ONLINE STUDENT MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM, USING SCIENCE LABORATORY TECHNOLOGY (SLT) DEPARTMENT OF AKWA IBOM STATE COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE AS A CASE STUDY
CHAPTER ONE
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
1.0 INTRODUCTION
An online or web-based system is a system that runs on the internet platform. Changes in Information Technology (IT) allow schools to utilize databases and applications such as Online Student Information System (OSIS) thus, making the accessing of records centralized. One of the changes that came about is the online based applications. These applications improved the traditional transaction processing systems. Thus, most institutions switch to the online based system because of its effectiveness to acquire, process, store and retrieve information from the Internet. Moreover, the system guarantees easy access to all students’ information. an online student management information system facilitates easy access to needed student information from any location.
An information system (IS) is any combination of information technology and people’s activities that support operations, management and decision making. In a very broad sense, the term information system is frequently used to refer to the interaction between people, processes, data and technology. In this sense, the term is used to refer not only to the information and communication technology (ICT) that an organization uses, but also to the way in which people interact with this technology in support of business processes. (Coy, 2004).
Silver et al. (1995) opined that there are two views on (IS) and IS-centered view that includes software, hardware, data, people, and procedures. A second managerial view includes people, business processes and Information Systems. There are various types of information systems, for example: transaction processing systems, office systems, decision support systems, knowledge management systems, database management systems, and office information systems. Critical to most information systems are information technologies, which are typically designed to enable humans to perform tasks for which the human brain is not well suited, such as: handling large amounts of information, performing complex calculations, and controlling many simultaneous processes.
In an institution for instance, there is need to record information pertaining to members of the institution especially the students so that it will be easy to retrieve needed information instantly without stress. A student information system is a software system that enables the data of students to be recorded such that it will be easy to obtain needed information pertaining to any particular student or group of students. The system can also be viewed as a database system that enables capturing of large amounts of students record to facilitate manipulation by the administrator in charge. For example, every student has a unique registration number which stands as the primary key. In an information system it will be very easy to obtain the record of any student just by querying the database based on the primary key or registration ID of the student.
Management of institutions and organizations are in need of instant information so as to enable them speed up business operations considering the limited resource of time. Implementation of an online student management information system is a step in the right direction to easily manage students information.
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1.1 Background of the Study
Akwa Ibom State College of Arts and Science, Nung Ukim Ikono, initially known as Akwa Ibom State School of Remedial Studies opened for classes on 17th November, 1997 with an intake of 150 students. Primarily, it was established by the Government of Akwa Ibom Akwa Ibom State College of Arts and Science, Nung Ukim Ikono, especially the Universities. The Akwa Ibom State College of Arts and Science is located in Nung Ukim, Ikono Local Government Area and has a land mass of 100 acres which was freely donated for citing Ikono Peoples High School in 1972 which is at present, the property of Akwa Ibom State College of Arts and Science. This favourable location draws the school far away from the effects of social pollution which adversely affected and led to the closure of the defunct School of Arts and Science. The Governing Council is led by the very respected Dr. Okon Dan Umoh. The Mission of the institution is to promote through teaching, research or otherwise, the advancement of knowledge and practical application to the needs of the community, state and the nation at large and the Vision of the institution is to act as a pivotal structure in leveraging synergy with the community so that the Institution could work transparently and achieve more with less in the attainment of its corporate responsibilities.
 1.2 Statement of Problem
Many institutions do not have an online student management information system that facilitates the capturing, storage and retrieval of relevant information pertaining to its students. The traditional flat file organization is still in use and it is inefficient as it takes time to locate any needed file. The problem is worse if the information needed was recorded years back. Also, it is difficult for management to get needed information instantly thereby delaying the decision making process that is based on the information needed. They have failed to see the benefits of utilizing the computer system despite its advantages. It is in view of these challenges that this research work is carried out to design and implement a student information system.
1.3 Aim and Objectives of the Study
The aim of the study is to design and implement an online student management information system that will facilitate the capturing, storage and retrieval of student information online.
The following are the specific objectives of the study:
- To develop a system that can be used to upload student information online.
- To implement a system that will facilitate easy verification of student information online.
- To implement a system that will enable the administrators to view and query records of students online.
1.4 Scope of the study
This study covers Online student management information system, using Science Laboratory Technology (SLT) department of Akwa Ibom State College of Arts and Science as a case study.
1.5 Limitations of the study
