Design and Implementation of an E-Registration System in Tertiary Institutions
Chapter One
Objectives of the Study
The major objective of this project will be concentrated towards the development of software that will help in removing the problems encountered with student’s manual method of registration. That is to say, the general objective of the study is to develop e-registration software.
The specific objectives include;
- To collect the detail record of students.
- To create a database for the students.
- To create an online transaction processing system for the payment of fees by students and generation of receipts.
- To create an easy to use friendly user interface.
CHAPTER TWO
Literature Review
Meaning of Registration
Registration is the process by which the NIBTT records specific data in respect of employers and employees and issues a unique registration number, which positively identifies one entity from another or one insured person from another.(The national insurance board of Trinidad and Tobago)
Registration is a method of officially recording something. Usually something is registered to claim more rights, or to protect ownership, or because law says it must be registered to be used legally. Based on the definition, a registration system is an application which a certain individual can record his or her data or information, which is commonly used in different companies, schools etc. (www.studymode.com)
Registration is the act or process of registering or of being registered. It also can be said to be the act or process of entering names on an official list. (Oxford dictionary)
Examples of registration
- Vehicle registration
This is the usual compulsory registration of a vehicle with a government authority. Vehicle registrations purpose is to establish clear ownership and to tax motorists or vehicle owners. While almost all vehicles are uniquely identified by a vehicle identification number only registered vehicles display a vehicle registration plate and carry a vehicle registration certificate.
- Birth registration
This is the official record of a child’s birth by the administration of the state. It establishes a child’s legal identity. A birth certificate can refer to either the original document certifying the circumstances of the birth or representation of the ensuing registration of that birth. Depending on the jurisdiction, a record of birth might or might not contain verification of the event by such as a midwife or doctor.
- Voter’s registration
This is the requirement in some democracies for citizens and residents to check in with some central registry specifically for the purpose of being allowed to vote in elections. Systems of voter registration vary widely from country to country, and sometimes from locality to locality. In some, voters are automatically added to the rolls when they reach legal voting age. In others, potential voters are required to apply to be added to the rolls.
- Business registration
This is a register of enterprise or establishments involved in foreign direct investment (FDI), which is maintained by countries to assist in the compilation of their direct investment data. In business registration a license permit is issued by government agencies that allow individuals or companies to conduct business within the government geographical jurisdiction. (http:en.wikipedia.org/wiki)
2.1.2 The Importance of Registration
- Registration helps to provide an opportunity to identify the eligible person; In the case of voters registration a person must be legally registered to vote in his or her jurisdiction in order to vote in federal election. Registration help prevent the case of having minorities coming to vote. Therefore with registration it is easy to identify the eligible person to cast a vote.
- Registration helps to reduce fraud and manipulation; Information technology has gone a long way to help with the dealing of fraudsters. Example a vehicle registration is been done online and is keyed into the FRSC system database thereby limiting the rate of data or information manipulation and fraud.
- Registration reduces the risk of criminal or terrorist activities; Sim card registration which involves the registering of individual data/details will help reduce terrorist activities. With the help of the telecommunication vendors security parastatal can listen to terrorists call to get information about any of their activities. With registration, criminal activities will be minimized like impersonating a person or a group.
- Registration reduces informal business activities; Informal business activities involve the paid production and sales of goods or services which are unregistered by or hidden from the state, for tax and/or benefit purposes. There are businesses that simply choose to trade illegally: deliberately evading tax, refusing to meet statutory requirements and selling unlawful goods or services. With registration and licensing it means that the organization has met with the requirement of operating a good business activity.
- Registration helps with the history of the company’s operations; with registration details of the company’s operations will be saved in a database for referential purposes.
CHAPTER THREE
Methodology and System Analysis
Methodology
Methodology is defined as a framework that is used to structure, plan, and control the process of developing an information system. It is used to refer to a specific series of steps, methods, techniques and procedures which governs the collection, analysis and design of a particular project. In the dynamic world, the subject methodology, system analysis and design mainly deals with the software development activities (Uba, 2011).
A design methodology is a systematic programming approach of well-defined procedure that should be followed in carrying out a thorough design project or defined as the analysis of the principles of methods, rules and postulates employed by a discipline. An adequately suitable methodology would ensure a very detailed design work and ensure that a higher degree of accuracy and efficiency is adopted. The design methodology used helps to ensure that a thorough study of the present system is carried out, thus helping the project designer to completely understand the modus operandi of the present existing system so as to know how the new system should be structured and the functionalities needed in it to address the seemingly, existing problems discovered. This helps to know if there should be a perfective maintenance of the existing system or if only improvement (preventive maintenance) should be made.
Common methodologies include;
Structured Systems Analysis and Design (SSADM) methodology;
Structured Systems Analysis and Design Methodology (SSADM) is an integrated set of standards which guides the analysis and design of computer systems. SSADM is a waterfall method for the analysis and design of the information system.
SSADM can be thought to represent a pinnacle of the rigorous document led approach to system design and contrasts with more contemporary agile methods such as DSDM or Scrum.
Object oriented Analysis and Design (OOADM) methodology
The object oriented approach looks at a system from a bottom-up view. It combines data and processes (methods) into objects. Within an information system, objects could be customers, suppliers, contracts, and rental agreements. A set of diagrams or models is used to represent various views and functionality of the system and is commonly known as Unified Modeling Language (UML). The goal of OOAD is to improve system quality and productivity of systems analysis and design by making it more usable.
Extreme programming (XP)
XP is a software development discipline that organizes people to produce higher quality software more productively.
XP attempts to reduce the cost of changes in requirements by having multiple short development cycles, rather than a long one.
XP describes four basic activities within the software development process which are; coding, testing, listening, and designing.
Dynamic systems development method (DSDM)
DSDM is an agile project deliver framework primarily used as software development method.
DSDM fixes cost, quality and time at the outset and uses the MoSCoW prioritization of scope into musts, should, could and won’t haves to adjust the project deliverable to meet the stated time constraint.
DSDM addresses the most common failures of information systems projects, including exceeding budgets, missing deadlines, and lack of user involvement and top management commitment.
DSDM focuses on information systems project that are characterized by tight schedules and budgets.
CHAPTER FOUR
System Design and Implementation
Design Standards
This new system is structured to work with the standard software development procedure. In order to achieve effective E-registration system, Object Oriented Analysis and Design Methodology (OOADM) were used. This is because OOADM is an internationally accepted software engineering model mainly used in most web based analysis and design.
CHAPTER FIVE
Summary, Conclusion and Recommendations
Summary
This project work focuses on the use of computer system with reference to student’s registration in Imo State Polytechnic Umuagwo.
The work covers the manual system of operations as regards to the problems identified, stating the aims of the new system, stating the various specifications and then implementing the programs. The work was successfully developed using PHP, Java scripting, a user- friendly programming language, and the package was tested and improved upon which yielded an E-registration system.
The project work cannot be said to be perfect, but however, its benefits cannot be overemphasized. It has led to the improvement in the speed of processing operation, efficiency, accuracy and improved storage of data.
Conclusion
Technology, organization and people must cooperate and support one another to optimize the performance of the entire system. Integrating the role of information systems in the registration process of students helps to identify, correct defects, problems, and inefficiencies. In this way, an institution can monitor as well as address its student’s complaints and develop quality improvement solutions that will increase client satisfaction. This proposed system if implemented will allow students to register remotely without having to be physically present on campus. This would be a huge improvement in service to students as well as cutting off cost for the polytechnic.
Realizing a project of this nature is very exciting. However, the students encounter a lot a problem which I believe if looked into, will go a long way toward reducing the tension associated with the design implementation and construction of the project.
In spite of the constraints encountered during the implementation of this project, the aim of my project is well accomplished. Moreover, an attempt to accomplish this project has taken care of the delay of registration and that of registration number. This has also forced me to learn, practically, what is involved in the design and implementation or computerization of project (existing or non-existing).
Finally, the university system and indeed the department of Information Management Technology for this project inclusion as a course that must be taken by graduating students it is a step in the right direction to withstand the future challenges in computing in companies, industries, institutions and the world at large.
Recommendation
Based on the achieved objective of this project and the experiences gained during its designed and implementation, there is need to make the following recommendations for future improvement.
- Students should be exposed to serious practical exercise during the course of their studies. In this regard, the students of Information Management Technology department should be made to write at least a working program with veritable results before graduating.
- Tertiary institutions should computerize their E-registration system for greater efficiency, neatness, and reliability. This will go a long way to save the student all the trouble they go through trying to get their register one form or the other.
- Another important suggestion is financial support. Government and agencies should come to the aid of the student carrying out such project work as this financially. This can only be possible if the school will link the student to such agencies and governmental institutions.
- Finally, the students’ project should be closely supervised and monitored to achieve more success.
References
- Adeyegbe, (2007). 2 Years of E-Registration: Keeping Pace with IT Revolution in Testing: The WAEC Experience Available at http://www.iaea.info/documents/paper_1162a16530.pdf (January 13, 2013)
- Anigbogu G. (2000). Systematic Planning for Educational Change, California: Mayfield publishing company.
- Brakel, P.V. (2003). Information Portals: A strategy for importing external content, Electronic Library, Vol. 21 ISS: 6, pp. 591-600
- Behrouz A. Forouzan (2001), Data Communications and Networking. Published by McGraw-Hill Education (ISE Editions) 01/02/2001
- Cao, Xiaobing and Brodnick, R. (2002) what social factors affect students use of online registration: an exploratory study, Association for Institutional Research 42nd Annual forum, June. Toronto, Canada.
