University Program Evaluation Database System

Overview

This application is designed to support the evaluation of degree programs at a university. It streamlines the process of collecting, managing, and analyzing data related to degrees, courses, instructors, goals, and evaluations. The system integrates a MySQL database with an intuitive GUI for efficient data entry, querying, and reporting, enabling program administrators to make data-driven decisions for academic improvement.

The project was developed as part of a comprehensive exploration of database design and application development principles, adhering to professional software development practices.

Key Features

Data Management

• Degrees: Add and manage degree information, including unique combinations of degree names and levels (e.g., BA, BS, MS, Ph.D., etc.).
• Courses: Associate courses with degrees, supporting multi-degree relationships.
• Instructors: Store instructor information, including unique IDs and names.
• Sections: Manage course sections by semester and year, including enrollment details.
• Goals: Define and track evaluation goals specific to each degree.

Program Evaluation

• Enter evaluations for course sections based on predefined goals.
• Record the number of students achieving specific performance levels (A, B, C, F).
• Add improvement suggestions to enhance future goal achievement.
• Support evaluation duplication for courses associated with multiple degrees.

Query and Reporting

• List courses, sections, and goals associated with specific degrees.
• Retrieve sections for a course or instructor within a specified time range.
• Analyze evaluation completeness and generate insights for program assessment.

Technology Stack

• Programming Language: Python
• Database: MySQL
• GUI Framework: Tkinter
• Development Tools: MySQL Workbench, Python's mysql-connector library

Setup and Installation

1. Database Initialization:

   • Ensure MySQL is installed and running.
   • Use the provided scripts to initialize the database schema (data_manipulate_func.py).

2. Application Setup:

   • Clone the repository.
   • Install required Python dependencies using pip:

     pip install mysql-connector-python

   • Run the main application file (GUI.py) to launch the interface.

3. Configuration:

   • Update connection.py with your MySQL server credentials.

Usage

1. Login: Enter the database name, username, and password to establish a connection.
2. Data Entry: Use the intuitive GUI to add degrees, courses, instructors, sections, and goals.
3. Evaluation: Enter evaluation data for courses and sections, or update existing evaluations.
4. Queries: Retrieve detailed reports and insights for degrees, courses, or instructors.

File Structure

• connection.py: Handles database connection initialization.
• context.py: Manages the application's database context.
• data_entry_gui.py: GUI for data entry operations.
• eval_entry_gui.py: GUI for entering and managing evaluations.
• query_gui.py: GUI for executing queries and displaying results.
• data_manipulate_func.py: Contains functions for database schema creation and data manipulation.
• query_func.py: Implements logic for querying database information.
• GUI.py: Main entry point for the application.

Challenges and Learning Outcomes

This project reinforced key principles in:

• Relational database design and schema normalization.
• Developing robust GUI applications for database interactions.
• Writing reusable and modular Python code for maintainability.
• Handling data integrity and consistency through triggers and constraints.

Future Enhancements

• Implement a web-based front-end for remote accessibility.
• Add advanced reporting features using visualization libraries.
• Expand support for additional evaluation methods and metrics.

Acknowledgments

This project was developed as part of a coursework requirement for a database systems class. It emphasizes practical application of database management principles to solve real-world challenges.

Contact

For questions or further information about this project, please contact:

• Minho Song
  [hominsong@naver.com]
  [www.linkedin.com/in/minhosong88]