ABSTRACT
This research
paper examined the inadequacies involved in the manual method of compiling
students’ result in secondary schools in Nigeria. To achieve that, preliminary
investigations about the current manual record keeping were carried out at
Girls High School Ishiagu Ebonyi state. The problems with the manual result
processing were identified and a new system was proposed, designed, and
implemented. In this work, a computer software application was developed to
facilitate the automated processing of the results. The software was developed
using PHP (Hypertext processor) programming language and MYSQL, a relational
database management system in designing the database; tested and found to have
produced the expected results. Top-Down-Design methodology was employed in
designing this software.
Teachers
do not need to draw vertical/horizontal lines on a broad sheet of paper for
recording students test and exam scores, and also need not to do any form of
calculations, as the system does virtually everything. Similarly, there is no
need of printing result booklet for each student. Results can be printed on A4 size paper or on
embossed cardboard paper cut into A4 size and which appears like a certificate
and looks more beautiful at a lower cost compared to the cost of printing
result booklets and the stress teachers have to undergo to prepare students
results. The software will make the teacher’s job less stressful by cutting
down the time and effort spent on result preparation, thereby, allowing the
teacher more time for teaching and other instructional issues. This new system
is flexible and can be modified to suit any kind of students’ record keeping
and data processing in both public and private secondary schools.
CHAPTER
ONE
1.0
Introduction
1.1 Background of the study
A
student’s result is the criteria for the measurement of the student’s
capability in terms of academic work in the school Anigbogu (2000). One of the
largest investment in any organization is the creation, maintenance, and
retrieval of information. It has been estimated that in an organization such as
the educational community, information is highly essential for correct
student’s record and examination data. Student’s information if not properly
created and stored, will cause many errors in usage Okonigene et al (2008). Without an adequate result
processing system, the aim for which results are produced may not be achieved
because of slightest mistake made during the process which might lead to a very
big problem, which may reduce or eradicate the ability to grade a student from
his/her result Ezenma et al (2014).
Education
is an indispensable system on which the life of every individual is built and
as well stimulates the entire life application. It can also be referred to as a
process designed for the acquisition and dissemination of skills and knowledge
to the prosperity of the nation.
The
effort expended in the process of registration of students and computation of
their examination is awesome. Quite worrisome or perturbing is the fact that
these processes are carried out every academic terms, putting all operations in
a continuous and ever demanding circle. The computation of examination result
is obviously an object-centered activity, the student being the dominant object
in this case. Hence, the need to evolve a computerized process that will
effectively and efficiently capture all the important data associated with the
examination and result processing within the senior secondary schools and the
interactions among the object.
It is
prepared or formed by the score entered on the designed score sheet by the
individual subject teachers on terminal examination. These genuine and noble desires
necessitate the design and development of the student’s examination result
processing system software.
When a
student attends an academic institution, a record, i.e. the result, is kept to
trace his/her academic performance. The student examination displays a record
of all the grades a student has acquired at each class and terms in a school.
Below are frequently asked questions about a student’s examination results.
-
How is student examination result used?
Student
can use a student’s examination result as a means of monitoring their grades
and to make sure the information is accurate. Students can use an “unofficial
student examination result” for this purpose.
-
How can a student obtain his/her examination
result?
Students
must request their examination result from the office of records or from the
office of the registrar. Each school has its own student’s examination result
release procedures.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Database of information is vital in
today’s education with respect to subject registration and examination result
processing. This has become a very vital issue as students spend so much time
trying to know their performance for each term. This problem has led to time
wasting, inaccuracy of results and even open to fraud. Cases of missing results
have been recorded thereby making examination processing more difficult and
untimely.
1.3 Aim and Objectives of the Study
The major
aim of this study is to provide a lasting solution to the problems that has
been identified from the manual means of result computation by employing the
computerized means. These aims are listed below;
- To
design and develop a computerized system that will handle the examination
result processing so as to liquidate the problems of computation.
- To
produce a reliable system that would help to improve the approach on
computation.
- To
eliminate the stress encountered during the process of computation.
- To
enhance good and accurate computation of result.
- To
make the whole process of computation easier.
1.4
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The
project work will help in a good number of ways to ease the delay in manual
examination processing. The software developed will help school management to
achieve efficient information management system. There are many other advantages,
and some of them are listed below.
-
It
saves time during examination processing
-
References
are very fast and delays can be avoided.
-
It
allows easy access to stored information.
-
Help
in reducing the costs such as labor, inventory and stationary.
-
To make result processes faster.
-
To eliminate error due to manual
processing.
-
To provide security measures to check
student mischievous act of changing marks on the result sheet.
1.5
SCOPE
AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
This study covered the substantive solution to the
problems generated by the manual existing system used in the student
examination result processing system. However, the case study is Girls Model
Secondary School Ishiagu Ebonyi State.
1.6
DEFINITION OF TERMS
The following are some terms commonly used in this
project.
-
DATA: Raw information, fact, figure, collected together for
references.
-
INPUT: This term is used to denote an insertion of data into
the system. Also, it can be a hardware that help send data into the computer
-
OUTPUT: These are computer hardware that are responsible for
the dispatch of processed information.
-
SOFTWARE: A set of programs written to carry out some tasks
in the computer. Also, it’s a logical related program that works together to
control hardware components.
-
PROCESS: This is the management or transformation of data
into useful information.
-
DESIGN: The act or process of deciding how something will
look or work.
-
DOCUMENTATION: material that provides official information or
evidence or that serves as record, written specification and information that
describes the product.
-
SYSTEM: A system can be said to be a set of computer
components, i.e. an assembly of computer hardware and the peripherals
functioning together.
-
MANAGEMENT: Management is a human
action, including design, to facilitate the production of useful outcomes from
a system.
-
AUTOMATION: the replacement of human
workers by technology; a system in which a workplace or processes has been
converted to one that replaced or ministries human labor with electronic or
mechanical equipment.
-
DATABASE: a
systematically arranged collection of data, designed so that it can be
automatically retrieved or manipulated easily by authorized users.
-
DATABASE SERVERS: Database servers
are computers that hold the actual databases and run only the DBMS and related
software.
-
DATA STRUCTURE: Data structures
(fields, records, files and objects) optimized to deal with very large amounts
of data stored on a permanent data storage device (which implies
relatively slow access compared
to volatile main memory).
-
DATA SECURITY: Data security
prevents unauthorized users from viewing or updating the database by the use of
passwords.
-
DATA CONSISTENCY: Data consistency
ensures a consistent view of data to every user.
-
PASSWORD: this is a secret code that a
user must type into a computer to enable him/her access it or its applications.
This is made up of numbers, letters, characters or contribution of any of the
above categories.
-
PHP: HYPERTEXT PREPROCESSOR (the name is
a recursive acronym): This is a Programming language known as a server-side
scripting language. It was used in the
developing of this software.
-
QUERY LANGUAGE: A database query language and report
writer allows users to interactively interrogate the database, analyze its data
and update it according to the user’s privileges on data. It also
controls the security
of the database.
-
SOFTWARE: Software is a collection of
written programs which directs the computer on what to do.
-
QUERYING: Querying is the process of
requesting attribute information from various perspectives and combinations of
factors.
-
MODULES: this is an independent/self-
contained program.
-
SQL: Structured Query Language, it is a
code used to query or insert records in a Database.
-
PCs: Personal Computers, it is
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