Student management system

ASSIGNMENT 2: STUDENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Name:

Course:

Professor:

Date of Submission:

Table of Contents

Student Management System

Journal

Activity No.

Date

Activity

Description

Status

1

15/5/2017

Revise the Project

Review all college courses and the requirement needed for a student to enroll

Complete

2

16/5/2017

Review Project requirements

Read through the project requirements and map each task to project

Complete

3

21/6/2017

Task 1.1

Select options that the project can be complete by analyzing pros, cons, risks and benefit

Complete

4

22/6/2017

Task 1.2

Research a Vision Statement example and write one for development option

Complete

5

23/6/2017

Task 1.3

Identify all the stakeholders, analyze and record their interest in the project. Normally this would include interviewing stakeholders

Complete

6

24/6/2017

Task 1.4

Develop a functional decomposition diagram

Complete

7

25/6/2017

Task 1.5

Reviewing the key stakeholders and developing user stories

Complete

8

25/6/2017

Task 1.6

Identify five key user cases including brief description

Complete

9

26/6/2017

Task 1.7

Identify five Key object classes and proposed attributes, also include primary and foreign keys

Complete

10

26/6/2017

Review, Finalize and Submit Project

Review the project by test its operations and functionality before handing over

Complete

2.01 The applications architecture diagram

Thin-client web-based application was chosen to implement the developed student management system software architecture. There are several platforms that allows the student management system to be implemented which include J2EE, Microsoft.net and JINI. However, this project opted to use CORBA and J2EE to implement student management system (Bimal, 2011). J2EE was chosen since it is based on java which support various platform development and its availability as open source thus enhancing free development environment which include NetBeans and Eclipse. This lowers the overall cost of development. Similarly, CORBA is an open source application server, which comes along with database servers such as MySQL thus allow development and deployment of students’ management system at extremely effective cost in comparison to proprietary application development platforms.

CORBA was chosen because of its flexibility features which support various diverse range of capabilities which include security, messaging and transaction. It also support numerous operating systems and programming language. In contrast to other proprietary applications which are normally developed based on middleware technologies that limits the integration with other technologies (Baker, 2010). This means that proprietary application are normally developed with the assumption software should be design using specific middleware technology that limits the support and integration with other technologies particularly those available as open source. Therefore, CORBA was appropriate in the sense that the developers designed the application with the object of integrating with other technologies. In addition, CORBA has flexible server side infrastructure that enhances feasibility for scaling up the server to handle unlimited number of objects.

As seen in the software architecture diagram above, the student management system developed was multi-tier based software. It consists client tier, web tier, application server tier and database tier. The main function of client tier also known as web browser is to gather input from the students, relay to the web server to be processed by running the JSP’s in accordance with users request and displays the data (Peng, 2003). The function of web tier also known as web server which include Java Beans and JSP’s receives the request from the browsers’ client and use it to generate dynamic content. Once it receives the request from the clients JSP’s request via a Java Bean, it seeks the information from CORBA implemented application servers. Once the Java Beans generate content, JSP’s can query and display the content from Java Beans.

The function application server is to store all the components. CORBA serves as a middleware which is deployed utilizing Java language that has CORBA IDL mapping. The database tier functions as backend of the system which is implemented using My SQL that facilitate the access of the database through Java Database Connectivity. The purpose of Java Database Connectivity is to server as an interface which permits java applications to link to relational databases, as the java applications interact with databases, Java Database Connectivity opens database links and relays SQL commands to query the database.

The designed student management system is a little different from the existing system used by most colleges and universities in the region in the sense that it allows for a single point of access to all administrative applications utilized by the institution and it supports most of the activities that are currently not supported by the existing systems (Patrick, 2006). The student run the web browser which connect to the Toowoomba International Catering College (TICC) system. The TICC web server allows single point of access for the students to transact business with the college online. A set of CORBA interface is provided by the application server to facilitate communication with database server and web server. The database contain all the information about finances, grades, timetable, units, programs, staff and students.

2.02 “TO BE” process

Like most of the student management systems, the students access the system by login using student ID and Password. Only the students who successfully applied for enrollment online and managed to secure position would be able to login into the system. When login, the student’s ID and password would be verified and if the details matches with the information in the database, he/she is directed to the student menu page (Vijayalakishmi, 2015). It is the student menu that provides several options for the student to navigate through. It contain student profile, program details, enrollment, coursework, timetable, class shares, graduation, and finance and log out. The additional feature included to this project is the ability to integrate with android application found in most smart phones.

Registration and login: The registration process could be accomplish through PC or smartphone with android. The student is required to register by providing the needed registration information. The new students would register by providing their usernames and password, while the enrolled students would be required to register for new course work at the beginning of every semester. The username and password module provide two option: Register and Login for the students to navigate through the page. This first module was designed to be implemented using JSP and HTML web page where the students can provide their username and password (Mohammed, & Kameswari, 2013). The username and password are assigned to a student data in a Java Bean and transmitted to the student interface class. The web server also known as Apache Tomcat provide JSP and HTML web pages, which provide the students with http request for login.

Student details: This second modules contain personal details, academic details and placement details. The login functionality is effected by java implemented class which queries the data stored for student data object and instigate the remote login method. The student interface facilitate the retrieval of the login information that is implemented in Remote Student Manager class. The personal detail for each student is collected at the registration process where the students is required to provide their full names, email address, residential address, contact details which include their guardian contact details (Vijayalakishmi, 2015). The academic details are entered by the teacher after verifying the personal details of the student. It contains the performance of the student after every exam and course work completed. Also, the placement details is entered by the teachers based on the performance of the student. Java implemented data class which stores the student attributes provides student data and determines the methods for reading and storing student data.

Discussion forum: This is the third module where the student gets to interact with fellow students and the teachers. The teachers upload the notes for every subject and responds to the student queries. Students also utilize the discussion forum to air their views and share ideas about the subjects and course work they are undertaking. The students and teachers would be required to access the discussion form by login.

Notification and notice board: The fourth module is the section where the administrators and the teachers can communicate to the students and other staff members. The notices bulkposted is arranged according to the date that were bulkposted and urgency. The administrators and the teachers bulkpost the notice from their respective login. Also, the notification and notice board section provide option that allows the administrators and teachers to target specific segment of the college population such as individual or class.

Attendance: This fourth module section enables the teachers to determine the number of times a student attended lectures, lab work and other coursework. The current system allows the students to sign in after every lecture and practical and countersign by the teacher in order to ensure that a student does not sign for another student who did not attend the lecture or practical (Mohammed, & Kameswari, 2013). Towards the end of the semester, the system generates attendance report that the teachers and administrators uses to determine whether a student qualifies to sit for end of semester examination. Since the system in integrated with android application the generated report is forwarded to the students and their guardians. The student who have their attendance report falling below the required threshold would be required to give reason why the failed to attend lectures or practical as required by the college rules.

Report generation: This is the fifth module where the system generate a general report about each student. The report generate include the academic records, financial records, activity records as well as attendance. Report generation should be conducted periodically in order to access the performance of each student at an interval basis.

2.03 Screen designs

The objective of designing a simple screen as shown below was to make the system friendlier to the users. This type of screen design allows the students, teachers and administrators unique access to their individual member section. It also allows the academic staff to monitor the progress of each student and the students can access their personal information without interfering with the work of the teachers. On the hand the administrator monitor the performance of the academic staff and payment of the finances by the students (Bimal, 2011). The business rule which is stored in XML govern the enrollment of the students. These include the correspondence of students’ seniority, course coordinator’s decision, student’s payment status and subject pre-requisite to the intended enrollment. Also, in case the institution intend to modify the business rules in the future, it will be possible to modify them without changing the programming source codes. In addition, this design allows for the portability of the business rules file from one platform to another which is different from the development environment.

The second screen is about the course that college offers to the students where the students can enroll to the subjects they qualify by selecting from the list. This design of the screen was chosen because international students can access the college website and identify the subject they qualify from the list (Patrick, 2006). This means that the system allows the institution to offer online course subject to the business rules. The screen below provide the information about the maximum number of subjects a student can enroll to in semester. This also enable students to enroll to these subject online without needing to travel to the college and stand a long queues to enroll.

2.04 Acceptance criteria

The acceptance criteria in the developed student management system was based on the business rules. These include the special scenario, students’ payment status, exemption and subject pre-requisite. This means that student must meet all the requirement as indicated in the business rules before being allowed to enroll to any subject. For instance, the special scenario that the system extends to the student include a situation where the student decided to withdraw from taking specific subject, the academic staff decided to amend the timetable, the student appeals for decision made by the administrator or the course coordinator make a decision to enroll a particular student for reasons known to him/her. These are the special scenario where a system allows the student to enroll even without satisfying the pre-requisite conditions.

In terms of student’s payment status, the system allows only students who have paid the tuition fee for the subjects he/she intend to enroll. However, if the student made the payment using the bankers cheque, the system allows the student to enroll but the login credentials is activated for only two weeks, which enough period for the cheque to mature (Bimal, 2011). If by the end of two weeks the cheque fails to mature, the payment status of the student changed and the login credential deactivated by the system. it is the work of the financial director to ensure that students presenting blank cheques are cleared after the payment has reflected in the bank.

The system also provide a window for the students modify their enrollment profile. For example, new students who enrolls to the institution for the time are given a two week window for them to make change in the subjects they have enrolled, while the continuing students are given a one week window to make the changes about their enrollment if they wish so (Vijayalakishmi, 2015). The system give new student longer window to modify their enrollment because they entering into new environment and they need more time to learn and understand what each entails. The continuing student already know and understand the requirement of the institution.

In terms of students’ seniority the system calculate the age of the student based on date of birth which one of the key requirement. In order to insulate the students from giving wrong date of birth, a copy of birth certificate is uploaded into the system electronically. The administration manager ensures that information entered into the system by the student is counter check with scanned soft copies uploaded. These include the academic credentials, passports and birth certificates.

2.05 Condition of the employee

The format for the project followed a research business analysts presented in the university website. The format followed a universally accepted as outlined in most learning institution of higher education. These include the condition each employee is required to have before recruited to take part in the project. Most of the employee was employed as part-time because the project lasted for only one month. The first condition that was considered before an employee was recruited was the qualification based on experience and academic qualification. The minimum qualification was a degree from a recognized university and work experience of not less than three years as consultant in reputable firm.

2.06 Waterfall method

Waterfall method is a software development approach where the entire process is divided into separate phases. Teams are tightly controlled by project manager and are bound to work on detailed schedules. Project requirements are identified before development starts. This may lead to scope creep, increase time between initial customer request and delivery of business value. User is given a chance to test and review the prototype at end of development process which may lead to expensive fixes and time consuming (Vijayalakishmi, 2015). Development team just work on requirements that were fixed in requirement analysis phase and only delivers based product after some time which can sometime be useless due to change in customer requirements. The six stages of waterfall method are as follows:

Requirement analysis: This involves the process of documenting and capturing all the requirement for the development of the project.

System design: Based on the specification from the initial stage, software design is established. This stage is very important since it help the developers to determine the software and hardware specification, thus defining the overall system architecture.

Implementation Phase: The implementation stage is carried out based on the system design. In order to ensure effective implementation stage, the system is designed into small program. Each program is then developed and tested for functionality.

Integration stage: The small program drawn in the previous stage are integrated into the system based on the outcome of the test. The overall system is then tested to ensure that its functionality meets the specified intension

Deployment stage: After ensuring that the system functions as intended, a complete software is deployed in accordance with the client specified environment.

Maintenance stage: The developers should ensure that the software is maintained periodically in order to enhance functionality.

2.07 Agile over Waterfall

Agile

Waterfall

Pros

Cons

Pros

Cons

More frequent software releases

Developer-centric versus user-centric

Support more static design

Cannot adapt well to business changes

Better ROI than waterfall

May be mixed with waterfall aspects

may introduce fewer errors

may be outdated by time of release

Adaptable to changing markets

Business experts may not be users

Documents mitigate risks of people leave

More likely costs/time overruns

References

Baker, S. (2010). Web Services and CORBA – Lecture Notes in Computing Science. Springer, 2519: 618-632.

Bimal, A. K. (2011). Thin Client Web-Based Campus Information Systems for Fiji National University. International Journal of Software Engineering & Application, 2(1): 13-27.

Mohammed, A. A. & Kameswari, J. (2013). Web-Server Based Student Attendance System Using RFID Technology. International Journal of Engineering Trend and Technology, 4(5): 1559-1564.

Patrick, H. H. (2006). Online Student Enrollment System. Swinburne: Swinburne University of Technology.

Peng, L. (2003). KWEAT HIGH SCHOOL – Student Information System: Implementation and Evaluation. Kedah Darul Aman: University of Utara Malaysia.

Vijayalakishmi, P. B. (2015). An Android Application for Student Information System. International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer Engineering & Technology, 4(9): 3615-3620.