UPIS tries out computerized records system
There's always something new!Apart from reverting back to 4-day schedule and handbook, the administration has also been trying a computerized system for UPIS students’ records.
Start
According to Prof. Velasquez, the initial idea of the computerized system first started back in 2004 when Dr. Julian Abuso was still Principal and Dr. Ronaldo San Jose was the Assistant Principal. They conducted a trial run and encoded the data using diskettes. Unfortunately, the project was discontinued after the pilot testing because of several glitches in the system.
Developer
Prof. Velasquez adds that it has actually been a year since the beginning of this project. The current administration enlisted the help of Ms. Elizabeth Loyola of UPIS batch 2008 in programming the system. Ms. Loyola is currently taking Computer Science in UP Diliman. She is also part of a corporation that makes computer programs for various companies. She has volunteered to do this project for free since she saw the need for computerization even when she was studying in UPIS. Prof. Velasquez says that this is a huge help since it would have cost roughly Php 130,000 if they were to hire other developers. Another advantage is that Ms. Loyola is already familiar with the UPIS system so she is to customize the system to suit the needs of the school.
Objectives
Prof. Velasquez explains that the main objective of the computerization is to ensure the accuracy of the student records. She says that in the past, the student body’s grades are written down one by one by a handful of staff, thus, there is always a high possibility for human error to occur.
"The computerized system is also helpful for the generation of school transcripts that are often requested by alumni. The new system is also of use for future researches to be conducted by the ORDP," adds Prof. Velasquez.
How the Program Works
A computer server hosts a program which contains the database of the students' records. It has the capacity to handle the update of grades and student and faculty profiles, and can generate the permanent record, transcript, honor roll, and class list of every batch. Because it holds all of the students' data, the server is dedicated to house only the files related to the computerization project.
The staff of the records office has updated the student profiles into the database. Now, teachers can finally access the terminal where they can input and print the grades themselves, and just sign it after. This makes the result more accurate since it is only accessible from a limited number of terminals.
The project team is still continuing to update the program based on the school's needs. They also recommend getting new equipment for the use of the records office.
Advantages
On the surface, the effect of this new system may not be visible to this year's K-10 students, but for the ones who have always been calculating and writing the grades of every UPIS student, it is a huge help. Not only is it a faster way of updating everything, it also provides a more efficient and more accurate way of recording for the teachers and the ORDP staff.
Progress
The project is composed of 5 phases: developing the framework of the project, encoding and software development, pilot testing, completing and refining the modules, and completion of the program.
Grades encoding and generation is now computerized, in time for 1st Quarter Card Giving on September 14.
The team targets to finish all the phases of the project by March 2013. ● by Aliyah Rojo, Ada Bayobay, and Hannah Garay
