STUDENT PROGRESS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM CASE STUDY Department of Physics and Computer Science Njala University

ABSTRACT

This project, Student Progress Results Management System was carried out to automate the manual processes of compiling Students Examination Results at the Njala University, Department of Physics and Computer Science. It was necessitated because of some setbacks in manual result processing. The system was designed to automatically take raw scores from excel files and store them in a SQL database. It used past processed results to help the next course registration prior to results upload. Its result processing features includes the computation of grade point average (GPA) expressed as a percentage.  A computerized input using file upload saves lecturers a lot of effort and time of data entry. This system uses the student’s course registration data to match the uploaded results. The essence is to design an efficient computerized system that will replace manual result processing which is prone to lot of paper work and errors. This reduces the tedious tasks involved, and enhances students’ performance through timely publication of results.

Student Progress Results Management System is developed using Microsoft Access and Jet Engine. The user interface design is made from Interactive macros and specific code builders. Here, Student can check their results by entering MAT- id. Admin can create & manage Classes, subjects. Add & Manage students and Declare Results. This project is done in PHP. It’s easy to operate and understand by users. The design is pretty simple and the user won’t find it difficult to understand, use and navigate.

This report describes the capabilities that will be provided by the software application Student Progress Results Management System It also states the various constraints by which the system will abide. The intended audience for this document is the development team, testing team and end users of the product.

The application will have capability to maintain information about the students enrolled in the course, the subjects offered to students during different semesters, the marks obtained by the students in different subjects in various semesters. The software will also generate summary report regarding student information, semester wise marks list and performance reports

Table of Contents

Acknowledgement …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. i

Certification …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… iiDeclaration ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. iii

Dedication …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. iv

Chapter One: Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 6

1.1       Overview ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 6

1.2       Problem Statement …………………………………………………………………………………………….. 8

1.3       Aim of the Project ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 9

1.4      Objectives of the Study ………………………………………………………………………………………. 9

1.4.1 Specific Objectives ………………………………………………………………………………………… 10

1.5      Significance of the Study ………………………………………………………………………………….. 10

1.6 Scope and Limitations ………………………………………………………………………………………….. 11

1.6.1 Scope ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 11

1.6.2 Limitations ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 11

1.7 List of Abbreviations ……………………………………………………………………………………………. 12

Chapter Two: System Analysis ……………………………………………………………………………………….. 13

2.1 Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 13

2.2 Requirement Determination ………………………………………………………………………………….. 14

2.3 Requirement Specification ……………………………………………………………………………………. 14

2.4 Interviewing ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 14

2.4.1 Advantages of Interviewing …………………………………………………………………………….. 14

2.5 Questionnaires …………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 15

2.6 Review of Records, Procedures, and Forms …………………………………………………………….. 15

2.6.1 Advantages ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 15

2.7 Analysis of the Current System ……………………………………………………………………………… 15

2.7.1 Drawbacks of the Current System ……………………………………………………………………. 15

2.8 Goals of Proposed System …………………………………………………………………………………….. 17

2.9 Feasibility Study ………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 18

2.9.1 Technical feasibility ……………………………………………………………………………………….. 19

2.9.2 Economic Feasibility ……………………………………………………………………………………… 20

2.9.3 Operational Feasibility ……………………………………………………………………………………. 21

2.9.4 Schedule Feasibility ……………………………………………………………………………………….. 21

2.10 Hardware and Software Requirements ………………………………………………………………….. 21

2.10.1 Recommended Operating Systems …………………………………………………………………. 21

2.10.2 Hardware Requirements………………………………………………………………………………… 21

2.10.3 Application Software Requirement…………………………………………………………………. 22

2.11 Database Management Systems …………………………………………………………………………… 22

2.11.1 Splitting the Database …………………………………………………………………………………… 22

2.11.2 Front End and Back End Users ………………………………………………………………………. 23

2.11.3 Repairs in Microsoft Access ………………………………………………………………………….. 24

2.11.4 Element of the DBMS Environment ……………………………………………………………….. 24

2.12 Data Flow Diagram ……………………………………………………………………………………………. 25

2.12.1 Method of Data Collection ……………………………………………………………………………….. 27

2.12.2 Logical Database Requirements ………………………………………………………………………… 27

2.12.3 Data Dictionary ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 30

Chapter Three: Systems Design ………………………………………………………………………………………. 32

3.1 Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 32

3.1.1 Constraints of a System ………………………………………………………………………………….. 33

3.1.2 Properties of a System ……………………………………………………………………………………. 33

3.1.3 Elements of a System ……………………………………………………………………………………… 34

3.1.5 Types of Systems …………………………………………………………………………………………… 36

3.2 Analysis of System Design ……………………………………………………………………………………. 37

3.3 User Interface design ……………………………………………………………………………………………. 39

3.3.1 Input Design ………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 40

3.3.2 Data Input Methods………………………………………………………………………………………… 41

3.3.3 Input Integrity Controls…………………………………………………………………………………… 42

3. 4 Output Design …………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 42

3.4.1 Objectives of Output Design ……………………………………………………………………………. 42

3.4.2 Output Integrity Controls ………………………………………………………………………………… 43

• Forms Design ………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 44
  • Objectives of Good Form Design …………………………………………………………………….. 44
  • Types of Forms ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 44
• Interface Design …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 45

Chapter Four ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 54

Methodology ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 54

• Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 54
• Database Development Methodology …………………………………………………………………….. 54
• Requirements gathering ………………………………………………………………………………………… 56
• Database Analysis………………………………………………………………………………………………… 57

4.4.1 Analyze the data requirements, not the implementation ………………………………………. 57

4.5 Database Design ………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 58

4.5.1 Using relational theory for formal design ………………………………………………………….. 59

4.6 Implementation ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 61

• Realizing the design ……………………………………………………………………………………….. 61
• Populating the Database ………………………………………………………………………………….. 62
• Supporting Users and user Process …………………………………………………………………… 63

CHAPTER FIVE ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 64

• SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION AND TESTING ……………………………………………………….. 64
• Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 64
• Acquisition of Hardware and Software …………………………………………………………………… 65

5.2.1 Financial Decision …………………………………………………………………………………………. 65

• Criteria for Evaluating Vendor Proposals ……………………………………………………………….. 65
• Installation of Hardware and Software ……………………………………………………………………. 65
• Testing Techniques ………………………………………………………………………………………………. 66
• System Testing ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 67
• Software Quality Assurance ………………………………………………………………………………….. 67
  • Software Quality Assurance (SQA) ………………………………………………………………….. 69
  • Procedures and standards ………………………………………………………………………………… 69
• Software Quality Assurance Activities ……………………………………………………………………. 69
• Training ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 69
• System implementation ………………………………………………………………………………………. 70
• System Security and controls ………………………………………………………………………………. 71
• Hardware and Software Security ………………………………………………………………………….. 72
• Back-up Procedures ……………………………………………………………………………………………. 72 CHAPTER SIX …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 73
• REVIEW AND MAINTENANCE …………………………………………………………………………….. 73
• Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 73

6.1.1 Corrective Maintenance ………………………………………………………………………………….. 74

6.1.2. Perfective maintenance ………………………………………………………………………………….. 74

6.1.3 Adaptive Maintenance ……………………………………………………………………………………. 74

CHAPTER SEVEN ………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 75

• CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION ……………………………………………………………. 75
• Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 75
• Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 75
• Project Constraints ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 76
• Recommendations ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 78

CHAPTER EIGHT ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 80

REPORTS ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 80

8.1 Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 80

REFERENCES …………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 83

Chapter One: Introduction

1.1     Overview

INTRODUCTION

Njala University was established in 1964. Since then, it has served as a major centre for training middle level agricultural extension workers and teachers at secondary school level. With the promulgation of the University Act 2005, the college, together with the Bo Teachers College, the School of Hygiene and the Paramedical School in Bo, constituted Njala University as an autonomous body, with Bonthe Technical Training College (BONTECH) as an affiliate tertiary institution. Currently, Njala University is comprised of two campuses, the Bo Campus and Njala Campus. The University has eight Schools: Agriculture, Education, Environmental Sciences, Social Sciences, Community Health Sciences, Technology, Forestry and Horticulture, and Medical

Sciences. In August 2005, six of the Schools became operational, viz: the Schools of Education, Social Sciences and Community Health Sciences at the Bo Campus, and the Schools of Agriculture, Environmental Sciences and Technology at the Njala Campus. These Schools prepare sub-degree, undergraduate and postgraduate students for careers in teaching, agricultural extension and in various specialties in the environmental and community health sciences, and in information technology. The Schools also conduct basic and applied research and disseminate the results of these researches through the University’s extension services. In this way, Njala University applies in a practical manner the product of its knowledge and experiences within the country and beyond. . In this way, Njala University applies in a practical manner the product of its knowledge and experiences within the country and beyond. Njala University was mandated to:

• Encourage the advancement of learning and development of educational, economic, social and ethical standards among the people of Sierra Leone;
• Endeavour to improve the health and general welfare of the population;
• Provide instruction for research and dissemination of research result;
• Grant degrees, diplomas and certificates and such other awards as the University may determine.

In addition to the two main University campuses, Njala University is host to other institutions; there is a National Agricultural Training Centre (NATC) (formally known as the Certificate Training Centre), jointly founded by the Government of Sierra Leone and the British Government; and the Njala Agricultural Research Centre (formally Institute of Agricultural Research, IAR), a wing of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security (MAFFS), founded to carryout research on root and tuber crops and maize. NATC was setup to train agricultural middle-level manpower.

Njala University operates on two campuses, namely Njala Campus and Bo Campus:

• Njala Campus is located some 125 miles east of Freetown on a generally flat landscape on the banks of River Taia in the Kori Chiefdom of Moyamba District in southern Sierra Leone. It is equidistant (7 miles) between Taiama and Mano, and 36 miles southeast of Bo City.
• Bo Campus is located just outside Bo City in the Towama and Kowama villages.
• In addition to these campuses, some programmes are also run on the University’s premises at 17, Henry Street in Freetown.
• The University Secretariat, which houses the offices of the Vice-Chancellor and Principal, the Registrar, and the Finance Director, is located on the Njala Campus.

Njala University Exams Office

The Examination Office NU Registry is responsible for projecting time tables for exams, conducting sessional exams, obtaining result from departments, inputting of sessional grades into spreadsheet application, publishing and producing statements of result and final grade point average reports for comprehensive examination.

The grading system uses six ranges of letter grades A-F converted to six Numeric grade points, ranging from 0-5 ( A -5, B – 4, C – 3, D – 2, E – 1, F – 0).  These points are then multiplied by the credit hour offered. The total points acquired by the total credit hours are computed to provide the

SGPA which is a student’s sessional GP per semester. The CGPA contains continuous assessment from year two to final year, first semester ending with primary examination result.  The CGPA scores obtained during four sessions is set aside from which 60% is added to the comprehensive grades and the Comprehensive Examination grades make up 30% (percent) of the assessment and five (5.0%) is computed for project/ dissertation and 5% for internship. Finally a total score describe as FGPA accounts for the final score of each student performance in their respective Degree Programme. It is clearly stated that for a student to have a passing grade, the baseline for promotion is 3.0. From 3.0 to 3.59 FGPA is Division three (3), and From 3.6 to 3.99 is Division Two (2) Lower and From 4.0 to 4.29 is Division two (2) upper and finally 4.30 to 5.0 is considered First class First Division. But this grading system is only confined within the School of Technology.  

As it is observed that, the use of computers for information processing facilitates immediate access to students’ personal and course information, student information updating and monitoring of failed courses at Njala University. For system support, storing course information such as course codes, course descriptions, credit units, and grade points for the purpose of automatic computation of the grades are required. The system keeps up to-date records of the entire student body in the Department. To support procedures like registration, data upload, queries to the system friendly graphical user interfaces were developed for the ease of use. All these have been noted in the database design and implementation of this system. As the first step of software engineering process of system design we started with interviewing lecturers and students, and compiled our observations into a case study of the state of manual student result preparation and data handling which served as the major issues addressed in the design.

This project aims at defining overall software requirement for Students Progress Result Management System. Many efforts have been made to define the requirements exhaustively and accurately. The final product will be having only features/functionalities mentioned in this document and assumptions for any additional functionality/feature should not be made by any of the parties involved in developing/testing/implementing /using this product.

1.2     Problem Statement

Following the challenges identified in the existing system, such as delaying in submitting grade sheets to the exams office, preparation and release of students sessional results, missing grade issues, duplication of students records, excessive paperwork in results processing, poor record keeping of student’s information, poor data and security management of students records and files, the unavailability of transcripts on demand are all compounded to create a mammoth challenge in sessional grade computational system.   

There are also problems of unavailability of information to guide students during registration in NU registry-the reason are entirely connected with late acquisition of matriculation numbers. The flat file database management system adopted in Excel is prone to erroneous report generation and omissions of CGPA computation. Hence user might mistakenly remove functions or equations from one cell to another. The researchers deemed it essential to develop a more reliable, consistent and user-friendly system that will revert the prevailing challenges in the current system. The propose database management system called “Student Progress Report Management system” is intended to replace the error-prone system by December 2019 so as to terminate or end up these multiple anomalies in student sessional grade computation.  

The application will manage the information about various students enrolled into diverse programmes, the courses offered during first and second semesters of the academic year (session) are entered into the database system, the marks obtained by students in various courses are computerized and published by the automated system.   This will permit easy and speedy access to student information especially sessional results figures which determines the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of student course performance.

1.3     Aim of the Project

The major aim of this research project is to develop an automated progress result management system that will save the time in processing sessional grades point averages in the School of Technology, Njala University,

1.4    Objectives of the Study

The project seeks to develop and to implement a database Management system that will automate the processing of student progress result computation in Njala University Examination Office of the Registry.

1.4.1 Specific Objectives

The specific objectives of the new system are;

• to capture, process and store records about students’ sessional grades
• the system seeks to automate calculation while processing students’ sessional results
• the new system when implemented will guarantee high level security on the access and retrieval of student progress result in storage.
• The solution will seemingly minimize the duplication of student records in the database
• The system will create provision for easy admission new records into the database
• The system will have the capability of searching for pertinent students records in the Database
• The system will also modify and update of students record as required by the users.
• The system will be capable of filtering and sorting students records in both Ascending and Descending order
• It will generate reports about student sessional grades from year one to final year (primaries)
• It will be able to display and Print reports that are specific to the programmes offered by the students.
• to calculate and display the Grade Point Average for each semester and also the Sessional Grade Point Average (SGPA)

1.5    Significance of the Study

The significance of the study may tend to resolve the late publication of student sessional grades and also enables students to promptly access their results in a timely manner. This might help parents and other sponsors to speedily pay tution fees of the students thereby avoiding embarrasment during examination sessions. The exams office might also benefit from this project work as they might in a timely manner prepare timetables for subsequent semesters in the academic year.

1.6 Scope and Limitations

1.6.1 Scope

The scope of the study is confined within Njala University Examination Office where grades are compiled, processed and published. The students services department is also under the same scope as they are responsible for dealing with matters related to students admission, attendance, sicknesses, excuses and transfers from one program to another. The finance department is similary fall within the scope of this study as they are concerned with student tuition fees payment and other charges.

1.6.2 Limitations

This study had a lot of challenges as the project researchers were faced with the problem of doing their preliminary investigations in the examination office where sensitive information about students’ sessional grades were difficult to acquire from the Chief Exam Officer. However, after many pleas by us and our project supervisor, we were finally granted permission to make photocopies of the document we needed for this project work.  

Attitude of data entry personnel – It was also a big problem for the researchers when it came to the interpretation of letter grades to numeric values. Many efforts were made to get a clear interpretation from the data entry clerk and this has had a negative impact on our research work. Compounded with that issue, she refused to give us the actual credit hours assigned to certain courses.

Rainy Season – After the completion of our final comprehensive exams in August, there were often torrential down pour throughout the country so little efforts was made to start the project work quite earlier.

Inadequate Financial Help – Knowing very well that we are poor students and not attached to any substantive job it was difficult to procure finances for this project work especially when we had to pay huge amount of money on transportation fare from Njala to our various residential locations in the country.

Poor Coordination among Project Researchers – Because of the gap of isolation between us in terms of diverse locations and townships we were found, it was not very easy for us to meet and make proper plans for this project work besides one or two of us needed rest after a two weeks examination exercise at Njala Campus. Above all we never wanted to return to Njala to soon to start the project work.

Poor Health Condition of our Project Supervisor – It was rather unfortunate that by the time we intended to seek this project work, our supervisor on the other hand was seriously sick and could not have any time to focus and guide us to with the write up and project development approach so we had to wait until he was up and ready to work with us.

1.7 List of Abbreviations

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