Chapter 4

DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

The Existing Process in Managing Student’s Grades of NLPSC

First paragraph... state the data gathering technique used to

understand the process.. kung interview, sino-sino mga ininterview mo?

State their name and position. Kung document analysis, anong

documents at ano laman ng document.

The process is shown in Figure 4.1

Move the flowchart here.. then followed by discussion

State the rule of the due date for grade submission, ano gamit nila,

may form ba? What is being used to compute grades, excel? May formula

ba or transmutation table? Then, kanino isinasubmit, ilang kopya... does

it also form part of clearance per end of semester? Every faculty member

submits duly signed grade sheets and using prescribed template at the

Registrar’s Office within the prescribed period in the Academic Calendar.

Faculty members who failed to meet the deadline for the

submission of the grade sheet should be reported by the Registrar to

appropriate authorities of the college.

The grade sheets shall contain an alphabetically listing of name of

students.

For subjects with students coming from different colleges/course,

students shall be group according to college/courses in the grade sheet

to be submitted to the Registrar’s office.

 For faculty shall make correct entry of names of students and do

the necessary entry for the completion of grades in his/her grade sheet

using the prescribed template within the specified period of time, aside

from the completion form being submitted.

Inquire again
next time
Is grade
available?

No
A
No

Yes Is grade Inquire grade to

available?
the Instructor

Get grade
 Figure 4.1. Flowchart of the student grade inquiry

Features of the Online Grading System of NLPSC.

The online grading system for North Luzon Philippines State

College is designed to assist the teachers to automate the computation

and submission of grades. It also serves as the gateway for the students

and their parents to get updates about their academic ratings.

The developed online grading system is described with the

following features:

User-Friendly Design. Bollini (2017) highlighted the relationship

between aesthetics and functionalities in design. She argued that a

visually appealing user interface design contributes to the effectiveness

and efficiency of the whole information system. This is motioned by the

usability heuristics suggested by Jakob Nielsen of which he stated that

the visual language, which includes hierarchy, space, alignment, colors,

typography, creates a well-organized and pleasant interface that

supports the users in building a strong mental model and cognitive

comprehension of the structure. The aesthetic provides the users a clear

and enjoyable experience.

Plate 1 shows the homepage of the developed system.

Plate 4.1 Homepage of the Developed System

The design of the developed online grading system has been

patterned in accordance to Nielsen’s (2014) 10 heuristics for user

interface design.
 Security. This feature ensures the integrity of data in the system,

permitting only the authorized users to log into the system, as shown in

Plate 4.2.

Plate 4.2 System Login

The system has four (4) access levels namely: administrator, teacher,

student, and parent. The administrator provides the login credentials for

the teachers, student, and parent. By default, the set username and

password are their school identification number. Plate 2 shows the login

form of the system.

Grade Viewing for the Students. One of the concerns of the

students of the NLPSC is the tracking of their grades. They would want to

be updated if the final grade of their subject in a semester has been

submitted. In the existing process, the only way to ask for this is through

inquiry at the Registrar’s Office. To help solve this problem, by using the

system, students can view their grades. Plate 3 shows the grade viewing

panel of the system.

 Plate 4.3 Student Grade Viewing

Data Entry. The Commission on Higher Education has implemented

the Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) system in which the teaching

focus is on the achievement of goals or objectives specified for each

subject. OBE entails the academic freedom of the teacher in executing

tasks to achieve the goals of the subject. The teacher gets to decide how

many quizzes he has to give as well as the number of activities he needs

to conduct. The data entry is shown in Plate 4.4

Plate 4.4 Setting up the Grade Sheet for the Subject

 The developed online grading system adopts the process of the

academic freedom setting. Using the system, the teacher can input a

number of assessment types he plans to conduct as long as the total

percentage of the assessments equals to 100%. It is on this screen where

the teacher sets up the grade sheet for the specific subject. In here, the

teacher chooses the assessment type and inputs its respective weight

percentage.

Repository and Automatic Computation of Grades. Ten teachers of

the NLPSC have been interviewed to help identify the features of the

proposed system. Among them, eight (8) had stated that they are having

difficulties in keeping all of their grade sheets (encoded in the Excel

software) in one place. Moreover, all of the interviewees agreed that they

are always worried that their devices may malfunction and there will be

no other way to access their grade sheets once they needed these.

To help solve this concern, the developed online grading system

serves as a repository of the grade sheets of the teachers. Also, the

developed system can automatically compute for the final grade of the

students. Plate 4.5 shows the pane where the teachers get to view his

grade sheets for the specified semester.

 Plate 4.5 Grade Sheets Listing for the Specified Semester

Consequently, Plate 4.6 shows the individual record of a student in

a certain subject as contained in the grade sheet. In this pane, the

teacher can execute one of the three actions: 1) finalize the computed

raw grade; 2) mark the student dropped in the subject; and, 3) mark the

student incomplete in the subject. These remarks will be reflected into

the grades viewing of the student and their parent.

Plate 4.6 Individual Subject Record for the Student

 Report Generation. In almost every information system, the report

generation is one of the most essential features. The reports which can

be generated by the system must be reliable and efficient.

The developed online grading system generates reports patterned

to the format used by the College. Plate 4.6 shows the class record

generated by the developed system.

Plate 4.7 Class Record (SAMPLE ONLY)

Student Monitoring for the Administrator. The research of Karim

(2011) highlighted the importance of a management information system.

He emphasized that information system is the key factor to facilitate and

attain efficient decision making in an organization.

In the NLPSC setting, appraisal sheets are used in support for the

decisions to be made as to the subjects the student can enroll to. Also, it

can determine the academic credentials of the students; indicating the

incomplete, dropped, failed and passed subjects. In the existing process,

the appraisal sheets of the students of the College are kept in bulk

folders in which searching is a tedious and time-consuming task.

To help eradicate this problem, the developed system allows the

administrators to view the appraisal of the students. Plate 4.8 shows the

student monitoring page accessible by the administrators. The page

displays the grade of the student per semester. It also shows the subject

statistics of the student based on the count of passed, failed, incomplete

and dropped subjects.

Plate 4.8 Student Monitoring accessed by the Administrator

Curriculum Appraisal for the Students. Another concern of the

students is on their appraisal sheet. They would want to get on track of

their curriculum standing even without physically inquiring at their

respective program chairperson or at the Registrar’s Office of which is the

only process available as of the moment. The aim of a computerized

information system is to create connectivity among the users to lessen

physical occurrences which is most of the time expensive and

unproductive.

The developed online grading system caters the appraisal of the

students. Using the system, the student can view the list of subjects as

contained in the course curriculum. Plate 4.9 shows the appraisal page

viewing of the student.

Plate 4.9 Appraisal Sheet of the Student

Level of acceptability of the Online Grading System of NLPSC.

 In systems development, an acceptance test was performed to

determine whether the system fulfills user requirements, the developer

conducted a survey to the Faculty and Student.

Functional Suitability. This characteristic represents the degree

to which the system provides functions that meet stated and implied

needs when used under specified conditions.

Table 4.1 System Evaluation According to Functional Suitability

Functional Suitability Mean Interpretation
1. The set of functions covers all the specified
Agree
tasks and user objectives. 4.24
2. The functions provides the correct results
Agree
with the needed degree of precision. 4.33
3. The functions facilitate the
accomplishment of specified tasks and Agree
objectives. 4.33
Weighted Mean 4.30 Agree
Legend: 3.51-4.50- Agree, 4.51-5.00- Strongly Agree

Table 4.1 shows that the functional correctness and functional

appropriateness of the NLPSC OGS has a mean of 4.33. This implies that

the system has behaviour and generates the results desired by the user.

Performance Efficiency. This characteristic represents the

performance relative to the amount of resources used under stated

conditions (ISO/IEC 25000).

Table 4.2 System Evaluation According to Performance Efficiency

Performance Efficiency Mean Interpretation
1. The response and processing times and
throughput rates of the system, when
Agree
performing its functions, meet
requirements. 4.14
2. The amounts and types of resources used 4.24 Agree
 by the system, when performing its
functions, meet requirements.
3. The maximum limits of the system,
Agree
parameter meet requirements. 4.19
Weighted Mean 4.19 Agree
Legend: 3.51-4.50- Agree, 4.51-5.00- Strongly Agree

It can be gleaned on table 4.2, that the evaluators agreed (4.24) on

the amounts and types of resources used by the system, when

performing its functions, meet requirements. Thus, the NLPSC OGS is

stable and it performs well.

Usability. The system can be used by specified users to achieve

specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in a specified

context of use. It focuses on measuring a human-made capacity to meet

its intended purpose.

Table 4.3 System Evaluation According to Usability

Usability Mean Interpretation
1. Users can recognize whether the system is
Agree
appropriate for their needs. 4.33
2. System enables the user to learn how to
use it with effectiveness, efficiency in Agree
emergency situations. 4.19
3. System is easy to operate, control and
Agree
appropriate to use. 4.19
4. System protects users against making
Agree
errors. 4.19
5. User interface enables pleasing and
Agree
satisfying interaction for the user. 4.29
6. System can be used by people with the
widest range of characteristics and
Strongly Agree
capabilities to achieve a specified goal in a
specified context of use. 4.52
Weighted Mean 4.29 Agree
Legend: 3.51-4.50- Agree, 4.51-5.00- Strongly Agree
 Table 4.3 revealed that the system can be used by people with the

widest range of characteristics and capabilities to achieve a specified goal

in a specified context of use with the mean of 4.52 (strongly agree). This

implies that the target user easily become familiar with and competent

in using the user interface during the first contact with the NLPSC OGS.

Reliability. The system and its component performs specified

functions under specified conditions for a specified period of time.

Table 4.4 System Evaluation According to Reliability

Reliability Mean Interpretation
1. System or component meets needs for
Agree
reliability under normal operation. 4.14
2. System is operational and accessible when
Agree
required for use. 4.38
3. System or component operates as
intended despite the presence of hardware Agree
or software faults. 4.24
4. In the event of an interruption or a failure,
the system can recover the data directly
Agree
affected and re-establish the desired state
of the system. 4.10
Weighted Mean 4.21 Agree
Legend: 3.51-4.50- Agree, 4.51-5.00- Strongly Agree

Table 4.4 show that the system is operational and accessible when

required for use with a mean of 4.38. This implies that the system

satisfactorily perform the task for which it was designed or intended, for

a specified time and in a specified environment.

Security. It is degree to which a system protects information and

data so that users have the degree of data access appropriate to their

types and levels of authorization.

Table 4.5 System Evaluation According to Security
Security Mean Interpretation
1. The prototype ensures that data are
accessible only to those authorized to have Agree
access 4.14
2. System or component prevents
unauthorized access to, or modification of, Agree
computer programs or data. 4.19
3. Actions or events can be proven to have
taken place, so that the events or actions Agree
cannot be repudiated later. 4.48
4. The actions of an entity can be traced
Agree
uniquely to the entity. 4.24
5. The identity of a subject or resource can
Agree
be proved to be the one claimed. 4.33
Weighted Mean 4.28 Agree
Legend: 3.51-4.50- Agree, 4.51-5.00- Strongly Agree

The study revealed that the evaluators of the Research Repository

for NLPSC agreed (4.48) on the actions or events can be proven to have

taken place, so that the events or actions cannot be repudiated later. The

evaluators agreed that the system possesses a characteristic which is

Non-repudiation. The system used multiple approaches, such as

capturing information and other data about the grades of students that

collectively would be difficult to repudiate.

Portability. It is the amount of effectiveness and efficiency with

which a system, can be transferred from one hardware, software or other

operational or usage environment to another.

Table 4.6 System Evaluation According to Portability

Portability Mean Interpretation
1. System can effectively and efficiently be
adapted for different or evolving hardware,
Agree
software or other operational or usage
environments. 4.33
2. System can be successfully installed 4.14 Agree
 and/or uninstalled in a specified
environment.
3. The product can replace another specified
software product for the same purpose in Agree
the same environment. 4.14
Weighted Mean 4.21 Agree
Legend: 3.51-4.50- Agree, 4.51-5.00- Strongly Agree

The evaluators rated the system portability to agree. This implies

that the system has a set of attributes that bear on the ability of NLPSC

OGS to be transferred from one environment to another.

Table 4.7. Summary of the Evaluated Test

Indicators Mean Interpretation
Functional Suitability 4.30 Agree
Performance Efficiency 4.19 Agree
Usability 4.29 Agree
Reliability 4.21 Agree
Security 4.28 Agree
Portability 4.21 Agree
Weighted Mean 4.25 Agree
Legend: 3.51-4.50- Agree, 4.51-5.00- Strongly Agree

The system obtained an overall mean of 4.25 as shown in table

4.7, which means that the respondents agreed on functional suitability,

performance efficiency, usability, reliability, security, portability of the

NLPSC OGS. The Faculty, Staff and Student where overwhelmed in

experiencing this kind of grading system.

 Chapter 5

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Summary

This study entitled “North Luzon Philippines State College Online

Grading System” automate the submission of grades of instructors, grade

management and inquiry of students grades.

Specifically, it addressed the following objectives: (1) to describe

the processes in managing student’s grades in NLPSC; (2) to describe the

features of the OGS of NLPSC; (3) to test the acceptability of the OGS of

NLPSC.

Data were gathered through observation, interviews with the

respondents, study of projects existing on the Internet, and library and

Internet research.

The essential basis of developing the study is the challenge for the

researcher to look for the right material in the library. During the course
of the research, opportunities were discovered as to having a consortium

of the thesis manuscript in NLPSC.

The features of the system were derived based on the literatures

cited and the data extracted from the interview. Thus, the features of the

system are security, user friendly design, grade viewing for students,

academic freedom, repository and automatic computation of grades,

reliable report generation, student monitoring for the administration and

curriculum appraisal for the student. Functional suitability, performance

efficiency, usability, reliability, security, portability and usability were

attributes that’s integrated in the development of the North Luzon

Philippines State College Online Grading System.

Conclusions

The following are the conclusions of this research study:

1. There is a manual system of managing the grades of the students

which ready for automation.

2. The system reduces tedious work of capturing, storing, viewing

and updating grades of grades.

3. The system is functional, easy to maintain, reliable, useful, and

efficient.

Recommendations

Based on the findings and conclusions presented, the developer

recommends the following essentials for the implementation of the

system.
1. The Registrar should impose a policy on the submission of grades.

2. The developed Grading system should be adapted, implemented,

installed and operational.

3. Further enhancement should be made to ensure continuous

development of the study.