Digital Repository and Automated Result Processing System: An Implementation
Chapter One
Preamble of the Study
ICT and the preservation of studentsโ results and information in every semester is a fundamental issue for every educational institution (Abu and Abel 2013). These yield studentsโ academic records, called transcripts. Christian, Lev, and Eugenia (2013) defines a transcript of academic record as a certified statement detailing a student’s complete academic record at the University or other higher institutions of learning. The process of ICT, and preservation of studentsโ examination results is tedious, time-consuming, and error prone, most especially when not automatically handled and or when large number of students are involved. The increase in studentsโ population over the years has made the work of examination officers and other officers in charge of processing studentsโ result a very exasperating exercise (Obiniyi and Ezugwu, 2010). These processes are to be carried out every academic session; consequently it keeps the operators in an unremitting and ever challenging cycle. Except for the use of an accurate and effective system, results ICT have tendency to convey misleading information to decision makers (Eyo and Ofoegbu, 2012).
Chapter Two
Operationalย Description
- The Database: The database (Result Management System) makes available facilities for administration, ICT, documentation, preservation and presentation of studentsโ academic
- The Resource Centre: The resource centre enabling digital material that all students should posses for all available
- The DRARPS: The DRARPS is a central directory/repository that links the students and lecturers with examination records and information, such as portable document format (pdf) files, website, results andย ย This was developed using the programming language below:
- HTML(Hypertextย Markupย Language),ย aย standardizedย systemย forย taggingย textย filesย toย achieveย font,ย colour,ย graphic,ย andย hyperlinkย effectsย onย Worldย Wideย Webย ย Itย wasย usedย asย theย markupย languageย forย theย presentationย ofย this system.
- CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), a style sheet language used for describing the look and formatting of a document written in a markupย ย It was used to style the look of the system.
- PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor), a server-side scripting language designed for web development but also used as a general-purpose programming language. It was used as the backend development language for
- JavaScript, an object-oriented computer programming language commonly used to create interactive effects within webย ย It was used to set actions for certain behaviours in the DRARPS.
- MySQL (My Structured Query Language), a widely used open-source relational database management system. It was used for data management and organization in the
- WAMP Server (Windows Apache MySQL PHP Server), a web development platform on Windows that allows the creation of Dynamic web applications with Apache2, PHP and MySQL. It was used to create a local testing server for DRARPS.
- The Web Server: The web server accepts and responds to the student requests. By getting URL, translates it, send it back over the internet from local disk, execute it, and send the output of the program back over the internet to the requesting
- The Webย Browser: The web browser is an interface through which the students, lecturer and administrators retrieve, present, and traverse information ย ย ย resources onย DRARPSย Flowchart.
Chapter Three
Materialย andย Method
For the purpose of actualizing the set goals of this study, Digital Repository and Automated Result Processing System (DRARPS) was developed. In this research, repetitive and dynamic model were used to develop the DRARPS application, using HTML5/CSS3/JAVASCRIPT/PHP/MySQL. The front-end interface was designed using HTML5 (Hyper-text Markup Language), CSS3 (Cascading Style Sheet) and JavaScript, while the backend functionalities are powered by PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) server side scripting language and MySQL (My Structured Query Language) which runs on a web server. For local testing, WAMP (Windows Apache MySQL and PHP) server was used.
Chapter Four
Systemย Testing
Testing of the newly developed system is important because it enables theย developer access how end users interact with the system. DRARPS was tested withย studentsโ academic records sourced from the Department of Computer Science, Taiย Solarin University of Education, Ogun State, Nigeria. The department lecturers andย more than 70% of student population of the department were involved in the testingย phase.ย Studentsย ofย computerย scienceย wereย consideredย appropriateย forย thisย researchย due to their largest population when compared with other departments in the Collegeย of Science and Information Technology of the University and as well required littleย trainingย efforts on theย system usage.
Chapter Five
ย Conclusionย andย Futureย work
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The DRARPS is an innovative way of digitizing student results for provisionย of accurate ICT, instant access to the needed results and record at mostย requiredย time, thereby reducing the stress ofย the students checking their results.ย Lecturers and non-academic personnel handling results are not left out in the benefit.ย DRARPS provides better way of communicating with students easily, the outcomesย of their academic performances. It is flexible and modifiable application with CGPAย module, via graphical user interface (GUI) rather than command-line approach. Also,ย DRARPSย isย userย friendly,ย reasonablyย secure,ย andย ensureย dataย integrity,ย resultingย fromย theย useย ofย aย relationalย databaseย managementย system.ย Theย lecturersย canย nowย with ease,ย updateย the students, while studentsย getย updatedย with theirย academicsย records and information online using DRARPS via both personal computers andย mobileย devices.
Thisย researchย hasย beenย ableย toย developย andย implementย anotherย resultย management system that is efficient, robust, reliable and cost effective. Furtherance,ย on this research, would require determining the level of DRARPS efficiency byย carrying out empirical study on the quality of service (QoS) metric with respect toย access from remote systems, thereby further improving the quality and functionalitiesย ofย theย systemย interfaceย usingย moreย updatedย designย suchย asย Googleโsย Materialย Design.
References
- Abu,ย U.ย Oย andย Abelย ,ย M.,ย (2013).ย โDataย Analysisย andย Resultย ICTย (DARC)ย Algorithmย forย Tertiaryย Institutionsโ,ย Journalย ofย Computer Engineering (IOSR-ย JCE),ย 14 (1), 63-69, 2013.
- Akinmosin J. (2014), โAutomated Students Result Management System Using Oracleโs Database, Forms and Reportsโ, Journal of Information Engineering and Applications, www.iiste.orgย ISSNย 2224-5782ย (print)ย ISSNย 2225-0506ย (online),ย Vol.4, No.11, 2014.
- Barrett, S. (1999). Informationโs Systems: An Exploration of Factors Influencing Effective Use.Journal ofResearch on Computing in Education, (Vol. 32, No. 1,
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- Cristian C., Lev T., and Eugenia T. (2013).”Secure andconvenient computerized transcript system:6.033 DesignProject”, http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu.ย Accessedย 29/01/2015
- Eludireย A.ย A.,ย (2011).ย โTheย Designย andย Implementationย ofย Studentย Academicย Recordย Managementย Systemโ.Researchย Journalย ofย Appliedย Sciences,ย Engineeringย and Technology, Vol.3,ย No.8, Pp.707-712.
- Ekpenyong M. E., (2008). โA Real-Time IKBS for students results ICTโ, International Journal of Physical Sciences (Ultra Scientist of Physical Sciences) Volume 20, Number 3(M), September โ December, 2008.ย Available:ย http://www.mySQL.com,ย (Julyย 22,2012)
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