PUKO, Rostislav, PETRENKO, Yury, SATIKOV, Igor, SATIKOV, Maxim & PETRENKO, Nikolae
220027, F.Scorina av., 65, Byelorussian State Polytechnics Academy, Republic of Belarus, ypetrenko@bspa.unibel.by
Abstract: consolidation of stand-alone PC’s into computer laboratories and connecting them into one LAN is natural process in evolution of university level school. Not touching the problems of using LAN in the process of education, we look at automation of management tasks in educational institutions. In the broad sense they can include following groups of tasks: strategically (selecting specialties, enhancement of educational plans, developing connections with companies and regions); operative (changing the structure of institution, training of lecturers and other staff, financial and technical support of educational process). The problem of automating data exchange must be reviewed separately.
Informatization and data exchange system (IDES) must have several levels of implementation. First level consists of determination of most important problems and their level of automation. Most time-consuming tasks in university level school is: development of educational plans, organizing an educational cards and personal files of students, analysis of student’s exam grades. IDES tasks can be conveniently presented as graph, which contains all possible intercrossed links.
Core part of the any automation system based on electronic documents is central archive, in which files are stored during data exchange. Several systems are analyzed, including Lotus Domino/Notes, Microsoft BackOffice, etc.
IDES (stands for Informatization and Data Exchange System) structure is developed.
Keywords: university, informatization, data exchange system
The technologies of education to have followed prompt changes happen now in society, industry and economy. In spite of great differences in the tendencies of changes of these major parts world’s development, they have a main essential generality - active use of information technologies. In versatility of this concept inadequately treated by the experts of various branches of knowledge, we can see the characteristic feature of society on the millennium’s boundary - comprehensive and general use of principles of information technologies as a fundamentals of development and operation of all branches in global economy from movies (for example, animation and various effects) to designing and production of the tools in machine building and robotics.
The standards of using information technologies in a University Level School (ULS) becomes the major parameters of it conformity in the modern requirements, competitiveness, potential capability of application the newest technologies of training.
The main premise is the heavily development of the global and national information structure. This development becomes the key to system reforms in education, there determining factor. In particular, speaking about our state, it is necessary to mark the continuos development of the national computer network (WAN) establishments of education system Unibel.
The second premise is the development of communication facilities. Notwithstanding on common crisis in other society, the market of communication’s services in our country constantly develops. This is hardly probable not unique dynamically developing branch of economy. Advanced digital equipment is moving to the industry and education. The changes on the computer market are also happen. Availability of modern computers in educational laboratories was a comparative scarcity few years ago, but now heavily applications PC in educational process becomes practically readily available.
Major moment promoting development of information technologies in education is the transferring technologies of education in multimedia and telecommunication environments. The break was deviated, when the information technologies have made possible almost free dialogue of the teacher and student. This break conducts to system reforms in education, developing and strengthening them in accordance with development of multimedia and telecommunication technologies. Multimedia provides a capability of application in educational process the methods of computer simulation. Telecommunications provides now an actual interactivity, for example, in a mode of videoconferences, when the distance teacher can be seen on a screen and the learning process through telecommunication networks has become almost as possible, as at a direct contact.
The role of the teacher varies also. All the specialists are divided into two groups: experts in development of the special manuals suitable for teaching in the distance form with the help of network and multimedia technologies and the experts, who can organize training, who can teach in the usual form.
Thus, the development of modern technologies gives new capabilities for education and teacher’s problem is making possible to use these capabilities, to find in itself forces and abilities to keep abreast and to apply the newest technologies in educational process.
Considering an informatization of ULS as a global problem it is expedient with reference to our ULS to select the following its principal components:
The computerization of educational process is in our conditions historically the first, which is developed. In the beginning the computer classes of ”large” computers decided problems of mathematical simulation, then PC appeared and at last, PC networks. Conventional paths of obtaining of knowledge ” library - user - student - training - control - the evaluation ” was filled up by new, in which PC acted as an active link at each stage of this process. Most actively PC is used on the one hand as a means of processing of outcomes of measurements, with the other, as a means of simulation of various physical and technological processes. In this field the departments of physics has the greatest experience in BSPA, where the computer classes of mathematical simulation) of physical processes are used in educational process within 10 years. We think that the most perspective direction in the plan of use PC in educational process is representing PC in a mode ”on line” with the educational laboratory installation. The development of this direction requires large financial, intellectual and labor expenditures and consequently the cooperation in scientific efforts of various universities and firms on development of such educational equipment is represented interesting.
Speaking about automation of ULS in aspect of the given paper it is necessary to notice some subjectivity’s, called first of all the rigid limitations of possible permissible financial costs. For this reason it is impossible to speak about the project of automation, which is designed completely in the terms, limited on time. In our Academy we began with the necessity of association PC of faculties and laboratories in computer networks. It is connected with the necessity of information interchange inside BSPA, optimization of using computers in training, complex using of a specialized software and providing of access to it as it is possible for a lot of users. Thus the various versions such as LAN were considered: the common wire, star, ring. Owing to reliability, efficiency and financial costs the dominant distribution has received the common wire and star. The following phase was the association of faculties and departments LANs in unified LAN of ULS. The approach, which was adopted at the solution of this problem was determined by particular conditions - arrangement of educational buildings, distance between them, availability of PCs, perspectives of development student's campuses, etc. Taking into account the greatest warranty and capabilities of a network, as the base not only for computer, but also telecommunication network, for the basis LAN of ULS we took the optical fiber line ensuring transfer rate of the information is 100 Mb/s.
Now we have the prepared infrastructure and in parallel with solving the problem of a computerization the educational process we designed and developed EDMS of ULS. In all establishments, such as BSPA, there is an extensive and developed system of "paper" document management. As a rule, during activity of this system there is a need for storage a lot of documents, and also they’re cataloguing for maintenance very fast and convenient accesses to them. In the same time exists enough plenty of the documents circulating between various divisions (subdivisions) or departments, the control of which moving practically is impossible.
Long time the automation of establishments and firms was based to a various kind subsystems of a MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM (MIS), which excludes data bases (staff, office, accounts department, salary, control of performance, etc.). They enveloped only 15-20 % of total volume of the information circulating in departments. The necessity of computer processing of the documents was satisfied with application of functional packages (editors of the text and spreadsheets) type Microsoft Office. These means did not manage control large flows of the paper and electron documents circulating as inside one department, and between them. The development of information technologies has resulted in occurrence of methods and means ensuring the integrated solutions on equipment of office, permitting to automate manual operations, search, transfer of the documents and control of fulfillment.
Now most effective means of such solution the problems is the draft on funds of computer facilities in automatic or automated information systems. In the most broad sense the information system represents a program complex, which functions consist in support of safe keeping of the information in memory of the computer, fulfillment of transudations, specific to the given appendix, of the information and - or of calculations, granting to the users of the convenient and easily mastered interface. Usually information contents, with which it is necessary to deal to such systems, are rather great, and information has a rather difficult structure. Classical examples of information systems are the banking systems, system of reservation of the air or railway ticket places in hotels etc. The scheme of motion of the documents in standard systems of document circulation is submitted in Fig.1.
The development an EDMS requires the solution not only specific problems stipulated by multilateral such complexity of problems, but also others, reorganization, connected to necessity, of activity ULS. The example of other companies including not connected with education shows that the transition to electron document circulation requires radical change of the organizational and administrative device of organization. Thus there are following problems:
Problem of knowledge. The deficit of the information about a EDMS is aggravated by sad memories on a MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM. A MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM, which actively tried to introduce in the 80-th years and which and have opened of the capabilities. The advantage of introduction of automated systems of clerical work is not always obvious, since it is very heavy to evaluate economic benefit of improving a controllability of organization. Under the data submitted Ernst and Young and Nortan Nolan Institute, enterprise the introduced systems of electron document circulation, have improving the following parameters:
These evaluations were done for western market and in Byelorussia these figures can be others. In particular prize from reduction the area of storage of the documents can be significant smaller, since in ours to country till former legal force have only paper documents or their microcopies (microfilm and microfiche). At the same time reduction of time of processing the documents and precisely observance the rules of processing of the document in many orbs are critical parameters, which can bring large economic benefit of introduction a EDMS. The efficiency depends on introduction of similar systems largely, how the management of organization is successful to manage the solution of organizational problems at introduction a EDMS.
Organizational problems. At each enterprise with the course of time there is a certain organizational structure (and - not always optimum), the styles of activity, methods of management and control are formed, characteristic only for it. Frequently to receive actual economic benefit of introduction a EDMS it is necessary to change some principles of activity. In particular introduction of any automated system of clerical work should be maintained by change is organizational - circumspect of the documents in ULS (it is necessary to change even instruction on clerical work). Thus significant economic benefit the EDMS can bring only in that case, when the management considers process it of introduction not as the simple act of purchase of the new software (and probably a new instrumentation), and as are complex the project is organizational - technical. At realization a EDMS at the users can arise psychological problems.
Psychological problems. How the EDMS to majority of the employees of the enterprise is seen? If they have the surface information:
If the employees have any information on these systems, the situation largely varies, the initiators rigidly are sure that the EDMS is a certain spy, which should report the heads about all their mistakes (partly it true).
The management represents that, all that is possible to wait from it of a system is an objective control behind their orders, acceleration of preparation of the accounting information, increase of quality and decrease of time of search of the documents.
From our point of view; the qualified initiators receive the high-power tool of organization of the activity and enough arguments for motivation of the operations before a management are powerful.
Problem of staff. Introduction the EDMS implies, that all-main participants of business processes at the enterprise should know how to work on the computer. It and is in young, rather recently created organizations and firms. But what to do, if the basic skeleton of a management of the enterprise has received education 20-15 years back? On the experience and they can completely meet to professional skills to taken posts, but they were never trained and did not work on the PC. To send them on study?
In due course at introduction system of automatic design (on an extremely measure in electronic industry) was considered what cheaper to dismiss the old designers and to type the young employees (at once after university), than to retrain ” old guards ”. Unfortunately such approach at introduction a EDMS is inapplicable, since the basic users of the given system - maximum and mean managing link of a management URS.
Unique withdrawal from this situation found by an experimental way:
• Training of the system administrators with a separation from production;
• Training of the users inside URS, but not on working places (work stations);
• Long duration period of experimental operation with constants presence of staff of the developer a EDMS in organization - consumer.
Main(basic) problems, standing on a path of introduction a EDMS here are indicated only. Naturally, the majority from them finds the solution and is not force major. It would be desirable only to underline, that all these problems should be considered and the one who deliberates expediency of introduction a EDMS at the enterprise or in the organization, and the one who undertakes introduction.
The project of development a EDMS in our Academy is broken by us on 4 phases: the analysis, global designing (designing of architecture of a system), detail design and realization (programming). On a phase of the analysis the Environmental Model is created. The construction the Environmental Model actuates:
The assignment of the IS determines by the agreement between the designers and customers concerning assignment of the future IS, its common description for designers, boundaries of the IS.
On a phase of designing of architecture the object model is created. The process of construction of object model includes:
Outcomes of designing of architecture are:
On a phase of detail design the modular model is created. Modular model is understood as actual model of the designed application system. The process includes it of construction:
Outcomes of detail design are:
On a phase of realization is created the construction model. The process includes generation the SQL-proposals for determining the data bases structure (tables, indexes, limitation of a wholeness). Final allocation of subsystems is made after the analysis of data flows and interaction processes with data storage (preliminary implements must be fixed at a phase of the formulation of the technical project requirements).
In the broad sense problems of automation of management tasks in educational institutions can include following groups of tasks: strategically (selecting specialties, enhancement of educational plans, developing connections with companies and regions); operative (technical support of educational process). The problem of automating data exchange must be reviewed separately.
Information and data exchange system (IDES) must have several levels of implementation. First level consists of most important problems and their level of automation. Most time-consuming tasks in university level school is: development of educational plans, organizing an educational cards and personal files of students, analysis of student's exam grades. IDES tasks can be conveniently presented as graph, which contains all possible intercrossed links.
Core part of the any automation system based on electronic documents in central archive, in which files are stored during data exchange. Several systems are analyzed, including Lotus Domino/Notes, Microsoft BackOffice, etc. IDES structure is developed.
Following step of activity above a EDMS is the selection of the software. We considered software products of firms Microsoft, Novell and Lotus. Each from products is capable to satisfy with need for the computer mail of any organization - from the large firm up to group of the several person.
Microsoft Exchange is most simple for installation and is loaded without problems directly from a box. But now the computer mail is the core of Exchange. This system has generator of the forms, and it is possible to use Visual Basic as language for the solution more challenges. But thus there is no simple method of adding of the agents. Besides the system is limited to operational systems Macintosh and Windows.
The strengths of Exchange is in it data base (practically you are guaranteeing against loss of the messages) and architecture of service of the messages, built-in in operational system. The interfaces of applied programming for message passing API, MAPI are fundamental to the future development Microsoft in this area. In the long term Exchange will move to the party of association with other products Microsoft, such, as Office, that will simplify organization of activity with the messages and documents even more.
The package Groupwise in many respects is similar on Exchange. In particular, it bases on a system of transfer of the electron messages with the good interface. However it has not enough extended possibilities of Exchange, in particular generator of the forms. In addition, at you the NetWare-server should be installed. It is clear, that it is designed for those organizations, where already there are servers Novell NetWare.
Completely obviously, that the third package Notes, belongs to other category, than Exchange and Groupwise. This package is capable to work almost on any platform. It is effective for problem solving of any scale. Perhaps, only this system on a right can be referred to the software for groups. It granites means of creation and consequent adding of the agents in the Notes-appendices. Fundamental distinction(difference) between Notes and Exchange that in Notes the data bases have a set of the appendices. Notes also supports the computer mail and magnificent replication system, furthermore with appearance of technology of clusterization reliability and fault tolerance of systems as a whole essentially has increased.
The developed and realized information structure ULS allows to solve diverse problems of using the information technologies in development of our ULS.
The authors would like to express their appreciation the Local Area Network Department members of Faculty of Information Technologies and Robotics of Byelorussian State Polytechnics Academy.
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