” found in the upper left corner.

Once accessed, you will also notice the menu has an updated layout as well as a new ‘menu search’ feature. This feature allows you to search for a page you are looking to access more quickly. Please note: Your menu will have different options based on your permissions in the system.

There is a new fixed toolbar to the left of the screen to quickly access commonly used pages. They are Home, Profile, and Reporting Hub.

Home Page

What has changed?

The home page still has Action Items and shortcuts to your objects (Publications, Grants, etc.), but you will notice it has been redesigned. There are also new features on this page you can utilize:

A Projects object tile has been added

You can customize your home page by selecting the Configure Home Page icon in the lower left corner.

You can select which tiles you want to see or hide by dragging and dropping the tile in the respective “Visible” or “Hidden” category. You can also put them in an order that suits your preferences by dragging and dropping in the Visible Tiles area.

You can select a different view for the Publications tile: Either List View or a Graph View.

Object Pages

What has changed?

The Object Pages still allow you to view and manage Publications and other kinds of activity within Elements. All object pages have been redesigned, including an updated tab system.

For these updates, we will use the Grant object. However, all object pages see these main changes:

Object Page – All Objects

There is a new tab system for the Objects in Elements. These new tabs include ‘Labels’ and ‘Relationships’. The ‘Relationships’ now combines the older version’s ‘Users’ and ‘Links’ tabs.

The ‘Labels’ tab allows you to view and manage labels associated with an object more easily. It shows options for available label schemes in the system and includes the number of labels applied for the respective scheme. These can be edited from here as well.

The ‘Relationships’ tab allows you to view and manage relationships with an object. This can include a relationships to other users and/or objects.

There is also an ability to view the relationships in a list view or a card view by selecting the arrow next to the item with the relationship to the object.

From here, you can select your preferred view.

A Focus Selector is now available to view your objects in a different way that best suits your needs. You can choose to Focus on any of the tabs available for a particular object. For Grants, this includes Summary, Labels, Relationships, Sources or History. It will switch to the tab option you select for all objects so you can focus on that data.

There is now the ability to add/edit a Thumbnail for an object.

Object Pages – Publications Only

The Publications objects/pages still allow you to view and manage your publications. This includes claiming and rejecting them, as well. With the update, there are some changes specific to this object type. They will be highlighted below:

There is a new filter option on the Publications object page. This filter option is ‘Publication Status’

My publications has a new Tab for Metrics, in addition to the ‘Labels’ and ‘Relationships’ tab. This tab highlights article metrics and journal metrics for the Publication.

Contributions is a new feature that can now be added from a Publication Details Page.

Profile

What has changed?

Profiles can still be viewed and edited as needed, but you will notice it has been redesigned. There are also some new features. Here are the main updates in this area:

When viewing a profile, there are now tabs separating publications, grants, etc. so the content can be accessed and viewed more clearly and specifically.

There is a new feature that allows you to enter and manage your preferred name, that will then show on your profile. This can be done from the Account settings page .

When editing your profile, there is also a new privacy setting for items on your profile. The new setting option is “Internal Only”, meaning only members of the organization can see the item. This is in addition to the original settings of private and public, which are still available

Reporting Hub

What has changed?

The Reporting hub is an entirely new area in Elements now available with this update. It is a page dedicated to housing and centralizing available reports (this includes dashboards). From here, you can manage, view and run reports.

How to access the Reporting Hub?

It can be accessed a few ways: By the toolbar to the left of the screen or the menu, for example.

How do I find and run a report?

Once accessed, you will be able to see a list of reports available to you. This will vary based on your permissions in the system.

You also have the ability to filter, search and sort the reports in the list to make it easier to find a report you are looking for.

To view the Report details, select the Report Name. To run a report, select the ‘Run’ Button

To run the report, enter the data required into the window that appears. This data will vary based on the report selected. You can also select the format you would like the report, and then select ‘Run’.

Please Note: Dashboard type reports are an exception, as you do not ‘Run’ them, you ‘View’ them.

‘Favorite’ a Report

There is an option to ‘favorite’ a report using the heart shaped icon next to the Report Name. Once favorited, it can be quickly accessed from the Report Hub in the future.

A video reviewing the Reporting Hub can be accessed here.

Account Settings

What has changed?

You can still access account settings and do things like manage delegates from Account Settings. There are also some new features included in the update: