DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF AN

ONLINE STUDENTS’ GRADE POINT (GP)

CALCULATOR.
(case study of Imo State Polytechnic, Umuagwo-Ohaji).

By

HND/CST/2010/43575

A PROJECT SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF

COMPUTER SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY, SCHOOL OF
NATURAL AND APPLIED SCIENCE, IMO STATE
POLYTECHNIC, UMUAGWO – OHAJI.
IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF HIGHER
NATIONAL DIPLOMA (HND) IN COMPUTER
SCIENCE.

OCTOBER, 2012.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Cover Page
Certification i
Dedication ii
Acknowledgement iii
Abstract iv

CHAPTER ONE
1.0 Introduction 1
1.1 Background of study 3
1.2 Statement of problem 5
1.3 Objective of study 6
1.4 Scope of study 7
1.5 Limitation of study 8
1.6 Significance of the study 9
1.7 Definition of related terms 10

CHAPTER TWO
2.0 Literature review 12
2.1 Definition of an Online Students’ Grade Point Calculator 15
2.2 The role of Computers in the design and development of a GP calculator 16
2.3 Importance of GP calculator 10
2.4 Database and its history (brief) 18
2.5 Types of database models 20

CHAPTER THREE
Research design and methodology
3.0 Introduction 23
3.1 Research design 23
3.2 Sources of data 23
3.2.1 Primary source 23
3.2.2 Secondary source 24
3.3 Analysis of the present system 24
3.3.1 Problems and weaknesses of the existing system 25
3.3.2 Dataflow Diagram of the existing system 26
3.4. Analysis of the proposed system 27
3.4.1 Objectives of the proposed system 27
3.4.2 Justification for the proposed system 28
3.5 Methodology 29
3.3.1 System study 30
3.5.2 Feasibility study 30
3.5.3 System analysis 30
3.5.4 System design 33
3.5.5 Coding 36
3.5.6 Testing 36
3.5.7 Implementation 36
3.5.8 Maintenance 36

CHAPTER FOUR
Program design and implementation
4.0 Introduction 37
4.1 Program design 37
4.1.1 Specification for program module 38
4.1.2 Program coding technique 39
4.1.3 Choice of programming language 40
4.2 Program Flowchart 41
4.2.1A Advantages of flowchart 43
4.2.1B Disadvantages of flowchart 43
4.3 Program formats 44
4.3.1 Input format 44
4.3.2 Output format 44
4.4 Components of the design 50
4.4.1 Software component 49
4.4.2 Hardware component 50
4.5 System installation 50
4.6 System testing and implementation 51
4.7 Software testing 52
4.8 Training of staff 53
4.9 Changeover procedure 53
4.9.0 Direct changeover 53
4.9.1 Parallel changeover 54
4.9.2 Phase changeover 54
4.9.3 Pilot changeover 55
4.10 Program maintenance 55

CHAPTER FIVE
5.0 Summary 56
5.2 Conclusion 57
5.3 Recommendation 57

References 59

Appendix 1 61

Appendix 2 80

CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION

An online student’s Grade Point Calculator is a software or system that collects

(accepts) as input student’s biodata and course examination scores, processes

and stores them and then gives room for effective retrieval of these information

at a any given point in time and location online; and this is done with the aid of

the computer.

It offers a computerised approach to the way and manner students results are

computed by our modern day institutions of higher learning with a bid to

reducing the massive inconsistency and redundancy that is associated with the

manual system and to ensure that there is a globalize access to such information

when needed.

Students’ examination records are computed and stored in an online database.

Students whether graduating or graduated can access these results online having

met some criteria like signing up with the school’s online database with a valid

user identification number and password and meeting some school’s

requirements such as payment of school fees and other vital fees.

Grade Point is a mark (score) awarded to a student which indicate his/her total

performance in a course examination per semester. At the end of every

semester, students’ Continuous Assessment and examination scores are added

up for the total number of courses offered by the respective department(s) and
will be divided by the total credit course loads for the semester to obtain the

overall Grade Point of the respective student(s) for the semester.

Most Nigerian tertiary institutions have joined their counterparts all over the

world to implement the technologized online result system and automation of

their entire procedures to bring their institutions closer to the watching eyes of

the world via internet and to ease the hurdles of manual result compilation

process bringing to bare a more efficient and reliable approach to students’

result management.

Computer is the only tool through which this dream can be achieved as it has

proven its ingenuity in all life endeavours by transforming approaches in

handling procedures in our work places, industries and individual lives. Since

its advent, it has introduced great many revolutions including Internet and

Information Technology (IT) thus making the world a small global village.

An efficient online Students’ Grade Point Calculator has numerous benefits as it

ensures efficient and accurate documentation and management of institutions

examination records, slashing costs and reducing the rate of loss experienced

while using the manual system.

This research work is primarily aimed at developing a software the would

capture and synthesize students’ Grade Point and to assist management, staff

and students of Imo state Polytechnic carryout their exercise easily and more
accurately and also provide for easy management and documentation for

administrative motives.

1.0.1 Brief history of Imo State Polytechnic, Umuagwo – Ohaji

Imo State Polytechnic was established in 1978 as a Monotechnic, Michael

Okpara College of Agriculture Umuagwo and was later upgraded to the status

of Polytechnic in 2007 to meet the educational needs of Imolites. Within these

periods and henceforth, the general approach of compiling and documentation

of students’ results and records had been by manual means which had led to

slow pace in carrying out this onerous task.

There is need to automate the entire process to make it sound and in line with

the current wave of Information Technology.

1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY

Before developing the software, the perspective of a situation where a student

has taken all the necessary examinations for proper academic evaluation is

drawn which is accompanied by the process of reconciliation of his/her result to

find out the student’s semester performance. But before the processing of result

commences proper, it is assumed that the student must have met all the

necessary requirements for eligibility such as:

A. Payment of all outstanding levies being owed to the institution.

 B. Submission of all result sheets (course forms) for the semester or as the

case may be.

Once these requirements have been met by a student(s), his/her result can be

then be processed and kept ready for collection.

Before the advent of computer technology, the manual process was quite

demanding and cumbersome in nature as there was always massive paper work

to be handled coupled with high degree of redundancy (error) due to large filing

system. The invention and application of computer now brought succor to the

way and manner student’s results are being handled and computed.

Here in Imo state Polytechnic, the approach is hectic as it has been

characterized by manual method which has costed the institution great of

mishaps ranging from delayed result processing to missing or accidental loss of

vital students information due to bulk file storage system.

To solve these problems, the software was then proposed and designed. It was

designed using Visual Basic.Net 7.1. Visual Basic.Net is a high level

programming language that was developed and implemented on the .Net

framework (software framework developed by Microsoft that runs primarily on

Microsoft windows). It is an Object Oriented Programming (OOP) computer

language which was built from Visual Basic 6.0. it comes in two main editions
either as a commercial software e.g. Microsoft Visual Studio or as a freeware in

the form of Visual Basic Express edition.

The choice of visual basic.net over all other Object Oriented programs was

because of its ease to understand, and crop of inbuilt features (functions) which

presents it as a rapid application development platform especially for building

standalone and online applications.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Capturing and processing of students’ result in most tertiary institutions

especially here in Imo State Polytechnic, Umuagwo usually undergo delayed

process, and even when the results are ready, students encounter many ups and

downs on trying to access their results. This could be attributed to the many

apparent problems associated with the old, manual system which are still

practiced in major Nigerian tertiary institutions. Some of the problems posed by

this system include:

1. Delay in processing of student’s results due to the large student

population and complexity of their records.

2. Shortage of manpower i.e. staff who should do the work proper.

3. Work function is dull and tiresome due to large volume of files to be

processed.
 4. Time wasted in acquiring the relevant student documents.

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The primary objective of this project work is to design and develop an Online

Students’ Grade Point calculator that would upon successful completion be able

to achieve the following goals:

1. To create a database that would facilitate quick access to stored files and

student records.

2. To eradicate delay in processing of students’ results in Imo State

Polytechnic and any other tertiary institution that may want to adopt the

system.

3. Easy documentation of the students result.

4. To create a well organized and better working environment for both the

institution and students to capture and reconcile student’s results.

5. To limit the old, manual system and invent a faster, more accurate and

safer means of perfuming the reconciliation process.

1.4 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This project will produce and automated scalable Grade Point Calculator system

that would handle the whole course offered by the different departments in Imo
State Polytechnic and have such information stored in the school database for

easy access and reference sake. It considered the different units allocated to

each course in the various departments and have such data stored against each

of the registered department into the database for easy access and retrieval.

Before normal result computation commences, the reconciling officer (which at

this time is the HOD’s of the various departments) would have to register his

department, the courses offered and the units allocated to each course as well as

the academic semester into the database. The system will automatically crate a

path for such department in the database.

This system is ideal for Imo State Polytechnic but may be vouched for by any

other institution.

1.5 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

Every successful project must have one limitation or the other and this one is no

exception. To ensure I achieved the primal objective of my research work, I

took the bull by the horns and dealt with these limitations in order to obtain

maximum results.

Some of the limitations I encountered were:

1. Scarcity of resource materials for research work as the project is more or

less a “Virgin Topic”.

 2. Insufficient funds to carry out extensive research or visiting other

institutions that may have brighter scope or similar system in operation.

3. Time constraint because of relatively small amount of time given to

develop the project.

4. Lack of cooperation of most staff of the institution I visited while

sourcing for information to build the project.

5. Insufficient knowledge of the programming language and the time taken

to study the language and develop the software.

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

According to the duality principle, the life we live has two dimensions – the

good and the bad, and every course in life must have importance attached to it.

The project at hand was envisioned to meet the most pressing and urgent need

of Imo State Polytechnic which had for long time become boring; which the

institution is no longer condoning due to its continuous growth in human

capacity building and career development. Some of the significance includes:

1. To reduce the cost expended on reconciliation of students’ results in

Imopoly.

2. To ensure efficiency and timeliness in processing of students’ results.

 3. To tighten security and reduce the rate of certificate forgery.

4. To increase the level of accuracy in such processes with little or no

redundancy.

5. To create an online student’s Grade point Calculator to handle student’s

results.

6. To ease the stress students undergo on trying to access their results

through long queue.

1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS

1. DATA: This refers to raw and unprocessed item of information. It could

be deemed as a descriptive informational raw material which makes no

meaning to a user.

1. INFORMATION: This is the result obtained from the processing of

data. It is used by managements for effective decision making.

2. COMPUTATION: This is the use of computers to perform data

processing.

3. COMPUTER: This is an electronic device that accepts raw facts or data,

processes these data with the aid of coded instructions and generate

useful information for decision making.

4. RESULT: This is the outcome of score finalized in an examination,

awarded to a student who has taken an examination.

5. RECONCILIATION: This is the process of ensuring that grades made

by a student are properly recorded or entered for him/her both in the

department and in the Exams and Records Unit for the purpose of

graduation.

6. ONLINE: Any activity whatsoever that is carried out on the internet.

7. CALCULATOR: A device or program used for making mathematical

calculations, in particular a small electronic device with a keyboard and a

visual display.

8. AUTOMATE: This means to convert a process so that it can operate

automatically using the computer.

9. GRADE POINT: This is a mark (score) awarded to a student which

indicates his/her total performance in a course examination per semester.

10. HOD: This is an acronym for Head of Department. In an academic

institution, the HOD is a person who is assigned with the responsibility of

seeing to the affairs of each department in an institution or organization.

 11. DATABASE: This is the aggregate of similar records stored logically

for easy access and retrieval. It is a linked list of similar files logically

stored.

12. DATABASE ADMINISTRATOR: This is a highly skilled professional

employed to monitor the overall performance of a database.

13. SEMESTER: This means a half-year term in a school or University or

Polytechnic.

14. POLYTECHNIC: An institution of higher learning offering courses at

degree level or below especially in vocational subjects.

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