On Wednesday, May 04, 2016 the Palau Community College (PCC) Spring 2016 IT Student Symposium was held at the Conference Room of the Tan Siu Lin PCC Library.  The symposium featured three (3) students enrolled in the Information Technology (IT) Program: Ms. Tyra Asanuma, Ms. Wynona Ewatel, and Mr. Regner U. Techitong.  A collaborative project, the students focused on designing and programming a database that will help the PCC Bookstore expedite the book charging process as well as improve the current manual input method.

PCC Dean of Academic Affairs Robert Ramarui opened the symposium with welcoming remarks.  The students followed by opening the presentation with a comparison of the book purchasing process currently in place and the bar-code scanning process that they designed.  The current book purchasing system is a manual process that requires a bookstore clerk to input every data (e.g., book titles or the students’ names) in order to provide students with textbooks for each semester.

In comparison, the bar-code scanning process allows the bookstore clerk to register information via scanning a student’s identification card or a book’s International Standard Book Number (ISBN).  By scanning the identification number or ISBN, the database will register the correct information in each field thus eliminating the need for manual input.

The presentation included interviews with students and staff members who shared their opinions regarding the current book purchasing system.  Problems identified included waiting lines, time management (e. g., students skip class in order to purchase books), inaccurate data in book purchase summaries, and excessive paperwork.

The bar-coding system will replace the static Excel-based system.  It will eliminate excessive time, accurately track important information, and decrease the chances of data inaccuracies.  The PCC Geek Squad donated a bar-code scanner to assist with the new book purchasing system.

The students would like to acknowledge the following supporters of their project: PCC Associate Professor of Information Technology Johvanna Yaoch, PCC Business Office, PCC Development Office, PCC Bookstore, PCC Student Services, PCC Academic Affairs, the Tan Siu Lin PCC Library, and the PCC Information Technology Program.  In addition, the students would like to recognize the Islands of Opportunity Alliance – Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (IOA – SAMP) and the program’s coordinators (Associate Professor Sherry Ngirmeriil and Associate Professor Vernice Yuji) for supporting the project.