Leveraging Information Technology To Enhance The Management Of Graduate Education Programs
- Conference
- Location
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Chicago, Illinois
- Publication Date
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June 18, 2006
- Start Date
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June 18, 2006
- End Date
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June 21, 2006
- ISSN
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2153-5965
- Conference Session
- Tagged Division
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Graduate Studies
- Page Count
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11
- Page Numbers
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11.891.1 - 11.891.11
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--76
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/76
- Download Count
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350
Paper Authors
Wayne Whiteman Georgia Institute of Technology
Wayne E. Whiteman is a Senior Academic Professional and Director of the Office of Student Services in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He received his BS degree from the United States Military Academy in 1979, a master?s degree from MIT in 1987, and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech in 1996. Whiteman is a retired Colonel in the U.S. Army and completed 24 years of active military service. He served on the West Point faculty from 1987 to 1990, and 1998 to 2003.
Abstract
NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract
Leveraging Information Technology to Enhance the Management of Graduate Education Programs
Abstract
Properly managing graduate engineering programs can significantly enhance the educational experience of graduate students and help ensure that they are able to focus on their academic studies. This paper offers improvements to graduate program processes that leverage information technology and enhance the graduate scholarly experience. Two major areas of enhancements are presented. The first area is in the recruitment and admission processing of graduate students. Administering graduate student financial aid is the second area. The efficiency and effectiveness of these enhanced services are documented. The Structured Query Language (SQL) was used to build a relational database to implement these improvements. Similar procedures could easily be incorporated for use at other educational institutions.
Introduction
Despite advancements in the area of information technology, improved automation tools have not always been fully leveraged to improve the management of processes, even at educational institutions. This paper offers two specific ways of leveraging information technology to improve graduate program processes and enhance the graduate education experience. When we help students and faculty manage these processes, the students can dedicate more time and focus toward academic studies and the overall educational experience.
Two areas of improvement to graduate student processes are offered in this paper. The first is in the area of recruitment and admission. The second involves the processing of graduate student financial support. The enhancements provided by implementation of these services are documented and reported. The Structured Query Language (SQL) was used to build a relational database and implement these improvements.1 Similar procedures could easily be incorporated for use at other educational institutions.
This work was motivated by the management of the graduate student program in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The Woodruff School has a current enrollment of approximately 700 graduate students and receives nearly 1000 applications a year. Prior to the implementation of the practices described in this study, the processes used to manage these graduate programs were almost entirely paper-based. Some data was kept electronically, but this data was manually entered by clerical personnel and was subject to numerous errors. The procedures offered in this paper enhance the efficiency and the effectiveness of the academic and student services provided to graduate students along with their faculty advisors. This new system also improves accuracy and contributes positively to the overall academic experience.
Whiteman, W. (2006, June), Leveraging Information Technology To Enhance The Management Of Graduate Education Programs Paper presented at 2006 Annual Conference & Exposition, Chicago, Illinois. 10.18260/1-2--76
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