Computer based System for Students Admission and Students Records Information System at the Lithuanian University of Agriculture

EUNIS97, Grenoble (France) 9-11 September 1997

Ref: 022702

Computer based System for Students Admission and Students Records Information System at the Lithuanian University of Agriculture

Stasys Martišius

Introduction

Lithuanian University of Agriculture (LUA) is the only higher school in Lithuania training agricultural specialists. Total amount of students in five faculties is about 4500. The staff - 31 professors, 216 associate professors, 112 senior assistants, 67 assistants, 50 researches and 700 supporting and administrative staff. LUA library has about 570000 books. LUA campus is in 10 km. south-west from Kaunas center. There are five buildings for teaching purposes, student campus and teachers settlement. University computers are connected into LAN. We have four NOVELL, two NT, one LINUX and one UNIX servers. LAN has access to INTERNET via leased telephone line. Our traffic to INTERNET is noticeable in information exchange among higher schools situated in Kaunas. We are not satisfied with slow connection to INTERNET and 2Mb/s radio-link is being installed.

Computer based System for Students Admission

LUA students admission office started using computer based system four years ago. At first we purchased a programme from Kaunas University of Technology and used it for two years. After some changes in admission rules we created our own module using similar database stucture.

Student admission rules are on the web: http://WWW.LZUA.LT/ . Admission period begins in December and continues till July. Aplications, and other documents are accepted by post. Principles of preliminary admission system were tested at Kaunas University of Technology and appeared to be the best ones. There are three competitions during admission period. Each competition takes place after the end of secondary school trimester when subject marks for the last two years and the trimester marks are evaluated. Pupils invited to study after the first competition are free from the second and third competitions. Having failed in the first competition pupils can participate in following competitions with the new trimester marks. Each time about one third of students are invited.

Record of applicant's database contains personal information (family, name, person code, home address), secondary school name and address, speciality, the average mark, marks in special subjects, competition number and some additional information.

The system can print answers to aplicants about their admission or failing (picture 1) and competition list for each speciality (picture 2). There is a possibility to print statistical data, too.

Data about the enrolled students is transfeered to students records system.

Students Records Information System

First-year students are grouped according to their speciality,and foreign language. Every student can change his/her status in the University himself/herself or according to the initiative of faculty administration. All student status alterations (promotion, expel, academic vacations, etc.) are reported by Rector's or Dean's orders.

Every student has the compulsory study program combined from compulsory study modules for his speciality, and a set of electives included into individual study plan. The main reqirement is that the full-time student has to get marks for 20 credit sum (1credit equals 40 academic hours) during one term.

The databases structure and managing programme have been developed according to the above requirements .

Record of students database contains personal information, faculty, speciality, form of studies (full-time or by correspondence), level of studies (Bachelor, Masters), average mark of the last examination session, sum of scholarship.

All student status alterations are entered into Order database. Orders must meet fixed requirements. Order database contains student identification code, date, type code and free text of the order.

Study module database record contains identification code and description of the module, number of academic hours alloted for lectures, self-training, laboratory and practical works.

Individual study plan database contains student identification code, year of studies, number of term, all information about module of studies and examination results or examination delay date.

The system can print lists of students groups (picture 3), students in academic leave and grant-holders.

Study module database information can be printed in the form of study guide for wide use.

Information about individual study plans and examination marks enable us to calculate average mark which determines sum of scholarship, and prepare documents for book-keeping department. It is possibe to print list of students who have chosen the same study module (picture 4), and to know which modules are popular and which can be withdrown from study programmes. After examination sesion marks can be printed in certain form.

The system based on DOS and FOXPRO LAN is under continuous development.

Lithuanian University of Agriculture,
Informatics department, Kaunas-Akademija,
LT-4324 Lithuania
E-mail: smart@nora.lzua.lt