Project – Design and implementation of online course registration and result checking system

 CHAPTER ONE

1.0    Introduction

Result, by way of definition is the consequence of an action; the conclusion of a problem, or experiment after a period of time. At the end of each academic semester, the results of the exams, tests, practical and labs are calculated and the grades are correspondingly computed. This is done by the various course coordinators of the courses. The next phase of the result processing process is done by the level course adviser. Each level of every department has its own dedicated course adviser. The course adviser acts on the list of results of all the students in his/her level and those of other students who sat for courses in other levels; either as borrowed courses or as carry over courses. The task ahead of the course adviser is to convert the grades of the students submitted to him into grade equivalents. Result processing is a routine activity. Every semester in the higher institution calls for assessment of the performances of the students. This assessment usually comes in the form of examinations, tests, practical, labs, and the like. Without an assessment of the students, there will not be the need to work hard. Assessment takes the form of a reward system. Students are interested in a competitive environment. Tracing this to the primary and secondary school systems where the students are graded in positions; each student works very hard to make the best results. The higher institution system is no difference. At the end of each academic semester, the results of the semester academic activities are computed. The issue here is in the conversion of the levels of involvement and expertise of the students into relative figures which ranks the students.

With a web browser, one can view web pages that may contain text, images, videos, and other multimedia and navigate between them using hyperlinks. The World Wide Web enables the spread of information over the Internet through an easy-to-use and flexible format. There are many schools and colleges in our country. They have to do a tough job of result processing. Teachers make tabulation sheet manually, they make progressive report for every student and also make merit lists according to students’ performance manually. So, it is an erroneous and time-consuming process. Many schools and colleges have websites in Nigeria. These websites are basically of static format, which are used only as a bulletin Board. They display only the information of teachers, students and the school/ colleges itself. They have no result processing. Again, many schools and colleges have their branches in different places. It becomes quite difficult for them to process results combined according to students merit and compare their results among the branches.

It is the university policy to improve both the efficiency and effectiveness of course registration and result processing operations and services through the implementation of an integrated automated database system (Grey, 2010) In a University like NOUN, the need for automated method of keeping data has been there. There have been several attempts to develop systems for automating result processing, but most of the work of this project will be on the processing of the results of the students at the undergraduate levels; and also span across other course advisers’ functions. With Information Management Technology department as the organization’s case study, this work is focused on providing alternative solutions to the general problems associated with result processing, adding and dropping of courses, registration of extra course units, timely computation of students’ grades, course registrations, and above all, security issues which hinders unauthorized access to results by students and lecturers.

1.1    Background of the Study

Katsina State Instituted of Technology and Management, Katsina, is a Government Instituted approved by the federal government of Nigeria on May 16, 2015. it was officially opened on January 1^st, 2014 The vision of Instituted is to reserve some of our wandering and teaming youth from further slide into academic and moral decay, and development and transformation of our society through sound and adulterated education. Its mission is to discover, sanctify and apply the knowledge of science, environment central and engineering for human well-being and sound development of man for better society. Katsina State Instituted of Technology and Management goal is to give efficacy to the institute motto and to its management of education. We embrace not only sound education for professional skills and competency in various fields; but also maintain strict discipline. We train the mind, body, soul and spirit in the exercise of obedience and self-control.

 

The students must not only be intellectually and professionally prepared for different tasks and roles in the world, they must also be morally equipped to face the world itself with all its tensions, conflicts, challenges and contradictions, we achieve this with the help of God Almighty who is with us always. The philosophy is to promote sound education for professional skills and competencies in various fields with strict discipline. By discipline the instituted meant the training of the mind, body and soul and spirit to obedience and self-control. Also to prepare the students to be intellectually and professionally sound for different tasks and roles in the word with its tensions, conflict, challenges and contradictions. The Instituted operates Department system. Presently, the instituted operates four departments. Software Engineering, Network and System Security and Banking operation.

The Katsina State Institute of Technology and Management, (KSITM) is characterized by two Schools. The Schools with the associated number of departments are tabulated below.

Table 1.1: KSITM and associated number of departments

S/NO	SCHOOL’s	NUMBER OF DEPARTMENTS
1	School of Technology	4
2	School of Management	1
	TOTAL	5

 

In Institutes like KSITM, the need for automated method of keeping data has been there. There have been several attempts to develop systems for automating result processing, but most of the work of this project will be on the processing of the results of the students at the Diploma levels; and also span across other course advisers’ functions. With Computer Software Engineering Department as the institute case study, this work is focused on providing alternative solutions to the general problems associated with result processing, adding and dropping of courses, registration of extra course units, timely computation of students’ grades, course registrations, and above all, security issues which hinders unauthorized access to results by students and lecturers.

1.2    Statement of Problem

This project research was exclusively conducted in an Instituted located in a highly populated area that attends to too many students at a time, hence this research was able to track problem such as misplacement of student records, student’s grades, slow and strenuous accessibility to students report and record, inaccurate record keeping and poor information management within the schools.

1.3    Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of this study is to identify the problems inherent in the existing system of online course registration management systems, and to proffer a remedy to the existing problem. The solutions are as follows:

1. Record and reports of students will be easily retrieved with increased data security.
2. There will be reduction in the amount of resources, which in turn will lower the cost of processing of student’s result, since information will be stored in a database with reduced data Redundancy.

iii.     There will be reduction in time used in retrieval of student’s files.

1. Reduction in bulkiness of files and record.

1.4    Justification of the Study

The project research haven’t identify the problem that was existing in the old system of operation, is designed specifically to come up with a more resound and effective system that will not only counteract this problem but also provides a detailed future plan that will give room for more information technological improvement in the school.

1.5    Scope of the Study

This research work are limited to providing a digital result system that will handle electronically both students and staff record, to enable easy accessibility and information flow within the instituted.

1.6    Limitation of the Study

This research work is limited to providing a more reliable information management system that will handle electronically the record of both student and staff within the institute.

1.7    Definition of Terms

During the execution of the project there are some relevant words that are used in the study which are important to Explain. They are as follows:

1. Course:This is a program of study or training, especially one that leads to a degree or certificate from an educational institution; or a unit of study relating to a specific academic discipline.
2. GPA: (Grade-Point Average): Is a system of judging a student’s performance in Tertiary Institution.

• CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average): Is a measurement of average grade point obtain by the student in all semester.

1. Software: The program and other operating information used by computer; also a set of programs written to carry out some task in the computer. Logical related programs that works together to control hardware.
2. Students Examination Result: An official record of student’s work that show the courses they have taken and the marks they have achieved.
3. Design: The art or process of deciding how something will look, works etc.

• Student: A person who studies in a secondary or tertiary institution.
• Faculty: A group of related departments in an institution or university.

1. Department: This is a smaller subset within a faculty in charge of a course of study.
2. Semester: A semester system divides the academic year into two terms when the students are in school.
3. Database: It is a systematically arranged collection of computer data, structured so that it can be automatically retrieved or manipulated.

• Transcript: Copy of a student’s permanent academic record which usually means all courses taken, all grade received, all honors received and degrees conferred to a student.

Project – Design and implementation of online course registration and result checking system