Design And Implementation Of A Result Processing And Transcript Generation System

INTRODUCTION
1.1 INTRODUCTION
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.
In educational institutions, the result produced information the management about the performance of each student in various courses. These results obtained are used to check the student’s level of understanding in the entire subject taught. In the course of this research, an intensive investigation was carried out on how physics and industrial physics department performs its result computation and transcript generation. From my findings, it appears that the current method adopted needs improvement. Introduction of computer in the system will do the much required magic in result computation. Structured system analysis and design methodology were applied to arrive to the development of the new system. Also, visual BASIC programming language 6.0 will be used to develop the required software

1.2 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
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 to generate transcripts whenever the need arises.

To achieve this in higher institutions, it involves the registration of courses and students personal data examination scores, computation of result, transcript generation, records up dating and so on. However, the problem is how to carry out the theses 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 THE PROBLEM
The students result processing and transcript generation are done manually in physics and industrial physics long before now. The manual method of result processing and transcript generation from my investigation has many problems among which are:-
DELAY:- This occurs due to the tediousness of manual result processing and transcript generation. This gets so much at times that some students try to bribe their way out.
MISSING RESULTS:- This happens as a result or carrying about of files from one place to another. Some results may be lost in this process.
MISCALULATIONS:- Human beings are proned to errors sometimes, during result computation, wrong formulae might be entered on the calculator, which give wrong answers but for computerized result, formulae are stored in the computer’s memory. This can be referred to whenever needed.
DUPLICATION OF RESULTS:- Due to the tiredness of the operator, a result can be duplicated since he/she has no strength to trace the student’s data such as registration number.
OMISSION I.E INCOMPLETE RESULTS: once these results have been documented on paper, one finds it difficult and tiresome to edit so as to cancel out some errors such as wrong entries omissions etc. when these corrections are effected, the resulting document are not often very neat and pleasant to the eyes. This also makes the transcript untidy since those corrections will also be affected on it.

1.4 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
In this work, the primary objective is to computerize the result processing and transcript generation of computer science department federal polytechnic Nekede, Owerri. Also, only authorized user(s) gain access to the result. This is achieved by introducing password to protect and limit access to students result.

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY
Research carried out in computer science department shows that results are still being processes manually as well as transcript generation. This leads to various problems, which include;
• Insecurity of results
• Duplication of results
• Loss of results when files are being carried around.
• Wrong calculations during computation
• Omission of result.
• This project work will achieve the following:-
• Increase in efficiency
• Easy detection and correction of errors
• Reduce pressure of work on exam officers
• Makes computation less labour intensive. Hence, the need for computerization of result processing and transcript generation for physics department cannot be over emphasized.

1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This project work covers the registration of courses and the recording of student examination scores as well as processing the scores in order to general result and finally generate the transcript for the department of computer science, federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri.

1.7 LIMITATION OF STUDY
This project was faced with a number of restricting factors which made the work impossible to get beyond this scope. The most pressing factors were.
i. lack of finance
ii. epileptic power supply
iii. inadequate supply of data
iv. Inadequate time for the project work.

1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS
SOFTWARE:- These are set of logically related instructions given to the computer to perform some specific tasks.
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.

GRADE POINT (GP):- this is the corresponding points 0.00 to 5.00 of the grade letters F-A respectively.

GRADE POINT AVERAGE (GPA):- this is the point in which the academic performance of a student is measure at the end of every semester. It has the maximum value of 5.00 and minimum 0.00. It can be calculated thus: GPA- Sum of quality points/total credit unit for all course registered in the semester.

CUMULATIVE GRADE POINT AVERAGE (GPA)
This is the measure of the students overall academic performance at any given time in his academic program. It is normally calculated at the end of the session.
It is calculated thus:
CGPA = GPA first semester + GPA second semester/total credit unit for first semester + total credit unit for second semester.

FINAL CUMULATIVE GRADE POINT AVERAGE (FCGPA)
This is the measure of the students overall academic performance at the end of his /her academic program.