ABSTRACT

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1. 1. Background of the Study

Archiving is indirectly as old as human, hence When man invented writing he also invented archives. This made it possible for him to leave behind traces of his experiences, discoveries, fears and inventions. Philosophy, religion, art and science made strides through the sharing of acquired knowledge written on tablets, on parchment or in books. The invention of printing greatly accelerated this evolution by allowing the diffusion of ideas within a group of elites and later to a population ever hungrier for knowledge (Boudrez, 2005).

An online course material archive management system is a form of an electronic archive system with the distinction on what it archives – which are course materials only. This archive system keep’s track of course materials. The users of this system can upload as well as download course materials depending on their roles in the system. Electronic archive system varies by purpose; some archives books, others media, email conversation and artifacts as the case may be.

Human in response to this new problem associated with manual archive systems, invented electronic knowledge management. Human inventing electronic management system was as a result of progress made in the field of computer and communication thereby enabling conservation, management and usage of mammoth quantities of data being handled electronically.

Institutions have an opportunity to achieve economies of scale by collectively engaging in the mission of archiving the scholarly record. At this time, Institutions can work together to determine how best to position themselves in the dynamic environment of technologies to maximize benefits and mitigate risk. It is important for leaders in higher education to understand the dynamics and tensions of emerging infrastructure and to strategize on how to leverage it effectively, not to be disrupted by it. In the recent educause e‐book entitled The Tower and the Cloud79, Richard Katz and others discuss the implications of the networked information economy and how it will impact higher education institutions (Katz, 2008).

1. 2. Statement of the Problem

The fact that knowledge is created and forgotten as soon as the creator leaves is not a good practice. In current institutions, several good course materials have been created through proper research by lecturers but due to the absence of material archives, when the computer system of the lecturer is damaged the whole document is lost hence giving the lecturer more stress in terms of researching all over again. Also, when the lecturer leaves the institution his/her knowledge leaves with them.

Additionally, students have to wait longer period for their course materials because lecturers will have to spend time and money to print the course materials for the students. This reduces the reading time of students hence degrading their performances in terms of education.

 Hence the above, this research work will serve as a solution to these problems.

1. 3. Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of this research work is to design and implement an automated course material archive system that will serve as an archive for storing course materials in departments of various institutions and also serve as a source where students get their course materials from rather than waiting longer period for already printed material.

The objectives include the following;

1. To review related literatures pointing to electronic archive systems.
2. Allow the quick and constant availability of course materials.
3. Enable a proper management of course material in archive.
4. Enable a quick and easy search of course materials in archive.
5. Reduce the cost in printing course materials.

1.4     Significance of the Study

Knowing that there is an archive system that will hold and keep lecturers research work (course materials), they will try by all means possible to make it perfect by doing a proper research on the course outline, hence promoting the knowledge acquired in the institution and the country’s education system at large.

1.5     Scope of the Study

This research work covers an online course archive management system that will aid students get their course materials from the web and also aid institutions in archiving course materials formulated by lecturers through proper research relating to the course outline. These materials will be accessed and approved by the Head of Department (HOD) whom will be the administrator of the system.

1.6     Limitation of the Study

The researcher faced some limitations during the course of this research. Some of this limitations/constraint includes;

i.        Time constraint: Time factor were also the major factors as the timeframe to submit the project was too short for an extensive research.

ii.       Financial constraint:  Lack of adequate finance to fund the researcher as to visit many places was another major setback.

1.7     Definition of Terms

• Archive: This is a place for storing earlier, and often historical, material. It usually contains documents (letters, records, newspapers, etc.) or other types of media kept for future purpose or historical interest.
• Course Material: This consist of lecture notes and supplementary reading or exercises that is related to a particular course of study.
• Word Processing: This is the production, storage, and manipulation of text on a computer or word processor.
• Technology: This is the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, especially in industry.
• Electronic: This is a device having or operating with components such as microchips and transistors that control and directs electronic currents.
• Upload: This is simply a process of transferring data or files from peripheral or subordinate system to a larger or more central one, especially from a personal computer to an internet server.