ABSTRACT
This project, Electronic logbook for Student’s Industrial Work Experience Scheme was designed to minimize the problems associated with the paper logbook such as susceptibility to manipulation or forgery, wearing, and storage problem and retrieval problems. The top down approach was used for the software development and the tools used for this project are PHP, CSS, HTML and SQL Server. This design will be useful to the education system in Nigeria for Industrial training scheme which is a relevant and compulsory event for undergraduates in 300l and ND students in tertiary institutions relieving students and staffs from stress of various kinds...
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
Scientists
and engineers traditionally kept paper logbooks of their experiments and
inventions. The need for the logbook cannot be over emphasized. Scientists need
to keep a record of their doings in order to remember and report what has been
done. The logbook also gives a means of retracing past experiments and
verifying their accountability. Searching logbooks can also determine who the
first was to make a new discovery or invention. In most parts of the world, the
first to invent rule is used for patents and a properly kept logbook is crucial
for proving an idea is yours. Student and professional bodies use logbook on
regular intervals, Altini etal (2010).
In
less than twenty years the habits of logbook use has changed radically. Even
though some scientists still solely use old fashioned paper logbooks much large
scientific collaboration are already using electronic logbooks, wave tracks
(2010).
BACKGROUND
OF THE STUDY
The
students industrial work experience scheme (S.I.W.E.S) is an industrial
training program for undergraduate students of Nigerian universities and other
higher institutions. It is a six month training scheme in which students are
attached to industries that are relevant to their field of study. The
Industrial Training Fund (ITF) is the body responsible for the coordination and
funding of the program.
1.1.2 Objectives of S.I.W.E.S
The
basic objectives of students’ industrial training work experience scheme
(S.E.W.I.S) embraces the following:
To provide opportunities of applying their knowledge
to real practice thereby making easier the college work.
To enable students to practice theory been taught at
school and provide access to the production equipment not available in the
school.
To provide skillful experience to all students in
the school of technologies, polytechnics and universities.
To inspire students about their careers
To provide more man power to industries.
Every
student is expected to keep a record of her experience for the duration of the
training period and submit such records to her department on resumption for
further studies. An industrial supervisor is also expected to monitor the
student’s weekly progress of work and append his signature for works actually
done by the student. To ensure that the aim of SIWES is achieved, a school
based supervisor is also expected to monitor the student's progress by visiting
his place of primary assignment at regular intervals, and by the end of the
exercise, a report is usually sent to the ITF office for verification and
necessary documentation and payment of those who participated in the exercise.
Each student uses a logbook to keep record of his/her experiences.
Traditionally,
a logbook is a record of an event or events such as ship’s navigation, air
flight, inventions; teachers’ events in the classroom etc. logbooks have been
in existence since the invention of ships and the need for navigation came into
existence. Today’s logbooks have diverse uses since all aspects of human
endeavor need a form of reference or storage media.
However, with
the advent of ICT and the internet the ways of doing things have changed. An electronic logbook is a computer based
software for recording(logging) states, events or simply conditions used for
complex machines like aircraft, nuclear plants, particle accelerators, various
areas on board ships replacing paper based logbooks etc. An electronic
alternative to record key navigation, engine watch, port calls and other
operational activities on board vessels of all sizes.
THE PROBLEM STATEMENT
The need for an
electronic logbook for S.I.W.E.S cannot be over emphasized. For a student to
gain the required knowledge from industrial training experiences, he/she must
be well monitored to ensure that he/she does not just participate in the
training scheme in fulfillment of its mandatory status, but also acquire
relevant experiences. The lack of electronic logbook makes this nearly
impossible since distance between interns and supervisors and the lack of
access to good reference source hinders the actualization of the desired goals.
MOTIVATION
As
it has been stated in section 1.2, there are lots of problems with the
traditional logbook that justify the quest for a better way of handling
internship experience logbook. Perhaps the most outstanding of these reasons is
the bridging of the gap between supervisors and interns.
The
Nigerian academic curriculum has witnessed a lot of disruptions in recent times
mostly because of massive industrial actions to drive home a demand. Only
recently, the Nigerian universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education
embarked on an over six month’s nationwide strike. The students who were
undergoing IT training at that time will have to depend solely on their
industry supervisor and instincts.
With
information technology and the gains associated with it, most nation of the
world has successfully migrated from the paper method of keeping records. It is
therefore a worthwhile venture to affirm the already introduced practice of
modernity since we have much to learn/do if we are to be able to be able to rub
shoulders with our counterparts elsewhere.
The
following are the advantages of using electronic logbook.
It provides a better storage system
and retrieval mechanism
It is easier to use
It is more secure, since users are
authenticated, before they are granted access to the database
It provide additional functions
like acting as a source of notifying interns about information the school
wishes to pass.
AIM
AND OBJECTIVES
1.4.1 AIM
To develop an electronic logbook
for Students’ Industrial Work Experience Scheme (S.I.W.E.S)
1.4.2
OBJECTIVES
The
following are objectives of the study
To review and analyze the existing
system
To develop a software capable of
logging students’ work entries in an electronic format.
To bridge the gap between the
students and supervisors during the course of the industrial training.
To act as a source of information
to interns by providing a notice board on each users page.
To provide important
links that is capable of enhancing the performance and knowledge of the
Nigerian graduate.
SCOPE
AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
1.5.1 SCOPE
The electronic
logbook will consist of various interfaces. The interfaces will be accessed by
various individuals whose roles will be explicitly defined. There will be
interfaces for students, industrial supervisor, school-based supervisor, the
ITF and an administrator.
A student should
be able to access forms that will enable him to log in entries of his daily
experiences. He should also be able to
fill the personal data form as well as form8 that is usually submitted to the
ITF office.
There will be an
interface for the industry-based supervisor who will monitor and append his
signature to the work of the intern on a weekly basis.
There will also
be an interface for a school-based supervisor who will have access to the
completed weekly progress forms of his students’.
An interface
will also be created for the school coordinator who will have access to all the
forms that are completed by interns.
It is also
intended that the ITF office will have an interface that will provide the
number of completed forms in a printable format.
At the server
end will be a database of all activities that are carried out by the various
parties involved. The database information will also be used to define the
functions of each of the parties involved.
Apart from this
basic function, it will serve as a point of contact with interns since
information can be disseminated more quickly through this means. I intend to
include a notice board on the students’ page.
It will also
provide important links to other sites especially learning and information
websites that may be very important for a complete internship
1.5.2
LIMITATIONS
This project is a study of the usability of
electronic logbook and is therefore may not give or meet every expectation. The
main focus of the project is to develop a system for reporting IT activities
within the university community, other than the paper logbook. Other extended functionality may not therefore
be included or where they are, may lack some expected features. Some of the
extended features may include:
The ability to
tell the number of weeks a student submits his/her weekly work by incrementing
a value every time the student submits her work.
The ability to
search the web interfaces through a search field may not be possible since the
pages are not so many as to warrant a search field.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The study of the
usability of electronic logbook for interns is of paramount importance
considering the number of problems that will be solved in the event of a
successful adaptation of such logbooks. Some of the problems associated with
paper logbook are already stated in the problem statement.
Everything is
going digital with the advent of ubiquitous computing and the Nigerian society
should not be an exception. To change a society requires a change in the manner
of perception and handling of issues by the academic community.