A framework for knowledge based educational decision support system - Literature review Example

?A framework for knowledge based educational decision support system Table of Contents Introduction 3 Background of knowledge based educational decision support system 3 Need of educational decision support system 4 Benefits of EDSS and its consequences 5 Summary 7 Reference 9 Introduction In the modern world of technological development and growing need of easy maintenance of data Knowledge base system are in huge demand. The systems based on Knowledge base are known as Knowledge base system. It mainly comprises of storing, organizing and the retrieval of data in an efficient way. This gives an insight of the relations, patterns and the principles behind certain decisions taken in a practical manner through proper understanding. This system can also be applied in Educational Decision Support System (EDSS) for an easy decision taking procedure in the educational institute and normalizing the procedure for management of institutional admissions. Background of knowledge based educational decision support system Knowledge based decision support system is mainly concerned with taking decision in critical situation which are mainly done by skilled personnel on a specific domain. The success of such a system is mainly dependent on the knowledge it comprises of in the system which can generalize the variation in the decision of the management through a computerized way provided on time (CEBE, 2006, p. 1). But as stated by the author it is not about taking decision for the user rather it is just providing access to the database of information which will help the user in taking decision regarding an issue which might arise in the process. In educational institutes the process of admission is a difficult task for the management to handle due to the variation in the educational backgrounds of the students applying for different courses of the institutes and abiding by the policies of the institution, the management not always takes the right decision in the selection process resulting in the difficulty in managing the enrollment process for the higher education. This gave rise to the requirement of the relational database management system of the educational statistics of different universities, campuses, schools; faculty members etc. under a centralized database for an easy access to the entire information at one place and establish a department of statistics for the planning process. To achieve an effective decision making process the personnel need to understand the basics of the process and past experience on same type of situation is an important tool for an efficient and feasible outcome of the problems (Pheng, 2005, p. 2). Need of educational decision support system The admission procedures of different countries in the word are not the same way everywhere. These variations in the admission procedure give rise to the need of standardization of the process to help students for a proper evaluation and understanding of their knowledge and skills. There are various problems which arise due to these variations resulting in the need of an efficient educational decision support system (EDSS). These differences can be described as follows- The huge demand in higher education in this modern world needs a proper implementation process for the specific major subject selection for the students according to their merits and credibility. The social impact of the family plays a vital role in the selection process of the students but proper selection is required based on merits rather than influence from family. The evaluation process of students in several countries like Saudi Arabia adds an extra overhead for the students and they lose unnecessarily one year in their career for the selection process in their eligible courses. The government and the private university difference in selecting the major based on the financial capabilities need a process of standardization of the whole system. According to UNESCO, various countries like Saudi Arabia are facing challenges from the growing need of improving the quality and efficiency in the education system to keep pace with the growing need of the world’s economy and the domestic market. This needs a decentralized system of education in every states of Arab for a comprehensive planning and decision support system for the management (UNESCO, 2004). All the courses in the existing status are under operated by individual institutes creating a big gap in the operation procedures resulting to faulty evaluation system which are affecting the deserving candidates in get hold of the best guidance for their career. By the author Les Lloyd, a decision support system not only improves in systemic approach of the process but also improves the personal productivity of the students and the faculties as they can access the familiar task performed earlier and can also use the softwares in the processing of working data. This knowledge base can be enhanced with time with the addition of more material by the use of websites, email, and multimedia contents. The technological use can enhance the process of teaching also to great extent for the teachers of the institutes (Lloyd, 2005, p. 143). Benefits of EDSS and its consequences Various researchers have found several benefits of using a decentralized system for managing data in the educational institutes. One of the major advantages of using EDSS is the normalization of different weights achieved by several students and abiding a rule for the calculation of weights during the admission process. It will help in the selection of courses and specific majors for the students according to their merits. The centralized system will give the chance to maintain standardization among the courses followed in different universities and their basic education will be same for all the students at different parts of the states. It will help to unify the grading system of the universities. Various education decision support system softwares like EDSL provides several facilities for the users for an effective use of data and implementation of strategies according to the needs. Key benefits of such system are instant data access which can be viewed across the organization and create customized report in need. The screened data maintenance of the software improves the quality of the data to great extent. It will enhance the assessment potential at all level for the managers. EDSL claims an effective use of data operational decision making which in turn will improve the performance of all students and staffs of the organization. For a better planning and program management EDSL can assist in the analysis of data and compare with the existing grades to understand the performance level of the students. The software can also highlight the areas which are needed to be improved by the institute to maintain the process in a cost effective way with proper use of resources of the management (EDSL, n.d.). These are some of the advantages from an Educational Decision Support System but on the other hand there are several consequences also for the implementation process of such system into the existing educational system. As referred by the author Les Lloyd, the implementation process of the decision support system in higher education incurs a huge investment and needs a lot of commitments from the management to adapt the system. For improvement in the management and timely decision taking with more accuracy the organization need to invest a huge amount both financially and in human resources. The main challenge in the implementation process is the adaptation of the paradigm shift from the tradition management process to use of technologies for building an effective information support with the help of data warehousing which stores and manages massive amount of data to support the decision system (Lloyd, 2005, p. 143). Apart from this another major consequence after the implementation process of EDSS as mentioned by the McFarland & Parker is, people are reluctant to use the system and there is no seniority maintained by the system. Teachers, professors, trainers all are treated in a similar way regardless of their ranks and expertise (McFarland & Parker, 1990, p. 167). This might give rise ego clash and might result in behavioral conflict amongst the agents. Summary Development of EDSS will not only enhance the education system at institution level but will also enhance the process of management at national level through proper monitoring and planning process in the admission at different universities of the countries. Establishment of an efficient, comprehensive educational system can improve the quality of education understanding the variation in the economies and the cultural differences between the regions and locations. Identification, development and testing of certain parameters are monitored in the admission process at different universities from the available data for an effective understanding of the variations amongst the different applicants. This will help the management in design and execution of reform programs in development of the short term and the long term strategies of the organization. For the enhancement of the existing system the online knowledge base system can enhance the overall management process of the system. According to United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, the main motto behind the implementation of the educational decision support system is standardization of the institutional decision taking regarding admission and project management of the management depending on the framework already designed in the system (UNESCO, 2004). Past experience on the situation will give the management a better problem solving ability. Overall this will help the evaluation, checking and the audit system of the institutes and it will not only standardize the whole process of selection and admission rather it will also support the students and the faculties of the institutes in their projects and educational purposes. Reference 1. CEBE, (2006). Knowledge-Based Decision Support System (KBDSS). [Pdf]. Available at: http://ctiweb.cf.ac.uk/publications/workpapers/pdf/wp10/WorkingPaper_10_10.pdf. [Accessed on June 30th 2011]. 2. EDSL, (No date). KEY BENEFITS. [Online]. Available at: http://www.fcps.edu/DIT/edsl/benftstwo.html. [Accessed on July 1st 2011]. 3. Lloyd, L. (2005). Best technology practices in higher education. Information Today, Inc. 4. McFarland, T., Parker, R. (1990). Expert systems in education and training. Educational Technology. 5. Pheng, L. (2005). A framework for developing a knowledge-based decision support system for management f variation orders for institutional buildings. [Pdf]. Available at: http://www.itcon.org/data/works/att/2006_21.content.04149.pdf. [Accessed on June 30th 2011]. 6. UNESCO, (2004). Educational Decision Support Systems. [Online]. Available at: http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=22276&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html. [Accessed on July 1st 2011]. Read More