Information System of the Institute of Informatics: IS for Students by the Students

Abstract

After the introduction of the curricula in accordance to the ECTS recommendation in 2005, the Institute of Informatics was confronted with the mismatch of speed, agility and effectiveness of the administration office required for the sudden growth of the Institute and the change to the more dynamic style of studying. The process of keeping student records was still paper-based and static, while the new ECTS regulations enabled the students to take a more dynamic approach to studying, by choosing their own pace. Pressed with the need for a solution for student records, tracking the students' progress and eliminating some of their complaints, the Institute of Informatics has turned towards development of a department-level transactional information system. This system was envisioned to have placement at the department and to be an implementation of the requirements of the department. These requirements, in fact, eventually would lead to a system that is broader than the requirements of a generic student administration office. This paper presents the ideas and rationale behind this development and how the process of development of a new system took place, from the inception of the system, to the transition in a production environment.