DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A RESULT PROCESSING AND TRANSCRIPT GENERATION SYSTEM

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

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.

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.

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 resul