What is DARS
DARS is an automated process for tracking a student's academic progress toward completing an academic program. The system was developed to help students, faculty, advisors, and administrators understand what requirements he or she still needs to fulfill to graduate.
This takes the guesswork out of registering for classes for most students. With DARS, students can spend less time figuring out what they need to take to graduate and more time studying so they actually pass those classes and complete their degrees.
DARS considers a student's course work at his or he institution, transfer courses, and course in progress when producing an audit report, providing timely information on a student's progress toward meeting degree requirements.
Students can receive and audit for each degree program, in which they are enrolled, allowing them to see their current program(s). We know that students never change their current program(s). We know that students never change their minds about their major once they've chose one, right? Well, just in case some incredibly unique student would decide to switch programs, he or she can also obtain audits which show "what if" scenarios. These scenarios show students how courses they might apply to the other degrees/majors/minors they are considering.
The DARS audit is broken down into components know as "requirements," and each requirement is broken down into one or more sub-components know as "sub-requirements." Each audit shows what requirements and sub-requirements have already been completed or still need to be completed in order to obtain the degree.
Wright State is in the process of implementing Miami University's Client/Server version of DARS. This is a completely redesigned support system around DARS based on operating in a UNIX server environment. The restructured DARS information is being maintained in relational form by clients using GUI screens and World Wide Web technologies for individual audit requests and presentations.
For more information on Miami University's Degree Audit Reporting System see their WebPages at http://www.dars.muohio.edu/.
Wright State University is part of the Ohio Course Applicability System Pilot Project. For more information on CAS please check out the website at http://www.dars.muohio.edu/present.html.
Copyright © 1998 Terry