Abstract
While appreciating the high ubiquitous rates of online results processing/checking systems in higher institutions of learning today, it is worth pointing out that, most of the result applications are in disjoint to the registration system. Implementing integrated system is a vital key in managing organization information effectively and efficiently for the fact that it links systems together and makes them to work hand in hand by sharing of information among the systems and subsystems. The theoretical foundation for the work was established by reviews of relevant and related literatures on integrated system. The work therefore focuses on designing and developing students online result system and integrating with student online registration system in order to facilitate student result accessibility and record keeping as well as eliminating the awkwardness associated with traditional system of “result pasting and checking” process. In addition, there will be facility that automatically
1.1. Background of the Study
Nowadays, one of the key criteria used in measuring the performance and standard of any organization is its ability to maintain and improve the standard of information and communication technology in every area of its activities. Therefore, it is obvious that most software applications which are used off-line before are now being migrated to on-line system in order to take advantage of the Internet’s capability to make document globally, conveniently and efficiently accessible. These applications ranges from general ones like web pages, email, on-line services to bespoke ones like student registration services, result management system, school fees on-line payment, on-line examination just to mention few.
Student registration and result management application is a major example when considering some applications that relate to school management and students. The school management keeps records of new and returning students as well as their academic performance. Meanwhile, students sit for examination of their registered courses, the result of which must be delivered to them on timely and quality basis. These and other issues like keeping of students academic performance records, transcript, for future reference is parts of criteria used in rating school standard on a global scale.
Initially, in AAUA, the traditional way of managing student result is to do the computation and the recording on paper, these papers are passed to the senate for verification and authentication after which the result can then be pasted on the notice board for each student to check, and any comment on the result can be reported to the lecturer in charge by the student concerned. But recently, the system is undergoing transition period between both manual and non-integrated student registration and result management system.
1.2. Statement of Problem
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Migrating from paper work to stand-alone system and then to online system, is a trend that focuses on solving problems associated with the existing system in order to produce the better one. Therefore, having examined the existing system critically, integrating student registration and result management system is done manually and partially online but not integrated. Generally, there are problems associated with offline system such as restriction to the accessibility of information. Since the system is partially automated, students only have access to their result only when it is pasted.
Delivery of student result on timely and quality basis is very paramount to both management and student and this cannot be achieved when the procedure is highly dependent on paper work as this increase the time it takes students to access their result since there a lot of time wasted in pasting of result on the notice board. Also, as information is being transferred from one staff to another, there is high probability of breach in data quality.
Another major problem is that of separate/isolation management of both systems under study, not being integrated. Though the registration system is a computerized one and the computation of result as well as the checking is done online, but both systems are still being managed separately. Therefore, operator has to enter the student information (registered courses, name, Matric No. etc) every time the result is to be inputted/uploaded and student also has to create their profile once before checking result. This often results to data inconsistency and redundancy, for instance experience has shown that sometimes a student would have registered for courses and by the time the result is inputted they may still give the student No Registration (NR).
Furthermore, most of the time when the result is pasted, some students tear it off carelessly or intentionally due to their personal grievance therefore denying others from checking theirs. This might cause a lot of problem for the affected students because they might not be able to know their grades for that particular course most especially if there is no good rapport between them and the lecturer or officer in charge.
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To every problem there must be, at least, a solution. Having studied the existing system with regards to the aforementioned points, there is every possibility that if school management continues using the system, without looking for a lasting solution, this will definitely lead to go-slow in management activities.
1.3. Motivation for the Study
Generally, some of the factors that motivate advancement in technology include pursuit of convenience and efficiency. Considering an organization like Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, where timely and quality decision has to be made, using a system where a lot of time is spent in transferring the paper work from one officer to another before pasting and even when it is pasted, it may not take up to two days before it is tore off, or typing of student information every time a result from a particular course is to be inputted whereas students still need to create profile before checking result. Therefore, there is need to take advantage of the capabilities of the World Wide Web and design a system that integrate the student registration information and the result management system, into a functioning system in which the result of students can be delivered on timely and quality basis.
Most importantly, creating a link between these two systems is the central focus of this study. This link integrate the two systems so that when result record is inputted, it moves to that of its corresponding student record, therefore the student information is not repeated every time the result is inputted, hence integrated student registration and result management system.
Moreover, the system makes the result world-wide accessible and also reliable since it is delivered to individual student?s profile rather than the public and un-confidential style of result pasting. In view of these, the student?s transcript can be generated by the system from their result stored in archive.
1.4. Aims and Objectives of the Study
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The main goal of this study is to design a system that automatically populates data from the registration system unto the result database, nullifying the need to be re-entry students? data unto the result database.
Generally, the objectives of this project work are all centered on designing of system that improve efficiency and convenience in managing student results, thus reduces management overhead. The system should be able to provide the following functionalities;
? Management of students results on web-based platform for worldwide accessibility.
? Integrating the two systems to eliminate the problem of re-typing students? information each time during result input.
? Web publishing of students? information, registered courses and results on their respective profile
? Send student result to their respective email address to eliminate the awkwardness associated with the traditional way of “result pasting and checking” system.
? Allows student to send feedback in case there is any comment on the results.
1.5. Scope and Limitation of the Study
The scope of the study is to design a system that integrate student system registration and result management system. This system therefore covers areas such as:
? Students? course and information registration.
? Management of students? information.
? Inputting results and computation of grades, G.P. and C.G.P.A.
? Retrieval and emailing of result, information and transcripts.
Though, the scope of the research project work can be applied to other institution irrespective of the location, yet there are limitations to the project work which includes;
? Sending of result to students? mobile phone through SMS.
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1.6. Methodology for the Study
The existing, traditional system of result management, being on stand-alone system and online student registration system designed to function in isolation from result management system. Therefore, the best information gathering methods employed in capturing data or information needed for the execution of this project work are interviewing and sampling of existing documents.
? Interviewing: This involves one on one conversation with the member of staff in-charge of result processing and management in order to understand the steps/processes involved in registration of students, submission of student results by lecturer in-charge, pasting/posting of results and keeping of results for generation of transcript.
? Sampling of existing documents: This involves studying and analyzing of existing result management and online student registration systems, in order to achieve good performance of the proposed system.
1.7 Significance of the Study
An idea would be of no use if it has no benefit to mankind; therefore, this project work was profoundly carried out with the view of its benefits to students, school management, I.T environs just to mention few. Some of the benefits are highlighted below;
? Benefits to students:
i. It brings about confidentiality of students result i.e. each student will only have access to his/her result.
ii. Easy accessibility of information.
iii. Long time retaining of information
? Benefit to school management:
i. It improves the efficiency of work in processing result i.e. a lot of time is save in doing some other important things.
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ii. Improve school standard
? Benefits to I.T. environs:
i. It creates more challenges in I.T. environs through which I.T. personnel make more intensive research and gain more knowledge. Challenges like security of data etc.
ii. Integrity of data is certain
iii. It creates job opportunity e.g. data security officer, data administrator, web developer etc.
? Benefits to national economy:
i. It would reduce the cost of paper consumed in pasting result
ii. It reduces capital expenditure on papers, that is, if every school can adopt this system, the cost of buying paper will drastically reduce.
iii. It improves National Income. Since this project can create more job opportunities for I.T. personnel, therefore, the number of unemployed will be drastically reduce.
? Benefit to general populace:
i. It creates avenue for parents to monitor their children academic performance since they can just log-on online to check their children result.
1.8 Organization of Work / Thesis Organization
Chapter one deals with general introduction. In chapter two, a form of related literature was made. In chapter three, models were designed for the proposed system; while in chapter four, analysis and design of the proposed system were presented. Chapter five shows the techniques, methodologies and parameters developed in executing/implementing the proposed system. An appraisal of the whole work done was given in chapter six.
1.9 Definitions of Terms