Project Atlantis: Functional Specification and Management Plan

Table Of Contents

• Executive Summary
• Introduction
  1. Our Company
  2. Our Products
  3. Our Customers
  4. Our Warranty
  5. Project Atlantis
• User Interaction
  1. General Functionality and Features

     1.1 Login

     1.2 Access Calendar

     1.3 View Course Availability

     1.4 Register/Drop Course

     1.4.1 Register in a Course

     1.4.2 Drop a Course

     1.5 View Courses Already Taken

     1.6 Change Password

  2. Administrative Functionality

     2.1 Adding/Removing/Modifying Course Information

     2.1.1 Adding Courses

     2.1.2 Removing Courses

     2.1.3 Modifying Courses

     2.2 Adding/Removing Students

     2.2.1 Adding Students

     2.2.2 Removing Students

     2.3 Adding/Changing Student Grades

     2.3.1 Adding Student Grades

     2.3.2 Removing Student Grades

     2.4 Overloading Classes

     2.5 Overriding Co/Pre-requisite Requirements

     2.6 Adding/Removing Staff

     2.6.1 Adding Staff Members

     2.6.2 Removing Staff Members

     2.7 Accessing and Modifying Student Records

  3. Summary
• Management Plan
  1. Features
  2. Classes of Functions

     2.1 General Functionality

     2.2 Administrative Functionality

  3. Component Interaction
  4. System Implementation
  5. Data Structures

     5.1 Student Information

     5.2 Course Information

  6. Minimal System

     6.1 Online Registration

     6.2 Administration

     6.3 Security

  7. Possible Enchancements

     7.1 Online Help

     7.2 System Backup

     7.3 Online Fee Payment

  8. Company Employees and Project Atlantis Team Structure
  9. Summary
• Glossary

Introduction:

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The new system being developed by WinterSoft for the University of Atlantis will provide a comprehensive solution to this fine institution’s administrative needs. WinterSoft recognizes that University of Atlantis is a sizeable underwater institution and requires a robust and efficient registration system. We are in the process of designing such a system - one that will be easy to use, efficient and dependable. Life at University of Atlantis will never be the same our system will eliminate the perpetual headache of creating a mountain of paperwork. Professors viewing updated student lists, students swimming to their classes on time, all made possible by the Project Atlantis Registration System.

1. Our Company

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The history of WinterSoft stretches all the way back to January 9, 2001 when David Hayes sat 12 people down and offered them positions writing software for no pay. They immediately accepted this offer because of the excellent learning experiences being presented to them. After nearly 10 days of grueling work, we were ready to open our doors to customers. We are confident in our well-established software engineering procedures and we feel that we can deliver our customers’ products on time and on budget, while still providing quality software.

We have paraded ourselves on to the global market, and become known world wide as "those people who don’t charge for their work." Despite the fact that WinterSoft has no capital, few resources, and doesn’t get paid for their projects, they have caused a sensation in the Canadian marketplace. The TSE rose by 135.4 points based on the announcement that we had already entered into negotiations with our first customer.

What is the secret to all of this success? Lies. But they are entertaining lies, and in the end, isn't that the real truth?

2. Our Products

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We at WinterSoft take great pride in the fact that we never had an unsatisfied customer. There is an in-house saying in WinterSoft: "A happy customer means a WinterSoft customer." Before we deliver our software, it goes through an extensive testing process to ensure the functional requirements are fulfilled. If necessary we consult the customer extensively throughout the development process to ensure that the end product is everything the customer desires and often so much more.

Our Human Computer Interface specialists go to great lengths to come up with daring, revolutionary new ideas that make our systems easier to use than ever. We know that the world is looking at WinterSoft for new HCI concepts. We accept and take pride in that challenge. We never lose sight of the final goal of our software development process - satisfying you, our valued customer.

3. Our Customers

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We say in WinterSoft "If we are second best we are not good enough." We never provide second-rate service - we always strive for the best. We have only one measure of success - our customers’ satisfaction. The complex systems that we are developing demand extensive customer interviews and consultations; we never spare any expense in achieving the very peak of performance and quality. Before we start designing your software we go through a long analytical process of determining your needs. Then we custom-design the system from the ground up to suit your needs perfectly. We will spare no expense to deliver a product that will serve your needs better.

4. Our Life Warranty

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All of our products have a life warranty. However we have never had a single complaint from our customers. Should that remote possibility ever occur we are prepared to redesign the whole system after deliver for free just to keep you satisfied.*

And so our dear valued customer, The University of Atlantis, we are delighted to present to you an overview of Project Atlantis Registration System as a comprehensive solution to your administrative concerns.

5. Project Atlantis

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Project Atlantis is a web-based registration system that we are developing for the University of Atlantis. We carefully studied the requirements presented to us and we are confident that we can design a system that will fulfill your needs. Project Atlantis Registration System is intended for two groups of users:

• University of Atlantis administration and instructors
• University of Atlantis students

The registration system will take over all administrative duties concerning course registration, student timetable, grade posting, class overloading and pre- and co-requisite waiving. Students will be able to arrange their trimester schedules using the Project Atlantis Registration System, which includes:

• Adding and deleting courses within the prescribed registration periods
• Checking course availability
• Viewing grades and courses already taken
• Viewing calendar information

Professors and administrators will be able to manage the administrative aspect with the system, allowing them to:

• Manage class sizes
• Provide the ability to overload classes
• View class lists and student records
• Change course information, including day, time, room and pre- and/or co-requisites.

The broad functionality of the Project Atlantis Registration System will satisfy both designated groups of users. Long student queues to the Registrar’s office during the designated registration periods will be a thing of the past. Students will be able to manage their timetable with a click of the mouse at their own computer terminals. However, the group that will benefit the most is the University of Atlantis administration. Because both the students and the administration are accessing the same database, the instructors will be able to check and verify their class size with an up-to-the-minute accuracy. The administrative procedures such as changing class size or adding new courses to the curriculum, which previously involved a long paper trail, will be made quick and easy.

Project Atlantis Registration System will require relatively inexpensive hardware. We have determined that an Internet-connected database server will fulfill your needs.Students and administration will be able to access the system from their own existing terminals at home or in their offices. Our Human-Computer Interface experts are working hard to design the best possible user-friendly interface that will make learning and using the system quick and easy.

According to the traditions of WinterSoft, we will deliver Project Atlantis Registration System on schedule and on budget as a product of excellent quality.

User Interaction

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The Project Atlantis Registration System has two-fold user functionality. System users are divided into two different groups, administrators and instructors (henceforth referred to as staff) and students. These two groups vary by level of access within the system. Staff have access to all student and administrative records whereas the students only have access to their own records. From your requirements, we have divided the functionality of the system into two groups, general and administrative. General functions include the features of the system that are accessible to students, such as accessing calendar information, viewing course availability, registering in and dropping courses, viewing courses taken and changing passwords. Administrative functions are restricted to staff and are for the purpose of maintaining and updating the system.

1. General Functionality and Features

This functionality is provided to all users of the Project Atlantis Registration System.

1.1 Login

1.2 Accessing the calendar information

1.3 View course availability

1.4 Register in/Drop courses

1.5 View courses already taken

1.6 Change password

2. Administrative Functionality

The administrative functionality is provided for all administrative staff and instructors of the University of Atlantis. As well, a staff member may view and modify the general information of all students.

The administrative functionality of Project Atlantis Registration System provides staff members with a very powerful tool, whose features include:

2.1 Adding/Removing/Modifying course information

2.2 Adding/Removing students

2.3 Adding/Changing student grades

2.4 Overloading classes

2.5 Overriding pre- and co-requisite requirements

2.6 Adding/Deleting administrators and instructors

2.7 Accessing/Modifying student records

This two-level access system allows clear separation of functionality between administrators and general users, and provides for a clearly defined and user-friendly system interface. A two-level access system also provides a secure interface for staff to maintain and update Project Atlantis while giving students access only to the registration component of the system.

1. General Functionality and Features

1.1 Login

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Description: when a user wants to login into the registration system, he/she is required to enter the assigned login ID and password. The system will verify the ID and password for validity.
Expected Input: A valid login ID and password.
Results: The user is granted access to the system.
Unexpected Input: The login ID and/or password are invalid.
Results: The user will be prompted to re-enter the login information.

Possible Scenario: Joey enters his login ID and password. He is granted access to the Project Atlantis Registration System as a student.

1.2 Accessing the calendar information

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Description: All students must have access to the University of Atlantis calendar information. All students have quick and easy access to the information contained in the calendar.
Expected Input: A valid course name and number.
Results: Information on the desired course is displayed for the user.
Unexpected Input: Invalid course name and/or number.
Results: The user will be informed of the nature of the error.

Possible Scenario: Jessica enters the course name FROG451 and is shown the calendar description for the course.

1.3 View course availability

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Description: To verify that a desired course has room for registration, a user can easily view the course availability.
Expected Input: A valid course name and number.
Results: The availability of all course lecture, lab and tutorial sections.
Unexpected Input: Invalid course name and/or number.
Results: The user will be informed of the nature of the error.

Possible Scenario: Travis enters STAR234 and the system reports that the course does not exist. He then realizes that he mistyped it and enters STAR243. The system displays that lectures 2 and 3 are full, but lectures 1 and 4 are available.

1.4 Register in / Drop courses

1.4.1 Register in Courses

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Description: When the student wishes to add a course to their schedule, the course identifier, lecture section, possible lab section, and possible tutorial section must be specified.
Expected Input: A valid course name, course number, lecture section, lab section (if applicable), and tutorial section (if applicable).
Results: System will add the course to the student’s schedule.
Unexpected Input: The student entered an invalid course name and number, lecture section, lab section or tutorial section.
Results: The system will inform the user of the error.
Unexpected Input: The student entered a valid lecture section, lab section (if applicable), and tutorial section (if applicable), but one or more of the components has a time conflict with the student’s current schedule.
Results: The system will display a list of alternative sections, and will ask whether the student would like to register in one of the alternative sections.
Unexpected Input: One or more of the lecture section, lab section or tutorial section that the student selected was full.
Results: The system will display a list of alternative sections, and will ask whether the student would like to register in one of the alternative sections, or whether they would like to be added to the waiting list for the section they had attempted to register in.
Unexpected Input: The student is already registered in the selected course.
Results: The system will respond by informing the user that they are already registered in the course.

Possible Scenario: Jimmy wishes to register in FISH237. He inadvertently enters FISH273, a course that does not exist. The system informs Jimmy that the course does not exist, and prompts him to re-enter the course name and number. He corrects his error. However, the lecture that he selected is full, and so the system asks Jimmy whether he would like to be placed on the waiting list. Jimmy affirms that he would, and the system adds him to the waiting list for FISH237. When Jimmy logs into the system again, he is informed that a spot became available in the course and that he has been added to the course list. He then checks his schedule and confirms that FISH237 has been added.

1.4.2 Drop courses

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Description: If a student wishes to drop a course from their schedule, the course name and number must be specified. Co-requisites are checked to confirm that the student is still able to take all other courses in which they are currently enrolled. If co-requisites exist, the student will be prompted whether they wish to delete all affected courses.
Expected Input: A valid course name and number in which the student is currently registered.
Results: The system will remove the course and co-requisites from the student’s schedule.
Unexpected Input: The student entered an invalid course identifier.
Results: The system will inform the use as to the nature of the error.
Unexpected Input: the student is not registered in the course.
Results: the system will respond by informing the user that they are not registered in the course.

Possible Scenario: Jill decides that she has taken a workload that she cannot handle. She therefore wishes to drop WATR317. The system informs her that WATR317 is a co-requisite for FISH317. She decides that she does not wish to drop FISH317, and decides to drop MOSS332 instead. The system allows her to drop the course.

1.5 View courses already taken

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Description: Students use this to verify whether they have all required pre-requisites; a student can view the courses that they have already taken, and the grades they received.
Results: The courses and grades for the student will be displayed.

Possible Scenario: Jonathan has forgotten if he has completed the pre-requisite for DRWN205. He views the list of courses taken and notices that he has indeed taken CRTN201 with a minimal passing grade.

1.6 Change password

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Description: A user is able to change their password.
Expected Input: The user enters their old password, a new password, and a confirmation of the new password.
Results: The password is updated.
Unexpected Input: The old password is not correct, or the new password and confirmation do not match.
Results: The user is informed of the error and the password is not changed.

Possible Scenario: Ingrid has decided that it is time to change her password. She enters in her current password, a new password, and repeats the new password. The system informs her that her new password and the confirmation did not match. She retypes her confirmation correctly and the system updates her user data.

2. Administrator Functionality

2.1 Add / Remove / Modify courses

2.1.1 Add courses

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Description: New courses are being offered nearly every trimester as the curriculum expands. An administrator can add a new course to the main course database to allow students to take the course. It is up to the administrator to specify course information.
Expected Input: Valid registration and drop deadlines, days and times of lectures, labs and tutorials, room number, maximum number of students, instructor name, pre- and/or co-requisites.
Results: The course is added to the system.
Unexpected Input: One or more of the items is invalid.
Results: The user will be informed of the error and the course will not be added to the system.

Possible Scenario: Dr. Frank decides that there should be a new course studying sunken civilizations. Thus he decides to add the course SUNK217 with one lecture section, no labs and two tutorial sessions. He enters the information, specifying that the lecture will be held at 8am on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. The tutorial sessions will be held at 8pm Monday, and 9am Sunday. He decides that there should only be 14 students able to take this course at a time, since grading papers takes too much time from his research. Pre-requisites for this course are CIVL114 and WATR001. There are no co-requisites. The lectures and tutorials will all be held in the SUB313 room. After entering this data, the course is added to the system.

2.1.2 Remove courses

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Description: As curriculum changes some courses become obsolete and are no longer offered. An administrator is able to remove such a course from the system.
Expected Input: An administrator enters a valid course name and number.
Results: The specified course is removed from the system.
Unexpected Input: An invalid course name and/or number was entered.
Results: The user is informed that the course name and/or number are invalid.

Possible Scenario: Due to a lack of interest, MATH102 is determined to be extraneous. Therefore, Alex the administrator enters the course name and number into Project Atlantis. He accidentally enters MATH201. The system asks him to confirm this action, and he declines. He then correctly enters MATH102 and accepts the confirmation. The course is removed from the system.

2.1.3 Modify courses

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Description: Often a need to modify course information arises as class sizes and course demand changes. Such altering of course details can easily and efficiently be performed by an administrator.
Expected Input: A valid course name and number, and new information.
Results: The course information is updated.
Unexpected Input: One or more of the items is invalid.
Results: The user will be notified of the error.

Possible Scenario: After noticing the popularity of SUNK217, Dr. Frank decides to increase the maximum capacity of the course. He decides that 25 would be more suitable. However, SUB313 cannot hold that many students, and so he changes the room to BIG224. The system updates the new course information.

2.2 Add / Remove students

2.2.1 Adding students

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Description: As new students arrive at the University of Atlantis an administrator is able to efficiently add them to the system.
Expected Input: The new student’s information is entered.
Results: The student is added to the system.

Possible Scenario: Lucy is a new student at the University of Atlantis. She has completed the necessary registration forms, and has asked Bob the administrator to admit her into the university. Bob logs into Project Atlantis, and proceeds to enter Lucy’s information. Afterwards, Lucy then attempts to log in herself, and is successful.

2.2.2 Removing students

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Description: As students graduate or withdraw from the University of Atlantis, an administrator is able to remove them from the system.
Expected Input: A valid ID number of the student to be removed.
Results: The specified student is removed from the system.
Unexpected Input: The user enters an invalid ID number.
Results: The user is informed that the ID number supplied is invalid.

Possible Scenario: Sally just graduated from the University of Atlantis with an honours degree in Bottom Feeders. Tibalt the administrator removes her record from Project Atlantis Registration System (although her university records are still kept on file in hard copy)

2.2 Add / Change student grades

2.3.1 Adding student grades

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Description: At the end of the trimester each instructor is required to submit a course mark for each student registered in the class. An instructor may accomplish this task by selecting a course and student ID, and entering the student’s grade.
Expected Input: A valid grade for the selected course and student ID.
Results: The student will be assigned the given grade for the selected course.
Unexpected Input: An invalid grade is entered.
Results: The instructor will be informed of the error and the student records will not be modified.

Possible Scenario: Dr. Nick’s class has just completed and he wishes to enter grades for his students. He enters the class name and number TRPC333. However, he is not the instructor of that class, and thus he must reenter the class name properly as TRPC332. After doing so, he proceeds to enter all student grades into the table provided. The system updates the student’s grades after he has completed the task.

2.3.2 Changing student grades

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Description: Changing a course grade is a standard procedure that may occur after a student’s grade has been submitted to the system. Students often appeal their grades, and on the basis of such appeals the grades are changed.
Expected Input: A valid student ID number and the new modified course grade.
Results: The student record is modified with the specified grade.
Unexpected Input: An invalid student ID number and/or invalid grade was entered.
Results: The user is notified of the error and the student record is not modified.

Possible Scenario: Dr. Nick realizes that he accidentally entered Sally’s grade in TRPC332 as 29 instead of 92, thus preventing her from graduating. After correcting this minor error, Sally is allowed to graduate with honours.

2.4 Overloading classes

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Description: Registration in classes is limited. Once registration in a class reaches the maximum capacity a student cannot register in that particular class. However there are circumstances in which a class should be overloaded. An instructor has the ability to do this for any student wanting to register in that particular class.
Expected Input: To overload a class an instructor selects the full class from the course catalogue and enters the student ID number.
Results: The student is added to the course list. Unexpected Input: An invalid student ID number or course name and number were entered.
Results: The user is notified of the error and the student is not added to the course.

Possible Scenario: Bart is disappointed that his brother Bert managed to register for SUNK217, but the class was full when he attempted to register himself. Bart talks to Dr. Frank, who agrees to let Bart take the class. Dr. Frank enters Bart’s student ID number and the course name and number, and the system overloads the class as required. Dr. Frank later expands the class size anyway.

2.5 Overriding pre- and co-requisite requirements

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Description: Registration in classes regarding pre- and co-requisites is subject to strict regulations as outlined by the University of Atlantis course calendar. However there are cases where those requirements are waived for particular students. Such a waiver is granted on an individual basis and is subject to an application procedure. An administrator is able to waive those requirements and add the student to the particular course.
Expected Input: To override the co- and/or pre-requisite requirement the administrator enters a valid course name and number, and student ID number.
Results: The student is added to the course. If the class is full, it is automatically overloaded.
Unexpected Input: The user enters an invalid student ID number.
Results: The user is informed by the system that the ID number supplied is invalid and the student is not enrolled in the course.

Possible Scenario: William also wishes to register in SUNK217 after he notices the class size was expanded. However since SUNK217 is not offered in the next trimester, and William has not taken WATR001, he goes to talk to Dr. Frank. Dr. Frank decides that William has satisfactory knowledge of the material taught in WATR001, and agrees to override William’s pre-requisite requirement. Dr. Frank adds William to the course list, and the system updates William’s information.

2.6 Add / Remove staff members

2.6.1 Adding staff members

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Description: As the University of Atlantis hires new administrators and instructors, they will need to be added into the Project Atlantis Registration System.
Expected Input: The new employee’s information.
Results: The new employee is added to the system with administrative access.

Possible Scenario: Dr. Ruth decides to take an administrative role that she was offered at the University of Atlantis. Bob the administrator enters her information into Project Atlantis Registration System, and her data is added to the database.

2.6.2 Removing staff members

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Description: As administrators and instructors retire or move to other institutions, the system needs to be updated.
Expected Input: A valid instructor ID number.
Results: The specified instructor will be removed from the system.
Unexpected Input: Invalid instructor ID number.
Results: The user will be notified of the error and the system will not be updated.

Possible Scenario: After completion of his course, Dr. Nick decides to move to Springfield, and thus can no longer provide services to the University of Atlantis. After re-assigning Dr. Nick’s courses to other instructors, Tibalt the administrator enters Dr. Nick’s instructor ID number and Dr. Nick is removed from the system (although his records are kept in hard copy).

2.7 Accessing and modifying student records

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Description: Student information sometimes needs to be updated. An administrator is able to do this.
Expected Input: A valid student ID number.
Result: Student information is modified as desired by the user.
Unexpected Input: An invalid student ID number.
Results: The user is informed of the error.

Possible Scenario: Susan has forgotten her password. Alex the administrator enters her student ID number and changes her password to something she will remember in the future. Project Atlantis updates Susan’s student record accordingly.

3. Summary

The division of Project Atlantis into a secure two-tiered user access system, the security needs of the University of Atlantis will be met as specified in the requirements document. The staff will have access to the maintenance and upkeep of the registration system. Students will be provided with a quick and easy way to register for courses and manage their schedules. We are confident that this functionality will fully meet the requirements of the registration system for the University of Atlantis.

Management Plan

This section is designed to provide an outline of features available to the users of the system. WinterSoft will create this system around two basic levels of functionality: general and administrative. The general functionality will involve the scheduling part of the online system and the administrative section will deal with the databases that work with the general system.

1. Features

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• All users will be required to login to the system with the use of their unique ID number.
• The system will consist of a timetable scheduling system for students, instructors, and administrators.
• The system will allow students to enroll, drop and change classes. To do this, the students must be able to display the courses being offered and the information associated with a course. It will allow the student to be placed on a waiting list if a class is full and will also allow them to access their grades from previous courses that the student has completed. A student must be able to view their schedules at all times.
• Professors and administrators will be able to add and delete course from the system as well as edit personal and course information. They will be able to give the courses descriptions and set the time and place that the courses will be held.
• For security purposes, all users are required to logout when they are finished. The system will automatically log them out if there is a period of 6 minutes of inactivity

2. Classes of Functions

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The system will be comprised of the following two components:

• General
• Administrative

All functionality of the system will fall under one of these components.

2.1 General Functionality

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The general functionality component encompasses the full abilities of student usage in the Project Atlantis Registration System. Students will be able to view their own course history, the current university course information, as well as viewing and modifying their schedules for the upcoming trimester. The students will also be able to add and remove themselves from course waiting lists in the event that a chosen course is full.

A login protection scheme will be in place to determine student identification and to restrict students from viewing or modifying the personal information of their peers.

After a course has been added, a student may wish to change the section in which they are registered, as opposed to dropping the course and re-adding it. Without this functionality, the student may lose their current registration if the waiting list is not empty.

This component will also ensure that the student cannot create conflicts in their schedules.

2.2 Administrative Functionality

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The administrative component of Project Atlantis Registration System allows the University of Atlantis administration and instructors to keep the registration databases current. This includes adding and modifying course information, student information, student grades, trimester dates and deadlines.

The system also allows an administrator/instructor to perform exceptional tasks such as overloading classes, overriding pre- and co-requisites, and overriding class registration limits.

3. Component Interaction

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The administrative component of Project Atlantis Registration System also encompasses all functionality of the general component. The reverse is not true. An administrator/instructor has access to view and modify information pertaining to any student when necessary, including personal information, schedule, and grades.

4. System Implementation

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Since the system is web based the user interface must be Internet ready. This will allow the users to access the system from all parts of the world. We are considering the programming language Java, as it is geared for Internet-specific development projects such as ours. The user interaction will be possible via a normal web browser, and thus we will use standard HTML to allow display and modification of information in the system in a printer-friendly format.

Other possible programming languages we may have chosen include Microsoft’s Visual BASIC, or a C++ interface using CGI scripting. Neither of these options gave us the power and flexibility we require to implement a system such as Project Atlantis with the given time restraints.

Due to the nature of the information and the manner in which it will be used, we will be using a third-party database. Possible options include Oracle, IBM’s DB2 or Microsoft’s Access. At this time we have not committed ourselves to any of the aforementioned options.

Using the same degree of protection currently used by online banking systems, the data stored and retrieved by Project Atlantis Registration System will be secure.

5. Data Structures

Data structures simplify the design of Project Atlantis by breaking it down into its major storage components. Our data will be composed of the following main data structures:

5.1 Student Information

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Student information will include the following:

• Student identification number
• Password
• Courses previously taken, and the student’s grades in those courses
• Status (full- or part-time)
• Current course schedule

5.2 Course Information

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Course information will include the following:

Course name and number
• Course description
• Pre- and co-requisites
• Lecture, lab and tutorial section information, including:
• Days and times offered
• Location (building and room number)
• Class list
• Waiting list
• Maximum class size

6. Minimal System

We at WinterSoft take great pride in serving our customers to the best of our ability. We understand your need for a new scheduling system that is quick and easy to use. Project Atlantis Registration System will include the features that are deemed to be important to its operation. The following is a breakdown of the main features that our software will provide for the University of Atlantis.

The following are critical to the functionality of the system and it is our main objective to deliver the system with these minimal requirements:

6.1 Online Registration

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The scheduling component of the system will allow students to add, change, and drop courses. When a student tries to add a course, the system will also ensure that a student has the necessary pre-requisites and co-requisites. This will provide accurate and instantaneous registration capabilities. In addition to modifications to a student’s schedule, this component will also allow students to view other important information such as the availability of a particular course, the student’s current schedule and their grades from previously taken courses.

6.2 Administration

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The administrators and instructors will be able to access all course and student information, and will be able to make changes when necessary.

Administrators and instructors will be able to modify course information, input course grades for students, and modify student information. This will be useful in order to be able to overload courses and waive pre-requisites if necessary.

6.3 Security

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We understand that security of information is extremely important for this software as we are dealing with a lot of personal information. Project Atlantis Registration System for the University of Atlantis will enable online registration as well as viewing and modification of student and course information, while preventing unauthorized access to all information. Each user will have a unique name and password to ensure that records remain confidential.

7. Possible Enchancements

The following enhancements to the system may be added as time permits:

7.1 Online Help

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We understand that the University of Atlantis desires a system that is quick and easy to use. We will design Project Atlantis in a simple and user-friendly manner. The online help pages would describe and further clarify the capabilities of the system, such as the steps that a user can take to add, change, or delete a course. As well, instructions detailing how to access student grades and course information would also be provided.

7.2 System Backup

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The scheduling system will be dealing with critical information and many people will be relying on the reliability and security of Project Atlantis. We would develop the functionality to allow duplication of critical database files, which would prevent loss of student and course information.

7.3 Online Fee Payment

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We would develop interfaces for existing fee payment systems, giving students the capability to pay their fees online using a major credit card. This would further aid in reducing long queues for fee payment.

8. Company Employees and Project Atlantis Team Structure

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8.1 Project Leader: David Hayes

The project leader is responsible for keeping track of Project Atlantis, and ensuring that the project will be completed on schedule. He is also responsible for organizing interaction between the various group sections within the team, and scheduling meetings among team members.

8.2 Web Master: David Mitchell

The web master is responsible for creating and maintaining the WinterSoft webpage. He is also responsible for keeping an online record of the Project Atlantis progress.

8.3 Programming Supervisor: Erin Moeller

The programming supervisor’s responsibilities include organizing communications between the database and interface programmers, as well as reporting to the project leader.

8.4 Database Programmers: Keith Kwong, Abu Sesay, Jian Yangji

These programmers are responsible for implementing the database solutions in the system.

8.5 Interface Programmers: Dave Nilsson, Trudy Petersen, Ai (Tino) Duong, Ian Ko, Daisuke Kinjo

These programmers are responsible for designing and implementing the web-based user interfaces.

8.6 Testing and User Satisfaction: Lukasz Galek, Saima Makhani

These people have the responsibility to you, the customer, to ensure that our software works correctly and that you are satisfied with all aspects of your new system.

9. Summary

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The proposed system, Project Atlantis, will be an interactive web based application that fits the needs of administrators, instructors and students at the University of Atlantis. This system will allow students to handle basic course scheduling operations, such as registration, viewing of current schedule and viewing of course information and availability.

This system will also allow administrators and instructors to perform basic administrative operations, such as updating student grades, changing course information and adding and modifying student records.

Security is a main concern, and therefore Project Atlantis will include strong protection measures to prevent unauthorized access to information.

Glossary

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Administrator

A user with priviledged access to the Project Atlantis system.

C++

A programming language.

CGI

“Computer Gateway Interface”. This is a method of allowing outside parties to access a local database. This has been mostly superceded by the Java programming language.

Database

A computer file that is capable of storing and quickly retrieving large amounts of data.

Data Structure

A conceptual container that holds related data in a computer system.

Expected Input

Data that a user enters which is considered valid by the system.

HTML

“Hypertext Markup Language”. This is the scripting language with which web pages are built.

Internet

A global collection of inter-connected computers.

Instructor

Synonymous with administrator; an instructor may have different tasks from an administrator, but has the same type of access to the system.

Login

1) The procedure of gaining access to a secure system by means of entering a valid user name and password. 2) The user name.

Programming Language

A means by which computer programmers can control their computers.

Student

A user with unprivileged access to Project Atlantis Registration System.

Unexpected Input

Data that a user has entered which for some reason has caused an error to result.

Visual Basic

A programming language developed by Microsoft.

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*Offer not valid after April 12, 2001