DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF AN ONLINE PROJECT GRADING SYSTEM

1.1 Introduction

An Online Final year project grading computation is a system by which the result of students’ project grading is computerized. Project grade computation and analysis is obviously not an easy task that would survive the use of manual filling operation and mechanical operation alone. This problem prompted the need for a computerization and analysis of students’ final year project grades. Consequently, this will affect the prompt release of result of student and improve the grading system by its standard. One indisputable face about our present society is the independence of electronic grading, so much of the work done in the past has been heavily laid on electronic therefore taking the community into an electronic system will be a better approach. The electronic project grading system is aimed at equipping students and lecturers with the ideas on an easy and fast means to load and access students’ record as well as compute the student project grade using computer.

As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.

1.2 Background of Study

Final year project grading in Education is the process of applying standardized measurements of varying levels of achievements in a course. Likewise, it is the approach that educators use to evaluate and document the academic proficiency of students. Grades can be assigned as letters (generally A through F), hence a grading system plays a vital role in the management system of any institution. The Online Project Grading System is of great importance to federal polytechnic Nekede, Owerri just as explained earlier about electronic or industrial machinery and processes, replacing human operation.

An Online Project Grading System that also stores students’ data is a highly desirable addition to the educational sector, particularly when it can provide less effort and a more effective and timely way of managing student data (Barreno, Lapaut, Arevalo & Emmanuel, 2009). Every student desires to achieve an excellent grade in their final year project. As such the whole process becomes very tedious for the supervisors in order to make their evaluation fair, comprehensive, and accurate. The primary purpose of student grading system is to support and improve students’ learning Barreno et al. (2009).

In grading the students’ final year project result, “A” means that the work is judged to exceptionally of high quality, going beyond what is needed to minimally acceptation “A” level work shows factual accuracy, originality in thought. The “AB” also work but cannot be compared to the “A” level. “B” level work but not consistently, or to some extent (it may lack originality a deep factual thought, yet it is acceptable). The “C” level means that the work is acceptable, i.e., it meets the basic standard level work in terms of relevance, factual accuracy and log real but cannot be compared with the above mentioned grades. The grade “D” means that the work does not meet the standards for acceptable college grade and does not exhibit some positive qualities that indicate that it deserve some credit done. The grade “F” means that the work is so weak that it does not meet college level, credit work was not computed.

The electronic project grading is the act of making processes self acting or moving. Also, it pertains to the techniques of making a device, machine process (say computer) to automatically generate result based on input data. An electronic project grade system need industrialized processor greater reliability and often for cost effectiveness. An electronic is a self controlling or moving process and self driving computing method from which human initiative has been excluded and an interruption of the process in informative situation intended of humans is achieved.

The final year project is the culmination of the diploma program, it gives students a chance to demonstrate all they have learned. Although students are supervised, the responsibility is on the student to define the problem boundaries, to investigate possible solutions, and to present the results in writing. For assessment, students submit reports of their progress and final results, and give in person presentations and demonstrations of their work.

1.3 Statement of the Problem

Investigation revealed the problems of the existing final year project grading system, which are stated as follows:

1. A lot of supervisors are stressed in handling project grading workload.
2. Recording and manual project grade computations might lead to repetition of approved project topics without detection by a project supervisor.
3. The manual method of Final Year Project Grade Computation is prone to error, which results to an inaccurate students' final year project result.

1.4 Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of the study is to Design and Implement An Online Project Grading System using Computer Science Dept, Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri as a case study. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out to develop an application software that will:

1. Help management in the computation and preparation of a computer based package for student's project grade point.
2. Hasten the rate of computing students project grade and scores thereby the manually records and statistics department labour function will be eradicated.
3. Serve as a relief to tedious repetitive clerical work in preparation of students’ final year project grade computation
4. Analyze existing form of grading of final year student project
5. Computerized grading and storing Computer Science students' final year project grade in Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri.

1.5 Significance of Study

This study will produce a computer based program that will be used in student’s record handling and computation of project grade of students. Thus, the package is poised to present an easy processing of student final year project record and grading in federal polytechnic Nekede, Owerri. It saves time of students and lecturers so that there will be no waste of time in reviewing any of the student files.

The package shades light to the relevance of computer and it’s accessories as opposes to the manual file processing system and data storage.

This will be a very good help to the lecturers and head of departments (HOD) for efficient computation of students records and final year project grading. Hence it is authentically narrowed to source the problems of the manual system.

This study will be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.

1.6 Scope of the Study

This study focuses on the Design and Implementation of An Online Project Grading System using Computer Science Department in Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri as a case study.

1.7 Limitations of the Study

During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:

1. Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
2. Establishment Policies: Establishment policies posed a serious limitation as most staffs are not ready to release information needed for this project work. There were lots of information needed from the staffs of this institution to enhance the study which took them time to release or they did not release at all for security purposes, hence the scope was reduced.
3. Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
4. Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
5. Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet).

1.8 Definition of Terms

Registration: This means to keep records received from the management for reference purposes.

Management: It is the co-ordination of all the resources of an Organization through the process of planning, Organization, directing and controlling

System: Physical component of a computer that is used to perform certain task.

Data: Numbers, Text or image which is in the form suitable for Storage in or processing by a computer, or incomplete information.

Information: A meaning full material derived from computer data by organizing it and interpreting it in a specified way.