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Online Student Information System
of Benguet State University
(OSIS-BSU), Philippines

RochelleDacuycuyPacio
BenguetStateUniversity,Philippines
ABSTRACT
ChangesinInformationTechnology(IT)allowschoolstoutilizedatabasesandapplicationssuchas
OnlineStudentInformationSystem(OSIS)thus,makingtheaccessingofrecordscentralized.Oneofthe
changesthatcameaboutistheonlinebasedapplications.Theseapplicationsimprovedthetraditional
transactionprocessingsystems.Thus,mostuniversitiesswitchtotheonlinebasedsystembecauseofits
effectivitytoacquire,process,storeandretrieveinformationfromtheInternet.Moreover,thesystemis
accessibletoallstudentsinformation.BenguetStateUniversity(BSU)isstillusingasemicomputer
basedsystemandpaperbasedstudentinformationsystem.Stafffindsittediousinsearchingand
preparingreportsonstudentsinformationandalsolaboriousduetorepetitionofprocessesdonein
fillingandupdatingofrecords.Asmaingoalsoftheschooltogenerateanddisseminatenew
knowledgeandtechnologiesthatwillpromotesustainableresourcedevelopmentandenrichthe
competentandeffectiveservicesgearedtowardsefficiencyandeconomythecurrentsystemis
inconsistentwiththeassertedschoolsmaingoals.ThemethodologyusedinthestudywasRapid
ApplicationDevelopment(RAD).RADisdesignedtoprovidequicksoftwaremethodologythatinvolves
iterativedevelopmentandquickconstructionofprototypes.
Keywords:OnlineStudentInformationSystem,BenguetStateUniversity,RapidApplication
Development(RAD),WebDesignandDevelopment,HypertextPreprocessor(PHP)
INTRODUCTION
TheOSISBSUwouldbeanewwayofrecordmanagementandtransactionprocessingthatwould
achieveefficiencyonprocessingstudentinformation.Itwouldbeagreathelptotheadministrative
personnel,academicpersonnel,grantorsorstakeholders,parentsandstudentsinupdating,retrieving
andgeneratingstudentdata.
Themainobjectiveofthestudywastodesignanddevelopanonlinestudentinformationsystemof
BenguetStateUniversity.Inordertoachievethegeneralobjective,thefollowingspecificobjectivesof
thestudywereidentified:
1. ToidentifytheinformationrequirementsintheexistingstudentinformationsystemofBSU.
2. Toidentifytheproblemsencounteredintheexistingstudentinformationsystem.
3. Toidentifytheinformationrequirementsneededonline.
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4. Todetermineappropriatesecurityandcontrolmeasuresareneededforonlinestudent
informationsystem.
5. Todeterminethebenefitsofanonlinestudentinformationsystemasperceivedby:
a. AdministrationOffices;
b. AcademicOffices;
c. Grantors/Stakeholders;
d. Parents;and
e. Students.
BACKGROUND
Thissectionpresentstheresearcherssourceofinformationandherbackgroundreadingsonrelated
literaturesandstudiesandotherimportantconceptsthathavebearingonthepresentstudy.
MAIN FOCUS OF THE MANUSCRIPT
BenguetStateUniversity(BSU)isstillusingasemicomputerbasedsystemandpaperbasedstudent
informationsystem.Stafffindsittediousinsearchingandpreparingreportsonstudentsinformation
andalsolaboriousduetorepetitionofprocessesdoneinfillingandupdatingofrecords.Asmaingoals
oftheschooltogenerateanddisseminatenewknowledgeandtechnologiesthatwillpromote
sustainableresourcedevelopmentandenrichthecompetentandeffectiveservicesgearedtowards
efficiencyandeconomythecurrentsystemisinconsistentwiththeassertedschoolsmaingoals.
ThemainobjectiveofthestudywastodesignanddevelopanOnlineStudentInformationSystemof
BenguetStateUniversity.TheOSISBSUwouldbeanewwayofrecordmanagementandtransaction
processingthatwouldachieveefficiencyonprocessingstudentinformation.Itwouldbeagreathelpto
theadministrativepersonnel,academicpersonnel,grantorsorstakeholders,parentsandstudentsin
updating,retrievingandgeneratingstudentdata.
ReviewofRelatedLiteraturesandStudies
Marrero(2009)inhisstudyentitledStudentInformationSystemfortheUniversityoftheCordilleras
stressedthattheconceptofInformationSystems(IS)emergedintheearly1960s.Moreoften,when
informationsystemisdefined,thefieldInformationScienceisalwaysassociated,ISisanacademicfield
thatdealswiththegeneration,collection,organization,storage,retrieval,anddisseminationof
recordedknowledge.Furthermore,itisacollectionofrelatedcomponentsdesignedtosupport
operations,management,anddecisionmakinginanorganization.Generally,ISissupposedtoinform
people.InformationSystemsupportspeopleorusersinmakingintelligentdecisionsbaseduponthe
informationderivedfromreliabledata.
MIT(2009)gaveemphasisthatStudentInformationSystem(SIS)providesstudentswithaccesstotheir
academicandbiographicrecordsaswellastheabilitytoupdatetheiraddressinformationandpre
registerforclasses;itprovidesinstructorsanddepartmentaladministratorswithclasslistinformation;
andprovidesadvisorsanddepartmentswithaccesstotheindividualacademicrecordsoftheirstudents.
Therefore,SISisanintegratedapproachinacquiring,storing,analyzingandcontrollingtheflowof
studentdatathroughouttheinstitution.HighlydevelopedSIScanbeusefulinnearlyallinstitutional
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departmentsfunctionsandcangreatlyincreaseefficiencyandresponsetimesoftraditionallaborand
timeintensiveprocessingofstudentdata.
AccordingtoEvangelista(2008)theuniversitysStudentInformationSystem(SIS)ofNuevaVizcayaState
Universityisasecure,webaccessibleinteractivecomputersystemthatallowsuseraccesstograde
reports,transcripts,scheduleofclasses,andremainingbalanceforthesemesterandregisterforclasses
online.Throughthesystem,studentswouldbeassignedauniqueidentificationnumber.Alldatatoand
fromtheuniversitywouldusethatuniqueidentifier.Theuseofindividualstudentrecordswould:1)
Increasetheadmissionscapacitytofollowastudentsprogressovertime;2)providebetterqualitydata
todrivemoreenlightenedpolicydecisionsresultinginenhancededucationalopportunitiesforall
students;3)reducedatacollectionburdenthroughawebenabledSIS;and4)asatoolofparentsin
monitoringtheacademicperformanceoftheirchildren.
AccordingtoDesousa(2008),Webbasedapplicationhavefourcorebenefits.Thesearethefollowing:1)
Compatibility.Webbasedapplicationsarefarmorecompatibleacrossplatformsthantraditional
installedsoftwarelikewebbrowsers.2)Efficiency.Everyonehatestodealwithpilesofpaperunless
theydonothaveanyotheralternatives.Thebenefitofwebbasedsolutionmakesservicesand
informationavailablefromanywebfacilitatedPersonalComputer(PC).3)Securityoflivedata.Normally
inmorecomplexsystemsdataismovedaboutseparatesystemsanddatasources.Inwebbased
systems,thesesystemsandprocessescanoftenbemergedbyreducingtheneedtomovethedata
around.Webbasedapplicationsalsoprovideanadditionalsecuritybyremovingtheneedfortheuserto
haveaccesstothedataandbackendservers.4)CostEffective.Webbasedapplicationscan
considerablylowerthecostsbecauseofreducedsupportandmaintenance,lowerrequirementsonthe
endusersystemandsimplifiedplans.
Swartz(2007)gaveemphasisthatalmostallinstitutionsdependondata.Consequently,weare
witnessingaprofoundchangeinthewayinwhichinstitutionsperceive,understand,andmanagetheir
information.Thereisnowaclearrecognitionofthevalueofinformation,thecreationofnew
information,theretrievalofexistinginformation,thestorageofimportantinformation,andthedisposal
ofredundantinformation.Thereisalsogreaterawarenessofthecostofacquiringbad,incomplete,or
inaccurateinformation.
Villafania(2007)reportedthatinthePhilippines,theCommissiononHigherEducation(CHED)has
initiatedprogramstosecureacademicrecords.CHEDandtheNationalPrintingOffice(NPO)havesigned
amemorandumofagreement(MOA)ontheSecuritizationofAcademicRecordsforcollegeand
universitygraduatesbeginningschoolyear2007.ThemoveispartofCHEDsdrivetostoptheuseof
fakediplomasandschoolrecords.CHEDformerchairmanCarlitoPunosaidtheMOAaimstosecure
authenticityofacademicrecordssuchasdiplomas,transcriptofrecordsandspecialordersfromall
collegesanduniversitiesinthePhilippines.Thus,protecttheimageandintegrityofFilipinoCollege
studentstopotentialemployersbothlocallyandinternationally.PunoemphasizedfurtherthattheMOA
wouldboostthecompetitiveedgeofthegraduatesinthelabormarketforitwillensuretheintegrityof
credentialsofthegraduateswhileprotectingthereputationofhigherinstitutionsoflearning.
AISISOnline(2006)postedaprecisedefinitionofAteneoIntegratedStudentInformationSystem(AISIS)
servesastheportalforAteneostudents,facultyandstaff.ThroughtheAISISOnlineofficiallyenrolled
AteneostudentsmayviewpertinentschoolinformationincludingtheirIndividualProgramofStudy
(IPS),grades,classschedulesandthelike.Studentsmayalsoeventuallyenlistusing
AISISOnline.AteneofacultyandstaffwithaccesstoAISIS,ontheotherhand,maysubmitgradesand
accesstheirclassschedulesfromoutsidethecampus.
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Richard(2004)emphasizedthatinformationaboutstudentsisvital,buttimeconsumingtomanageand
itisessentialthatthemosteffectivetoolsbeusedtoaidbothstaffandstudentsgoabouttheirwork
andstudies.TheCambridgeStudentInformationSystem(CAMSIS)replacedvariousstudentrecords
systemusedbythecolleges,departmentsanduniversities.CAMSISprovidescomprehensiveand
accurateinformationaboutstudentbodyandalsoimprovesdataquality,reducetheadministrative
burdendramaticallyandprovidesbetterservicestobothacademicstaffandstudents.
BenguetStateUniversity(BSU)isstillusingasemicomputerbasedsystemandpaperbasedstudent
informationsystem.Stafffindsittediousinsearchingandpreparingreportsonstudentsinformation
andalsolaboriousduetorepetitionofprocessesdoneinfillingandupdatingofrecords.Asmaingoals
oftheschooltogenerateanddisseminatenewknowledgeandtechnologiesthatwillpromote
sustainableresourcedevelopmentandenrichthecompetentandeffectiveservicesgearedtowards
efficiencyandeconomythecurrentsystemisinconsistentwiththeassertedschoolsmaingoals.
TheOSISBSUwouldbeanewwayofrecordmanagementandtransactionprocessingthatwould
achieveefficiencyonprocessingstudentinformation.Itwouldbeagreathelptotheadministrative
personnel,academicpersonnel,grantorsorstakeholders,parentsandstudentsinupdating,retrieving
andgeneratingstudentdata.
METHODOLOGY AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
Thissectiondiscussesthemethodologyusedindesigninganddevelopingtheproposedsystemand
discussionoffindings,italsoexplainthescopeanddelimitation,thedifferenttechniquesanddifferent
sourcesofdata.
SoftwareDevelopmentMethodology
ThesoftwaredevelopmentmethodologyusedinthestudywasRapidApplicationDevelopment(RAD).
RADtechniqueallowsRapidapplicationdevelopment,withdevelopmenttimeto30ormaximumof
90days.However,RADapproachisconcernedwithfewcomprisesusability,features,andexecution
speed.(Kaatib,2005)
RapidApplicationDevelopment(RAD)isanobjectorientedapproachtosystemsdevelopmentthat
includesamethodofdevelopmentaswellassoftwaretools.(KendalandKendall,2005)
TherearethreebroadphasesofRADthatengagebothusersandanalystsinassessment,design,and
implementation.
1)RequirementPlanningPhase.Inthisphase,usersandanalystsmeettoidentifyobjectivesofthe
applicationorsystemandtoidentifyinformationrequirementsarisingfromthoseobjectives.Thisphase
requiresintenseinvolvementfrombothgroups;itisnotjustsigningoffonaproposalordocument.
2)RADDesignWorkshopisheartofinteractivedevelopmentprocess.TheRADDesignworkshop
phaseisadesignandrefinethatcanbebestcharacterizedasaworkshop.
Duringthisphase,usersrespondtoactualworkingprototypesandanalystsrefinedefinedmodules
basedonuserresponses.
3)ImplementationPhase.Assoonasthesystemwasbuiltandrefined,thenewsystemorpartofthe
systemsaretestedandthenintroducedtotheorganization.
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TheimplementationphaseofRADimprovedspeedofdevelopmentthroughrapidprototyping,better
enduserutility,simplicityandusabilityofGraphicalUserInterface(GUI)designandinmanywaysitis
lessstressful.Figure1depictsthesethreephases.

Figure1.ThreePhasesofRapidApplicationDevelopment.
(Source:Kendal&Kendal,2005)
ScopeandDelimitation
Theproposedonlinestudentinformationsystemisintegratedtothewebsiteoftheuniversitywhich
servesasaportalforthestudents.
Thesystemcoversthepostingandupdatingofstudentspersonaldatasheet,curriculum,gradesslip,
statementofaccounts,andunofficialtranscriptofrecords.Italsoincludesthestatusofastudent
whetheractiveorinactive.Aninactivestatusisfurthercategorizedtodropped,stopped,graduatedor
transferred.Underthestatementofaccounts,balanceforwardingisalsoadopted.
Thesystemdidnotincludethemonitoringofattendanceandqueriessuchassubjectsyettobeenrolled
bystudents.
Thereportgenerationincludesstudentspersonaldatasheet,curriculum,gradeslip,statementof
accounts,andunofficialtranscriptofrecords.Italsoincludesasummaryreportofactiveandinactive
studentscategorizedaccordingtocourse.
DataGatheringTechniques
InordertodeveloptheOnlineStudentInformationSystemofBSU,seriesofinterviewswereconducted
intheregistrarsoffice,accountingoffice,officeofthestudentaffairs,anddeansofficetoknowthe
processesinvolvedinkeeping,retrievingandupdatingtherecordsofstudents.
Questionnaireswereadministeredtotheadministrationpersonnel,academicpersonnel,stakeholders
orgrantors,parents,andstudentstocapturetheirperceptionsonthebenefitsthatanonlinestudent
informationsystemhastooffer.

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SourcesofData
DataweregatheredfromtheAdministrationofficeparticularlyintheofficesoftheregistrarand
accounting.ThepersonnelunderOfficeofStudentAffairswerealsoincludedasrespondentsinthe
study.Interviews,observations,andgatheringofprintedsampleforms,documents,reportsandfiles
werealsoimportantsourcesoffactsandweremajorinstrumentsingatheringtheneededdata.
Questionnaireswerealsousedtogatherdatapertainingtotheperceptionsoftheusersonthe
proposedsystem,thequestionswasbasedontheonlinestudentinformationsystemofNuevaVizcaya
StateUniversity.ASlovinsformulawasusedtodeterminethesamplesizefortheITstudents.

n= N
1+Ne
2

Where:N=296
E=0.13
n=49.31or49
Theoutputoftheguidequestionswerevitalintheanalysisofthestudywhichprovidedsuggestionsin
choosingandimplementingtheproperdesignanddevelopmentintendedtoanswertheissuesraisedin
theexistingsystem.
DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
Thissectionpresentsthediscussionoffindingsontheexistingstudentinformationsystem,processes,
problemsencountered,informationrequirements,securityandcontrolmeasures,andbenefitsas
perceivedbytherespondentsofthestudy.Thefollowingwerethesummaryoffindings:
1. TheinformationrequirementsintheexistingstudentinformationsystemofBSUare(a)student
personaldatacontainingthepersonalinformation,educationalandfamilybackground,andwork
detailsofastudent;(b)curriculumwhichincludessubjectspersemester,subjectcode,subject
description,units,numberofhoursforlectureandlaboratory,andprerequisite;(c)checklistthat
showsthelistofsubjectcodes,subjectdescriptions,unitswithcorrespondinggrades;(d)grades
thatindicatesthestudentsgradesforaparticularsemester;and(e)statementofaccountsthat
detailstuition,miscellaneousandotherfeesofastudent.
2. ThefollowingproblemsidentifiedintheexistingstudentinformationsystemofBSUwere(a)
inefficientretrievalandupdatingofstudentrecordsduetolaborintensiveprocesses;(b)limited
storagecapacityasaresultofmountingupofstudentrecordseverysemester;(c)unorganized
recordkeepingasattributedtoinconsistencies,unsecured,andredundantstudentrecordsin
differentoffices;and(d)slowgenerationofreportsbecauseofmanualprocessing.
3. Thefollowinginformationrequirementsneededonlineare(a)studentpersonaldatathatincludes
thepersonalinformation,educationalandfamilybackground,workexperiencesofastudent,and
thecategoryofstudentwhetheractiveorinactive;(b)curriculumthatshowssubjectspersemester
withcorrespondingsubjectcode,subjectdescription,units,numberofhoursforlectureand
laboratory,andprerequisite;(c)gradesindicatingthefinalgradeforaparticularsubjectenrolled;
(d)statementofaccountthatdetailstuition,miscellaneousandotherfees;and(d)unofficial
transcriptofrecordsshowingfinishedsubjectswithcorrespondingfinalgrades.
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4. Thefollowingsecurityandcontrolmeasuresneededtobeadoptedinclude(a)passwordprotection
whereonlyauthorizeduserswouldbeallowedtoaccessthesystem;(b)levelofaccessfor
authorizeduserswouldbecategorizedintotwolevels;theadministratorwithfullreadandwrite
privilegesanduserswithlimitedreadprivileges;(c)physicalsecurityfortheserverthatwouldbe
confinedattheregistrarsoffice;and(d)anaudittrailforeverytransactionthatwouldenablethe
systemtotrackeveryuserswhologgedinforaparticulardateandtime,andwhateventoraction
done.
5. Thebenefitsofanonlinestudentinformationsystemasperceivedbytheadministrativeand
academicpersonnel,stakeholders/grantors,parentsandstudentsare(a)onlineviewingof
curriculum,unofficialtranscriptofrecords,andstatementofaccount;(b)increasesthecapacityto
followstudentsprogressovertime;(c)reducesburdenindatacollectionthroughanonlineenabled
SIS;(d)timelyupdatesleadingtooptimumperformance;(e)providestoolforparentsinmonitoring
theacademicperformanceoftheirchildren;(f)eliminatingthehasslesandhighcostsassociated
withmanualbasedtransactions;and(g)unlimitedpossibilitiesinsystemenhancementresultingto
improvestudentservices.
FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS OR RECOMMENDATIONS
Thefindings,conclusionsandinsightsofthisstudyareinterrelated.AnonlineStudentInformation
Systemwoulddefinitelyimprovetheefficiencyinmanagingandmaintainingstudentinformation,thus
translatingtoabetterstudentservicesforBenguetStateUniversity.Itisthereforehighlyrecommended
thatthesystembegivenconsiderationforimplementationinthenearfuture.Thesecanbedone
throughthefollowingrecommendations:
1. Apilottestshouldbeconductedtoallusersofthesystemtodrawsomemorerecommendations
andimprovementofthesystem
2. TheOSISBSUbefullyintegratedintheexistingwebsiteofBSU.
3. Securityandcontrolmeasuresshouldbefollowedtosecureandmaintainthesystem.
4. Onlinestudentinformationsystemshouldbeimplementedsothattheperceivedbenefitsof
administrationandacademicpersonnel,stakeholders/grantors,parentsandstudentswouldbe
realized.
5. Evaluationshallbedoneaftertheimplementationofthesysteminordertohaveabasisof
integratingsystemrequirementinlinewiththeinstitutionsgrowingrequirements.
6. Aretentionanddisposalpolicybeconsidered,whereoldrecordsaredisposedoffafterithasbeen
capturedandstoreddigitally.
CONCLUSION
Basedonthefindingsofthestudy,thefollowingconclusionsweredrawn.
1. TheexistingstudentinformationsystemofBSUisdonemanuallyusingpaperbasedtransaction
processingsystem.
2. ProblemsusuallyencounteredintheexistingSISwereinefficient,errorprone,andcostly
maintainingofstudentinformation.
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3. Informationrequirementsneededonlinearestudentspersonaldetails,programofstudy,academic
achievements,andstatementofaccounts.
4.SecurityandcontrolmeasuresthatareneededtobeadoptedintheSISofBSUintermsof
accessingthesystemarepasswordprotection,levelofaccesstoauthorizedusers,physicalsecurity
fortheserver,andaudittrail.
5.ThebenefitsofanonlineSISwouldbeefficiencyandcosteffectivenessinmaintainingaswellas
managingstudentinformationforBSU.

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