AOLIS Report 2004

Introduction
Inception, birth, infancy and start of operation
Organizational Relational Position
Services
Financials
Emerging Projects and Experiments
People
Job Descriptions

Introduction

What is AOLIS?

Welcome to AOLIS. A O L I S (ayo'lis) stands for Adventist University of the Philippines On-line Information System.

An On-line Information System is one which accepts input directly from the area where it is created. It is also a system in which the output, or results of computation, are returned directly to where they are required (Yourdon, 1972 cited). This usually means that the computer system has a hardware architecture that looks like that in the figure below:

A common characteristic of on-line systems is that data are entered into the computer system and received from the computer system remotely. That is, the users of the computer system typically interact with the computer from terminals that may be located hundreds of miles from other terminals and from the computer itself.

Another characteristic of an on-line systems is that its stored data, that is, its files or its database, are usually organized in such a way that individual pieces of data (such as an individual airline reservation record or an individual personnel record) can be retrieved and/or modified (1) quickly and (2) without necessarily accessing any other piece of data in the system.

With an on-line information system, the academic and service departments of AUP can access data from a centralized database such that information needed by one department from another may be obtained through the system.

Background of the Project

For many years in the past, many of the service and academic departments of AUP labored on the volume of students and personnel transactions that had to be dealt with throughout the academic year. Processing of transactions was most difficult during the enrollment period. Some of the major problems encountered, particularly as concerns the enrollment procedures of the following:

Slow processing of transactions
Tedious enrollment procedures
Too much paper work
Inaccessibility or unavailability of data that were needed immediately

The university Registrar, Mrs. Flor N. Olarte, who has been in the position since 1986 often express her concern over the difficulty and inefficiency in dealing with students transactions both on the part of the AUP workers and the students despite frequent changes in enrollment procedures. She had been hoping that the process would be speeded up possibly through a computerization scheme.

Meanwhile Mr. Todd N. Olarte, head of the Computer Science Department, had been thinking of what his department can contribute to the university in a significant measure. Computerization of the enrollment procedures and other student transactions was something that lingered in his thoughts being discontented himself with the inefficient and ineffective procedures implemented in the past. Until sometime in summer of 1998, Mr. Olarte and Mr. Daniel G. Pamintuan II, one of the part-time faculty members of the AUP Computer Science department, attended a seminar on information technology sponsored by the Philippine Society of Information Technology Educators (PSITE). On their way back home, the two exchange views and ideas about putting up an on-line information system in the university. That was when AOLIS Project was framed and from then on the following events occurred in succession.

The Goal of the AOLIS Project

"To provide an on-line information system to both academic and non academic departments of AUP through a centralized database system thereby making transactions speedy; data accessible, secure, and reliable; and achieving inter-department connectivity and cost-effectiveness toward a more efficient delivery of student and personnel services."

Development History

In June 1999, Sir Todd Olarte organized a sunday meeting with all the Computer Science Instructors and friends. The meeting was conducted by Sir Todd N. Olarte, Sir Daniel G. Pamintuan II (Sir Ton), Sir Benjohn G. Francisco, Sir Giovanni Ibale, Sir Dennis C. Rondael, and graduating student Winelfred G. Pasamba. The idea was conveyed, a proposal was made, the platform identified (freebsd/linux/opensource), the principles and working attitude was kindled, the goal was set, and the team members started to code, write, negotiate, coordinate and dream. The initial time frame for the project was an expanded 3 months of the estimated 3 weeks programming time. On the discovery of the real scope and depth of the project, the deadline was extended to March 2000 for the Summer Enrollment. The team worked inhumanly hard to beat this Summer Deadline. The Summer Enrollment of 2000 did not completely work due to incompleteness of the system, though parts of the system were running already (cashier, student information encoding). Paper enrollment and computer enrollment were side-by-side at this time for a safe fallback in case the computerized system failed. The team worked harder to make sure it would work for the First Sem Enrollment. A dry run was scheduled by the Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Elizabeth M. Role, to test the sytem before the First Semester Enrollment. It finally worked, after a total 11 months of development. And it worked again in the final First Semester Enrollment. From that time on departments and colleges, students and teachers, the accounting and registrar's office got a reduction and speedup of work, giving AOLIS an exponentiation of duty and responsibility. To the present, AOLIS is still surviving the never ending changing requirements of AUP Operations. Though with minimum workforce, with the much technical infromation gained from doing external consulting work, the automation techniques applied, the security techniques learned from other adventist institutions, with the vision, goals, and energy shared with our young computer science students, with the trust from the rest of the University, AOLIS still tries to serve with technical efficiency, stability, and flexibility/maintainability.

AOLIS Organizational Operating Position

AOLIS is under the Vice President for Academics (VPAA) from birth to present because the academic community (Academic Departments, Colleges, and specially the Registrar's Office) and its functions depend largely, if not entirely, on aolis operation. The VPAA Office was the prime supporter of AOLIS in the peak of it's development.
AOLIS is under the Vice President for Finance (VPFA) because the DSF Office, Cashier, and the Student Section of the Accounting depend largely, if not entirely, on aolis operation. The VPFA has commissioned AOLIS to integrate and re-computerize the whole accounting system of AUP.
AOLIS is peers with the Information Technology Center / Information Technology Department because 1) they both share people, equipment, infrastructure, time, and technical knowhow, 2) the VPAA has authorized AOLIS to freely share internet connections (which is provided by ITC to AOLIS for free) to Academic Departments, and lastly 3) AOLIS believes creativity in development is maximum in a less-heirarchal environment.
AOLIS is parentally linked to the Computer Science Department because it sprouted from infancy to maturity there. The Computer Science Department educates future employees of AOLIS to make sure they understand basic to advanced computer and network concepts, theories, designs, operations, and architectures.
AOLIS works for all the requests of all other departments. However priority is given where the most good can be done. High-impact, high-savings, high-usage systems that are requested are placed on top of the list of things "that will be done".

Services

This chapter includes a list of school functions where aolis systems are working on.

Enrollment
- Registrar's Office. Encoding of all student information on acceptance.
- Cashier. Payment transaction and printing of receipt.
- Dean of Student Finance. Assignment of study load. Encoding of category: faculty child, working student
- Academic Department Heads. Provides view of all student grades for evaluation. Artificial Intelligence also helps in evaluation.
- Student Services Office. Encoding of student categories such as: caf/non-caf, and dorm/village/faculty child.
- College Deans and Academic Department. Overrides for full classes, prerequisite excemption, units overload, uncurricular subjects.
- Accounting Office. Assessment and printing of registration form.
Reports
- Registrar's Office. Generation of reports required by the government: Enrollment List Summary, Enrollment List, Promotional Report, Report on Collegiate Grades, Foreigners Enrollment List. Transcript of Records.
- Accounting Office. Generation of: student statements, subsidy statements, income distribution, trial balance, dormitorians lists, rosters, etc...
- Generic Reports of use of other departments:
  - Enrollment List Summary - student counts by college, course, year-level, gender
  - Enrollment List - list of students and subjects by college, course, year-level, gender
  - Enrollment List - no subjects
  - Enrollment List - foreigners only
  - Class Rosters for any class/section from 2nd Sem 2001 to present can be printed out in the Registrar's Office
  - Worked Report
  - Worked Report - foreigners
  - Working Students
  - Students who passed the DSF
  - Academy Students
  - Elementary Students
  - Day Care Students
  - Masteral Students
  - Off-campus Students
  - In-campus Students
  - Cafeteria Boarders
  - Dormitorians
  - Caf-Non-Dromitorians
  - Dorm-Non-Cafeterians
  - Off-Campus Students
  - Married Students
  - Non-SDA (inaccurate)
  - Working Students
  - New Students
  - Students by year-level
  - SSO's version of the Enrollment List
  - Academy Laundry Report
  - College Laundry
  - Nationalities
  - Genders
  - birthdays
Bell System. The "Ding-Dong" bell/chimes that indicate 10-minutes before start, and start times for classes are computer controlled and scheduled by an AOLIS server.
Cafeteria System. Cafeteria Credit loading from the Student Finance Office, the transactional (POS-like) and reporting system of the Cafeteria.
Computer Science "UnixLab". Linux server setup and maintenance and keepup.
Web Hosting for University Voice, Silang Memoirs, AUP Ambassadors, Celestial Echoes, Student Association, AUP Academy, SMILE, and others.
Network Storage of legally distributable files. Also a temporary space is provided for copying files between departments.
Internet Access to academic departments for the betterment of instruction.
Network Expansion to new departmental computers, to geographically distant departments, and mobile stations.
AOLIS Personal enables students (parents, and sponsors) to check their statement, grades, and cafeteria balance and history from the internet.
Student Schedule helps students locate each other.
Teacher Schedule helps other people locate instructors in their classes.
Telephone Directory of AUP Local Numbers
AUP Website Information is converted from paper format to web format.
Guidance Department System stores tests scores and generates graphed printout of personality and capability test results.
AOLIS Information Kiosk is an ATM-like machine located outside AOLIS Office Research Center available 24-hours a day primarily used for checking cafeteria consumption, grades, and accounts.

Financials

Allocated Income - 600,000
FTE - 1.0
1.0 Graduate Assistant or 1.0 Working Student

Emerging Projects and Experiments

Accounting Office Recomputerization

With the support of Mr. Robert A. Borromeo, VP Finance; Mr. Bing Olarte, Treasurer; and Mrs. Romelda Rodelas, Chief Accountant; the AOLIS has assembled a new group of young software engineers to upgrade and centralize the applications in the accounting office of the university. The project started June 2004 and a 6-month period is set for it to be finish.

Aug 25, 04 Status: 15%. In analysis, design, and development.

Cafeteria Digital Tickets

AOLIS is converting University Meal Tickets to a Digital Ticket System that makes use of client-server database technology.

Aug 25, 04 Status: 35%. Still in implementation and already working since summer 2004.

Internet-based Enrollment

Due to increasing enrollment, AOLIS is getting ready to build a website where the students themselves can encode their own subjects during registration.

Aug 25, 04 Status: 1%. Next high priority project.

AUP Online Classes

We are in the process of installing and configuring an online classes system for our university. It will include:

Class and Personal Calendar
Posting of lessons
Submission of assignments
Enlistment to a subject offering
Reminders for deadlines and new lessons

Aug 25, 04 Status: 5%. Decreased priority because of small impact.

Security Network System

Whithin school year 2003-2004, AOLIS envisions to install a Security Network that will link the Dormitories, the Main Gate, the Headquarters, and the Student Services Office to help in record keeping and case tracking. The system will share the same Digital ID for Cafeteria and JLDML Library.

Webcams, Magnetic Stripe Readers, Barcode Readers, Thumbmark Readers will be used.

Aug 25, 04 Status: 10%. Whole idea in mind, just need to do it.

Online Workers' DTR

The VPAA (Ma'am Monebit) and the HR Office (then under Sir Rex Diamante) have requested for an Online Daily Time Record System.

Features:

Use of Worker's ID (barcode) to sign in/out.
Use of ATM cards (swipe magnetic stripe) to sign in/out.
Use of Cellphones to sign in/out. Miss call number for sign in, and another number to miss call for sign out.
Automatic sign in on AOLIS Login (for aolis related work).
DTRs can be printed from any office, useful for offices who want copies of their own.

Aug 25, 04 Status: 5%.

Campus Network Expansion

Recognizing the Network as the modern nervous system of research and education, AOLIS has prepared (research, development, & implementation) answers to the "how to do it" questions for the following future developments:

Internet Anywhere in AUP

AOLIS intends to help the ITC balance the number of internet users across different internet centers inside the campus by creating a Internet Gateway that will account, regulate, and enable students and faculty to use internet anywhere inside the campus.

Aug 25, 04 Status: 30%. Has been in analysis, design, research, and experiment for the last 3 years.

Wireless Network

Soon, dormitories will have their own internet access points where 2-15 computers will be available 24 hours. Laptop users will also be able to "Plug and Play" and use the Network without any configuration.

Wireless Access Points will also be placed in selected locations around the AUP Campus to enable Internet and Itranet access for roaming users with Laptops and Handheld computers.

Aug 25, 04 Status: 31%. Pilot project working for months already. In reliability testing.

100Mbps to Faculty Houses

The Campus Network will also be extended to Faculty Homes in Dahilig, Tabing Ilog, Apartments and other areas.

Aug 25, 04 Status: 10%. Technology ready. Waiting for interest.

Keyless Entry into Offices

Using biometric and proximity identification technologies students, employees, community people of the university should be able to access facilities, dormitories, classrooms keylessly. This enables dynamic security configurations that allow access by personnel regulated by settings that depend on room, time of day, day of week, occupation, designation, other company, special authorization, etc...

Aug 25, 04 Status: 5%. Pilot project already working in AOLIS Laboratory.

People

Original Team

Project Leader: Todd N. Olarte (janstingray_at_yahoo.com) 1998-2002
Foundation Software Engineer: Daniel G. Pamintuan II (dgp_at_aup.edu.ph) 1998-2000
Software Engineers:

Dennis C. Rondael (drondael@aup.edu.ph) 1999-2004
Ben John G. Francisco (benjohnfrancisco@yahoo.com) 1999-2002
Winelfred G. Pasamba (wingp@aup.edu.ph) 1999-current

Workers

System Administrator: Winelfred G. Pasamba (wingp_at_aup.edu.ph) 1999-current
Student Workers:

Winelfred G. Pasamba (grad) 1999 1st Sem
Marc Henry S. Galang (marghenrygalang_at_aup.edu.ph) 2002
Israel D. Canasa (israel_at_sparrowinteractive.com) 2002
Aimable Habimana (grad) 2003
David Ndungu 2003 2nd Sem
Beyene Dereje 2003 2nd Sem
Glenson Carlo Galupo 2004-2nd Sem

Cafeteria System Project (2004):

Winelfred G. Pasamba (with advice from students of System Analysis and Design, Sir Johny G. Guyo, Sir Danilo C. Bosito, Philippine Linux User's Group, and actual help in laying down the network from David Ndungu, Beyene Dereje, and Aimable Habimana. this project is sponsored and acted on by the Finance Committee of AUP {Thank you all for the trust}; thanks also to the DSF and Cafeteria people for being open minded)

Accounting System Project (2004):

Winelfed G. Pasamba (CSE)
Marc Henry S. Galang (SE)
Glenson Carlo Galupo (SE)
Aldwin Tapeceria (SE)
LJ Arne Carpena (SE)
with consultation from Ma'am Romelda M. Rodelas (chief accountant), Mr. Mervyn Allan N. Olarte (Treasurer), Mr. Robert A. Borromeo (VP Finance), Mr. Ruben T. Carpizo (MBA), and Mr. Ivar Nelson E. Bingcang.

Job Descriptions

Work Education

clean telephone
undust walls
clean computers
clean monitors
clean tables
wipe/sweep/mop floors
remove cobwebs in cieling & walls
make office more orderly
clear windows/glass
remove lint
take message from callers
help troubleshoot PCs around computer/deps
DO NOT THROW GARBAGE (or what you think is garbage) without permission from System Administrator

Assistant

help keep computer running nicely in DSF, accounting, SSO, Unixlab, and other AOLIS clients
assist in system administrator & installation, aolis workroom cleaning, encoding for enrollment, networking maitenance / troubleshooting
general PC support to all people around

Engineers

worked + assistant + computer science + experiments + development

Systems Administrator

worked + assistant + computer science + electronics + experiments + development + management + security + responsibility