DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF AN ONLINE STUDENT ADMISSION SYSTEM  (A CASE STUDY OF LIGHTHOUSE POLYTECHNIC)

ABSTRACT

Many students are approaching educational consultants to get admission through Management quota. They take the admission recommended by friends or neighbors. They directly get the admission as they don’t have enough time to enquire about different colleges. And they directly approach the educational consultants as they are the major channel where student chooses, now-a-days, to get admission in their preferred college and take up their preferred course. Education Consultants provide ambiguous knowledge to help formulate a placement decision which is confusing for the student as well as guardian.

Student admissions are a vital part of any university’s running because students are what keep a school alive. The student admission is one of the most important activities within a school as one cannot survive without students. A poor admissions system can mean fewer students being admitted into a university because of mistakes or an overly slow response time.

The process begins with a potential student completing an application form through the

Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, the first step for students is to apply directly to the university through a custom online form.

This research project explains the need for a computerized online admission as well as the requirement for designing an online admission.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The main goal of student’s online admission system is to automate the process carried out in schools with improved performance and realize the vision of paperless admission. Some of the goals of the system are: to Manage large number of student and manage all details for student, to Create student accounts and maintain the data effectively, Manage large number of student, Manage all details of student who registered online and appropriate the details about the course to the students account, to Create student accounts and maintain the data’s effectively.

Admission and registration receive application for admission online. Generate automated sequential application form and admission numbers based on preference. The system evaluates candidate’s eligibility for admission. Automate and manage whole admission and admit the students as the case may be.

The ultimate goal of any establishment is effectiveness.  This is achieved only when is/are proper co-ordinations of activities between the various units that comprise the system.  This coordination is even more important in institution of higher learing especially at the students, admission, where the desired end is to bring in students who will at the end of the day acquire knowledge that will help the entire society.

Ineffectiveness of diminish system could diminish its ability to relieve student’s tension, frustration and worse still produce lethal consequences.  Any measure therefore that can improve the needed response of any institution and its general efficiency is most welcome.

An online students admission system enables the staff in charge to get the students record foster, therefore saving process precious time in student’s management.

In an online institution’s admission system, the electronic machine quickly retrieves any available information regarding to any student and displays it within a short period of time.

Any enquiry concerning a student’s indebtedness to the school is responded to promptly, computer could be more accurately do staff duty roster.

Coding the particulars of the staff into the computer does this and after, it can be saved and will be available for retrieval at anytime.  And because the documents are printed, and information about each staff is contained and can be accessible to determined how many hours in a week each works and then next he/he should be on seat, thus reducing administrative work loud on the staff.

12. BACKGROUND OF LIGHTHOUSE POLYTECHNIC

Lighthouse Polytechnic is one of the leading Polytechnics in Edo state which is located at (the most conducive learning environment) Evbuobanosa, near Abudu, Edo state. Lighthouse Polytechnic is Federal Government/National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) approved, whose vision that motivated the conception of the institution is to raise an institution where young men and women will be trained technologically and built up morally. Lighthouse Polytechnic is an arm of the New Covenant Gospel Church aims at impacting the future generation by improving their innovative ability, enabling self-employment amongst the up-coming populace, both local and international.

The extent law establishing it assigns to the institution the task of producing well trained and highly skilled middle level manpower for the national economy in the areas of engineering technology, Computer Science technology, Management studies etc.

The Polytechnic is reviewing and updating its curricula to meet current national and global challenges. The thinking is to enrich the curricula and re-orientate students to be self employed and create jobs on graduation.

To make the learning environment conducive, the Polytechnic has updated its workshops and laboratories. Physical structures are being provided to expand classroom space and thus reduce congestion.

The Polytechnic looks forward to the future with confidence that it will consolidate its status amongst its peers. The institution also looks forward to sustaining and improving on the renowned quality of its graduates.

The president of this great institution is Rev. (Dr) F. Omobude.

1.3             STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The difficulties students and staff of admission department usually force in any institution of higher learning made us to realize that (computer aid) an online admission system is the best that can happen to Lighthouse Polytechnic. But the issue of computerizing an online admission is quiet difficult to handle and solve. The cost of setting up an online admission is another problem the researcher observed in this project work. However, there is need to set up this online admission. This will save the school the embarrassment caused by students’ complaints at the end of the day.

There are some problems that are common with online admission, especially when there is network error, the web page usually says: “Sorry, an error occurred. If you are unsure on how to use the feature, or don't know why you got this error message, try looking through the help files for more information”, “Sorry, but you do not have permission to use this feature. If you are not logged in, you may do so using the form below if available”

1.4             OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The original purpose of this study is to design and implement an online students admission system in Lighthouse Polytechnic.  Its purpose is to have the following:

(i)                Efficient and safe storage

(ii)             Quick retrieval of records and information

(iii)           Proper accounting and file keeping

(iv)           Quick response to any enquires

(v)             Assist in result recording

(vi)           Assist in admission updating

1.5             SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

It is hoped that the result of this study will serve as tools for helping students who wish to register for their O.N.D programmes, and will go a long way to helping the staff also.  This is easy to achieve since standard and tested computer programs handle all sort of complex calculations, storage and retrieval of valuable information needed fro the school.

Also, important is the fact that records prepared with electronic machine can be stored as long as needed in non-bulky and compact systems.

Works has been done in many areas of computerization, in industry and commerce but not much has been done in school administration and management system/services.  We have therefore done this work to highlight the use of an online in the important area of student’s services.

1.6             SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This work is confined and limited to Lighthouse Polytechnic. That is my area of research work.  This was done to attain a standard output that will be useful to both students and as well as the staff of college.  It also helps in making a quick, accurate, efficient and reliable data processing.

1.7             DEFINITION OF TERMS

Online: In general, when a machine is "online," it is turned on and connected to other devices. For example, when a network printer is online, computers connected to that network can print from it. Other devices, such as scanners, video cameras, audio interfaces, and others are said to be online when they are running and connected to a computer system.

Admission: The act or practice of admitting. Power or permission to enter; admittance; entrance; access; power to approach.  The granting of an argument or position not fully proved; the act of acknowledging something /serted; acknowledgment; concession.

Student: A person engaged in study; one who is devoted to learning; a learner; a pupil; a scholar; especially, one who attends a school, or who seeks knowledge from professional teachers or from books; as, the students of an academy, a college, or a university; a medical student; a hard student.