By KENNNEDY MUPESENI –
THE Zambia Open University (ZAOU) has automated most of its operations including the student record management system which will see most transactions done online.
Vice Chancellor, Mutale Musonda said that the private university has successfully migrated to a new Student Record Management System  (SRMS).
Professor Musonda said this when he officially opened the 2016 residential school for first year students at Paglory College on Monday.
“We successfully migrated to a new SRMS which comes with a number of new features which include; access to class registers, online examination registration, online registration and admission,” Prof Musonda said.
Other new features include an online access to modules and assignments by students, instant SMS and e-mail to registered students, management reports, student financial reports, SRMS and module integration as well as the audit trail.
Marking of assignments would also be done online, so will be the input of assignments, examination results and automated comments on examination results.
Plagiarism testing of assignments and thesis would be part of the new university has come up with.
Prof Musonda said to achieve that milestone, the university invested in good software to support record management and that, it shall continue to improve to ensure that discrepancies were minimised.
“We will remain committed to providing Open and Distance Learning  (ODL) opportunities, as a part of our institutional growth and development,” he said.
Prof Musonda said the university would soon add face-to-face full time and part time modes of study to methods of teaching and learning.
He said ZAOU had built itself a high reputation as an ODL institution, such that other members of society who would prefer a full-time mode of study, can also desire to be associated with the institution.