A framework for an integrated student information management system for Vienna College Namugongo

Abstract

The design of any information management system (IMS) requires a clear framework for its integration into the environment for which it is intended. Information management has been addressed in the objectives and plans of Vienna college Namugongo. The extensive changes that have taken place in the last few years in Vienna college have led to increased demands for managing student information. In turn a framework for proper integration of such data is necessary. The major aim of this study was to design such a framework. The research therefore attempted to investigate the current state of the management and integration of student information in Vienna college Namugongo. The needs and requirements of a student information management system (SIMS) and strategies for its integration in school departmental programs were established. The study carried out and conducted using a qualitative research approach that provided a coherent set of propositions which explains the phenomenon of a SIMS. The researcher purposively selected the respondents who included people involved in the capture, storage, management and use of student information in Vienna college Namugongo. Observably, the current state of the SIMS lacks a framework to keep track of student information in Vienna college. It was established that to ensure tracking of such data in the school, an identification system with standardised procedures in a coordinating structure is required together with a clear framework for utilising the existing structures in Vienna college Namugongo. To design a framework of this kind, a proposed framework for an integrated SIMS defined the principles, environment and boundaries in terms of which the design is created. It defines the structure of students’ identification system and its relationship in Vienna college. Strategies for ensuring the sustainability of such a system and its implications for the socio-economic environment of Vienna college school are considered.