AN INTEGRATED WEB-BASED PLATFORM FOR MANAGING GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING IN HIGHER EDUCATION FOR TECHNOLOGICAL ENHANCEMENT OF STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

Volume-09 Issue 12, December -2025 ISSN: 2456-9348 Impact Factor: 8.232 International Journal of Engineering Technology Research & Management (IJETRM) https://ijetrm.com/ IJETRM (http://ijetrm.com/) [463] AN INTEGRATED WEB-BASED PLATFORM FOR MANAGING GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING IN HIGHER EDUCATION FOR TECHNOLOGICAL ENHANCEMENT OF STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES Sammer Lea R. Sampilo Faculty, Northwestern Mindanao State College of Science and Technology, Villaba, Tangub City, Philippines Serge Estañero Amie Bangculot Wendilyn Seguerra Students, Northwestern Mindanao State College of Science and Technology, Molave, Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines Hidear Talirongan ORCID: 0000-0002-9143-4458 Professor, School of Graduate Studies, Northwestern Mindanao State College of Science and Technology, Labuyo, Tangub City, Philippines ABSTRACT The challenge of accessible and efficient student support in Higher Education requires integration and innovative processes. This research addresses this imperative by focusing on the Guidance and Counseling Services Management System (GCSMS), a web-based platform developed using the Agile methodology. The system streamlines counseling operations by managing student information, facilitating online and face-to-face appointment scheduling, and automating administrative reports, significantly enhancing the efficiency of core guidance and counseling services. The system validation involved rigorous beta testing and a mixed-methods approach, including functional testing, usability assessments, and survey-based feedback. The quantification of user acceptance was achieved through a 5-point Likert scale survey analyzed using Weighted Arithmetic Mean. At the same time, Thematic Analysis was used to look at the open-ended feedback in the survey and come up with rich, qualitative themes that describe the context and user experience underlying the acceptance metrics. The evaluation results showed the system scored an excellent rating across all key aspects: performance, reliability, functional quality, service quality, security, and user approval obtaining an overall 'Very Good' rating. Successful implementation and high user acceptance prove the system’s an effective digital tool for optimizing infrastructure and ensuring timely, quality counseling services. Keywords: Guidance and Counseling Services Management System (GCSMS), Web-based Platform, Automated Reporting, Appointment Scheduling INTRODUCTION Guidance and counseling are described as responsibilities that require close attention to individual development, particularly by helping people plan their present and future according to their talents, interests, and needs, while ensuring equitable opportunities [1]. In academic institutions, guidance and counseling services support students’ intellectual, social, emotional, and personal growth. These services help learners understand themselves better and develop effective solutions to the challenges they encounter daily. They also facilitate the development of a complete person by supporting the students in every aspect of development. Counselors keep track of the progress of the students and offer needed support in assessing their needs, resolving problems, making appropriate decisions, improving their skills and knowledge, and adjusting positively to their environment. Creating a sense of belonging has become an important determinant of students' achievement, well-being, and persistence in today's diverse learning environments. Contemporary students have to struggle with significant Volume-09 Issue 12, December -2025 ISSN: 2456-9348 Impact Factor: 8.232 International Journal of Engineering Technology Research & Management (IJETRM) https://ijetrm.com/ IJETRM (http://ijetrm.com/) [464] academic, social, and economic burdens that place great demands on mental health and counseling services. Still, university counseling offices often depend on traditional manual systems to perform core functions, including intake, scheduling, casework, and reporting. Such systems are error-prone, highly inefficient, and already cannot meet the expectations of a modern student who looks for immediate and easy access to services. These are the major challenges are the gap between modern student needs and analogue processes of counseling. Too much of the counselor's time is being used for administrative tasks instead of direct support for the students, delayed appointments, lack of privacy in waiting areas, and inflexible times for seeking help-issues that urgently need resolution. This inefficiency discourages students from seeking help and limits the capacity of counseling units to serve more individuals. To address the indicated operational gap, this study presents an integrated web-based Guidance and Counseling Services Management System. The project therefore aims at integrating technology into administrative workflows to ease access to student support services. Key features of the proposed system include a centralized individual inventory module for record storage in safety, an online appointment scheduling system, and encryption of data for confidentiality. The system is also powered by a foundation built on PHP, MySQL, and JavaScript and has significantly simplified appointment scheduling to facilitate the delivery of timely, individualized academic and career counseling [2]. The platform keeps the counseling workflow centralized and digital, which allows counselors to maintain comprehensive data of students and track their academic progress effectively. This study will examine the system’s impact on administrative efficiency, counselor productivity, and its potential to provide a more confidential, timely, and student-centered platform for delivering essential guidance and counseling services. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE The global Higher Education Institutions digital transformation demands a paradigm shift in the student support services. When organizations take up digitalization within their strategy, the impact is multifaceted with a strong digital infrastructure lays the bedrock for enhanced data capability, innovation, and increased agility, thus creating some sense of security about the future of higher education [3]. The need for an Integrated Web-Based Platform for Guidance and Counseling is critically compelled by the dual pressure of escalating student mental health and academic complexity with demands for services that are accessible, flexible, and scalable [4] According to some study, there have been significant developments pertaining to the creation and assessment of web-based guidance and counseling systems, focusing on these four primary topics which are system design, assessment techniques, user acceptability, and unmet needs in digital counseling services. The literature consensus is that traditional, in-person guidance and counseling models are mostly inadequate to meet the volume and complexity of student needs, especially in large HEIs or during crisis situations [5]. The recent drive toward digital technology has been dictated by three core mandates: accessibility and scalability, student preference and engagement, and technological literacy as a base competence [6]. Digital platforms, like Smart Digital Interactive Services, are crucial in providing an option for student guidance and counseling support, regardless of location or time. This technology will help overcome the issue of limited counseling opportunities related to the number of students per counselor, high student-to-counselor ratio, by providing multiple ways to access counseling support services [7] [6][8]. Moreover, this technology solution aligns directly with the broader institutional goal of enhancing resiliency and adaptability through the use of digital technologies [9]. The university population today has been dubbed the "Millennial Generation" [8], and is considered digitally native, therefore, it is more likely to choose to receive service through technology rather than other means [10]. Studies show that the quality of the technology interface and the amount of student engagement with that technology are both major predictors of overall satisfaction with academic and counseling support services [11]. The effectiveness of digital assistance depends on the ability of both users like the student and service delivery agents which are the service providers to use the technology. An ability to successfully operate within this virtual space has been associated with positive results which is the ability to be adaptive in your career [12]. Recent studies have dealt with the design and validation of interactive, web-based guidance and counseling systems, determining a sound set of necessary features and functional modules. The overwhelming majority of the contemporary digital systems share a common modular architecture, and their key functionality includes user profiling, appointment scheduling, detailed case documentation, and report generating automatically. In general, platform prototypes are passing from simple informative databases to integrated interactive systems [13]. Most of the modules are equipped with asynchronous (email/chat) and synchronous (video call) Volume-09 Issue 12, December -2025 ISSN: 2456-9348 Impact Factor: 8.232 International Journal of Engineering Technology Research & Management (IJETRM) https://ijetrm.com/ IJETRM (http://ijetrm.com/) [465] communication, scheduling of sessions, and tracking progress-a private and documented road to consultation [6]. Self-help information, self-assessment instruments, and career guidance information are also widely provided on the platforms, in order to advance the students' self-awareness and initiative [14]. For example, the system of [13] maintained a focus on the use of web-based interactive media for the enhancement of the guidance service's overall efficiency. The integration of AI represents the leading edge of digital guidance and counseling development. Studies suggest that AI should handle routine, data-heavy processes so as to free human counselors for more intensive interventions. AI systems base their operations on student profile data, interest, and academic records to provide personalized recommendations and predictive modelling toward academic success and personalized support [15]. A systematic literature review singled out AI-based systems as one of the emergent models for career guidance and intervention [16], and this further emphasizes the trend toward automated, data-driven career adaptability support. While development studies report high usability and acceptance, such as a finding that 92% of users found it easy to navigate a prototype system, the literature also identifies more persistent implementation challenges [17] Inequity in access is seen to be a major concern, especially where infrastructural deficits persist [7]. This is not simply a question of equitable access or device availability, nor of the assurance of reliable internet access. This is particularly true since the quality of network infrastructure may affect the continuity of therapeutic communication [18]. Overall, while generally positive, several studies identify student satisfaction in digital learning platforms as dependent on such things as quality of interaction, communication, and general platform usefulness, suggesting poor design or an approach that is no more than putting offline content online is inadequate [19]. Guidance and counseling have a core function of trust-based therapeutic interaction, which faces unique challenges in the digital environment [20]. The students' willingness to use the platforms depends much on the perceived anonymity and the handling of data securely [21]; [6]. Any ethical deployment requires strong governance and data privacy protocols [18]. For online services to work well, much will depend on the counselor's digital competence and their ability to adapt interventions to a screen-mediated environment that compensates for the loss of non-verbal cues [22]. Recent research focuses on user-centered evaluation in digital counseling systems, primarily using frameworks such as the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). Some developed systems have all identified perceived utility, ease of use, and trust as significant predictors of students' acceptance and desire to participate with digital counseling platforms [23]. Furthermore, outcome-based research [24] show empirical evidence of the effectiveness of online counseling interventions in improving academic well-being and significantly reducing stress among students. Despite these advances, there are substantial research gaps, particularly in terms of the long-term effectiveness of digital counseling, which has yet to be adequately evaluated. Moreover, while initial ethical frameworks have been suggested, the ethical considerations for AI-assisted counseling have not yet fully been explored or operationalized [25]. Finally, issues of accessibility for impaired students and the need for cross-institutional system comparisons require further attention. These core limitations, considered collectively, point toward the need for detailed investigation, coupled with the implementation of an integrated Guidance and Counseling Services Management System tailored to higher education institutions. METHODOLOGY The Agile Software Development methodology was used in this study to develop the NMSCST Guidance and Counseling Services Management System. The system is built utilizing system analysis and design approaches and procedures. Furthermore, the ideas and procedures of the Agile Model were applied in this study, with modifications to suit the objectives of the study. The development of the capstone project was presented and described in the following steps: (1) brainstorm; (2) planning; (3) design; (4) development; (5) quality assurance; (6) deployment; and (7) feedback. This process demonstrated how the development activities were organized to achieve the purpose of the NMSCST Guidance and Counseling Services Management System. Generally, the agile approach follows a systematic process that ensures the efficiency and effectiveness of the developed system. The Guidance and Counseling Services Management System was developed using a structured process that began with brainstorming to identify user needs and functional/nonfunctional criteria. During planning, the team determined the project scope, resources, and timescales for efficiently addressing the challenge. The design phase defined the system's structure, features, and technical foundation. During development, the design was Volume-09 Issue 12, December -2025 ISSN: 2456-9348 Impact Factor: 8.232 International Journal of Engineering Technology Research & Management (IJETRM) https://ijetrm.com/ IJETRM (http://ijetrm.com/) [466] turned into a functioning prototype that exhibited the system's main functions. Quality assurance entailed rigorous testing to guarantee that the prototype was error-free, with earlier processes repeated if problems were discovered. Following approval, deployment installed the system on user computers and provided training to shift from manual to digital operations. Finally, feedback was gathered after implementation to guide future developments and verify that the system matched the demands of the users. Figure 1 presents the architectural design of the Guidance and Counseling Services Management System, showing how three main users-instructor, student, and counselor-interact and how data are passed between them through the system's core. The instructor creates a referral that lists the names of students who need counseling, and such information will be stored and maintained in the system's database. The system acts as the central core, accomplishing the tasks involved in the processing of information for storage and retrieval to keep accurate records of students, counseling notes, and schedules of appointments. The student module is representative of the individual receiving guidance services whose information can be viewed and updated by authorized persons. On the part of the counselor, he or she accesses the information about students, sets an appointment, adds counseling notes, records counseling activities, and generates reports that summarize the sessions and referrals made. These reports are going to be very valuable in assessing student welfare and counseling implications. Overall, the architecture illustrates an integrated framework for effective communication, accurate management of records, and timely reporting to enhance delivery and monitoring of guidance and counseling services within the institution. Figure 1 System Architectural Design In the context diagram which is shown in Figure 2, there are three (3) entities: Admin, Instructor, and Student. First, the administrator can access the list of student appointments, add counselor details, and manage student information, as well as search the reports that have been generated and set approvals in every appointment. In addition, the admin will import a CSV file that contains student details. Second, the instructor can refer student/s to the system. Third, the student can view and update specific information such as phone number and civil status. Moreover, they can also view their information and appointment details. Volume-09 Issue 12, December -2025 ISSN: 2456-9348 Impact Factor: 8.232 International Journal of Engineering Technology Research & Management (IJETRM) https://ijetrm.com/ IJETRM (http://ijetrm.com/) [467] Figure 2 Context Diagram As shown in figure 3, the diagram illustrates how entities relate to each other. The diagram shows the Primary Key (PK) of each table that uniquely defines a record in a database table. It also shows Foreign Key (FK) that is used as reference to a primary key table. Moreover, it shows table cardinality such as One-to-One and One-toMany cardinality that shows the possible number of occurrences in one entity. Figure 3 Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD) The diagram below in figure 4 depicts how the system operates. The Guidance and Counseling Management System manages student information and appointment records, where student/s can view their information and appointment details in the system. The administrator will register their information, which will be saved to the database tbl_admin, and the administrator will also input the counselor's information, which will be saved to the database tbl_counsellor. The database tbl_counsellor will then tell the administrator if it was successfully saved. The administrator will import a CSV file containing student details to the system. The admin can also create counselor notes and save them to the tbl_counsellor note table. The instructor can add referrals, which are then saved to the tbl_referral and assessed by the administrator. Volume-09 Issue 12, December -2025 ISSN: 2456-9348 Impact Factor: 8.232 International Journal of Engineering Technology Research & Management (IJETRM) https://ijetrm.com/ IJETRM (http://ijetrm.com/) [468] Figure 4 Data Flow Diagram Development and Testing The Guidance and Counseling Services Management System (GCSMS) was designed in a structured way, beginning with consultations and interviews with NMSCST personnel to determine requirements. This discovery phase influenced the system design and prototype development. Quality was carefully assured by beta testing (with the Guidance Director as a key respondent) and mixed-methods validation, which included functional testing, usability assessments, and surveys. The testing collected quantifiable data on four critical metrics: functionality, service quality, security, and user acceptance. User acceptability was measured using a 5point Likert scale survey, which was then analysed using Weighted Arithmetic Mean and Thematic Analysis to provide a credible measure of the system's effectiveness. Beta Testing Environment and Participants The final beta testing phase provided real-world validation of the system's performance and stability. Testing will involve three distinct user groups representing the system's primary stakeholders: Admin, Students, and Instructors. Participants are required to perform comprehensive, role-specific tasks that validate core system features. These scenarios include admin tasks to be performed: account creation, report generation, and system maintenance; student tasks are secure login, scheduling appointments, and viewing academic history; instructor tasks include referring students, updating records, and searching student profiles. Evaluation Instrument and Metric Mapping Quantitative performance data were collected using a standardized 5-Point Likert Scale Questionnaire. The said instrument was important in design, as the specific mapping of the survey questions to the four mandated evaluation domains was done accordingly. Functionality: defines the success rate and ease of use for core features. Service quality: system reliability, responsiveness, and availability. Security: protection of data, access control integrity, and authentication strength. User approval: overall satisfaction and acceptance, inferred from general utility and satisfaction with the system. In addition to the quantitative assessment, the questionnaire includes two open-ended questions directly related to the evaluation domains. These questions elicited qualitative data by asking participants to explain their scores and make specific recommendations for GCSMS improvement. The narrative commentary provided context for the numerical scores. The qualitative data was then evaluated using Thematic Analysis to better understand user experiences and find patterns that influence system acceptability. Volume-09 Issue 12, December -2025 ISSN: 2456-9348 Impact Factor: 8.232 International Journal of Engineering Technology Research & Management (IJETRM) https://ijetrm.com/ IJETRM (http://ijetrm.com/) [469] Specific protocols were implemented during testing to validate the metrics where data collection may have been less explicit. The testing verified the implementation of Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) to ensure segmentation and security of the data. Authentication routines were tested against common vulnerabilities to assure the integrity of secure login processes. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Following the development phases, the Guidance and Counseling Services Management System was completed as a modular, web-based platform meant to streamline institutional services via unique user roles. The system features a basic Authentication and Profile Management module that allows all users (students, counselors, and administrators) to log in and manage their personal information. The Student Module allows students to browse announcements, update their profiles, book counseling appointments, and formally assess sessions. The Administrative Module provides the administrator with immense power, as it permits the administrator to perform counseling, appointment scheduling, and even student registration checks, besides offering a platform for maintaining counselor profiles and delivering statistical data. Finally, the system enhances communication efficiency through an Appointment Scheduling and Reporting module that delivers regular monthly reports while sending emails for key events like new appointments, follow-ups, and cancellations. This modular framework ensures comprehensive recordkeeping pertaining to students, smooth logistics concerning appointments, and data-based reporting-which are crucial to delivering effective guidance and counseling services. Functionality Assessment The results reveal that the fundamental functionality for all user roles (Admin, Student, and Instructor) received a 'Very Good' evaluation, with average weighted means ranging from 4.80 to 4.96. The specific functionalities, such as creating accounts, updating student information, and generating reports, consistently obtained a 5.0 (Very Good) rating from the relevant user group. Service Quality Analysis High performance evaluations indicate great service quality, specifically reliability and responsiveness. The continuous 'Very Good' ratings indicate that the system is responsive, reliable, and available when needed. The inclusion of elements such as a search button for the quickest means of searching, as shown in Table 2, directly addresses the responsiveness dimension of service quality, earning a perfect score of 5.0. Security Evaluation The security factor was validated using a specific survey question, which resulted in a 'Very Good' rating from both admin and students. This 'Very Good' grade is due to the implementation of secure login protocols, a user role-based access control mechanism, and data encryption for sensitive student information, all of which ensure confidence in data protection. User Approval and Acceptance While the beta testing questionnaire was designed primarily to evaluate specific system performance metrics, the consistently high overall weighted mean scores across all user groups serve as a quantitative and compelling evidence of strong user approval and acceptance of the system. The high scores for the system's core features (functionality, ease of use, and security) indicate that users found the system to be highly satisfactory and effective for their needs, and that the system met the expectations and needs of the primary stakeholders, specifically providing an effective and user-friendly solution for managing appointments and counseling records. These 'Very Good' ratings across the board are a strong indicator of high acceptance, as users tend to grade a system highly if they intend to utilize it and trust its performance. Volume-09 Issue 12, December -2025 ISSN: 2456-9348 Impact Factor: 8.232 International Journal of Engineering Technology Research & Management (IJETRM) https://ijetrm.com/ IJETRM (http://ijetrm.com/) [470] To give a full picture of how the system performs and what stakeholders need, we combined the numerical results, like average satisfaction scores, with the comments that emerged from the thematic analysis. Table 4 presents the overall outcome - it links the objective performance scores to the themes that appeared plus to the main feature suggestions that the three user groups which are the Instructor, Administrator, and Student provided. Volume-09 Issue 12, December -2025 ISSN: 2456-9348 Impact Factor: 8.232 International Journal of Engineering Technology Research & Management (IJETRM) https://ijetrm.com/ IJETRM (http://ijetrm.com/) [471] Table 4 Unified Beta Testing Result The combination of numbers from the performance tests and the main points taken from interviews proves that the beta version works plus shows what the live system will need. The figures show that the tool is already useful and that its key parts do their job well, while the interview comments explain what the numbers mean but also point out where the strategy is weak. We grouped the comments from instructors, administrators and students into themes, which let us move past a simple satisfaction score as well as spell out how the system must change. Those themes show that the next round of work must move from plain record storage to active use of data and full support of the client or must also protect the institution - strengthening data safety and recovery. The high numerical satisfaction with usefulness is balanced by a clear request for reports that help with planning. This shows the system works, yet it offers little help for long term decisions. The steady focus on keeping data safe and backed up, voiced mainly by Administrators, points to a need that lies outside day-to-day tasks, this need must rank high when the system is put into full use so the institution remains accountable. The beta test proved the system can run plus it uncovered key paths for later work - raise client service - letting the software set appointments and send reminders without staff action but also harden the data so it meets every administrative rule. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We extend our heartfelt appreciation to all who contributed to the successful realization of this research project. To the Northwestern Mindanao State College of Science and Technology, for providing the foundation and resources necessary to conduct this study. To the countless mentors, colleagues, family, and friends whose inspiration, encouragement, and understanding sustained us throughout this endeavor. And above all, to God Almighty, for the wisdom and strength granted for the completion of this work. CONCLUSION This chapter presents the findings, conclusions, and recommendations based on the data presented and analyzed in the preceding chapter. Some limitations have been discovered. By establishing the objectives that needed to be reached, the project's effectiveness in terms of better, safer, and easier data management and appointment setting was achieved.