Undergraduate e-Integration System for the Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya

Abstract

The Faculty of Science of the University of Peradeniya is a reputed academic institution which has been home to many graduates around the world. Presently, approximately 2000 undergraduates are reading for their degrees at the Faculty [WWW1]. The present information management system at the Faculty is mostly an administration oriented system. The students do not have the full advantage of the recent improvements in Information and Communication Technology. The faculty website is mainly a source for information dissemination. By this project of e-Integration, the official Faculty website will be better equipped to fulfill the needs of the students and to aid their decisions for the completion of the degree in the manner they desire. This project focuses on a student oriented website. The website will consist of primarily a simple way for a student to keep track of his/her progress of the B.Sc. degree. There will be options to check the grades, grade point average, future opportunities, attendance levels, course and exam timetables, online assignment submissions etc. However, due to the complexity of choosing the courses by the students, this project will not incorporate a Course Registration System for the students. The currently deployed system built using MySQL Server, PHP and other accessible technologies can be merged with this system. The system will consist of modules for the lecturers to upload the grades and attendance online. They will also be able to open assignment submission slots and to participate in discussions with the students through the custom-built forum. The project has gone through the implementation and testing stages. The database management system used was MySQL Server 5.5, which is a free and open-source solution that is most suitable for small-scale projects of this nature. The design diagrams for the dissertation were drawn with the aid of Software Ideas Modeler v4.90 and Microsoft Visio 2003. The design of the database was done with the assistance of MySQL Workbench 5.2 CE. The web components were primarily designed with Adobe Dreamweaver CS4 and Adobe Photoshop CS2. Stress testing and large-scale user testing should be performed before the final deployment of the system. It is preferable to deploy this system with the existing system and to check the feedback of the users and administration before the final deployment. The testing that was performed to date has resulted in very positive feedback on the system. The system has achieved all the requirements aptly.