Ministerul Comunicatiilor si Societatii Informationale

1
An Integrated Software Solution for E-learning
and Academic Services

• Alina Andreica, Daniel Stuparu, Florina Covaci,
• Gabriel Pop
• IT Department, Babes-Bolyai University,
• Cluj-Napoca, Romania
• alina.andreica, daniel.stuparu, florina.covaci,
  gabriel.pop_at_ubbcluj.ro

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• Focus
• an integrated software solution for providing
  e-learning facilities dedicated academic web
  services
• MS technology an e-learning content sharing
  portal implementation
• Student feed-back
• Extensibility web parts
• System integration framework info system
  facilities the solution may be applied for
  various DBMS
• Database synchronization principles
• Solution extensibility various organization
  cases

3

• Topics
• Introduction and Working Framework
• E-learning functionalities
• Dedicated information system facilities
• System architecture and synchronization
  principles
• Conclusions and Future Work
• References

4

• Introduction
• Knowledge bases society - IT impact on learning
  management processes
• Information system integration - mainly studied
  for business and organizational processes
• Hasselbring, W. Information System
  Integration. Communications of the ACM, 43 (6).
  pp. 32-36, 2000 and other work

5

• Introduction
• E-learning systems
• pre-defined facilities Blackboard or WebCT
• www.blackboard.com www.webct.com
• Flexible facilities MS Learning Gateway, moodle
• http//www.microsoft.com/education/solutions/high
  eredportals.aspx
• www.moodle.org
• Organizational necessity of content sharing
  communication tools
• Integrated e-learning web services info systems
  facilities

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• Solution of an integrated portal
• framework for integrating an e-learning system
  with dedicated information systems into a web
  portal
• An integrated architecture based on ILM Microsoft
  server, and additional interface modules
• integrates the dedicated information systems into
  a web portal that also provides e-learning
  facilities, based on SharePoint Portal
• ILM can be used to synchronize and optimize data
  access and delegate processing means to the
  appropriate dedicated software components by
  specific interfaces
• Integration synchronization of databases based
  on different technologies (php / postgresql, asp
  / MS sql)
• Adequacy to organizational IT strategy

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• E-learning systems - advanced tools which assist
  teachers in creating a cooperative,
  multidisciplinary and explorative learning
  environment and students in accessing these
  learning facilities and developing learning
  interactions within this environment
• development of the student and goal centered
  learning model
• Information system implementation stages user
  involvement in specification, testing,
  implementing
• system flexibility requirements and
  de-centralized system administration that were
  pursued are expected to prove their efficiency in
  future developments

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• Web services - E-learning services
• SharePoint built in facilities
• content schedule management and sharing
• communication facilities (e-mail OWA type,
  discussion lists, etc.)
• evaluation tools and feed-back facilities task
  management survey tools
• blog and RSS tools
• The system is open to adding new web-parts,
  services or components ie. Evaluation
• Virtual lab functionalities

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• Web Services virtual labs
• support learning in experimental sciences and
  sharing experimental knowledge by electronic
  means in fields like process engineering,
  environmental engineering, physics, chemistry,
  biology
• on-line virtual experiments and on-line labs
  case studies based on mathematical modelling and
  simulation recorded video sequences and on-line
  video streaming posting material to be further
  processed with dedicated client

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• E-learning functionalities portal interface

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• E-learning functionalities discipline site

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• Web services - E-learning services

Managing an educational resource (in design
permissions)
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• Student feed-back
• dedicated questionnaires for administrators,
  students and teachers
• survey built-in functionality
• the students survey was filled in early portal
  implementation stages
• learning content was still under development
• involved distance learning students in human and
  economic fields
• 71 students enrolled in BA and MA programs

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• subject group profile
• students attending distance learning programs
• 55 enrolled in human field specializations 45 -
  in economic ones
• 83 - in BA programs and 17 in MA programs

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• subject group profile
• students in distance learning programs
• 69 of the subject group - female students and
  31 - male students
• age distribution 18-25 interval 64, and 35 -
  26-35

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• feed-back to the posted educational resources
• early implementation stages impact on the
  evaluation

• platform functionalities moderate 34, good
  and very good 40
• 26 - low level of content filling in

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• feed-back to the posted educational resources
• early implementation stages impact on the
  evaluation

• Functionalities regarding the educational
  content moderate 28 subjects rate them as
  moderate and 47 as good and very good
• 25 - low level of content filling in

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• feed-back to the posted educational resources
• the learning facilities provided within the
  portal should be used by filling in specific
  content in order to address the students
  educational needs

• efficiency of educatioanal resources 48 good
  and very good, 28 - moderate
• 24 - low level of content filling in

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• Portal Administration Evaluation
• 86 of administrators did not grant for more than
  50 of their teachers permissions for
  administering their own educational content,
  which reveals the fact that users are still in
  initial phases of platform use
• 57 didnt have the experience of using other
  platform
• administration functionalities and
  functionalities for developing educational
  content are well rated 29 very good, 57 good,
  14 moderate
• functionalities for platform development are very
  well rated 43 very good, 57 good
• adaptability and flexibility characteristics have
  a very good feed-back

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• Student feed-back
• dedicated questionnaires for administrators,
  students and teachers
• survey built-in functionality
• the students survey was filled in early portal
  implementation stages
• learning content was still under development
• involved distance learning students in human and
  economic fields
• 71 students enrolled in BA and MA programs

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• Student feed-back
• Proficient software tools prove their efficiency
  only when appropriately used on specific data
• administration functionalities, functionalities
  for developing educational content and platform
  development have a very good feed-back, being
  rated gt4 on a scale 1-5
• efficient portal functionalities must be
  sustained by an adequate usage level and content
  filling-in in order to prove their proficiency

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• Dedicated Web Services http//academicinfo.ubbclu
  j.ro/Info
• AcademicInfo is an integrated information system
  dedicated to managing educational information,
  with processing facilities for secretariats,
  specific access facilities for students and
  teachers and relevant synthesis regarding the
  educational process
• models educational processes at BBU level,
  ensuring course selection from all faculties
  curricula in study agreements, manages in a
  flexible manner various types of educational
  activities at all study levels (BA, MA, PhD,
  continuous education, specific curricula)
• ensures multilingual support in processing and
  reporting
• various types of facilities fee management,
  student documents and requests, on-line course
  evaluation

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• Dedicated Web Services http//manageasist.ubbclu
  j.ro
• ManageAsist system is the integrated software
  system for administrative management - an ERP
  system adapted for higher education institutions
• designed on systematic principles
• modules Document management, Assets, Warehouse,
  Cashier, Finance, Accountancy, Grants, Human
  Resources and Acquisitions, and decision
  assistance facilities
• Each module contains management reports for the
  corresponding compartment global decision
  assistance facilities will be improved
• Previous papers address advanced design
  principles, means of processing hierarchical
  structures, module integration see references

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• Dedicated Web Services http//infocercetare.ubbclu
  j.ro
• Research Management System manages research
  activities, by offering accessible and
  user-friendly means of collecting specific
  information, automatically performing
  quantitative analyses, syntheses and evaluations
• a tool for quantitative research evaluation a
  tool for supporting the design of competitive
  research strategies at an institutional level
• Facilities for
• members of the academic research staff, PhD
  students
• research management levels chairs, institutes,
  departments, faculties, university
• See references for details

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• System architecture and synchronization
  principles
• authentication solution - maps facilities from
  the dedicated information systems into the
  portal, for each user category - ILM type server
• the authentication server associates, to each
  user group, the facilities that correspond to
  their permissions in each of the dedicated
  information systems AcademicInfo, ManageAsist,
  Research Management System specific interface
  modules
• A global synchronized database is in train of
  being created - human resource organization
  chart
• Useruserid, account, password, unitid
• Unitunitid, unitname,
• Organization_chartunitid, superior_id, horiz_id

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• Integration Framework And Principles - example
• database synchronisation --gt data warehouse
• AcademicInfo, ManageAsist, Research Management
  System and Portal databases
• Basic data for organizational management
  organisation chart, HR
• Example
• portal AcademicInfo users (all categories),
  curricula, study contracts, grades, fees
• portal AcademicInfo ManageAsist organisation
  chart, units, human resources, managers,
  financial information
• portal AcademicInfo Research Management
  System research activities, PhD Students
• portal ManageAsist Research Management
  System, units, human resources, grants
  corresponding financial information

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• System architecture and synchronization
  principles
• Permission management
• Configures portal content for each user category
• Group based
• User categories - example
• Students (? PhD students, international
  students) curricula content specialization
  based groups
• Teachers (? teacher assistants) content
  management discipline based groups
• Administrators administration permissions
  faculty based groups
• other users secretariats, alumni, partners, etc.

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• System architecture and synchronization
  principles
• 2 database management systems
• database synchronization
• PostgreSQL for ManageAsist and Research
  Management System and MS SQL Server for
  AcademicInfo
• Global database bi-directional synchronization
• this solution ensures significant autonomy
  functional advantages for information systems,
  compared to a direct Active Directory integration
  mapping

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• System architecture and synchronization
  principles
• MS Identity Lifecycle Management server, has
  advanced integration facilities with our
  e-learning portal
• we are configuring the necessary permission
  mappings from the dedicated information systems
  into the authentication server by means of
  dedicated interfaces which transfer credentials
  from the portal into each system

the proposed integration solution may be applied
in different organizations, for integrating their
dedicated information systems
AcademicInfo (SQL Server)
ManageAsist (PostgreSQL)
ILM DB (SQL Server)
Research MS (PostgreSQL)
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• Conclusions and Future Work
• an integrated software solution for providing
  e-learning facilities and dedicated academic web
  services
• Organizations face the phase of system
  integration
• The universities case is quite complex, since
  their activity covers a wide range of areas
  education and learning, research, administration
• Integrated web services learning facilities,
  virtual labs and dedicated information facilities
  
• Solution generality single log-on framework for
  providing learning, sharing collaboration
  facilities dedicated information system
  services
• Extendibility in organizations solution
  adaptability

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• Conclusions and Future Work
• We discuss the student feed-back consequent to
  the learning facilities implementation
• Evaluation in initial implementation stages
• Students evaluate available content
• efficient portal functionalities must be
  sustained by an adequate usage level and content
  filling-in in order to prove their proficiency

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• Conclusions and Future Work
• an efficient integration solution by implementing
  a single authentication server and mapping
  specific facilities from the dedicated
  information systems into the portal, for each
  user category
• a global integrated database and a permission
  mapping scheme for ensuring appropriate access
  into the dedicated information systems portal
  content
• good extensibility degree for various
  organization cases single log-on framework for
  providing learning, sharing collaboration
  facilities dedicated information system
  services Solution adaptation to the specific
  organizational IT management strategy

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• Selected References
• Andreica A. (2006), IT Strategies In Increasing
  Business Competitiveness, Studia Europaea,
  (p.139-148), LI, 3
• Andreica A. B., Stuparu D., Ghetie F. (2009),
  Design and Implementation of an Erp System for
  Universities, Proceedings of IADIS Information
  Systems 2009,(p 315-322), IADIS Press, Eds M.
  Nunes, P. Isaias, P. Powell
• Hasselbring, W. Information System
  Integration. Communications of the ACM, 43 (6).
  pp. 32-36, 2000
• Hasselbring, Wilhelm and Pedersen, Susanne,
  Metamodelling of Domain-Specific Standards for
  Semantic Interoperability. Lecture Notes in
  Computer Science, 3782, pp. 557 559, 2005

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• Selected References
• Andreica A. B. (2009), Integrated Software
  Framework for Academic Management , IADIS
  Multiconference on Computer Science and
  Information Systems - Informatics, Algarve
  Portugal, 17-23 June 2009, Proceedings of
  Informatics 2009 ,(p. 221-224), IADIS Press,
  Editor Hans Weghorn, Jörg Roth, Pedro Isaias
• Berry M., Linoff G. (2000), Mastering Data
  Mining, John Wiley Sons
• Hoganson, K., Guimaraes, M., (2003), N-Tier
  Client/Server Course, Consortium for Computing
  Sciences in College Conference, Dunwoody, Georgia
• Horton, William, Horton, Katherine, (2003),
  E-learning Tools and Technologies A consumer's
  guide for trainers, teachers, educators, and
  instructional designers, Wiley
• PostgreSQL Team , High Availability, Load
  Balancing, and Replication http//www.postgresql.
  org/docs/8.3/static/high-availability.html