Web-Based Transaction System

The on-line application system for the University's graduate school is an example of an e-commerce and database system developed by UDRI. In 1999, Dr. Katy Marre, Associate Dean of the University of Dayton Graduate School and Mr. Clancy Cross, of the UDRI Information Technology group, discussed the idea of developing an on-line, Web-based graduate school application system and companion Website to supplement marketing materials and eventually replace the two-sided paper application form.  The original goal for the electronic form was simply to provide a more convenient way for prospective students to apply.  However, during the project it became apparent to the team that far greater benefits could be realized by automating portions of the application process and making the system’s data available to decision-makers throughout the University.  Limited funding was allocated to develop a complete system that would accomplish a more ambitious set of goals:

• Provide a convenient way for potential students to apply on-line in order to increase the number of graduate applications.
  
• Streamline the application process by reducing/eliminating  the exchange of paper documents.
  
• Provide various "views" of the data as an aid in making marketing (enrollment) decisions.
  
• Capture data once, at the source, and channel it to the University's student management system.

After a proof-of-concept version was developed, the team conducted an analysis to discover the underlying principles of the graduate application process. The process was defined by a set of “business rules” that became part of the features of the on-line application system and supporting processes.

Features

The many system features were carefully selected and defined to support the unique characteristics of the graduate enrollment process.  A few of the important features include:

• Because the application is a legal document, the system prevents the applicant and the university from changing the original contents of a submitted application.
  
• College applications can take hours to complete.  To accommodate this, applicants are able to fill out their application over multiple sessions.
  
• The system provides a nice selection of customizable reports.  Because the application data is stored in a relational database, additional reports can be easily written as needed.
  
• The Graduate School staff, the Dean's Offices, and academic departments can view and evaluate individual applications through a Web interface.
  
• Supporting documents can be scanned and stored electronically as part of the electronic application.
  
• The system includes a “request information” form for prospects.  This data is captured and can be viewed in Web-based reports.
  
• Multiple permission levels allow deans to see what deans need to see, program chairs can see what they need to see, and the Graduate School staff to see everything.
  
• The system supports data encryption.

Results

The graph below shows how applications have steadily increased since the system went on-line in March 2000. As of February 2003, the number of applications received in the most recent twelve months compared with 1998 and 1999 (the final two years before the Web-based system came on-line) shows a 62.3% increase. Considering the cost of developing and operating the system, the result over the three-year life of the system is a 116:1 return on investment.