With the advent of advanced software/ IT technologies in the education domain, colleges, and universities must now manage their students’ life-cycle digitally. A student life-cycle management system is a digital platform that provides tools and services to manage the student journey from admission to graduation. This system has become increasingly important for higher educational institutes as it streamlines the academic processes and enhances the student experience. The system helps colleges to manage course study materials and assignments. This can lead to an organized and efficient learning environment with higher student engagement, and better academic outcomes.

What is Student Life-cycle Management Systems Software?

Student life-cycle management systems software is an integrated platform that automates student-related processes throughout their academic journey. It is designed to help educational institutions manage and track student data, from recruitment and enrollment to graduation and alumni relations. The software allows for the centralized management of student data, enabling institutions to have a comprehensive view of the student's academic progress.

Student lifecycle management system involves setting up the academic structure of the institute, such as academic programs, courses, and sessions. With this Institutes can create academic programs and courses, and assign them to different sessions. The system allows educators to manage their teaching schedules and keep track of important dates and events including class schedules, examination schedules, and holiday schedules. They can also monitor if the teaching sessions are being conducted as per the schedule created. Institutes can plan and manage assessments, including quizzes, assignments, and examinations.

Features of Student Life-cycle Management System

Student Admission

A student life-cycle management system allows colleges to manage the admission process more efficiently by automating the process. The system allows the college to receive applications online, process application forms, track application progress, and send acceptance letters. Colleges can easily manage documents submitted by students during the admission process. A student life-cycle management system makes the admission process more efficient, transparent, and accessible for students. This can lead to higher application rates, increased enrollment, and higher student satisfaction.

Pre-Semester Planning with Student Lifecycle Management Software

As a new semester approaches, institutes should focus on pre-semester planning to ensure that students are provided with the best possible educational experience. This planning process should include reviewing and updating courses, CBCS-based course registrations, course-wise registration statistics, section allotment to students, and modified assessment at the course level.

• Updating Courses/Course Areas/Ceased Courses
  To keep up with the ever-changing needs of the academic world, student lifecycle management system helps institutes review and update their courses regularly. In order to make sure that students are receiving the most pertinent and recent knowledge, this process includes critically evaluating the course material, finding areas for improvement, and changing the syllabus. The system also helps institutes to review the course areas to ensure that they are still relevant and aligned with the institute's objectives. Ceased courses should be reviewed, and those courses which are no longer relevant or in demand should be removed from the curriculum.
• CBCS Based Course Registrations
  The Choice-Based Credit System (CBCS), which gives students the freedom to select courses that suit their interests and career objectives, has emerged as a crucial component of the contemporary educational system. The student lifecycle system allows institutes to ensure that the registration process is transparent, easy to understand, and is aligned with CBCS. It gives students the direction and assistance they need to get through the procedure, including a list of the courses they must take to graduate.
• Course-wise Registration Statistics
  Student lifecycle system can provide critical insights into student preferences and performance. Institutes should review these statistics regularly to identify trends and adjust their course offerings accordingly. By analyzing registration statistics, institutes can make informed decisions about course scheduling, section allotment, and the availability of courses in various disciplines.
• Section Allotment to Students
  Section allotment is a crucial aspect of pre-semester planning. Student lifecycle system allows institutes to ensure that students are assigned to sections that are appropriate for their skill level and academic goals. The section allotment process should take into account factors such as student performance, subject preference, and course load. It helps to ensure that the allotment process is transparent and that students are provided with adequate information about their assigned sections.
• Modified Assessment (at Course Level)
  The assessment process is a key component of student learning and development. The system allows institutes to review the assessment process at the course level and make any necessary modifications to ensure that it aligns with the course objectives and is appropriate for the students' skill level.

Academic Year Planning

Academic Year Planning plays a crucial role in organizing and optimizing the academic year. 

• Ability to download new admissions data
  Institutes can retrieve new student data from the admissions office and automatically populate the student database. It ensures that the system has up-to-date information of all students of the institute and also eliminates the need for manual data entry thus reducing the risk of human errors
• Update student profiles and documents
  It allows administrators to make changes to student information, such as contact details, academic records, and financial information. It also enables the uploading of documents such as transcripts, certificates, and other supporting documents. This feature ensures that student records are accurate and complete, thereby giving a clear picture of the student's progress.
• Update assessment plans
  The system helps administrators to modify assessment plans to ensure that they are relevant to the current academic year. It also enables the assessment of student learning, providing valuable feedback on the effectiveness of teaching and learning.
• Managing degree curriculum
  The system allows administrators to update and refine the course curriculum of different programs. Courses can be made compulsory, or choice based. Also, new courses can be floated to upgrade the curriculum and make it more useful for the students.

Managing Classrooms in a Semester

During a semester, colleges need to manage classrooms, this system helps educators manage their classrooms in a semester with ease, and it can provide a host of features to facilitate the teaching-learning process.

• Ability to create classrooms
  Student lifecycle management system helps educators to create a virtual classroom corresponding to each course of study which can be accessed by students from their Web portal or mobile App, anywhere and at any time. This virtual classroom can be used to upload course material, share important announcements, and communicate with students and evaluate their performance.
• Session planning
  With this educators can plan their teaching sessions in advance, and can create a schedule for the entire semester to ensure that all topics are covered within the stipulated time. The session plan of a course gets automatically synchronized with the student's daily schedule and they can see what topic will be taught by the teacher in a particular lecture on a particular date.
• Assessment planning
  Educators can create an assessment plan for the entire semester. The plan can include quizzes, mid-term exams, and end-of-semester assessments. By creating an assessment plan, educators can ensure that students are regularly evaluated, and they can track their progress throughout the semester.
• Hybrid Classes
  In recent times, hybrid classes have become the norm due to the ongoing pandemic. A student lifecycle management system can provide support for hybrid classes, where students can attend classes both physically and virtually. This can ensure that students who cannot attend classes physically are not left behind and can attend classroom lectures from anywhere using their laptops/smartphones.
• Evaluation
  It is a crucial part of the teaching-learning process, and a student lifecycle management system can provide support for tools like Gradescope and Turnitin. These tools can help educators evaluate students' work efficiently and effectively, and they can provide detailed feedback to students. This will assist students in identifying their strong points and areas for growth.
• Online examinations
  They are becoming increasingly popular, and a student lifecycle management system can provide support for this feature. With this feature, educators can create online exams, and students can take these exams from anywhere. The exams can in invigilated through manual proctoring or AI-based proctoring. This can help ensure that students have a fair chance to take the exam and can eliminate the need for physical exam centers.
• Relative grading
  In Relative Grading, grades are given based on the student's score compared to the others in the group/classroom. This helps to evaluate student’s performance relative to other students. Student lifecycle management system provides a very user-friendly interface to assess the impact of adjustment using figures as well as graphical representations. This helps the faculty to effectively use relative grading for assessing the performance of students
• Outcome Delivery
  Outcome Based Education (OBE) procedures can be implemented to assess the quality of learning by the students. Program Outcome (PO), Program Specific Outcome (PSO), Course Outcome (CO), and Bloom Taxonomy can be defined for different programs and their courses. CO-PO Matrix, CO-PSO Matrix, and CO-Bloom Taxonomy Matrix can be created. Subsequently, based on the test scores of students, an accurate analysis of the attainment of program and course objectives can be carried out. This greatly helps to improve the quality of education being imparted by the institute.
• Upload student's grades to ERP
  Student lifecycle management system allows educators to upload student’s grades to the institution's ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system. This can help streamline the process of grading and ensure that student’s grades are recorded accurately.

Semester Result

At the end of a semester, colleges need to manage and communicate semester results to students. A student life-cycle management system can help colleges to generate semester results quickly and with high accuracy. It helps institutes to streamline the entire process of grading and ensure that students receive their grades on time.

• Generate and publish result
  The system allows institutes to easily generate students' semester grades and publish them on the virtual platform. This can help ensure that students can access their grades from anywhere and at any time, without any delay. Moreover, this feature can help educators avoid the tedious and time-consuming process of manually calculating grades. Students can easily access the grades of current as well as past semesters.
• Revaluation of grades
  Students who are dissatisfied with their grades may ask for a re-evaluation. They can put an online request for revaluation and also see its status online. Educators can then re-evaluate the grades and adjust them if necessary. This can guarantee that students obtain accurate and fair grades as well as enable them to do better in the next semesters.
• Result reports
  Institutes can generate detailed reports that provide an overview of student’s grades for the entire semester. These reports can be customized to include information such as attendance, participation, and assessment scores. This can assist teachers in identifying pupils who want further assistance and in modifying their teaching strategies to meet the requirements of certain students.
• Moving the students to the next SEM
  The student lifecycle management system helps to move students to the next semester seamlessly. With this institutes can update student’s profiles to reflect their progress in the current semester and move them to the next semester automatically. This can ensure that students don’t miss out on important deadlines and can also start their next semester on time.

Degree Fulfillment

A student life-cycle management system can also help colleges to manage degree fulfillment. The system allows colleges to track and manage student progress toward degree completion.

• Consolidate result
  Student lifecycle management system help educators consolidate students' results across multiple semesters. Educators can generate a consolidated report that summarizes the student's academic progress, including their grades, attendance, and participation.
• Print Transcript (with QR Code)
  Institutes can generate official transcripts that contain detailed information about the student's academic performance. These transcripts include the student's grades, attendance records, and any other relevant information. Additionally, transcripts can now come with QR codes, which can be scanned to verify their authenticity.
• Degree issuance
  Student Lifecycle Management system can automatically verify if the student is fulfilling the stipulated minimum credit requirements of a degree. Post verification, Institutes can generate degree certificates The degree certificates can be printed or can also be released in digital versions, which makes it simpler for students to access them whenever and wherever they are. Educational institutions may save time and money, cut down on mistakes, and improve the student experience by using student life-cycle management software.
  It can result in improved academic achievements for pupils as well as increased graduation rates, and student satisfaction.

The Benefits of Student Life-cycle Management Systems Software

• Improved Student Experience
  Student life-cycle management systems software provides students with a seamless experience throughout their academic journey. They can access their academic records, course schedules, and other important information from a centralized platform. This helps students to stay informed and up-to-date, reducing the chances of errors and confusion.
• Better Enrollment Management
  Student life-cycle management systems software enables educational institutions to streamline the enrollment process. With the software's features, institutions can manage student applications, admissions, and registration processes more efficiently. The software also allows for the integration of online enrollment, making the process more convenient for students.
• Enhanced Communication
  The software provides an efficient communication platform for students, faculty, and staff. Educational institutions can use the platform to send announcements, alerts, and notifications, ensuring that students receive important information on time. The software also allows for two-way communication, enabling students to ask questions and receive feedback from faculty and staff.
• Efficient Academic Record Management
  Student life-cycle management systems software simplifies the management of academic records. Institutions can store and manage student grades, transcripts, and other academic records from a centralized platform. The software also allows for the automation of grading and reporting, reducing the chances of errors and delays.
• Improved Analytics and Reporting
  The software provides institutions with valuable insights into their academic programs, allowing them to make data-driven decisions. Institutions can track student progress, monitor course completion progress, and identify areas that require improvement. This information can be used to improve academic outcomes and student success rates.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is Student Life-cycle Management Systems Software?
  Student Life-cycle Management Systems Software is a software solution that automates the management of student records, from admissions to graduation.
• What are the benefits of Student Life-cycle Management Systems Software?
  Student Life-cycle Management Systems Software provides efficient student data management, improves the admissions process, enhances communication, and automates student assessment.
• What features should I look for in Student Life-cycle Management Systems Software?
  When selecting Student Life-cycle Management Systems Software, look for features such as easy accessibility, secure data storage, a customizable dashboard, and integration with other software. It should also have the ability to automate student assessments, provide real-time updates on student progress, and send automated communications to students, faculty, and parents. Additionally, it should be user-friendly and easy to navigate for all users.