Design and Development of a Medical School Curriculum Management System

Abstract

The objective of this research is to design and develop an online curriculum management system for medical schools. This involves relational database design as well as user process flow design. These two design charts were developed with careful consideration of user requirements. The Entity Relationship Diagram included several related tables: Courses, Sessions, Instructors, Calendars, Events, Objectives, and Keywords. The process flow diagram included process flows for several users: Students, Faculty, Coordinators, and Administrators. The database-driven website model was used to develop the system using MS SQL for storing and querying data, ASP as the web programming language, JavaScript for calendar event movements graphically and data entry checking, and AJAX for seamless page refreshing. Several online forms and pages were developed to accommodate input and output processes. While information gathering and interaction with eventual users is vital to the accurate and appropriate design of the system, it is possible to develop an online curriculum management system for medical schools which satisfies the needs of curriculum management at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, UAEU and is earnestly used and accepted.