Object-Oriented Systems approach to managing
education in the 21st century
Author(s):
1, Rahul Vaid 2. Mukta Joshi,
(M.Engg. Mgmt. & M.S. program) walt S. Prograrn)
tinu@kogh, fiastmouth. edu kta@cis,wustl.edu
Dartmouth Coll Washington ‘University | in St. Louis
Hanover, New ; Hempebize, USA St. Louis, Missouri,USA
1 Introduction:
The role of education is constantly changing and is becoming increasingly complex, because
of which students have a new role to play in today’s competitive world.
1.1. The Institution and Learning
As we approach the 21st century, strategies for applying the systems approach to learning
are being proposed. These include re-engineering using team framework, forming what is
popularly known today as virtual organizations,and total quality management of learning.
The institution or organization is structured according to the traditional top-down tree
structure. We view it as a system and apply Object-Oriented Software (OOS) principles
to convert it into a ‘horizontal’ or rather fashionably, a ‘circular’ institution. Learning is
viewed as a process within this OOS that can be quantified to measure its efficacy according
to specific organizational inputs.
1.2 Why Object Oriented?
We have come a long way from the structured, process-centric and data-centric-software
engineering design principles. We now visualize large and exceedingly complex systems as
object smorgasbords. Object orientation is not only transforming the approach to software
system representations but also giving a seasoned way to form organizations [4]. Object
Oriented systems are built upon a sound engineering foundation, whose elements are collec-
tively called the ‘object model’. The object model encompasses the four basic principles of
00S, namely Abstraction, Encapsulation, Inheritance, and Polymorphism
Koshafian and Baker [6] define object orientation as :
ObjectOrientation = Abstract Datatyping + Inheritance + Object Identity
The OOS methodology gives a rapid prototyping environment like the evolutionary model
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as opposed to the waterfall model in Computer Aided Software Engineering (CASE).
2 Organization and Process Development
As mentioned earlier, an organization may be an educational institution, the process may
be the process of learning. The perfect organization can be visualized as a perpetual motion
machine, running effortlessly, with perfect synchronization.
2.1 Measure of Quality
A good organization is one which has a structure that :
1. is flexible enough to be redesigned,
2. is portable enough to be modeled,
3. is scalable to the additions of sub modules and new processes,
4, lateral enough to provide a horizontal structure,
5. should have a bandwidth large enough so as not to sanitize and in effect filter infor-
mation as it is delivered from one entity or unit to another.
We make an attempt in this paper to transform the orthodox organizational model to the
ideal model ( whose properties are stated above) using an OOS approach.
3 Transforming the structured system
To effectively utilize the OOS principles we need to fit the organization into the framework
of OOS. In order to do this we define a so called transform. It is a virtual way of applying
the concepts from OOS software domain to the organizational domain. A basic transform
notation is shown in the fig 1.
oor
Software x _% Organizational
Object “SF Principle
(OOT)
Figure 1: Object Oriented Transform
3.1 Identifying the components of the Object Model:
The OOT of an object can be identified to be either the process of learning, a virtual team,
or an organizational entity. Examples of possible OOTs of an object are shown in fig.2.
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Process of learning
oor
A virtual team
Object
(0oT)? Organizational entity
Software Domain Organizational Domain
Figure 2: OOT of an object
3.2 Encapsulation and Abstraction:
Encapsulation is defined as the ability of an object to hide internal details that do not
constitute to its essential characteristics. This implies that objects can establish boundaries
around them.
Booch [2] defines abstraction as the process of focussing on the essential characteristics
of an object distinguishing it from all other kinds of objects, thus providing crisply-defined
conceptual boundaries relative to the user.
To this ‘Christian [9] adds: ‘Encapsulation and abstraction are opposite aspects of an
objects treatmént. Abstraction treats the part of an object that is visible externally, whereas
encapsulation deals with the object internally, managing the private attributes of the object.
An analog of Abstraction and Encapsulation for the organizational domain by applying
the OOT is shown in fig. 3. We see that a virtual team analogous to a group of mentors
and students can be easily visualized into its object counterpart.
3.3 Inheritance and Polymorphism (Dependencies and hierarchies)
Meyer [1] defines inheritance as the relationship and dependency of one object on another.
In a way inheritance addresses reusablity, reorganization and possibly scalability. Meyer
defines polymorphism as the ability of an object to take several forms.
The figure shows examples of OOTs of Inheritance and Polymorphism. Once again using
the OOT leads to possible results which form the basic attributes of an ‘ideal’ organization,
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Software Domain OOF, Organizational Domain
<<
(OOT) 4 Examples
Object 1. Process of learning
2. viral team
1. leads to well defined inheritance for communication with other processes along with the.
learning process.
Eitcapsulation 2. leads to the encapsulation of this team that can take its own decisions without outside hinderance.
1. Leads to strategy of improving the external attribute of object, ie. quality of learning.
‘Abstraction 2, Leads to TQM through strategic quality _plan of the goals of the team.
1. Leads to reusability and focus on valuable aspects of learning that coexist today .
Inheritance
2. Can inherit key attributes of a good exisiting team.
1. Leads toa flexible process viewed by its true assets of quality output.
Polymorphism | 2. Promotes a team or design that consists of flexible structures rather than many structures,
Figure 3: Encapsulation, Abstraction, Inheritance and Polymorphism
as discussed in section 3.
We have shown how the OOS methodologies can be used by institutions and organizations
| wherein the processes will lead to efficiency and success.
4 Semantic Data Models:
As a modelling technique for organizations and the porcesses within that are not currrently
object oriented, we can use the Semantic data models to represent and organize the structure.
An example of a simple organization that is not initially object oriented is shown in the
fig. Semantic data models for OO approach are used by Kashaflaut, Baker [4]. To start with,
co-ordination and efficiency of the results through such organized and systematic change can
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be carried out using Petri Nets [5]. Petri Nets have been used to simulate processes for
increasing the management’s ability to understand and improve business processes [10] (
Peters and Schultz, 1993)
In using this technique, an abstract level which is an intermediate level between the object
and process can be captured as shown by Shams-Alice et.al [5].
job function
‘Types
single valued attributes, omniuen2 >
function type
Rules of
Incorporation
Figure 4: Schema of Semantic Data Model for Object Oriented modeling.
4.1 Conclusion:
We have tried to demonstrate that the object oriented approach to reorganizing an institution
helps towards making the institution an ideal one. This paper basically shows how one can
go about utilizing the OOS concepts in a business management context.
5 References:
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