Research Problem Identification

Currently, the current Alumni System of UiTM just provides information about their graduated student only in the system and other than email, there is no communication interaction channel that alumni can used to communicate with their batch in the system. Due to this problem, alumni will faces difficult to interact with other alumni because although they are using the same system, they need to copy the information of their friend and manually contact them outside the system.

Online communities forms when enough people carry on computer-mediated nonprivate discussions longenough, with sufficient human feeling, to develop what are considered “social relationships” with other online participants (Rheingold, 1993). These communities are fluid and flexible, and may be based on awide range of cultural interests and social affiliations. Consumption related online communities are those networks of people whose online communication interactions are based upon shared enthusiasm for, and knowledge of, a specific consumption activity or related group of activities (Kozinets, 1999). Examples include members of an online forum that share knowledge and experiences of a musical instrument, or readers of and contributors to an online bulletin board devoted to a particular novelist.

Based on the earlier preliminary investigation, an interview was conducted with one of the UiTM Alumni Committee Puan Salmah, Executive Officer of FSKM Administration Office who was also responsible of alumni FSKM. Regarding on her management and information about the alumni and alumni system of UiTM, she mentioned that the flow of activities of alumni also difficult to be trace. That is because the activities of the alumni are not provided by the current system and the communication between them is only through by email. She mention that this is difficult to communicate with the alumni in the system to keep track their activities.

By referring to the UiTM alumni system manual guideline as shown in section 1.8 Appendixes : Figure 1-3, it is found that the system is only provided information menu and every user of the system will enter the system and can just do the add information, update information, search the other alumni, reports and the only one communication interaction channel in the system is email. When they used the system, basically they more prefer to search their friends and communicate directly through the system. The reason is because they found it is easier for them to find and then contacting their friends through the same system, not just transferring the information from the current alumni system and used them outside the system in the other web application such as Facebook, email and so on.

 

 

 

 

 

Research Background

From the definition, alumni are a group of people who have graduated from a school or university. Alumni are usually used to refer to a group of graduates of either one or both genders, while ‘alumnus' traditionally refers to a single male graduate, with the feminine term being ‘alumna'. While alumni system is a system that brings the entire graduated student together by providing a web based, portal system where they can exchange information and ideas and stay connected with each other and with their former education place (Webaloo LLC,2007). The alumni system is one type of online social community network and also a part of content management system (CMS) because most of community web-based application will refer to the CMS (Wayne Powel & Chris Gill, 2003). A Content Management System allows content to be stored, retrieved, edited, updated, controlled, and then output in a variety of ways such that the incremental cost of each update cycle and output production shrinks dramatically over time (Kartchner, Chris, 1998). So, in the CMS, there is content where communication interaction is also being part of them.

From the statement that mentioned by Petra Schubert and Koch on 2002, communication interaction network is a web platform and also electronic commerce system that are equipped with the annotation functionality and various communication features. It is provides an informations spaces that centered around the lifestyle events which can be filled up by the members of community. There are many type of communication interaction or channel that can be included such as web-based forum, email, messagging and chatting, comments, posted, shared information, links to the other social community network such as Facebook, Twitter, Friendster and so on. It means that collaboration between all the content is compulsory to make sure that the effectiveness and efficiencies of the community social network system is realizable.

As quoted by the Nebeth in year 2008, collaboration platform has been designed where the function is to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and information between the learner and courses, and further on in an alumni learning community that is contributing to a better assimilationof content that delivered to them.

UiTM Alumni System is a system under Alumni Relations Center unit. This unit is under Student and Alumni Affair Department which managing and controlling the alumni system of UiTM.Recently in UiTM Alumni System, there is no others way other than email for UiTM alumni to communicate each other in the system. It is because in the system there is only information are given, means the current UiTM Alumni System support only general basic information of the student but doesn’t have communication system in the system except through email.

            So, the main idea that I’m proposing this project is to enhance the designing of communication interaction in the alumni system and provide a visual communication platform, which is the Alumni System portal and focusing into the way how they can interact with each other in the system.

            The reason why I’m conducting the research about this project is to facilitate the communication interaction between the alumni through the current system and identify what is the features of communication that can be include in the alumni system. Besides that, although this UiTM Alumni System is the same as other alumni portals, but the new features and additional function that focusing on the communication between the alumni that will be added will make this portal a little different from other and having an improvement from the current UiTM Alumni System. This system will act as “man in middle” between the graduated students to still reconnect and keep in touch with their batch as in the university environment.

Project Title & Introduction

1)      Research Title

·         Enhancing the design of communication interaction in UiTM Alumni System

2)      Research Area

·         System design

3)      Supervisor

·         Mdm. Suriyati BtRazali

4)      Coordinator

·         Dr. Ariza Bt Nordin

Summary of Project Proposal Plan

Summary of Project Proposal Plan

Student’s Name Muhammad Shafiq Bin Alias			Student ID 2009443078
Project Title Enhancing the design  of communication interaction in Alumni System
Area of Study (Within ISE Discipline)	System Design
Research Background	Communication interaction + collaboration platform  = Enhance communication interaction design of UiTM Alumni System
The problem (that I tackle)	Other than email, there is no communication interaction channel in the UiTM alumni system
What the literature says about the problem	Consumption related online communities are those networks of people whose online communication interactions are based upon shared enthusiasm for, and knowledge of, a specific consumption activity or related group of activities (Kozinets, 1999). Examples include members of an online forum that share knowledge and experiences of a musical instrument, or readers of and contributors to an online bulletin board devoted to a particular novelist.
What does preliminary investigation says about the problem	UiTM Alumni Committee, Puan Salmah mentions that it is difficult to trace the activities of alumni and communicate with them because current system is providing only information
How I tackle this problem
Research Objectives	How I implement my solution
	Research  Method	Research Input		Deliverables
To identify the communication interaction channel in alumni system
To identify the requirements for alumni system in UiTM
To design the collaborative of communication interaction in the alumni system
Research Output/ Results