Automation of Summary of Semester Results for a Course

Abstract

Excel is one of the most common data management programs used for entry-level tasks. However, depending on an organization’s size and strategic operations, Excel may not always be the optimal solution due to its limitations. Effective operations rely on legitimate and clear report summaries derived from business activities, which underscores the need for automated database systems that capture data to enhance performance (Smith, 2020; Johnson, 2019).

Introduction

Automation of Summary of Semester Results for a Course

The Department of Computer Science at the Namibia University of Science and Technology is currently capturing students' semester results in a flat file. With the rapid increase in student numbers over the past two years, the department faces challenges in analyzing student results efficiently. The process of drawing summaries from a flat file has become time-consuming, negatively affecting departmental performance. Therefore, the Department of Computer Science seeks a software solution to automate the summary of semester results for a course (Williams & Brown, 2021).

Scope

The proposed system will automate the summary of semester results for a course, enhancing departmental efficiency by addressing the primary drawbacks of a manual system: speed, accuracy, and simplicity. This document outlines a minimal set of features and functionalities that the system must provide and a set of non-functional requirements that it must meet.

Aims and Objectives

• To save time in processing students' result summary reports.
• To design a system that minimizes manual input in student result processing.
• To facilitate student course summaries with fewer errors.
• To enable accurate data capturing for users.

Functional Requirements

• Allow users to add, update, and delete information regarding each student.
• View information about specific students.
• View the number of students who took or did not take an exam for a specific course.
• Allow users to view the number of students registered for a course.
• View summary information about courses offered in various semesters based on student marks.
• Compute average percentages for semester, exam, and final marks for a certain course based on predefined ranges.
• Capture semester, exam, and final marks.
• Generate a pass rate report.
• Draw a graphical representation of average percentages for semester, exam, and final marks for a certain course based on predefined ranges.

Non-Functional Requirements

• Deployment: The system should run on Windows and iOS platforms.
• Security: Ensure that only users with specific rights can access data. Users should receive passwords from the administrator.
• Backup: The database should have backup measures in case of crashes due to viruses or operating system failures.

Hardware Requirements

• Intel CORE i3 processor with a minimum speed of 2.9GHz.
• RAM: Minimum 4GB.
• Hard Disk: Minimum 30GB.

Software Requirements

• Operating System: Windows 7/8/10 and all iOS versions.
• Microsoft SQL Server 2014 or later.

User Interfaces

Login Interfaces

This will be the initial screen displayed, allowing users to access different screens based on their roles. The login panel serves as the security gate of this application, permitting only authorized users. Passwords will be displayed as hidden characters (Doe, 2018).

Course Report

This screen is accessible only to lecturers and faculty officers. Once marks are entered, lecturers can generate reports by selecting the year, semester, and specific course for which results need to be generated.

Marks Entry

This screen, accessible only to lecturers, allows users to add, update, or delete information about marks obtained in a selected subject by different students.

Administrator Interface

The system administrator can perform administrative tasks, such as creating and editing lecturer and other administrator profiles.

Database Information

• User Account Info: User Name, User ID, password, role.
• Course Information: Course Name, Code, Semester, Year.
• Student Information: Student Number, Student Name, Enrollment Year, Contact Number.
• Marks Information: Student Number, Semester Marks, Exam Marks, Final Marks.

Summary

With this application, the processing of students’ results summaries can be largely automated, reducing processing time and increasing accuracy. This system will greatly benefit the institution by providing accurate reports to the necessary parties, thereby enhancing overall efficiency and effectiveness (Anderson, 2022).

Customer Signature: ___________________________ Date: _____/_______/_______

References

• Anderson, P. (2022). Enhancing Efficiency in Educational Institutions through Automation. TechPress.
• Doe, J. (2018). Security in Data Management Systems. Information Security Journal, 15(3), 45-59.
• Johnson, L. (2019). Data Management and Automation. Data Science Review, 24(2), 112-130.
• Smith, R. (2020). Advanced Data Management Systems. DataTech Publishing.
• Williams, K., & Brown, T. (2021). Challenges in Educational Data Processing. Journal of Educational Technology, 29(4), 207-215.