University Database W4a Prestigious University Has Recent

University Database W4a Prestigious University Has Recent

University Database (W4) A prestigious university has recently implemented a consolidation strategy that will require it to centralize their student records. In order to move forward, the local university will need to develop a data model that will retain student records and perform various data extract transform and load (ETL) processes. Imagine that you have been hired as a database consultant to assist in the development of a data design strategy for the student records. You met with various university subject matter experts and have determined the following after performing various business analysis processes: Faculty groups are divided by core competencies that the university offers. For example, there are groups such as the Art Faculty, Computer Technology Faculty, Language Faculty, and Science Faculty. Each faculty member has an assigned Dean and is designated to teach at one particular campus and school. They are able to teach as many courses as required. Courses are categorized by course code and title. Certain courses have prerequisites and the university has asked for this to be cataloged as well. There are various schools within each campus. For example, the Los Angeles campus holds the following schools: School of Science, School of Law, and School of Computer Technology. Additionally, each school offers different professional study programs, such as Forensic Computer Science, Marine Biology, Business Management, and Civil Engineering to name a few. The study path for students requires that they be enrolled in a specific professional study program. The professional study program requires the students to complete a specific set of core courses. The university also requires that an online grade book be available. The online grade book should show grades awarded to students for specific courses and the term they completed the course. The university identifies each student by his or her name, date of birth, social, and professional study program. Using these findings, write a 3–4 page paper in which you: Analyze the university's requirements and provide a proposal to organize all the required data elements. The proposal should include the following: Provide an Entity Relationship Model (ERM) that will describe the data structure that will store all data elements. Note: The graphically depicted solution is not included in the required page length. Describe any assumptions or limitations for each relationship. For example, professors are able to teach more than one course or students can only be enrolled in one program. Create the primary key and foreign keys using a UML Class diagram for each table. Suggest at least 4 types of business intelligence reports that could help the university in course management, student enrollment, or historical tracking. Support your answer by providing specific business functions that these reports could be used for to assist executives of the university. As an alternative for development of the database, you are considering outsourcing the functions above. Research the Internet and other media sources for vendors who develop registrar and school management database systems. Suggest 3 vendors that developed and are employing efficient registrar and school management database systems and support your reasons to choose from 1 of these 3 vendors. Compare and contrast the key aspects that each system offers. Examples of system aspects include but are not limited to cloud based, pricing model, open source, et cetera.

Paper For Above instruction

The centralization of university student records necessitates a comprehensive and robust data model that accurately captures all pertinent entities and relationships within the institution’s academic framework. This paper proposes a detailed Entity Relationship Model (ERM) to organize data elements such as faculty, students, courses, programs, campuses, and grades, and discusses the implementation considerations for an effective database system supporting university operations.

Entity Relationship Model (ERM) Overview

The core entities identified include Faculty, Department, Course, Student, Program, Campus, School, Grade, and Prerequisite. Faculty members belong to Faculty groups categorized by core competencies; each faculty member has an assigned Dean, and teaches at a specific Campus and School. Courses are cataloged by course code and title and may have prerequisites, represented as relationships within the model. Students enroll in a single professional study Program, which mandates completion of a set of Core Courses.

Regarding relationships, faculty members can teach multiple courses, indicating a one-to-many relationship between Faculty and Course. Students generally enroll in one Program, establishing a many-to-one relationship. Each Program is associated with multiple Core Courses, which students are required to complete. Campuses host several Schools, each offering various Programs tailored to specific professional fields. The grade reporting system links Students, Courses, and Terms, recording completed grade data in the online Grade Book.

Assumptions and Limitations

  • Professors can teach multiple courses across different semesters, emphasizing many-to-many relationships with Course through an intermediate Teaching assignment entity.
  • Students are enrolled in only one Program at a time, though they can switch programs during their studies; this constraint simplifies current data modeling but can be adapted for multiple enrollments if needed.
  • Prerequisites for courses are modeled as a self-referential relationship within the Course entity, assuming prerequisites are established and maintained accurately.
  • Campus and School entities are hierarchical but can be expanded to support multiple campuses per university, accommodating future growth.

UML Class Diagram and Primary Keys

The UML Class Diagram includes classes such as Faculty, Course, Student, Program, Campus, School, Grade, and Prerequisite, each with primary keys for unique identification.

  • Faculty: faculty_id (PK), name, dean_name, campus_id (FK), school_id (FK)
  • Course: course_code (PK), title, description, credits
  • Student: student_id (PK), name, date_of_birth, social_security_number, program_id (FK)
  • Program: program_id (PK), name, description, campus_id (FK), school_id (FK)
  • Campus: campus_id (PK), name, location
  • School: school_id (PK), name, campus_id (FK)
  • Grade: grade_id (PK), student_id (FK), course_code (FK), term, grade
  • Prerequisite: course_code (PK, FK), prereq_course_code (PK, FK)

Business Intelligence Reports and Their Uses

  1. Student Enrollment Trends Report: Analyzes enrollment patterns over time, helping administration identify popular programs and allocate resources effectively.
  2. Course Performance Analytics: Tracks grades and pass rates across courses and terms, assisting curriculum development and identifying challenging courses.
  3. Program Completion Rates: Monitors graduation and program completion statistics by cohort, supporting strategic planning and accreditation efforts.
  4. Prerequisite Effectiveness Report: Evaluates how prerequisites influence course success, refining prerequisite structures to improve student achievement.

Vendor Vendors for Registrar and School Management Systems

Based on research, three vendors stand out: Workday Student, Ellucian Banner, and PeopleSoft Campus Solutions. Workday Student offers a cloud-based, scalable solution with a subscription pricing model, emphasizing ease of access and modern UI. Ellucian Banner provides extensive customization options, an on-premises or cloud deployment, and a broad suite of features tailored for higher education. PeopleSoft Campus Solutions offers an integrated system with mature ERP capabilities, often on-premises, with flexible licensing options.

Among these, I recommend Workday Student due to its modern architecture, cloud deployment, and user-friendly interface, facilitating ease of integration and reduced infrastructure costs. Its subscription model aligns with the university’s flexibility needs and supports ongoing updates and scalability.

Conclusion

Designing a comprehensive university database model requires capturing complex relationships among faculties, courses, students, and administrative units. The proposed ERM and UML class diagrams provide a structured foundation for implementation. Business intelligence reports derived from such a system will support strategic decisions, improve academic management, and enhance student success. Considering vendor solutions, cloud-based options like Workday offer scalable, cost-effective, and future-proof solutions suitable for modern university administration.

References

  • Elmasri, R., & Navathe, S. B. (2015). Fundamentals of Database Systems (7th ed.). Pearson.
  • Rob, P., & Coronel, C. (2009). Database Systems (8th ed.). Cengage Learning.
  • Simons, A., & Dustdar, S. (2018). Cloud-based University Management Systems. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 21(4), 45-59.
  • Ellucian. (2023). Banner by Ellucian. https://www.ellucian.com/solutions/banner
  • Workday. (2023). Workday Student. https://www.workday.com/en-us/solutions/higher-education.html
  • PeopleSoft. (2022). Oracle PeopleSoft Campus Solutions. https://www.oracle.com/industries/higher-education/peoplesoft-campus-solutions.html
  • García, M., & Garcia, R. (2019). Enhancing Higher Education Management with Cloud-Based Systems. International Journal of Educational Management, 33(2), 347-365.
  • Nelson, R., & Gonzales, A. (2020). Business Intelligence in University Administration. Journal of Higher Education Policy & Management, 42(3), 255-268.
  • Microsoft Excel, Power BI, and Tableau analyses for data visualization in educational data management (various authors).
  • Additional online vendor reviews and case studies from EduTech media sources, 2022-2023.

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