Software Implementation of a Computer Based Software for Generating Student Transcripts (A Case Study of Caritas University)

1.1 Introduction

Students’ transcript is the summary of each of the two-year performance either in (OND) ordinary National Diploma or (HND) higher national diploma. A transcript is also demanded by a student who has finished OND/HND and wishes to transfer to another school or student who desire to secure a job. A transcript is not given directly to a student. It is sent to the school that the student wishes to transfer or to the establishment or organization, which the student wishes to secure a job. A students’ transcript is prepared or formed by the scores entered on the designed score sheet by the individual subject lectures on each semester examinations.

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.

1.2 Background of Study

Over the years, several efforts have been made to alleviate the burden on teachers when it comes to result computation/processing. Data processing is defined as the entire process of converging or manipulating data into definite meaningful information. The information obtained at the end of the process is the result. Therefore result processing can be seen as a continuous process of converting data (which can be scores, grade points, credit units etc) into definite meaningful information, which can either be statement of result or transcript. The end point of data processing activity by the administrative unit is the product of basic documents and information (statement of result and transcript) from basic data (which can be students’ scores, course credit unit, grade point etc) for managements’ use.

Caritas University’s goal is to give efficacy to the university’s motto and to it’s philosophy of education. We embrace not only sound education for professional skills and competency in various fields; but also maintain strict discipline. We train the mind, body, soul and spirit in the exercise of obedience and self control. The students must not only be intellectually and professionally prepared for different tasks and roles in the world, they must also be morally equipped to face the world itself with all its tensions, conflicts, challenges and contradictions, we achieve this with the help of God Almighty who is with us always.

It is an established fact that after every assessment examination or research work, a result must be obtained. In any academic environment, there is need to have results to be aware of the students’ performance and generate transcripts whenever the need arises. To achieve this in higher institutions, it involves the registration of courses and students’ personal examination scores, computation of result, transcript generation, recorded and so on. However, the problem is how to carry out these activities presently. The result processing and transcript generation in computer science department is performed manually. Workers are employed to handle various stages of the process such as; registration of students, result computation and transcript generation. The introduction of computer in result processing and transcript generation will reduce the burden of manual processing to the barest minimum.

1.3 Statement of Problem

This project research was conducted exclusively conducted in a caritas university located in a highly populated area that attends to too many students at a time, hence this research was able to track problem such as misplacement of student records, student’s grades, slow and strenuous accessibility to students report and record, inaccurate record keeping and poor information management within the schools.

1.4 Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of this study is to design and implement Student’s Transcript Generating Software that will identify the problems inherent in the existing system of transcript management systems, and to proffer a remedy to the existing problem. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows to design and develop an application software that will:

1. Provide security measure to check students mischievous act of changing marks on the result sheet.
2. Reduce in the amount of resources, which in turn will lower the cost of processing of student’s transcripts, since information will be stored in a database with reduced data Redundancy.
3. Ease school personnel attendance to many students without being over worked.
4. Make available the storage room that was used for storage of files.
5. Reduce in time used in retrieval of student’s files and the bulkiness of files and record.

1.5 Significance of Study

The project research haven’t identify the problem that was existing in the old system of operation, is designed specifically to come up with a more resound and effective system that will not only counteract this problem but also provides a detailed future plan that will give room for more information technological improvement in the transcript sector.

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

The study focuses on the Design and Implementation of Student’s Transcript Generating Software. This research work is limited to providing a digital transcript’s information management system that will handle electronically both students and staff record, to enable easy accessibility and information flow within the university.

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

Software: These are set of logically related instructions given to the computer to perform some specific tasks.

Data: It is a raw information or it is fact and figure collected.

Transcript: it is a paper that outlines all the courses grades, grade point average, cumulative grade point average and final cumulative grade point average of a student.

Statement of Result: This contains the FCGPA and the class of degree of a student. It is normally issued at the end of one’s academic program.