DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A COMPUTERIZED CAREER GUIDANCE INFORMATION SYSTEM

ABSTRACT

Computers are known for their wide range of uses especially in scientific and mathematical fields.  However little or no thought has been given to designing a complete career guidance information system. 

          This system is designed in order to implement intelligence test on a computer system.  It tries as much as possible to incorporate the important aspect of intelligence on a wide scale.  It is designed to test intelligence of secondary school leavers using the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) and the University Matriculation Examination (UME) as a standardized sample, and as such the Psychological implication of such a design is very important.

          The design of the system is quite simple and easily understood.  Its flexibility makes it amenable for future changes and amendment to either incorporate other aspects of intelligence or to be designed for any other school age or class.

          The question of the intelligence test are programmed and visually displayed on the system’s screen in an interactive form. The student answers the question on the computer system.

          The results obtained from the test give an estimate on user’s (student) intelligence quotient (IQ).  This is equally displayed and tells the student in what category he/she falls within.  The result of the test is also displayed of the end of the test which goes a long way to lesson the fears of students that they were marked down in the examination.

ORGANISATION OF WORK

This project work is grouped into different chapters.

CHAPTER ONE deals with the introduction, statement of problem, purpose of study, aims and objectives, scope and delimitation, limitation and definition of terms.

CHAPTER TWO is the review of the related literature.

CHAPTER THREE is the description and analysis of the existing system which includes fasts finding method used objectives of the existing system, input, process and output specification, information flow diagram, problems of the existing system justification of the new system.

CHAPTER FOUR is the design of the new system, which consists of output specification and design, input specification and design, file design, procedure chart, system flow chart, system requirements.

Include program design, program flow chart, source program, test run.

CHAPTER SIX is the documentation

CHAPTER SEVEN which is the final, consist of the recommendation, conclusion, appendices, references.

TABLE OF CONTENT

Title Page                                                                                i

Approval Page                                                                        ii

Dedication                                                                               iii

Acknowledgement                                                                             iv

Abstract                                                                                  vi

Organization of work                                                              viii

Table of content                                                                      ix

CHAPTER ONE

1.0            Introduction                                                                            1

1.1     background of study                                                      1

1.2            statement of problem                                                     2

1.3            aims and objective                                                                   3

1.4            delimitation                                                                    4

1.5            scope                                                                             4

1.6            limitation                                                                       5

1.7            definition                                                                       5

CHAPTER TWO                           

2.0            review of the related literature                                       6

CHAPTER THREE    

3.0            description and analysis of the existing system             9

3.1     facts finding method                                                      13

3.2            objectives of the existing system                                    14

3.3            input, process and output specification                                  14

3.4            information flow diagram                                              18

3.5            problems of the existing system                                              19

3.6            justification for the new system                                               19

CHAPTER FOUR

4.0            design for the new system                                              20

4.1     input specification and design                                       20

4.2            output specification and design                                               20

4.3            file design                                                                       21

4.4            procedure chart                                                              22

4.5            system flowchart                                                           23

4.6            system requirement                                                        31

CHAPTER FIVE

5.0            implementation                                                              34

5.1     program design                                                              34

5.2            program flowchart                                                         35

CHAPTER SIX                     

6.0            documentation                                                               37

6.1     loading computer based intelligence test system (cbits) 37

6.2            executing the intelligence test system (cbits)                            38

CHAPTER SEVEN                        

7.0            Recommendation                                                           46     

7.1     References.                                                                     48

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1            BACKGROUND OF STUDY:

In the past, ability tests were used in admitting students into University and professional schools, for instance the scholastic aptitude test, which measure, both aptitude and achievement, (the aptitude test measures accomplished skills & indicate what a person can do at present, while the achievements test predicts what a person can accomplished with training).

But the essential requirements for any test include reliability, validity and uniform testing procedure.  The test which measure general intelligence ability are often called “Career Test”.

Intelligence test are usually designed and implemented for a group of people to access the nature and course of mental development, intellectual and non-intellectual personality differences associated with age, sex & facial membership, differences that might be attributed to hereditary or to environmental factors, differences among persons at different occupational levels and among their children, intellectual and others traits of a typical group such as the mentally gifted, the mentally retorted, the neurotic and the psychotic.

The topic Career Guidance information system is geared towards selecting careers for candidates who wish to further their education to Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education.

1.2            STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

A critical look at the operations of the west African Examination council, the organization of (SSCE) show that a part of their examination comes as an objectives questions and the answers are expected to be shaded on a computer answer sheets and marked by the computer, where as the theory section of the examination, which of course carries the greatest mark, is to be marked by WAEC examiners, leaving much to be desired especially in the Nigerian context of it.

Move so, in admitting students into higher schools differences attributed to hereditary or to environmental factors, differences among persons at different occupation levels and among their children; and facial membership may lead to bias, instead of admitting qualified students, unqualified students may also be admitted. The delay in the release of the SSCE and UME result causes anxiety on the student that participated in the examination.

1.3            AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The prime objectives of this topic “Career Guidance Information system is to enhance the and guide prospective JAMB students to choose their career in Universities, polytechnics and colleges of Education.   This system enables an individual to access the pre-requisites required to enroll into a particular course.

The project aims at an improved situation where the UME and SSCE examination will be matched to ascertain the who goes for what course.

The use of the computer system to achieve this is our area of concentration.

1.4            DELIMITATION:

This work is designed for solely assisting candidates to select their career in high institutions visa vis their SSCE results.

1.5            THE SCOPE OF THE WORK:

The scope of this work is to outline the practical uses of the computer system in the area of Career Guidance.

1.6            LIMITATION:

Due to time constraint we were unable to extend our research to cover other subject.

1.7            DEFINITION OF FORMS:

INTELLIGENCE: The power of learning, understanding seeing and knowing.

CHRONOLOGICAL AGE (CA): The actual age of a parent.

MENTAL AGE (MA): Is the person level of understanding measured is terms of the average age of children having the same standard.

FLOPPY DISKETTE: Is a this plastic located with an aperture that allows a rend /write head to access the diskette

VISUAL DISPLAY UNIT: Is the screen in form of (TV) Television component.  Both input and output are displayed there.

INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENT: Express the measure of mental age (MA) to chronological age (CA).

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