MeetBilkent

Reports Document

Team Members:

• Sümeyye Acar
• Muhammed Furkan Başıbüyük
• Ömer Bıçakcıoğlu
• Ömer Edip Aras

Motivation:

High school students interested in Bilkent often visit the campus of Bilkent University. It can be difficult and time-consuming to coordinate these visits, as well as schedule, provide event details, and communicate with the Information Office and the high schools that are listed. Because coordination is now done manually or through multiple levels of communication, the process seems inefficient and exhausting for the Information Office employees. This procedure can be streamlined and improved with the help of our web tool, which will simplify organizing campus visits for high schools and the Information Office of Bilkent University.

Goals:

The project's main objective is to create a web-based application that will be a management system for the Information Office of Bilkent University. Our system will coordinate campus visits, including registration, scheduling, event monitoring, and gathering feedback. Our goals include optimizing resource allocation for campus tours, minimizing administrative load, and enhancing the visitors' experience by combining various services into a single, user-friendly platform.

Problem:

Bilkent University's current campus visit management system needs enhancement. Due to the absence of an automated program or channel in the general process, communication inefficiencies, and similar situations occur. Often, scheduling is done manually (using Google Sheets), leading to miscommunications, duplicate reservations, and missed opportunities for effective follow-up with prospective students. Additionally, the messy data about high schools, guides, and tours (Because operations are carried out via Google Sheets and do not collect data in a system) prevents to improving and optimizing the BTO's performance.

Features:

• User Registration: School representatives (teachers or directors), school guides, information office staff, coordinators, and guides can create accounts themselves. Since all of those details and accessibility differ, their personalized panels will help them (Schools can apply for tours, directors can assign guides tours, etc.) MeetBilkent will provide necessary security and validations.

• Scheduling: A dynamic scheduling system that enables schools to reserve specific visit dates and times for campus tours, open house events, and other university activities. It offers real-time updates to avoid reservation disagreements.

• Notification System: To better BTO experiences, notifications and specifications about tours (tour time, destination points, any issue, etc) are sent by email to both sides. For example, if your high school's tour is upcoming, the system will remind you of the details by email

• Feedback System: Following their visit, high schools can rate their experience, provide comments, and pose additional questions. Utilizing this input, the Information Office can promise high visitor satisfaction and enhance subsequent visits.

• Admin Panel: A comprehensive dashboard for the Information Office staff to manage visit requests, assign tour guides, update schedules, monitor event capacities, and respond to feedback efficiently. The admin panel also provides statistics about high school.

• Resource Allocation: The system enables BTO to assign the necessary resources for each tour, such as guides, equipment, or transportation, for a better experience for both visitors and staff.

Selling Points:

• Automation: The system reduces errors and saves time by automatically handling notifications, reminders, and approvals.

• Efficiency: The system makes administrative tasks and communication between the Information Office and high schools easier.

• Real-Time Updates: The system provides real-time updates on availability, schedule changes, and event details for Bilkent and high schools.

• Data-Driven Insights: The system collects and analyzes high school feedback and attendance data. It also adds high school achievement and student transfer data to Bilkent to help the Information Office improve its services and plan future events more effectively.

• User-Friendly Interface: The interface is easy for high schools, guides, counselors, and staff.

Why It’s Cool:

The current management process in the Bilkent Information Office is done manually and, hence, is prone to errors or dissatisfaction for both parties involved. This web application is proposed to remedy the process by several key features, including its scheduling system tailored for guides and schools, along with real-time updates and improved communication. Additionally, the feedback mechanism and the interactions between the school administration and the Bilkent Information Office allow the university to make a good impression on students.