ONLINE CLEARANCE SYSTEM FOR GRADUATING STUDENTS
ABSTRACT
A clearance is a certificate giving permission to disengage from aninstitution. Final year students who have satisfied the academic requirements to graduate must undergo a clearance process before they disengage from the University. The process of clearing involves the Student’s academic department, Faculty, Bursary, Students Affairs, Library, Hostel, Sport department, Health Centre and Registry (Exams and Records). A student is allowed to collect his/her graduation.
Certificate only after he/she has been cleared for something to be done.
Currently, the student’s clearance process is done manually in Institutions.
The aim of this project is to design and develop an online student’s Clearance system using PHP and MySQL that will eliminate the delays in the manual process and create a central repository for students to be cleared. It will be implemented as a web-based application which will be a central repository for clearing students.
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.0 OVERVIEW
A clearance is a certificate giving permission to disengage from aninstitution. Final year students who have satisfied the academic requirements to graduate must undergo a clearance process before they disengage from the University. The process of clearing involves the Student’s academic department, Faculty, Bursary, Students Affairs, Library, Hostel, Sport department, Health Centre and Registry (Exams and Records). A student is allowed to collect his/her graduationCertificate only after he/she has been cleared for something to be done.
Currently, the student’s clearance process is done manually in Institutions.
The aim of this project is to design and develop an online student’s Clearance system using PHP and MySQL that will eliminate the delays in the manual process and create a central repository for students to be cleared. It will be implemented as a web-based application which will be a central repository for clearing students. The main modules of clearance system are Main Module, Clearance Registration, Cleared/ Not Cleared and Administer. The user is created and managed by the SystemsAdministrator using the Administer module.
1.2 Statement of Problem
In this institution where there is an increase in the number of Graduating Students, the problem of manually documenting and keeping track of student graduating will challenge this project work seeks to address it as it becomes very alarming when there is a change in management
1.3 AIM AND OBJECTIVES
The objective of this computer software based online clearance system for the graduating student includes the following:
1. To effectively and efficiently process students clearance.
2. To provide a reliable and transparent system devoid of personal Inclination and interest.
3. To ensure prompt clearance.
4. Better record keeping.
1.4 SCOPE OF STUDY
The need to develop an online clearance system for documenting, fast and better record keeping using the Federal University of Petroleum and Resources as a case study, Delta State, Nigeria.
1.5 LIMITATIONS
This project covers some of the aspect of a computer software
based Online clearance system using Caritas University as case study.
However the following are the constraints:
TIME CONSTRAINTS: Due to time constrain the web-page covers only clearance for various departments by the graduating student.
FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS: Due financial constraints peoplecannot afford this kind of process online especially towards the cost of accessing the internet. Therefore, it would cost a lot to develop a full web-based clearance system. Some documents were considered
confidential and were not made available.
1.6 DEFINITION OF TERMS
Computer Network: Computer network is a system that connects two or more computers together using a communication link.
World Wide Web: World Wide Web simply called “www” is the most important tool of the internet, it was created in the late 1980’s in Europe and was limitedly use in academics cycle.
Clearances: official certification of blamelessness trustworthiness or suitability for graduation and issue of certificate in degree course.
File Transfer: Any kind of computer file can be sent via the internet from one internet user to another. Table of account in a spreadsheet, design by a graphic artist, music and sound files etc. Can all be exchanged in this way?
Web Browser: this is special kind of software that processes Hypertext mark-up language (HTML) document. In other words, a Web browser is a computer program that interprets HTML command to collect, arranged and display the parts of a web page.
Web Site: A web site is a collection of many interconnected web page organized by a specific college, organization company etc., containing web page (goods and commodities) on the internet. Web site is stored on web servers. There are many web sites and thousands of HTML pages on each web site. A web is a treasure of information and entertainment.
Hyperlinks: Hyperlinks are highlighted words and phrase you find on a web document that you can click on as to jump to some other document or internet services.
Online: connected via a computer attached to or available via a central computer network
Offline: Disconnected from computer network, describes a Computer terminal or peripheral devices disconnected from a computernetwork.
System: Set of computer components that is, an assembling ofhardware, software and peripheral functioning together.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 ROLE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN THE ACADEMIC SYSTEM
The introduction of computer into information technology has massively improved the information needs of organization; the success of this machine is dependent on the knowledge base. Therefore, one can beprompted to as aloud “what is a computer?”
Funk (1980) defined a computer; as an electronic device that can perform automatically at a high speed of a sequence of logical operations according to instructions giving to it inform of pre-arranged program.
Anigbogu (2000) define a computer; as an electronic device capable of accepting data and instruction; process the data base on the instruction to generate result or output in such a manner that is yet to be equaled by any other known machine to mankind.
Chimezie (1990) define computer by saying that computers are looked upon as obedient servants who are ever ready to free man from tedious procedures and produce result as compared with human computing time.
Obilikwu (1995) define a computer as a machine that is capable of accepting input data, store and process the data base on the instructions giving by the computer users and in this way produce expected result, generally called output. World net describes an information system (I.S) as systems consisting of all communication channels used within an organization and include software and hardware. It may also be define as a system that collect and process data (information) and provide it to manager of all levels that use it for decision making, planning, program implementation and control.
The aim of information system to admission, registration, result processing and clearance in universities using computer software based online clearance system is to improve the quality andaccuracy of information provided to all involved as well as assisting universities in compiling and reporting information, making work lesser for the management.
Information technology has beenan integral part of academic system since almost four decades.
According to Hewlet (1993) the world is entering an era in which technology will literally transform every aspect of business, every aspect of life and every aspect of society. Since the arrival of internet technology, school system has taken a new shape style with a blendof convenienceand satisfaction.
Taylor (1980) says that computer base education includes both computer-assisted instruction programs that interact with students in a dialogue and a broader array of educational computer applications such as simulations or instructions in computer programming. Learning from a student bedroom, office or anywhere in the world has made its way into
university system with the advent of internet technology.
Information technology hasalways helpedthe university system to educate student in better way. To explain few examples, Student online clearance is a method where the student obtains his/her clearance letter without carrying files around. This issafe, fast and has no hazels.
Filling out the documents and comparing options and writing for approval is a time consuming process. Through the internet, this process is made much easier and sometimes the approval is made within minutes. This explains anefficient way of obtaining clearance and saves time and money for students.
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