SMS Based Result Checking System for Faculty of Science
Chapter One
Objectives of Study
The main aim of this research is the design and implementation of an SMS based result checking system for Faculty of Science.
During the course of this work, the following will be focused:
- Create access to school result database
- Develop a code to check results using Registration number
- Develop a code to verify existing and non-existing results.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Related Works
The short message service (SMS) is a feature of second generation (2G) mobile technology and it must not be longer than 140/160 alphanumeric characters without images or graphics. It is a relatively simple messaging system supported by Global System for Mobiles (GSM), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) based mobile phone networks. SMS based services are now more attractive to service providers and users as a result of the recent mobile phone use penetration and the large scale adoption of the existing services by users (Bodic,2005). Several SMS based applications have been developed and are used for various purposes in fields such as health, education, business, security monitoring, supply chain management (Yonan Getachew, 2009). Systems such as “MobiRep” have been developed and it bridges the communication gap of reporting and responding to crisis, crime or an emergency. It simply accepts reports in the form of SMS from any mobile phone and can also broadcast bulk SMS to a group. The recipient which in this case would be the police or any other emergency response unit can make use of the broadcasting feature incorporated into the system to take necessary actions such as dispatching resources to handle the distress call or notify people in the neighborhood of imminent danger via SMS alerts.
Mobile Marketing
Many scholars have investigated SMS based systems and their use in real time. They have found that there are different usage of these SMS systems according to the needs of the users in different environments and necessities.
According to Watson, Pitt, and Zinkhan,(2002), Marketing management is the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of goods, services, and ideas to create exchange that satisfy individual and organizational goals. The American marketing Association suggests sequential marketing stages as well as temporal and spatial separation of buyers and sellers. Mobile devices blur these boundaries and distinctions by extending traditional marketing’s time-space paradigm.
According to Global system for mobile management, users send more than 10 billion SMS messages each month. This makes SMS the most popular mobile data applicationb (Cohn, 2001).
In 2002, 580.2 million mobile messaging users sent 430.8 billion SMS’s.
Cell phones let users of all ages easily maintain business and social contact. A key mobile marketing use is advertising, in a push or pull model.
Communication and Administrative Support
According to Naismith, (2007) from the University of Birmingham reported that an e-mail to text message service called Study Link is employed to support Administrative communication in higher education. Text messaging can be “effectively integrated into both the student and staff experience”. Administrative staff members were able to integrate the service into their current means of communicating with students while students were able to effectively receive and act on text messages. Message types include notices of changes and cancellations (e.g., class cancellations), reminders to submit and collect assignments, notices of relevant lectures/activities, individual administration (e.g., warning messages to absentees), instructional messages (e.g., instructions for submitting assignments), and greeting/courteous messages.
According to Pramsane and Sanjaya (2006), development of education services based on short message services. The education information such as the enrollment information, grade release, university announcement, and internship opportunity can be retrieved and/or sent by the students via SMS through a login system. This research points out that administrative support to students via short message services is ideal.
Library Applications
Library services can be improved through SMS-based administrative support. Libraries can reach out and serve students ubiquitously by sending and receiving SMS-based library information. There are a number of areas in library services for which SMS-based messages can be helpful. Basic information alerts such as notices of book reservations, and renewals and overdue reminders are well tailored with this communication medium.
One example is the SMS alert services offered by the Hong Kong Institute of Education (http://www.sicet.org/journals/jetde/jetde09/simon.pdf)
Mobile Ticketing
The mobile ticketing is implemented on smart machine in United Kingdom. The smart machine is a machine which monitors and controls multiple processes utilizing special service providers, delivering to any destination network, independent from the mobile operator. Thus, we can optimize value for money, depending on the content that is provided (e.g. high quality routing for tickets, standard routing for text messages with mere information). This system enables the user to buy ticket for major events like rock concerts and football matches from his mobile phones. The ticketing technology was successfully tried for the first time at the Aston Villa v West Bromwich Albion match on April 10th, 2005.
With the help of this technology, consumers can send an SMS to order their tickets via mobile phone. They then receive a return SMS which has an image with a 2- dimensional matrix-code. This SMS contains details such as the ticket number, the mobile phone number and the seat number. On entering the stadium, the consumers have to hold their mobile phone with this image SMS open, in front of the scanners installed by Smart machine systems at the venue of the event. These scanners validate the users and allow them to enter inside the venue. The consumers are charged for their tickets by the mobile service provider once the 2-D code is scanned at the scanning machines. Figure 1 shows what the 2-D code looks like.
CHAPTER THREE
SYSTEM ANALYSIS AND METHODOLOGY
Input, Process and Output Analysis
Input analysis
The university portal need to provide interface to support human interaction and enable user input with information processes such as filling of forms or responding alerts. These interfaces need to be facilitated quickly and processed efficiently.
The following input forms are involved in a typical university portal system.
Online application form
A student visiting the university portal must have an account in order to access. Information and have a personal workspace. Online forms are provided for registering students for the first time.
This form requires a student to enter his name, user password, department, year of study and e-mail address.
Once the student has applied and filled in this form, the student data is collected at the administrator student data repository and verified. Once done, a login is created for the student and an e-mail is sent to his e-mail address. To complete the registration process, the student must respond to this e-mail address and respond to this e-mail message.
Application input data and all data collected from the student through the html forms shall be stored and recovered through client interface by the portal administrator.
Below is an online application flow diagram
CHAPTER FOUR
SYSTEM DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION
Objective of Design
To demonstrate and prove that the 3rd generation access techniques result in equal and better end-user access experiences as compared to the existing 2nd generation approaches.
Database Design
The developed system has two databases; OzomaSMS and Examination result.
OzomaSMS database records all messages that are received and sent by the OzomaSMS software. It has one table, inbox to store all incoming messages. If SMS message is received, OzomaSMS will interact with the SQL script that has been defined in the system application program. The message and the sender’s mobile number are extracted from the SMS. This is the information that will be inserted into the inbox table. The SMS is inserted into the hp field. This information will then be passed to the system application programs for further processes.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary of Achievements
The aim of this study was to design and implement an SMS based result checking for faculty of science. Analysis was conducted and methodology adopted for the design and implementation of the system. At the end of this work, the following was achieved:
- Develop access to the schools’ result database
- Develop a code to check results using Registration number
- Develop a code to verify existing and non-existing results.
- Get results in SMS format to registered phone numbers.
Though not fully implemented as a result of USSD bottlenecks from GSM service provider, but our objective of getting an SMS formatted result statement has been achieved.
Conclusion
SMS result checking is an innovative approach to examination result checking and it should be widely accepted by universities in addition to existing means like website, email and IVRS.
The number of mobile phone users is daily on the increase, and mobile phones complete our clothing today. The fact that fixed wireless phones, land line phones etc all have the capability to send and receive SMS also makes it a viable option.
Finally, most parents, guardians or sponsors who are not computer literate and not familiar with the use of the internet, will be probably comfortable with sending and receiving SMS. This way, they can request for the results or receive them directly from the school. Also, adopting the PUSH approach with SMS provides an advantage over email because it is immediate. Students would receive the grades almost instantly, unlike emails where they wouldn’t until they check their emails.
Recommendations
From our project limitation, it will be of immense use if:
- Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH) can have a partnership with GSM service providers in order to get a short SMS destination to fully integrate forward and backward delivery.
- Security measures are implemented for a more reliable system.
- MMS-based and SMS-based functionalities be integrated in a single system. This may provide both benefits of MMS and SMS to the users. While a cheaper SMS is a good option for personal use of examination result. MMS on the other hand should be opted for formal transactions.
REFERENCES
- Adagunodo, E. R., Awodele, O. and Ajayi, O. B. (2007). SMS banking services: A 21st century innovation in banking technology. Issues in Informing Science and Information Technology, 4, 227-234. Retrieved from http://proceedings.informingscience.org/InSITE2007/IISITv4p227-234Adag332.pdf
- Anna P. M. P.(2007) SMS-based information portal for Feliciano information system of Jose C. Feliciano College, National Library of the Philippines, Information Technology Division.
- Awodele, O., Adagunodo, E., Akinwale, A., Agbaje , M., & Idowu, S. (2009). An Improved SMS User Interface. Interdisciplinary Journal of Information, Knowledge, and Management , 4, 51-62. . Retrieved August 10, 2010, from www.ijikm.org/Volume4/IJIKMv4p051-062Awodele425.pdf
- Balan R. K. et. al, mFerio (2010): The Design and Evaluation of a Peer-to-Peer Mobile Payment
- System, MobiSys ‘09, 2009. Calsoftlabs. (2010). SMS (Short Message Service). Retrieved, from http://calsoftlabs.com/whitepapers/sms-message.html
- Desi, S. (2008). Check Orissa HSC exam results 2008/Board of Secondary Education. Retrieved
- From http://moviedrive.blogspot.com/2008/06/check-orissa-hsc-exam-results-2008.html
