DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF ELECTRONIC LOGBOOKS FOR STUDENTS INDUSTRIAL WORK EXPERIENCE SCHEME (SIWES).
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DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF ELECTRONIC LOGBOOKS FOR STUDENTS INDUSTRIAL WORK EXPERIENCE SCHEME (SIWES).
Chapter one
INTRODUCTION
Scientists and engineers have long kept paper logbooks of their experiments and innovations. The need for a logbook cannot be overstated. Scientists must keep a record of their actions in order to recall and report what has been done.
The logbook also allows you to retrace previous experiments and evaluate its accountability. Searching through logbooks might also reveal who was the first to make a new discovery or development.
In most parts of the world, the first to invent rule applies to patents, and a well-kept logbook is essential for proving an idea is your own. Student and professional bodies use logbooks at regular intervals. Altini et al (2010).
In fewer than twenty years, logbook usage habits have evolved dramatically. Although some scientists continue to use traditional paper logbooks, many significant scientific collaborations now employ electronic logbooks, according to wavetracks (2010).
1.1 Background of the Study
1.1.1 The Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme
The Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (S.I.W.E.S.) is an industrial training programme for undergraduate students at Nigerian universities and other higher education institutions.
It is a six-month training programme in which students are assigned to industries related to their topic of study. The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) oversees and funds the programme.
1.1.2 Objectives of S.I.W.E.S.
The basic aims of the students’ industrial training work experience programme (S.E.W.I.S) include the following:
1. To give opportunities for students to apply their knowledge in real-world settings, thereby simplifying college work.
2. To allow students to use theory learned in school and provide access to production equipment not available in the classroom.
3. To provide practical experience to all students in schools of technology, polytechnics, and universities.
4. Inspire pupils about their careers.
5. Provide more manpower to industries.
Every student is asked to keep a record of her experiences throughout the training period and submit it to her department upon resumption of study. An industrial supervisor is also expected to oversee the student’s weekly work progress and sign off on completed tasks.
To ensure that the goal of SIWES is met, a school-based supervisor is expected to monitor the student’s progress by visiting his primary assignment at regular intervals, and at the end of the exercise
, a report is usually sent to the ITF office for verification, necessary documentation, and payment of those who participated. Each student keeps a journal to document his or her experiences.
A logbook is traditionally used to document an event or series of occurrences, such as ship navigation, air flight, innovations, classroom events, and so on.
Logbooks have existed since ships were invented and the requirement for navigation arose. Today’s logbooks serve a variety of purposes because all sectors of human endeavour require some type of reference or storing material.
However, with the introduction of ICT and the internet, the way of doing things has shifted. An electronic logbook is a computer-based software for documenting (logging) states, events, or simply circumstances in complicated equipment such as aircraft, nuclear plants, particle accelerators, and various regions on board ships, which replaces paper-based logbooks, among other things.
An electronic alternative for recording important navigation, engine watch, port calls, and other operational actions on ships of various sizes.
1.2. The Statement of the Problem
It is impossible to overstate the importance of keeping an electronic logbook for S.I.W.E.S. For a student to get the necessary information from industrial training experiences, he or she must be closely monitored to ensure that he or she not only participates in the training scheme as required, but also gains relevant experience.
The lack of an electronic logbook makes this practically impossible because the distance between interns and supervisors, as well as the lack of access to a solid reference source, impedes the achievement of the intended objectives.
1.3 Motivation.
As indicated in section 1.2, there are numerous issues with the standard logbook that warrant the search for a better method of managing internship experience logbooks. Perhaps the most notable of these factors is the bridging of the gap between supervisors and interns.
The Nigerian academic curriculum has been subjected to numerous disruptions in recent years, the most of which have resulted from huge industrial strikes to increase demand.
Nigerian universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education recently went on a statewide strike lasting more than six months. Students who were in IT training at the time would have to rely exclusively on their industry supervisor and instincts.
With information technology and the benefits it brings, most countries throughout the world have effectively transitioned away from the paper-based manner of record keeping.
It is thus a good endeavour to affirm the previously established practice of modernity, as we have much to learn/do before we may rub hands with our counterparts elsewhere.
The following are the benefits of utilising an electronic logbook.
1. It offers a superior storage and retrieval mechanism.
2. It’s easier to use.
3. It is more secure, because users are authorised before gaining access to the database.
4. It performs additional responsibilities, such as notifying interns about information that the school intends to provide.
1.4 Aim and Objectives
1.4.1 AIM
To create an electronic logbook for the Students’ Industrial Work Experience Scheme (S.I.W.E.S).
1.4.2 Objectives
The following are the study’s aims.
1. Review and analyse the present system.
2. Create software that can log students’ work entries in electronic format.
3. To bridge the gap between students and supervisors while undergoing industrial training.
4. To serve as a source of information for interns by including a notice board on each user page.
5. To give crucial links that can improve the performance and knowledge of Nigerian graduates.
1.5 Scope and Limitations of the Study
1.5.1 SCOPE.
The electronic logbook will provide a variety of interfaces. The interfaces will be accessed by a variety of individuals whose roles will be clearly defined. There will be interfaces for students, industrial supervisor, school-based supervisor, the ITF and an administrator.
A student should be able to access forms that allow him to record entries from his daily experiences. He should also be able to complete the personal data form as well as form 8, which is typically sent to the ITF office.
There will be an interface for the industry-based supervisor, who will monitor and sign off on the intern’s work weekly.
There will also be an interface for a school-based supervisor to view his students’ completed weekly progress forms.
An interface will also be established for the school coordinator, who will have access to all of the forms filled out by interns.
It is also envisaged that the ITF office have an interface that displays the number of completed forms in a printable format.
At the server end, there will be a database containing all activities performed by the various parties involved. The database information will also be utilised to define the roles of all parties involved.
Aside from these basic responsibilities, it will serve as a point of contact for interns because information can be sent more swiftly via this method. I plan to incorporate a notice board on the student page.
It will also provide crucial links to other sites, particularly learning and information websites, which may be quite useful for a comprehensive internship.
1.5.2 LIMITATIONS.
This project is a study of the usability of an electronic logbook, hence it may not provide or exceed all expectations. The project’s primary goal is to create an alternative system for reporting IT activities within the university community to the paper logbook.
Other enhanced functionality may not be present, or if it is, it may lack some expected characteristics. Some of the enhanced features could include:
The capacity to determine how many weeks a student submits his or her weekly work by incrementing a value each time the student does so.
Because there aren’t enough pages to warrant a search feature, it may be impossible to search the online interfaces.
1.6 Significance of the Study
The study of the usability of electronic logbooks for interns is critical, given the number of issues that will be addressed if such logbooks are successfully adapted. Some of the drawbacks with paper logbooks are previously mentioned in the problem statement.
Everything is going digital with the rise of ubiquitous computing, and Nigerian society should be no different. To alter a society, the academic community must modify its perspective and approach to issues.
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