Reduce Teacher Stress with an Educational Equipment Management Plan

School departments have a slew of equipment. From fundamental pieces like computers and desks to department-specific items like music stands, you have thousands of pieces of equipment to track. Trying to host classes without them just won’t work. For teachers to continue educating their students, they need a reliable equipment management plan.

Teachers already have enough to tackle. They can’t take time to monitor the status of their equipment. But if it breaks in the middle of a lesson, they must spend valuable time troubleshooting it instead of helping students gain skills.

But trying to put one single person in charge of managing all the equipment on your campus is a nightmare. They won’t know how much it’s been used or be able to track maintenance between machines, since they have so much to keep track of. Using asset tracking to monitor usage can help you better come up with management schedules and exactly when and what you need to do to keep them in top form.

Here are the steps you’ll need to take to implement a successful educational equipment management plan.

Step 1: Choose a System to Track Your Equipment In

Not all equipment management software is created equal. You’ll want to find a program that’s easy for everyone involved to navigate. Your teachers won’t have time to fiddle with a complicated system when they have lesson plans to work on and students to help.

Asset Panda’s user interface was created to be simple to use and accessible for unlimited users. Check out our list of features here to see exactly what you can expect by using our platform.

Step 2: Take Stock of All Your Equipment

You can’t manage your equipment if you don’t know what you have. You need to check every part of your school to record any equipment you may have forgotten about.

Because taking stock of all your equipment can be a huge time investment at first, it’s best to schedule this step during one of the slow seasons, such as during the summer break. That way, you won’t have to worry about disrupting student learning.

Step 3: Record Equipment Details and Locations

Once you know what you have, you’ll want to record everything you can think of related to each piece of equipment. Record things like item description, model number, age of the asset, department it's being stored in, and what sorts of classes need to access it on a regular basis.

There’s no piece of information too trivial to record. You may not think it’s important at first, but there’s no telling when equipment data might be useful.

Step 4: Record Equipment Regulations and Maintenance Needs

Some equipment is straightforward to maintain. When desks and chairs break, all you can do is replace them. However other equipment is more complicated. Technology hardware requires regular checkups.

Specialized pieces of equipment likely have industry and district regulations. Heavy machinery also has safety regulations to ensure the health and well-being of your students. Make sure everyone who uses your equipment knows what these regulations are, so they can respect them.

Step 5: Figure Out Who Will Supervise Equipment Management

Giving your teachers one more task on top of their already heavy load is too taxing. But someone has to go around checking equipment status and recording changes in usage and condition.

Take some time to identify who would make the most sense to take on this task. Would having your custodians monitor equipment health enable you to make the most informed decisions? Or do you have enough equipment to warrant bringing someone on full-time just for that?

Step 6: Show Teachers and Staff How to Utilize Your Equipment Management System

While your teachers won’t oversee equipment management, they should still know how to access your system. Having them record each time they use your educational assets will give your administration important information about which assets are useful, and which ones are collecting dust.

Since your teachers interact with your equipment more than anyone else, their insight as to equipment performance can be key indicators of asset health. If they file reports about funny smells or sudden sounds, you can get it looked at before a vital part breaks and renders it unusable.

When your teachers know they can rely on their classroom assets to keep working, their jobs get easier. Keeping your equipment in top shape is one of the best ways to support your teachers and all of the hard work they do to support your students.