Tertiary Education Management Information System

Summary

Since 2003 IATC is involved in research projects, which are mainly related to the different layers of the RA Educational system.

This survey has been done based on the Terms of Reference developed by the "Center for Education Projects" PIU (CFEP). The first stage the study covered the overview of the international experience regarding operations of Tertiary Education Management Information Systems (TEMIS). Then the methodology for the stakeholders' needs assessment has been developed and during the second stage fieldwork has been conducted. As a result of the fieldwork needs and perceptions of main stakeholders in regard to TEMIS have been found out. Eventually, the final report has been prepared which includes also the electronic questionnaire and technical specifications for the proposed software.

Project Description

The most typical name for the contemporary society is informational society, which indicates the significant role of information in now days. Receiving and transferring information become an important precondition for effective management in all areas in comprehensive society. This logic is applicable also to education sector and in particular to professional education level. All the stakeholders of education sphere have long sought valid and timely data and information sources with which to manage and improve education. Computers have been involved in this process in a broad way. As a result, now the contemporary world uses education management and information systems (EMIS) as a tool for increasing the effectiveness of education management. EMIS is a statistical package which has broad analytic and planning features and includes databases regarding the respective level of education. Usage of EMIS let us to diagnose forecast and plan the situation, develop and implement reforms and progress projects for education sector. Receiving and transferring information among stakeholders becomes a more transparent, easy and effective process through EMIS. According to the classical definition:

The Education Management Information System (EMIS) is a system for the collection, integration, processing, maintenance and dissemination of data and information to support decision making, policy-analysis and formulation, planning, monitoring and management at all levels of an education system. It is a system of people, technology, models, methods, processes, procedures, rules and regulations that function together to provide education leaders, decision makers and managers at all levels with a comprehensive, integrated set of relevant, reliable, unambiguous, and timely data and information to support them in completion of their responsibilities.

After declaration of independence, The Republic of Armenia entered a stage of long-lasting reforms, the main purpose of which is to complete the integration of Armenian society with the world society. Reforms include all areas of societal life, in the set of which – education sector. In RA the establishment of EMIS started in 1999 when the “Secondary Education Management Information System” (SEMIS) was developed by means of the loan gained from the World Bank (WB). The development of that system was the first serious step towards the establishment of EMIS in the RA. The next step in EMIS integration process is the development of tertiary education management and information system (TEMIS).

This research is realized within the frames of the second WB loan programme called “Education Quality and Compliance” and is directed towards the accomplishment of second step of EMIS establishment process in the RA- development and investment of Tertiary Education Management Information System (TEMIS). The new TEMIS should be an effective means for the establishment of a complex, valid, updated database about the Tertiary Education Institutions (TEIs) on national and institutional levels, for the designing, management, decision making, monitoring and evaluation of the policy in education sphere.