DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF LECTURE ALERT SYSTEM FOR COMPUTER SCIENCE DEPARTMENT (A CASE STUDY OF COMPUTER SCIENCE DEPARTMENT AKANU IBIAM FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC UNWANA, AFIKPO EBONYI STATE)

Description

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

This research is on Design and implementation of lecture alert system for computer  science department (a case study of Computer Science Department Akanu Ibiam federal Polytechnic Unwana, Afikpo Ebonyi State). Computers with the power of the internet have aid communication among people. The telephone system which was invented several years ago, had undergone a great improvement so much that today we have fixed wireless phones mobile phone and the likes with the rapid development of mobile phones came several services like the short messaging service (SMS), Multi-media messaging (MMS) which are readily available and add to the usefulness of mobile phones. SMS is a mobile technology that allows for sending and receiving text or even binary messages to and from a mobile phone.

argued that short messaging service (SMS) based services are now more attractive to service providers and users as a result of the recent mobile phone use penetration and the large scale adoption of the existing services by users. The major advantage of shot messaging service (SMS) is its cost effectiveness and availability as most individuals own phone. The level of internet availability in less developed countries is where homes are internet access, short messaging service (SMS) is still faster and cheaper means of spreading information.

The lecture alert system will not only allow lecturers to know when they have lecturers but it also message the venue of the lecture and department to be handled. This is done by pushing the alert to the lectures (sending it to their phones) or working on a request sent from a lecturer to produce the alert (pulling).

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Today we are witnessing fast changes in telecommunications computer and telephone technologies that have made significant revolution in communications. The fast development of communication and computer technology led to the merging of the public switched telephone network (PSTN) and the internet to become global information network of integrated services. Network services are becoming a more important way of information exchange and communications turning telephone and mobile telephone toward internet service one o the efficiencies of mobile phone is the availability of network services. The result carried out before the development of the short messaging service (SMS) alert system show that mobile phone users receive an average at five to six SMS every day.

Computer integration (CTI) is a system application that integrates advantages of telephone and the internet by connecting phone services together. System application is any program, or group of programs, that are desired for the end-user. EMA (Electronic Messaging Association) system will inform the arrival of the new short messaging series (SMS) system are summarized as follows:

• Lack of effective record system or database system to store the record of the timetable.
• The consistent reports of error in the process of filling and allocating the lectures on the time table.
• Stressful: this means causing a lot of anxiety and worry, therefore the existing causes stress to the users of the system.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 

The problem faced or noted in the course of studying the existing systems of lecture alert system are summarized as followed:

1. Lack of effective record system or database system to store the record of time table.
2. The consistence report of errors in the process of filling and allocating the lectures on the time table.
3. There will be clashes of lecture because one venue can be allocated to different lecturers at the same time.

1.3 AIMS AND OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

This project is developed to accomplish certain objective such as

• To show how a new method of checking lectures using mobile phone short messaging service work.
• To highlight the existing problems associated with checking lectures on notice boards.
• To design a conventional lecture alert system using short messaging service (SMS).

1. 4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The general benefits that will be derived from the new system are as follows:

• This project will help serve as a research material for future or prospective researchers.
• It would help to reduce the rate at which there is a clash between lecturers by ensuring that one message is sent per period, per venue.
• It would help to generate update and reminder from the time schedule stored in the database thereby making the system a time triggered application.

1.5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This project work borders on the development of application software for sending one message per period, per venue to the lecturers using short messaging service alert.

1.6 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

In carrying out this research work, some problems were encountered among which are

• Time: The time given for the completion of the research work was too short hence the researcher had speed up the research work to meet up and this has an impact on the study.
• Limited Material: Few material were found pertaining to the research area and this limited the bulk of the literature review
• Finance: the high cost of textbooks, internet browsing and transportation to different libraries to gather material stood as a constraint to the research work.

1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS

• Independent Service: this involves using solely a mobile phone and the application server (The system running the SMS application). This option offers limited benefit but it is easy and fast to set up.
• Dependent Service: this involves having the application server connect to the service providers SMS center (SMSC).
• Mobile Orientated (MO): SMS-mo is sent from a mobile phone and could sent be sent either to another mobile phones (such as when subscriber sends a personal message to another subscriber) or to a computer application that will process the message.
• Mobile Terminated (MT) short message service mobile terminated is transmitted to a mobile phone. It also could be sent by another mobile phone or generated by a computer application.