| The two main purposes of this research study are to explore the conceptual requirements for guaranteeing authenticity of records in academic mission-critical electronic recordkeeping systems and, by extension, to begin to delineate the characteristics of authentic electronic records that establish and support business operations in academic settings. This study examines how authenticity requirements and authentication processes are currently implemented and employed in current university student records systems and identifies whether or not these requirements and processes are specific to the juridical, functional, technological, and sociocultural contexts within which recordkeeping systems are situated.; The researcher interviewed system managers and administrators of student records systems in four academic institutions in Canada, the United States, Korea, and Australia. The authenticity requirements and authentication processes associated with student records systems in each institution were compared via a functional analysis of business processes and a narrative analysis of documentation and interview transcripts.; Study findings suggest that the functions of student records systems at the four universities are similar, although the systems vary in design, infrastructure, and associated application programs. Study results also suggest that there is little difference in the way that authenticity of records in student records systems is ensured. Contextual analysis suggests that the juridical, procedural, and technological requirements are explicitly implemented in that order and are strongly interrelated, while the sociocultural context is implicitly embedded within the other sets of three requirements. This study builds these findings into a conceptual framework that delineates a hierarchy of authenticity requirements and authentication processes. It also maps how the four main concepts of authenticity are identified by interviewees: accuracy, procedural control, access control, and authorization , which can be understood in an interactive linear flow by two types of professionals in the three levels of management identified. |
