PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT/SOLICITATION NO./CLOSING DATE/If not in response to a program announcement/solicitation enter NSF 99-2 / FOR NSF USE ONLY
No Solicitation / NSF PROPOSAL NUMBER
Closing date is given with application package.
FOR CONSIDERATION BY NSF ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT(S) (Indicate the most specific unit known, i.e., program, division, etc.)
Local Innovation-Challenge Grants for Technology in Education
DATE RECEIVED / NUMBER OF COPIES / DIVISION ASSIGNED / FUND CODE / DUNS # (Data Universal Numbering System) / FILE LOCATION
3-24-98 / 6
EMPLOYER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (EIN) OR / SHOW PREVIOUS AWARD NO. IF THIS IS / IS THIS PROPOSAL BEING SUBMITTED TO ANOTHER FEDERAL
TAXPAYER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (TIN) / A RENEWAL / AGENCY? YES NO X IF YES, LIST ACRONYM(S)
54068198 / AN ACCOMPLISHMENT-BASED RENEWAL
NAME OF ORGANIZATION TO WHICH AWARD SHOULD BE MADE / ADDRESS OF AWARDEE ORGANIZATION, INCLUDING 9 DIGIT ZIP CODE
Old Dominion University Computer Science Dept / P.O. Box 6369
AWARDEE ORGANIZATION CODE (IF KNOWN) / 800 West 46th Street
0037283001 / Norfolk VA 23508
NAME OF PERFORMING ORGANIZATION, IF DIFFERENT FROM ABOVE / ADDRESS OF PERFORMING ORGANIZATION, IF DIFFERENT, INCLUDING 9 DIGIT ZIP CODE
Old Dominion University Computer Science Dept / Computer Science Dept
PERFORMING ORGANIZATION CODE (IF KNOWN) / Old Dominion University
Norfolk VA 23529-0162
IS AWARDEE ORGANIZATION (Check All That Apply)
(See GPG II.D.1 For Definitions) FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATION SMALL BUSINESS X MINORITY BUSINESS WOMAN-OWNED BUSINESS
TITLE OF PROPOSED PROJECT
Online Advising for Students using Information Systems (O.A.S.I.S.)
REQUESTED AMOUNT
$340,000 / PROPOSED DURATION (1-60 MONTHS)
12 months / REQUESTED STARTING DATE
January 3, 2000 / SHOW RELATED PREPROPOSAL NO.,
IF APPLICABLE
CHECK APPROPRIATE BOX(ES) IF THIS PROPOSAL INCLUDES ANY OF THE ITEMS LISTED BELOW
X BEGINNING INVESTIGATOR (GPG I.A.3) / VERTEBRATE ANIMALS (GPG II.D.12) IACUC App. Date
DISCLOSURE OF LOBBYING ACTIVITIES (GPG II.D.1) / HUMAN SUBJECTS (GPG II.D.12)
PROPRIETARY & PRIVILEGED INFORMATION (GPG I.B, II.D.7) / Exemption Subsectionor IRB App. Date
NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT (GPG II.D.10) / INTERNATIONAL COOPERATIVE ACTIVITIES: COUNTRY/COUNTRIES
HISTORIC PLACES (GPG II.D.10)
X SMALL GRANT FOR EXPLOR. RESEARCH (SGER) (GPG II.D.12) / FACILITATION FOR SCIENTISTS/ENGINEERS WITH DISABILITIES (GPG V.G.)
X GROUP PROPOSAL (GPG II.D.12) / RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY AWARD (GPG V.H)
PI/PD DEPARTMENT / PI/PD POSTAL ADDRESS
Dennis Ray, Computer Science Dept / Old Dominion University
PI/PD FAX NUMBER / Computer Science Dept
(757) 683-4900 / Norfolk VA 23529-0162
NAMES (TYPED) / High Degree / Yr of Degree / Telephone Number / Electronic Mail Address
PI/PD NAME
Dennis Ray / M.S. CS / 1971 / (757) 683-3693 /
CO-PI/PD
CO-PI/PD
CO-PI/PD
CO-PI/PD
NSF Form 1207 (10/98) Page 1 of 2
A. Project Summary
The Online Advising System for students using Information Systems (OASIS) is a project designed to correct three notable problems with the current advising process at today’s colleges and universities.
First, arranging agreeable advising times and locations is becoming harder in today’s academic environment. With more and more non-traditional students making up the student body and increasing class loads on advisors, arranging mutually acceptable meeting times and locations is becoming burdensome for both advisors and students. OASIS will alleviate this burden by offering Web based advising services.
Second, advising for the student suffers from inconsistency between members of the advising staff. Whether motivated by personal or professional reasons, advice given from one advisor may be markedly different from that of another, when the intended result is the same. OASIS intends to provide consistent advising to every student by incorporating the knowledge of the entire advising staff into an expert system database.
Finally, students need more information at their disposal to make better informed course selections. Currently, advisors cannot tell a student how difficult a particular course is, how many people historically have passed and failed the course, what the average grade for that course is, or how many people have withdrawn from it. All of these factors are necessary for a student to make an informed choice of a course. OASIS will provide that information for the student through a historical database.
Given these three problems with the current advising system, “the final responsibility for meeting all academic requirements for a selected program rests with the student.” This is a quote from the 1998-2000 Old Dominion University Catalog. OASIS will prove to be an essential tool for both the students to successfully meet those requirements and for the faculty advisors to better steer their students in the correct direction, towards the successful completion of their chosen degree program.
TABLE OF CONTENTSFor font-size and page-formatting specifications, see GPG Section II.C.
Total No. of / Page No.*
Section / Pages in Section / (Optional)*
Cover Sheet (NSF Form 1207) (Submit Page 2 with original proposal only)
A / Project Summary (not to exceed 1 page) / 1
B / Table of Contents (NSF Form 1359) / 1
C / Project Description (including Results from Prior NSF Support) / 11
(not to exceed 15 pages) (Exceed only if allowed by a specific
program announcement/solicitation or if approved in advance by the
appropriate NSF Assistant Director or designee)
D / References Cited / 1
E / Biographical Sketches (Not to exceed 2 pages each) / 2
F / Budget / 2
(NSF Form 1030, plus up to 3 pages of budget justification)
G / Current and Pending Support (NSF Form 1239)
H / Facilities, Equipment and Other Resources (NSF Form 1363)
I / Special Information/Supplementary Documentation
J / Appendix (List below)
Include only if allowed by a specific program announcement/
solicitation or if approved in advance by the appropriate NSF
Assistant Director or designee)
Appendix Items:
*Proposers may select any numbering mechanism for the proposal. The entire proposal, however, must be paginated. Complete
both columns only if the proposal is numbered consecutively.
NSF Form 1359 (10/98)
C. Project Description
The purpose of the Online Advising System for students using Information Systems (OASIS) project is threefold. First is to make advising more convenient for both the advisor and the student. This will be accomplished by implementing the project as a World Wide Web based application that uses high-speed database processing to produce Internet based academic advising. Student data will be obtained from the Old Dominion University legacy system through a series of data extracts. This data will then be transferred to the Microsoft SQL Server so that the browsers running advising active server pages may query against it (see figure Methodology 1.1).
By having an Internet based system, students and advisors can access the system any time of day or night to perform advising tasks. This will allow the students to explore different course selection options independent of the advisor so that a subsequent meeting with the advisor will be more productive. This will also allow an advisor to arrive at an advising session with a predetermined plan for the student whereby they can review and decide upon the best selection for the student.
The second purpose of the project is to provide more consistent advising to students. Given a hypothetical degree program that allows for five free elective classes, and further there are 10 classes that will meet those requirements, then the number of different ways to choose those classes is 252. This can cause a marked difference in advice between different advisors. OASIS, through the implementation of an expert based system, will provide consistent course selection plans.
The third purpose of the project is to provide more information on selected courses so the student and advisor can make better course selections. The OASIS database will maintain a historical record on all courses registered in its database. This data will include average grade point average, average number of students passing the course, and average number of students that fail the course, average number of students that withdraw from the course. This data can then enable the student to evaluate the difficulty of the course to manage more effectively his course selections.
The remaining sections of this narrative will describe the conceptual overview of the OASIS project, the project plan, evaluation methods, the project management plan, and finally the hardware and software requirements.
OASIS Conceptual Overview:
Figure 2 shows a prototypical login screen for the OASIS project:
Here the user is prompted for their User Name and their Password. This will be a secure login, using the latest SSL technology to protect the privacy of the student. Once the user presses the enter key or the OK button, the system will verify his information against the database, and if valid, will launch the advising active server pages. However, in the event the student enters incorrect or invalid information, the browser will warn him and he will be allowed two more tries before being locked out of the system. This protects the system and the privacy of the students from unauthorized users trying to retrieve personal information.
Figure 4 Main OASIS screen:
This screen displays the user information which includes their name, address, city, state, zip, and user number as well as all the previously taken courses, hours, and grade received.
The next portion of this screen features a selection box that enables the user to enter the courses he is currently taking. This ensures OASIS has the student’s most current information. The selection box features drop down menus for the subject such as CHEM, BIO, CS, etc., and also drop down menus for the course such as 101F, 451, etc. Once the user enters these values, he is ready for the next portion of the program, which is the main screen.
The next buttons on the screen commands OASIS to perform the automatic advising function, or as labeled here “AutoPick Schedule.” Activation of this button submits the course information to the Microsoft SQL Server, which then executes a series of queries on a set of predefined tables to determine the next semester’s courses. Along with the expert system implementation of rules, these queries will enforce prerequisite requirements and select a balanced load of courses drawing upon the statistical information contained in the historical database. The results will then be returned to the student’s browser and displayed on the main screen in a fashion similar to that of the Courses Taken This Semester section. This will then allow the student or advisor to override the AutoPick selections before printout, if the automatic selections are unsatisfactory.
The final selection on the main screen is the Print Schedule. This allows the student to print the results from the AutoPick subsequently to take to his advisor for approval and course registration. Future implementations may allow direct registration from the main OASIS screen.
Project Plan:
The majority of the research effort of the OASIS project will be devoted to three essential areas:
1. Data exchange between the Microsoft SQL Server and the Old Dominion University Legacy system.
2. Development of an accurate and flexible expert system to manage the advising tasks.
3. Systems integration with the Microsoft SQL Server, Old Dominion University and the Internet.
The following is a proposed task list and schedule for completion of the project:
Task / Sub Tasks / Days / Assigned toHire programmers & purchase equipment / 35 / Principal Investigator
Preliminary Data Analysis / 35 / Main Systems Programmer
Setup of SQL Server Complete / 42
Setup of SQL Server / Database Administrator
Connect server to network / Network Administrator
Build Tables / Database Administrator/Senior VB Programmer
Extract from Main System / 39
Design Data Extract Program / Main System Programmer
Code Data Extract Program / Main System Programmer
Extract from Main System(cont.) / Test Data Extract Program / Main System Programmer
Code Review / Main System and Senior VB programmers
Update documentation / Main System Programmer
Develop SQL Server Import Program / 30 / Senior and junior VB programmers
SQL Queries/Logic / 60
Develop SQL Queries / Database Admin, Junior VB programmer
Develop SQL stored procedures / Database Administrator
Testing of Queries/Procedures / Database Administrator, Junior VB programmer
Web Interface Development / 105
Interface Layout / Junior VB programmers
coding Web applications / Junior VB programmers
Testing of Web interface / Junior VB programmers
Beta Testing / 30
Acceptance Testing / 30
Project goes Live / 7
Evaluation Methods:
- Unit Testing: According to the IEEE standards, the use of unit testing is a systematic approach. The purpose of unit testing is to take each unit design and functional information and determine whether it performs its tasks accordingly. The process is divided into phases that will test each of the units for its activity. The guidelines for performing unit testing are noted in IEEE documents. The development team does the testing in order to check that the software unit performs its specific tasks required by the software specification package.
- Sub System Testing: The use of sub system testing involves the testing of collections of modules, which have been integrated together. The sub system may be independently designed and implemented. The purpose for subsystem testing is to test for functionality of modules once the modules have been incorporated together. This is due to common problems arising when large software systems are put together and the system interface is incompatible.
- System Testing: Testing is to test the sub-systems that make up the entire package. System Testing is concerned with finding errors or incompatibility with the other modules. For example, each individual module, function or procedure may work fine as a unit. However, when all functions are gathered together to form one program, unanticipated results may occur. Parameter passing may become an issue and the system no longer performs according to the specifications required. System testing oversees the overall product and verifies that functional specifications are met and that quality specifications are satisfied. A figure of the System Testing Cycle is found below.
Project Management:
The Principal Investigator will be responsible for:
1. Reviewing the returned grant proposal, and incorporating and revisions necessary.
2. Contracting facilities and purchasing equipment for the project duration.
3. Preparing and submitting the quarterly and final reports to the granting agency.
4. Hiring and supervision of all project personnel.
The Main System Programmer will be responsible for:
1. Supervision of junior programmers.
2. Production of functional and testing specifications.
3. Systems development and testing.
The Database Administrator will be responsible for:
1. Setup, implementation, and maintenance of the Microsoft SQL Server.
2. Testing of SQL Queries and logic.
3. Supervision of junior programmers.
The junior programmers will be responsible for:
1. Accepting the direction of the Principle Investigator, Main System Programmer, and Database Administrator.
2. Implementation and testing of various modules.
Hardware Requirements
Workstations
Intel Pentium II Processor 400MHz with 512k Cache
128MB ECC SDRAM
VX900 19" color monitor (18" viewable area)
8MB SGRAM Graphics Card
13.5GB Hard Drive 13X min. / 32X max. CD-ROM
3COM PCI 10/100 Twisted Pair Ethernet Adapter
Microsoft Windows NT Workstation
On-Site Service
Cost: $2300 each Quantity 4Total $9200
SQL Server
Intel 450MHz Pentium II Xeon w/512K ECC Cache (Total 2)
512MB of EDO DRAM
EV500 (13.9inch Viewable)
Integrated 32-bit PCI Graphics w/2MB DRAM
(4) 9GB SCA Ultra2 SCSI 7200 RPM Drives
16MB ADAC A-466 Ultra2 Channel RAID Card
Dual 400 Watt Hot Pluggable Power
13X min./32X max. IDE CD-ROM
Telepath Modem with x2 Technology
3COM PCI 10/100 TP Ethernet
NT Server 4.0 includes 10 user licenses
12/24GB SCSI DAT Drive w/Tape
APC Smart-UPS 1400
Cost 18530 Quantity 1 Total $18530
Backup Server & High Performance Workstation
Top of Form 1
Intel® Pentium® II processor 350MHz w/512K (2 Processors)
256MB of PC 100 ECC SDRAM
(2) 9GB Ultra2 LVD SCSI 7200 RPM hard drive
13X min. / 32X max. IDE CD-ROM
Integrated Dual Channel PCI Fast/Wide Ultra 2 SCSI Controller
Integrated 32-bit PCI Graphics w/2MB DRAM
(1) 400-Watt Power Supply
Microsoft NT Server 4.0
On-site Warranty
Cost: $6650 Quantity 1Total $6650
T1 Connection Cost $6000 per year Quantity 1 yearTotal $6000
Printer, Fax, Copier, ScannerQuantity 1Total $1500
Software Requirements
Microsoft SQL Server 7.0Total Cost $1399
This is the underlying database engine, which will store the data as well as allow developers to ad-hoc queries against the data.
Microsoft Office 2000Total Cost $4000
This package will enable the developers to perform internal presentation using the PowerPoint application in addition to create documents, perform calculations with spreadsheets.
Microsoft ProjectTotal cost $500
Microsoft Project is a management tool, which will be used to track the success of the advising project. Project ’98 can try resources and help plan in the outcome of the advising Project
Microsoft Visual Studio 6.0Total cost $1700
“Microsoft Visual Studio is a complete development tools suite that provides corporations with easy-to-use tools for building solutions.” [Microsoft.com] it was chosen over the individual package of Visual Basic, because of the additional flexibility Visual C++ will bring to the development of Internet based advising.
Note: Sources (2)(5)(7)(8)(9)(10) used for hardware and software pricing guidelines.
D. SOURCES CITED
1. 12th Annual Salary Survey Introduction. ComputerWorld. 1999
2. CompUSA
<
3. Computer EDP Statistics. ExperienceOnDemand.com. 1998
4. Datamation Salary Survey Reporting System. Datamation. 1999
5. DELL Computer Corporation
6. Fall 1998 Salary Survey Results. CareerLink. 1999
7. Gateway 2000 Inc.
8. Microsoft Corp.
<
9. OMX Inc.
10. Office Depot Inc.
11. Pembroke Commercial Realty Corp.
<
SUMMARY
PROPOSAL BUDGET / FOR NSF USE ONLYORGANIZATION
OASIS / PROPOSAL NO. / DURATION (MONTHS)
Proposed / Granted
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT DIRECTOR / AWARD NO.
A. SENIOR PERSONNEL: PI/PD, Co-PIs, Faculty and Other Senior Associates / NSF-Funded / Funds / Funds
List each separately with name and title. (A.7. Show number in brackets) / Person-months / Requested By / Granted by NSF
CAL / ACAD / SUMR / Proposer / (If Different)
1. / $ / $
2.
3.
4.
5.
6. () OTHERS (LIST INDIVIDUALLY ON BUDGET EXPLANATION PAGE)
7. () TOTAL SENIOR PERSONNEL (1-6)
B. OTHER PERSONNEL (SHOW NUMBERS IN BRACKETS)
1. () POSTDOCTORAL ASSOCIATES
2. (5) OTHER PROFESSIONALS (TECHNICIAN, PROGRAMMER, ETC.) / X / 250,000
3. () GRADUATE STUDENTS
4. () UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
5. () SECRETARIAL - CLERICAL (IF CHARGED DIRECTLY)
6. () OTHER
TOTAL SALARIES AND WAGES (A + B) / 250,000
C. FRINGE BENEFITS (IF CHARGED AS DIRECT COSTS)
TOTAL SALARIES, WAGES AND FRINGE BENEFITS (A + B + C)
D. EQUIPMENT (LIST ITEM AND DOLLAR AMOUNT FOR EACH ITEM EXCEEDING $5,000.)
Server / 18,530
High Performance Workstation and Backup Server / 6,650
TOTAL EQUIPMENT / 25,180
E. TRAVEL / 1. DOMESTIC (INCL. CANADA, MEXICO AND U.S. POSSESSIONS)
2. FOREIGN
F. PARTICIPANT SUPPORT
1. STIPENDS / $
2. TRAVEL
3. SUBSISTENCE
4. OTHER
() TOTAL PARTICIPANT COSTS
G. OTHER DIRECT COSTS
1. MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES / 1,500
2. PUBLICATION/DOCUMENTATION/DISSEMINATION
3. CONSULTANT SERVICES
4. COMPUTER SERVICES
5. SUBAWARDS
6. OTHER Office Space $24,000 + Other equipment etc. / 49,180
TOTAL OTHER DIRECT COSTS
H. TOTAL DIRECT COSTS (A THROUGH G)
I. INDIRECT COSTS (F&A) (SPECIFY RATE AND BASE)
TOTAL INDIRECT COSTS (F&A)
J. TOTAL DIRECT AND INDIRECT COSTS (H + I)
K. RESIDUAL FUNDS (IF FOR FURTHER SUPPORT OF CURRENT PROJECT SEE GPG II.D.7.j.)
L. AMOUNT OF THIS REQUEST (J) OR (J MINUS K) / 325,860 / $
M. COST SHARING: PROPOSED LEVEL $ / AGREED LEVEL IF DIFFERENT: $
PI/PD TYPED NAME AND SIGNATURE* / DATE / FOR NSF USE ONLY
INDIRECT COST RATE VERIFICATION
ORG. REP. TYPED NAME & SIGNATURE* / DATE / Date Checked / Date of Rate Sheet / Initials-ORG
NSF Form 1030 (10/98) Supersedes All Previous Editions / *SIGNATURES REQUIRED ONLY FOR REVISED BUDGET (GPG III.C)
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH