DEVELOPMENT OF AN AUTOMATED RESULT COMPUTATION SYSTEM

1.1 Introduction

Result computing are vital recurrent procedures and processes in every university system that is inevitable. It is the university’s tradition to carry out these processes every first semester of every session, where each student is to know he/her performance in each of the course offered. These important processes provide the vital performance of student’s in each level in the university system. The aim of computer programming is to put these data files and documents in an interactive manner in a computer system. This will enhance valuable handling and processing of data, leading to improved management decision making. The system enforces security with the use of secret information (password), and also provides access to new and old grades. Online examination system is very useful for Educational Institute to prepare an exam, safe the time that will take to check the paper and prepare mark sheets. The effective use of online examination system, any Educational Institute or training centers can be use it to develop their strategy for putting the exams, and for getting better results in less time.

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, Limitation of the study and Definition of technical terms.

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1.2 Background of Study

The Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) is characterized by six faculties. In Universities like FUTO, the need for automated method of keeping data has been there. There have been several attempts to develop systems for automating result processing, but most of the work of this project will be on the processing of the results of the students at the undergraduate levels; and also span across other course advisers’ functions. With Information Management Technology department as the organization’s case study, this work is focused on providing alternative solutions to the general problems associated with result processing, adding and dropping of courses, registration of extra course units, timely computation of students’ grades, course registrations, and above all, security issues which hinders unauthorized access to results by students and lecturers.

The errors associated with the existing manual method of processing of students’ results in most universities in Nigeria, including the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, make it not only desirable but imperative that computerized approach be used to the full in measuring students’ academic progress. The manual methods being employed suffer a number of set-back. They make the process to be time-consuming and prone to errors even as they lead to late publication of examination results. Worst still, sometimes wrong grades are being entered and students’ grade point averages are computed wrongly.

Consequently, the cumulative errors being generated are ultimately linked to awarding of erroneous class of degree. Some students could end up with undeserved good classes of degree, while others could be unfairly victimized, bringing about frustration. In this case, the image of the department(s) concerned and the whole University alike could become tarnished. The problem, therefore, that arises is to find a method of processing examination results that would be sufficiently accurate and reasonably timely.

Result processing is a routine activity. Every semester in the higher institution calls for assessment of the performances of the students. This assessment usually comes in the form of examinations, tests, practicals, labs, and the like. Without an assessment of the students, there will not be the need to work hard.

Assessment takes the form of a reward system. Students are interested in a competitive environment. Tracing this to the primary and secondary school systems where the students are graded in positions; each student works very hard to make the best results. The higher institution system is no difference. At the end of each academic semester, the results of the semester academic activities are computed. The issue here is in the conversion of the levels of involvement and expertise of the students into relative figures which ranks the students.

There are over forty (40) departments in the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), each having an average of over four hundred students. A simple calculation here surfaces that there are over sixteen thousand students in FUTO; excluding the post graduate and pre degree students. Each of the students in every level has results to be computed. The task of result processing and other academic activities mandates the assignment of course advisers to take care of such functions.

Result, by way of definition is the consequence of an action; the conclusion of a problem, or experiment after a period of time. At the end of each academic semester, the results of the exams, tests, practicals and labs are calculated and the grades are correspondingly computed. This is done by the various course coordinators of the courses. The next phase of the result processing process is done by the level course adviser. Each level of every department has its own dedicated course adviser. The course adviser acts on the list of results of all the students in his/her level and those of other students who sat for courses in other levels; either as borrowed courses or as carry over courses. The task ahead of the course adviser is to convert the grades of the students submitted to him into grade equivalents.

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1.3 Statement of Problem

Investigation revealed that the problems posed by manual methods of result processing are enormous. The situation is the same in Federal University of Technology, Owerri and correspondingly, Information Management Technology department. The issues here can only be addressed by employing upper hands. The effort expended in the process of registration of students and computation of their examination results is tedious. Quite worrisome is the fact that these processes are carried out every academic session, putting the operators in a continuous and ever demanding cycle.

The computation of examination results and registration of students is obviously an object-centered activity, the student being the dominant object in this case. Hence, the need to evolve not just a computerized process, but an object-oriented software design and implementation that will effectively and efficiently capture all the important objects associated with the registration and examination result processing within the University and the interactions among the objects.

This problem has been the procrastination of the results of graduating or graduated students hence, delay in leaving for the National Youth Service when they ought to have gone. This problem has dominated the system especially in the department of case study, Information Management Technology Department.

To arrest this problem, there is a need to develop software that is accurate, error free, and that can run on the web (using real time) in order to give students access to their results as at when needed. This will also help reduce the queue usually seen at the course advisers’ office during result’s check and in turn tackle the so much stress on both exams and record and the management in Universities.

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1.4 Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of the study is to design and implement an Automated Result Computation System. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows to develop an application software that will:

1. Produce relevant report of students’ general performance at the end of every academic semester, presented in the form of tables, charts and graphs;
2. Provide a reliable solution to result processing that is corruption free;
3. Ensure that normal credit load in line with the school is maintained;
4. Generate result that is accurate, timely and error free;
5. Maintain a reliable database for storage of students’ records and update as the need arises;
6. Restrict unauthorized access to the students' examination record; and
7. Provide an advice engine based on the current status of the student advices the student result which on the next course of action to take in his/her academic pursuit.

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1.5 Significance of Study

This system can be used to help people familiar with the equipment usage quickly which can save money and time. Now the following will analysis and contrast the existing examination systems, and shoveling out the improvement of our examination system. Also, this research has carefully combined the important features of database services required to successfully replace the existing manual course registration process with an automated or computerized system.

The benefits of database software cannot be overemphasized, as it is evident that any successful organization in the world today also enjoys the benefits of database technology. Database software are designed to save user information, facilitate the manipulation of data in a faster rate, provide concurrent access to authorized users, and also ensure the integrity and accuracy of the information stored by the authorized users.

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.

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1.6 Scope of Study

The scope of the research is focused on the Development of an Automated Result Computation System using Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) as a case study.

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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. 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).

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1.8 Definition of Terms

Result Computing:

This is the process of computing each student’s result in a course by each course lecturer to determine every student’s performance in their course.

Computer:

Computer is an electronic device that accepts, processes, stores and outputs data at high speeds according to programmed instructions.

Internet:

Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet Protocol suite (TCP/IP) to serve several billion of users worldwide.

Software:

The term software refers to a computer program or application installed in a computer, used to perform some specific task(s). The uses of applications or software to perform tasks make work easy, save time, and reduce the possibility of making mistakes or errors.