ERP Systems Created to Support Academic Management in Contexts of Geographic Dispersion: A Case Study in Regional Higher Education

Abstract

Abstract. In response to extension of coverage goals in higher education, academic programs offering has been growing in regions geographically dispersed which management requires solid information systems able to adapt to the context needs and particularities. This paper presents a descriptive case study conducted in one of the head offices of Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios operating in 34 municipalities of cundinamarca department in colombia, highlighting challenges evidenced in the process of design and implementation of a custom ERP system. The case of study provides wide contextual details about selection and design of components, customization, integration and evaluation of the ERP system. Through this analysis are documented (a) the challenges in integration, escalability and interoperability of ERP systems in higher education that are evidenced in a context of regionalization with geographic dispersion variables; and (b) the differential features provided by a custom ERP system respect to the currently used systems in higher education. IntroducciónThe literature records significant progress regarding research on creation and implementation of ERP systems (entreprise resourcing planning), understood as systems that facilitate decision making thanks to the integration of the information related to all the areas of a company [1]. The studies concerning focus on issues related to implementation procedures, the critical factors of success or failure, the selection of suppliers, among others.However, research on the implementation of ERP in higher education is still incipient and its studies are related to the issues referred previously. The investigation conducted obeys to the creation and implementation of a custom ERP system for the institution in the frame of a particular context of regionalization of higher education.This document registers the process of investigation, the analyzed variables, the exercises of participative and collective construction of the modules of the ERP, the challenges in the integration, scalability and interoperability of the modules and the evaluation developed.It is important to highlight that the developed system constitutes nowadays the mechanism of academic programming in a headquarters of the institution, which attends about 17000 student in 34 places of operation, in a territory of 24.210 km. The research methodIn order to describe the process of design and implementation of a custom ERP system, a descriptive case study was developed characterized for being a way of investigating an empirical topic that answers to the questions "how and why", when the researcher has little control over events and when the researcher focuses on a contemporary phenomenon developed within some context of real life.Data collection for the case study was conducted between august 2014 and december 2015 developed through focus groups with program coordinators and academic managers. Additionally, the reports of Academic Council headquarters and institutional reports generated on the desi...