Paper Presentation for

International Conference on Innovative Pedagogy in Business & Management Education Suggested Subject Theme: Innovative Pedagogy in Educational Management

Abstract Code No. A137

Title of the Paper:

Data Management for Educational Institutions using ERP

Author(1): Mrs Aarthi Mudaliar

Author(2): Dr V D Garde
Retd. General Manager (Planning &Development) BHEL, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh Phone: (R) 0755-2466777, (M) 09425012128 Email-id: [email protected], [email protected]

Author(3): Dr D P Sharma
Prof. of Management & V-C of Barkatullah University (Retd.) Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh Phone: (R) 0755-2452802, (M) 09425300012 Email-id: [email protected]

Abstract:
In India, there exist Universities as one of the oldest established institutions and despite frequent changes in form and functions, however tenuous, they retain policies of their medieval forebears. These legendary universities are similar to todays Organizations, in the context, that both universities and organizations deal with common problems such as co-ordinating resources and information, controlling costs, facilitating enterprise among staff, and so on. To resolve such problems, a common solution is designed to build a standard structure and use the Information Technology (IT) tools like Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) that might be similarly applied to universities. These renowned universities formulate norms and/ regulations and communicate to its affiliated institutions, be it technical or non-technical, where each institution could setup those norms as basis and implement them. The main objective of this paper is to identify important factors attributing to the necessity for a global network for the educational universities in a planned organized manner and also to devise policy and procedure for efficient & effective delivery. Keeping this in view, the paper studies the structure of an organization, its different activities and is compared with that of the universities. A LAN framework is designed where all the activities and the correspondence between the University and its affiliated institutions are set-forth. This network implements the ERP model in which all the modules are devised for the university. On a long run, the administration of the affiliated institutions and the university would be streamlined and would result in effective management.

Keywords: Educational Institutions, Universities, Business Organizations, Enterprise Resource Planning, Data Management.

Contents
1. Introduction 2. Business of Educational Institutions 3. Emerging Technologies in education 4. Necessity of Changes 5. Concepts and Attributes of ERP 6. Benefits of ERP 7. Comparative study of University with Organization 8. Methodology Re-engineering the University 9. Comprehensive requisites of Data Management 10. Benefits of Data Management in ERP structure 11. Future Challenges in re-defining Educational Institutions 12. Conclusion References

1. Introduction: It is a fact that educational institutions in India incorporate the scheme of University, which serves as producers and disseminators of knowledge and grant academic degrees in a variety of subjects to the students. In many cases, they are publicly funded and inevitably mired in the development of Information Technology. There are many institutions that are affiliated to a University and students get enrolled into the institutions. The universities device their own norms and policies, to provide a base to the students enrolled in its affiliated institutions. Universities form one of the oldest established institutions in the western world, and despite changes in form, function and fashion, the very latest universities retain some links, however tenuous, with their medieval forebears. Any changes to be implemented need to be communicated to all its affiliated institutions. In this way, the universities are required to constantly update the concerned institutions on the status of progress. In order to streamline the data operation of universities and the correspondence to the institutions, a standard tool of contemporary organizational analysis, its hierarchical structure and institutional management including computer systems used by large corporations around the world, such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems - can be applied in universities. The various characteristics of data of the University Institution correspondence are embodied in the ERP system as modules. Such modules are fundamentally based on the notion that common elements are grouped and then integrated with the other modules, thereby being able to create its own Unique University, yet still have a fully supported computer system.

2. Business of Educational Institutions: Despite the variable policies, or cultural and economic standards available in different geographical locations, the universities are usually among the foremost research and advanced training providers in every society. They create a tremendous disparity among other universities around the world and even inside a country. Most universities not only offer courses in subjects ranging from technical to non-technical, they also offer many amenities to their student population including libraries, hostels, sports centers, students' unions, computer labs, placement cell and research laboratories. A similar structure is also deployed in the affiliated institutions where each institution follows the norms.

Figure 1. Primary activities of the university Figure 1 shows the primary activities observed in any University. The periodic annual activities begin with the students admission, followed by its curriculum design, impart education and provide placement to the students. The entire routine is monitored by administration of university. There are various categories of information stored in the affiliated institutions as well as universities. Most of them are related to the students, their curricular and extra

curricular activities, staff and administration finance details. These details are to be communicated to the university periodically. Based on the performance result of the institution, the University would re-design its norms and policies to provide the best feasible knowledge and set forward for further development of the students. 3. Emerging Technologies in Educational Institutions: Technology is an increasingly influential factor in education. In the current scenario of academic sector, the educational institutions are responding to globalization. Commentators have asserted fundamental change to the structure and function of the traditional campus-based university, to promote technological development. Much have been studied and discussed about the technology advancement in the higher education. In the recent decade, India has succeeded in leveraging advanced technologies in the education sector that are followed in the western countries. Some of them are: Distance education, which is becoming increasingly global, to put education

within reach of many more individuals around the world. Virtual learning environments, providing online interactive tool including

Multimedia Audience Response System (ARS), which allows immediate feedback tests

and classroom discussions. Open and Distance learning, a learning concept in which decisions about

learning are taken by the learner himself rather than the teacher Virtual University, providing virtual campus to the students in online mode.

It is found by a survey that Technology has hadand will continue to havea significant impact on higher education. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of survey respondents

from both the public and private sectors say that technological innovation will have a major influence on teaching methodologies over the next five years. In fact, technology will become a core differentiator in attracting students and corporate partners. 4. Necessity of Changes: As commonly identified, a University holds all the norms & regulations that are imposed on all the students enrolled, through one of its affiliated institutions. A student gets the university related particulars through his/her institution. Any correspondence to be made between the university and the institutions has to be informed and reached at the right time. Practically, there may be delay or ambiguity in reaching the information at the proper time & place. This necessitates an organized means of communication to enable right information to reach the right place at the right time. The information that is exchanged in the correspondence is the students data of the affiliated institutions. The Students data is the most important component for the university to run itself. Few other factors have been identified as the obstacles during the correspondence namely: Mismanagement of data while exchanging the details Difficulty in getting accurate data Insufficient trained staff to work in the IT environment Inadequate amenities to coordinate and/or commute between the university

and the institution Improper & inadequate infrastructure Illegal access to sensitive data of students and possible manipulations Improper access rights and the handling of the students data

To overcome these obstacles, there is necessity for the management of university and institutions to educate their staff accordingly. These factors exchange the student data during the correspondence. enforce an organized infrastructure and proper access to all the needs of the correspondence between university and its affiliated institutions. In order to streamline the data management, a Web-enabled Information Technology can be implemented to achieve the smooth functionality of the university and thereby achieving their objective of right information, reaching the right place at the right time. One of the means that can resolve such problems is Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) for the Data management of educational institutions, thereby assisting in more informed management decision making for the university. 5. Concepts and Attributes of ERP: Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is described as an "information system package that integrates information and information based processes within and across functional areas in an organization". It is usually comprised of several modules as mentioned in Figure 2.

1Figure 2. Information Integration through ERP System

2ERP is an integrated system of a collection of application software modules/functionality, which are used for business activities to streamline the process run and often includes: Human Resources Management (HRM) Accounting Finance Resource Management (FRM) Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRP) Supply Chain/Distribution/Logistics Management (SCM) Procurement/Inventory Management Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Time and again depending upon the velocity of the growing business needs, one or the other applications and planning systems have been introduced into the business world to overcome any hurdle and achieve the required growth. They are:
o o o o

Management Information Systems (MIS) Material Resource Planning (MRP) Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRP II) and many other business related systems

One or more of these applications are integrated with the ERP system to achieve the business specific goal as per its requirements, termed as Customized/Tailored ERP system. When the modules are properly integrated and used often, solutions come on their own in various facets. Data Security and Management Data Report & Analysis

Proper decision making process Infrastructure Architecture File Management and other data related tools.

Thus, ERP opens a window of opportunity for businesses to compete globally, respond to competitive pressures, and increase revenue. Examples of ERP systems include those from Oracle, SCT (Banner), PeopleSoft, and SAP. In the ever-growing business environment, the following demands are placed on the industry: Aggressive Cost control initiatives

Need to analyze costs / revenues on customer basis Flexibility to respond to changing business needs More informed management decision making Changes in ways of doing business

Traditional stand-alone applications were designed for specific customers, with limited functionality, and isolated from other applications. On the contrary, ERP is a business tool that integrates all the applications required by an organization as a whole, and connects the organization to other enterprises in a network form. 6. Benefits of ERP: The main benefits of an ERP system are: Improves access to accurate and timely information Proper access and rights assigned on the sensitive data information

Enhances workflow, increases efficiency, and reduces reliance on paper Tightens controls and automates e-mail alerts Provides user-friendly Web-based interfaces Streamlines processes and eases adoption of best business practices Establishes a foundation for new systems and integrates existing systems Considerable growth of Return on Investment (ROI) As presidents, chief financial officers, or boards attempt to understand a

universitys overall performance with existing legacy systems, they may find many different versions of the truth. Furthermore, some legacy systems make developing reports or tapping into transaction data stored on the computer quite challenging. 7. Comparative study of University with Organization: Based on the activities handled in it, an organization is categorized into three views: Management Level, Information Level and System Support. The Management Level is the outline view of an organization depicting the hierarchy of responsibilities of the people working in that level. There are three levels of management and the corresponding functions: Top Level Management, Middle level Management and Low Level Management. The Top Level Management manages the business policies, forming the norms and other major planning to be implemented in the organization. The Middle Level management is responsible for executing the instructions given by the Top Level Management. The Low Level Management is the area where the activities are actually implemented in practice. Each level in the Organization hierarchy has been assigned specific activities that are carried out by the people, as mentioned in Figure 3.

Figure 3. Organizational Activities in various management levels A similar view can be applied to the university-institution activities as given in Figure 4. In organization perspective, a University can be viewed as Top Level Management, where policies and standards are set up. All the affiliated institutions of the University can be viewed as Middle Level Management where each institution follows the procedures/standards as laid down by the university. In the Low Level Management, the students and staff of each affiliated institution carry on the procedures & implement them.

Figure 4. Activities in Educational Institutions In this way, a university can be viewed as an organization with similar functionalities, common problems faced by inmates and execution of various activities.

The primary modules of ERP system, in a business environment, are Human Resource, Administration, Finance, Production Planning, Sales and Marketing, Inventory and Strategy Management. These modules are interlinked and when integrated, provide the required information used widely for decision-making process. Figure 5 shows the modules integrated in ERP system.

Figure 5. Primary Modules of ERP Considering the university as an ERP system, its primary modules can be compared with the common functionalities as observed in the university environment. Figure 6 shows its respective activities turned as modules in ERP setup.

Figure 6. Primary Modules of University In an Organization where ERP system is implemented, the Beneficiary is the Customer, whereas in the virtual University, the Beneficiary is the Student. Therefore, the primary concern for the students future career would be well shaped and in course of

time, further enhancements and value-added features may be incorporated into the Webcentric Educational Resource Planning. 8. Methodology Re-engineering the University: Many reasons prompt people to think about an ERP model in the academic sector. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are a diverse set of tools and resources used to communicate, create, disseminate, store, and manage information. These technologies include computers, the Internet, broadcasting technologies (radio and television), and telephony. There is increasing interest in how computers and the Internet can improve education at all levels, in both formal and non-formal settings. The main concept is to visualize each individual institution as an Organization. Most of the Organizations incorporate the IT trend to achieve a systematic approach to its process. One of such IT tool that is effectively used is ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning). Generic software packages, such as ERP systems, cover the fullest range of organizational activities and processes and are adopted with the aim of achieving substantial cost savings as well as improved access to tried and tested solutions, new releases, and an opportunity to update procedures and align them with best practices. A Systematic Approach has to be designed and framed for the university. The approach requires an Intranet-centric framework. This research focuses on how the entire process of the university can be centralized and used by various affiliated institutions. The University is also very much concerned with mundane projects such as administration (finance, personnel, purchasing; estates, etc.); student recruitment and alumni management, library systems, etc., and because of the way it extends across every

aspect of institutions, this has important implications for the very nature of the university. In broad terms, it is a transformation from the cultural to the technological university.

Figure 7. Intranet-Internet Design for User Access To enable similar setup for the management of the university, a LAN enabled Intranet would be designed wherein the ERP system would be implemented in the university campus with the core modules necessary for the management. Figure 7 shows such design for user access. The university would then setup an Intranet framework in which each of its affiliated institution would be provided with a user login-password to access their correspondence with the university. The university will have a proper LAN connectivity, round-the-clock, to communicate within its ERP related modules implemented in the respective faculty buildings, which would deliver integrated reports to the Top Level management for any strategic planning. The Firewall system helps the administration to filter out the ambiguous information that is trying to trespass the network, channelise the route of communication and enable proper network and data access and security.

All the correspondence to the institutions are facilitated timely so that the message reaches the concerned place at the right time without any further delay. The data are exchanged in timely manner and assures the more secured means of transmission of data. Along with the LAN model and intra-networking, Internet facility is also availed to enable the management for proper decision-making. 9. Comprehensive Requisites of Data management There is enough potential of ERP for reshaping organizational aspects, but do not present empirical evidence to illustrate or substantiate such claims. There has been studies revealing a detailed study of the fundamental difference of universities from business organizations in their decision-making processes, as the university itself is a unique organization. Consequently the standard IT development strategies developed for business may not be appropriate in institutions of higher education. The ERP setup could prompt significant process reengineering and can breathe new life into ineffective and inefficient departments or processes. Unlike any organization, universities value themselves according to various functionalities, the resultant of which is achieved every academic year. Based on the outcome of the result, it is the decision of the university to design proper academic regularity, keeping in mind, the future of the students. While necessarily not disagreeing with this view, it may be suggested that the significance of these systems would be better appreciated and understood if we were to resist viewing universities (or, for that matter, computer systems) as stable entities or as having characteristics that are given in the order of things.

To enable such a setup, there are minimum requirements to be considered in both the University and the affiliated colleges. A proper setup required for the Intranet facility need to be installed at the University campus, where the data transport to & from each individual college is achieved at the right place. A knowledgeable person has to handle the system and periodically access the account information to know if any issues are received from the University To make this framework more effective, the top level management of the colleges should be aware of the functionalities of this network and improve the electronic correspondence with the University. 10. Benefits of Data management in ERP structure By setting up this web-centric framework in the University, there are various hurdles that can be overcome in course of time and would be appreciated well. Data Security is primarily emphasized and any loss of data or changes is

removed. Time saving by all means as data is processed using Web design Any delay in process of communication is removed Right Information arrives at the right time at the right place University has access to all its affiliated colleges and at anytime can view

the status of individual college Any data transport between the colleges and the University is achieved

When a proper setup is made, it is easy for the University to trace out any malfunctions occurring in the colleges and mend to rectify them and smoothen the process.

Table 1 shows some of the documented benefits of ERP implementation in higher education. 11. Future Challenges in re-defining Educational Institutions By implementing a web-centric setup, the administration of the educational institutions can secure data of the students and promote any further challenges to the web architecture. Some of the future challenges may be: Provide limited access to the students for academic purpose like online requisitions of application forms, enquiry on the curriculum activities

Workflow processes can forward the form along the approval path more rapidly than with traditional paper methods

Avoid any loss or missing documents, and in response deliver quick feedback on the status of a request

Improve controls and program alerts such as using automated e-mail to warn budget managers about budgets and schedules associated with the administration of the university

Create a foundation for new business processes, such as e-procurement, that can yield significant returns on investment

Table 1: Document Benefits of ERP Implementation in Higher Education

12. Conclusion: Henceforth, the aim of the paper is to create global awareness to the educational institutions, on the features of implementing ERP structure in the management of higher education. The ERP system is more powerful and while knowing its features, the students who wanted to enroll in any university can be benefited with quick time stationary. On a long run, the administration of the colleges and the university would be streamlined and there may be no room for any illegal process from either side. References: [1] Dr. Emmanuel Chisa IBARA (2008), Open And Distance Learning: An Emerging System for Alternative Higher Education In Nigeria, Published in Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education-TOJDE January 2008 ISSN 1302-6488 Volume: 9 Number: 1 Article 7. [2] Cornford, J. & Pollock N. (2003). Putting The University Online: Information, Technology, & Organisational Change, Open University Press.

[3] Neil Pollock (2003). ERP Systems and the University as a Unique Organisation, Published in Information Technology & People. [4] Neil Pollock, Robin Williams & Rob Procter (2003). Fitting Standard Software Packages to Non-standard Organizations: The " Biography' of an Enterprise-wide System, Published in Technology Analysis & Strategic Management, Volume 15, Issue 3 September 2003. [5] James Cornford (2000). The Virtual University is (paradoxically) the University Made Concrete, (Draft paper prepared for the joint Annenberg and iCS conference on New Media and Higher Education, University of Southern California, October 27-30). [6] Helge Kahler(2001). More Than WORDs: Collaborative Tailoring of a Word Processor, Journal of Universal Computer Science, vol. 7, no. 9 (2001), 826-847 submitted: 4/4/01, accepted: 1/3/01, appeared: 28/9/01 Springer Pub. Co. [7] Yoni Ryan (2000). The Business of Borderless Education And Lifelong Learning, Published in TechKnowLogia, Knowledge Enterprise, Inc., September/October, 2000. [8] Stuart Cunningham (1998). Technology and delivery: Assessing the impact of new media on borderless education, Australian Government Publishing Service. [9] Cunningham, S., Ryan, Y., Stedman, L., Tapsall, S., Bagdon, K., Flew, T. & Coaldrake, P. (2000) The Business of Borderless Education. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. [10] All referenced by Online Courses Newsletter & Wikipedia.