Group Wolves, information systems analysts, have finished a preliminary investigation of the Student User System. This investigation was the result of a systems request by Joewana M. Freeman, Systems Analyst and faculty member of the Community College of Philadelphia (CCP).

Three proposed changes to the Student User System were cited in an information system services request document.

Concerning the "Apply for Graduation" element of the Student User System (menu letter "H"), the modifications should include a list of the uncompleted or unregistered courses that are required for graduation within a department’s curriculum. Also, the system should deliver immediate confirmation when a student meets the requirements for graduation.

A listing of required textbooks, including ISBN numbers and prices, should be made available in the "Current Roster Display" element of the Student User System (menu letter "A").

The following problems were found in the investigation of the "Apply for Graduation" element of the system:

1. This element is limited to applying for graduation only and does not provide additional information or options.
2. When a student applies for graduation, notification of that student’s graduation status is delayed and is often not received for months after the initial request. Therefore, if that student is notified that the requirements for graduation have not been met while engaged in the anticipated final semester, it is often too late to remedy the course selection or elect to meet with a counselor or department head.

The following factors are contributing to this problem:

1. An existing software application is used to determine if a student meets graduation requirements, yet it is only available to certain faculty members, counselors, and registrar personnel.
2. During an interview with Brian Custer, Database Administrator at CCP, it was determined that there are registrar personnel employed at CCP whose sole responsibility is to determine the graduation requirements for students. It is our observation that they are slow to complete this task.
3. In its current form, the data in the program’s display would be difficult for a student to decipher and would need to be modified to make it user friendly. Mr. Custer asserted that this could be achieved during coding.
4. However, Mr. Custer expressed that there may be resistance from the registrar’s office to allow students to use this program, with regards to security violations and data corruption.

The following problems were found in the investigation of the proposed textbook list element:

1. Students often are not informed of what book their courses require and how much they will cost until the first day of class. This is a hindrance to students with a desire to prepare for the next semester’s course work or students who are planning budgets and are seeking textbook expenses
2. There is no existing textbook database on the college’s mainframe computer.
3. Each academic department at CCP generates lists of the required textbooks for a semester. These lists are delivered to the college bookstore for ordering. Orders must be placed by specified dates, well in advance of the particular semester, thereby giving the ordering department sufficient time to fulfill the orders. However, the bookstore’s textbook database cannot be linked to the Student User System.

The following factors are contributing to this problem:

1. Barnes and Nobel, Inc privately manage the college bookstore.
2. During interviews with Nuni Rios, Store Manager, and Jermaine Mouzon, Text Manager, we were informed that it is not feasible for them to publish this information on the Student User System for the following reasons.

• The bookstore’s database is stored in an entirely different mainframe system. They use the A/S 400 system, whereas CCP operates under the O/S 390 system and is outsourced from Pittsburgh. Mr. Rios believes that linking the two systems would require an excessive amount of technical expertise and doubts its success. At the present time we do not have sufficient time to investigate his view.

• He also expressed that it is not in the financial interest of Barnes and Noble, Inc. to publish the textbook listing far in advance of the upcoming semester. He asserted that the bookstore would lose business, as students would shop for the textbooks elsewhere during semester break. Another concern was that competing bookstores could gain access to the textbook listing and would purchase the books and sell them to students at a more significant discount.
• CCP does not have a textbook database on its mainframe.

Concerning the modifications to the "Apply for Graduation" element, the registrar’s office would need to be convinced that the integrity of the information would remain secure. Then, the registrar’s office would supply the database administrators of CCP with a systems request. Because there is already a system in place, the modifications are entirely possible and can be handled with the college. We recommend further analysis of the graduating requirements system currently in use.

We have come across numerous obstacles to the proposed textbook list element. With the bookstore resistance and the current textbook list not in the CCP’s database, the proposed system is likely to be abandoned. However, we maintain that further investigation is needed in the following areas:

• The implementation of a textbook database on the college’s mainframe
• Students participating in CCP’s work-study program can staff the data entry of textbooks into the school’s mainframe, as well as perform the updates
• The update information is supplied to the update staff at the same time the book orders are submitted to the bookstore
• Discuss the plan with department heads to determine if the faculty would be willing to meet a deadline when submitting textbook orders
• For all courses without a predetermined text or published text, the terminal screen would display "text information not available"

We estimate that one-week will be required for us to perform the necessary interviews and recommended systems analysis. There will be no charges during this phase. If the systems development work continues, costs will depend on which projects are pursued and what modifications are performed. If work-study students are employed to accomplish the textbook listing in the Student User System, there will be virtually no cost for data entry.

During an interview with Ms Betty Cannon, Database Administrator for CCP, we were informed that all the necessary hardware and software is already in place to complete the desired tasks. We estimate that the improvement cost will be minimal. Still, there may be overtime expenses due to additional programming requirements, and we do not have authorization to access CCP’s payroll records in order to make a reasonable cost determination. The cost will be no more than $5000.00, since the personnel required making the desired improvements are employed by the school. The expense should be incorporated into the current salaries. We estimate a six-month time period to have either or both systems in operation for the Spring 2001 semester.

At the completion of the systems analysis phase, we will better determine the fate of the textbook list element, as we are pursuing an alternate solution. If given the approval of the registrar’s office, the proposed changes to the "Apply for Graduation" element can be modified.