With the use of a new software program containing vital student information, the University hopes to have a more efficient data processing in the academic and administrative offices.
The Santo Tomas e-Service Providers (Steps) and the Registrar’s office came up with menus combining all icon-based modules and folders used in the operation of academic and administrative offices through a collaborative project called Student Information System (SIS).
Chin Uy, SIS project manager, said the new programs such as the Dean’s Menu, the first Menu that project SIS launched, will allow all University deans to view the modules and folders that contain the grades and personal information of the students.
“The menu will be helpful to the deans because all the data they need to accomplish their tasks are available in the menu,” Uy said.
Before the use of the Dean’s Menu last June 2004, the deans had to click the folders and folders posted separately on the computer desktop to access the information.
Project SIS grouped the modules and folders into a menu and incorporated new tools, thus hastening the processing speed.
Steps Director Fr. Melchor Saria, O.P., the project aims to come up with pro-active management through an efficient data processing scheme.
“We want to provide the deans and the administrators with the tools necessary to get information in real time,” he said.
According to Uy, the Dean’s Menu became a pattern for the other programs such as the OSA menu, Registrar’s Menu, Operator’s Menu, and Financial Menu. Project SIS also plans to make an Administration Menu for high-ranking administrators of the University.
The OSA Menu, for example, has a feature wherein offenses may be encoded and viewed with the student’s personal information, patterned after the National Bureau of Investigation system. On the other hand, the Administration Menu guarantees top officials with access to student information and statistical reports.
“The information in the Administration Menu will be helpful in the evaluation and planning of our academic programs,” Uy said.
To safeguard the data from illegal access, the menus are accessible only through the UST intranet, Uy said. The student information is also grouped per college, allowing the dean’s offices to have access to the records of students enrolled.
Meanwhile, Tomweb launched the new information-intensive UST website last May, webmaster Jun Dolor said.
Dolor said the new website will provide speedy access to University news and announcements with its user-friendly interface.
The website has a UST directory, a link to the Varsitarian website, a question- and-answer icon, which gives basic information about school policies, and an Alumni icon which will cater to University graduates, Dolor said.
It also features an SMS service sponsored by the Ayala Group of Companies.
