WOMEN’S UNIVERSITY IN AFRICA

ADDRESSING GENDER DISPARITY AND FOSTERING EQUITY IN UNIVERSITY EDUCATION

PROJECT TITLE:

EXPERIENCES OF FEMALE INFORMAL CROSSBOARDER

TRADERS: A CASE STUDY OF BEITBRIDGE PORT OF ENTRY IN
ZIMBABWE

BY

BARBARA ZVINAIYE MARITSA

(WI40450)

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Degree of Bsc (Hons ) Sociology
and Gender Development Studies.

FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

SUPERVISOR: MRS MAONEKE

NOVEMBER 2016

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 WOMEN’S UNIVERSITY IN AFRICA

ADDRESSING GENDER DISPARITY AND FOSTERING EQUITY IN UNIVERSITY EDUCATION

RELEASE FORM

NAME OF AUTHOR: MARITSA BARBARA ZVINAIYE

PROJECT TITLE : Experiences of female informal cross

boarder traders

DEGREE PROGRAMME

ii
 WOMEN’S UNIVERSITY IN AFRICA

Name of Author : Chipo Moyo

Title of Project : Industrial Attachment Placement Management System

Degree Programme: Bachelor of Science Honours in Information Systems

Year Granted: 2016

Permission is hereby granted to Women’s University in Africa

to produce copies of this project and to lend or sell such copies
for private, educational or scientific research purposes only. The
author reserves other publication rights; neither the project nor
extensive extracts from it may be printed or otherwise
reproduced without the author’s written consent.

Signed…………………………………………………………………..……
.
Permanent
Address……………………………………………………………………..

Date: 26 May, 2016.

WOMEN’S UNIVERSITY IN AFRICA

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 APPROVAL FORM FOR RESEACH PROJECT
The undersigned certify that they have read and recommended to the

Women’s University in Africa

For acceptance of a project entitled,

Industrial Attachment Placement Management System

(I.A.P.M.S)
By

Chipo Moyo (W130973)

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the

Bachelor of Science Honors Degree in Information Systems.

.................................……………………………………………………….......................

SUPERVISOR

….……………………………………………………………………..........................

PROGRAMMECOORDINATOR

……………………………………………………….......................................................

EXTERNAL EXAMINER

………………............../ ............................................/ ........................................

26 May 2016

DECLARATION FORM

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I Chipo Moyo declare that this project is my original work and it has not been copied or
extracted from any source without due acknowledgement of the source.

Signed:………………………………………………………..

Date: 26 May 2016

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

v
I extend my gratitude to many who helped make this research project a success. Firstly, I
would like to thank my supervisor Mr. Nick Karekwaivanani for his valuable guidance
rendered throughout the duration of the project.

I would also like to thank staff from the various universities I interacted with in the process of
trying to understand how the current system works. Special mention goes to Dr Gumbe, Dr
Saruchera, Mrs Ngwarati, Ms Shava, Mr. Panganayi, Ms Mhere, the Registratar of Midlands
State University, The Acting Registrar of University of Zimbabwe for their passionate
participation and input.

I also would like to acknowledge the following current and past students from various
universities for their valuable input, Blessing Kanhemba, Tatenda Tsikira, Courage
Chapeyama, Harmony Mazai, Adelaide Mpofu and Gamuchirai Vera.

Lastly I express my profound gratitude to my husband, Onesimo Mazai Moyo, and my two
daughters Shingi and Rumbi for their unfailing support and continuous encouragement
throughout the years of study and research. This would have not been possible without them

Thank you.

ABSTRACT

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Industrial attachment has become an important part of learning and has been adopted by all
universities and colleges in Zimbabwe. Industrial attachment has become an important aspect
of training and employers demand for fully trained students when they recruit. Every student
is required to go on attachment for a minimum period of at least eight months and this work
related learning contributes to the student’s final mark. Industrial attachment is meant to
expose students to the work environment and its challenges and prepare them for their future
careers.

Currently universities simply assist students with letters and the students are expected to find
attachment placements on their own. This process has been faced with a number of challenges
especially when operating in a shrinking economy where most companies have closed down
and competition intensifying for the few attachment places available. Students end up settling
for small to informal organisations and the problem is the suitability of attachment will be
questionable as they end up doing routine jobs which fall short of the requirements of the
student’s particular discipline of study.

Research was done and a number of challenges and weaknesses were identified in the current
system. Data was analysed and recommendations to develop a system in order to address the
challenges were done. The automation of the current system will go a long way in addressing
most of the identified challenges and create higher standards in the process of work related
learning.

Contents
RELEASE FORM........................................................................................................................................ii
APPROVAL FORM...................................................................................................................................iii
DECLARATION FORM..............................................................................................................................iv
vii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...........................................................................................................................v
ABSTRACT...............................................................................................................................................vi
ACRONYMS USED...................................................................................................................................xi
List of Tables..........................................................................................................................................xii
List of Figures........................................................................................................................................xiii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................................1
1.0 Introduction..................................................................................................................................1
1.1 Background...................................................................................................................................1
1.2 Problem Statement.......................................................................................................................2
1.3 Aim................................................................................................................................................3
1.4 System Objectives.........................................................................................................................3
1.5 Solution/Approach........................................................................................................................3
1.6 Novel Characteristics.....................................................................................................................4
1.7 Scope Delimitation........................................................................................................................4
1.8 Limitations.....................................................................................................................................5
1.9 Justification...................................................................................................................................5
1.10 Hardware and Software...............................................................................................................6
1.11 Assumptions................................................................................................................................7
1.12 Summary.....................................................................................................................................7
CHAPTER TWO – PLANNING PHASE........................................................................................................9
2.0 Introduction......................................................................................................................................9
2.1 Literature Review..........................................................................................................................9
2.1.1 Theoretical Literature Review................................................................................................9
2.1.2 Empirical Literature Review..................................................................................................10
2.2 Business Value.............................................................................................................................11
2.3 Tangible Benefits.........................................................................................................................12
2.4 Feasibility Analysis.......................................................................................................................13
2.4.1 Economic Feasibility.............................................................................................................13
2.4.2 Organizational Feasibility.....................................................................................................18
2.4.3 Operational Feasibility..........................................................................................................18
2.4.4 Technical Feasibility..............................................................................................................19
2.5 Project Timeline..........................................................................................................................21
2.6 Summary.....................................................................................................................................24
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CHAPTER THREE – ANALYSIS PHASE......................................................................................................25
3.0 Introduction.................................................................................................................................25
3.1 Information gathering methodologies........................................................................................25
3.1.1 Qualitative Technique..........................................................................................................25
3.1.2 Unstructured Interviews.......................................................................................................26
3.1.3 Questionnaires.....................................................................................................................27
3.1.4 Secondary information analysis............................................................................................27
3.2 Analysis of current system...........................................................................................................28
3.2.1 Process Analysis....................................................................................................................29
3.2.2 Data Analysis........................................................................................................................30
3.3 Weakness of the current system.................................................................................................32
3.4 Analysis of Alternatives...............................................................................................................33
3.4.1 Outsourcing..........................................................................................................................33
3.4.2 Improving / upgrading the existing system..........................................................................34
3.4.3 Development........................................................................................................................35
3.5 Requirements Analysis................................................................................................................36
3.5.1 Functional Requirements.....................................................................................................36
3.5.2 Non- Functional Requirements.............................................................................................42
3.6 Summary.....................................................................................................................................43
CHAPTER FOUR – DESIGN PHASE..........................................................................................................44
4.0 Introduction.................................................................................................................................44
4.1 System Design.............................................................................................................................44
4.1.1 The Applications...................................................................................................................45
4.1.3 The Users..............................................................................................................................47
4.2 Architecture Diagram..................................................................................................................49
4.3 Physical Design............................................................................................................................49
4.4 Database Design..........................................................................................................................56
4.5 Program Design...........................................................................................................................58
4.5.1 Class Diagram.......................................................................................................................59
4.5.2 Sequence Diagrams..............................................................................................................60
4.6 Interface Design..........................................................................................................................66
4.7 Summary.....................................................................................................................................71
CHAPTER FIVE – IMPLEMENTATION PHASE..........................................................................................72
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 5.0 Introduction.................................................................................................................................72
5.1 Coding.........................................................................................................................................72
5.2 System Testing.............................................................................................................................77
5.2.1 Unit Testing..........................................................................................................................77
5.2.2 Black Box Testing..................................................................................................................77
5.2.3 White Box Testing.................................................................................................................77
5.2.4 Module Testing.....................................................................................................................78
5.3 Installation...................................................................................................................................87
5.3.1 Hardware Installation...........................................................................................................87
5.3.2 Software Installation.............................................................................................................87
5.3.3 User Training........................................................................................................................88
5.4 System Conversion......................................................................................................................89
5.4.1 File conversion......................................................................................................................89
5.4.2 System changeover Strategy................................................................................................89
5.5 Summary.....................................................................................................................................90
6.0 Introduction.................................................................................................................................92
6.1 Corrective Maintenance..............................................................................................................92
6.2 Adaptive Maintenance................................................................................................................93
6.3 Perfective Maintenance..............................................................................................................93
6.4 Preventive Maintenance.............................................................................................................93
6.5 Documentation............................................................................................................................93
6.5.1 User Manual.........................................................................................................................94
6.5.2 Technical Manual...............................................................................................................107
6.6 Future Developments................................................................................................................107
6.7 Summary...................................................................................................................................108
APPENDICES........................................................................................................................................109
Appendix A: Industrial Attachment Placement System Interview Questions.................................109
Appendix B: Questionnaire for university students.........................................................................110
Appendix C: Questionnaire for former university students.............................................................114
Appendix D: Questionnaire for University Lecturer.........................................................................117
Appendix E: Questionnaire for Work Supervisor.............................................................................120
Appendix F: Test Scenario 1............................................................................................................125
Appendix G: Test Case 1 UC000......................................................................................................126
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 Appendix H: Test Case 2 UC000......................................................................................................127
Appendix I: Test Scenario 2.............................................................................................................128
Appendix J: Test Case 1 UC001........................................................................................................129
Appendix K: Test Case 2 UC001.......................................................................................................130
Appendix L: Test Case 3 UC001.......................................................................................................131
Appendix M: Test Case 4 UC001......................................................................................................132
References..........................................................................................................................................133

ACRONYMS USED

ROI – Return On Investment

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CV – Cirriculum Vitea

URL – Uniform Resource Locator

WUA – Women’s University in Africa

API – Application Programming Interface

CPU – Central Processing Unit

DFD – Data Flow Diagram

UML – Unified Modeling Language

MVC – Model View Controller

List of Tables

Table 1 Hardware and Software................................................................................................10

Table 2 Software........................................................................................................................17
Table 3 Hardware......................................................................................................................18
Table 4 Development Costs.......................................................................................................19

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Table 5 Quantifiable Tangible Benefits.....................................................................................19
Table 6 Recurrent Expenditure..................................................................................................20
Table 7 Project Timelines..........................................................................................................23
Table 8 Detailed Work Plan......................................................................................................25

List of Figures

Figure 1 Internet Connectivity Diagram....................................................................................23

Figure 2 Gantt Chart..................................................................................................................27
Figure 3 Activity Network Diagram..........................................................................................28

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Figure 4 Activity Diagram Current System...............................................................................33
Figure 5 Context Diagram.........................................................................................................34
Figure 6 Data Flow Diagram - Current System.........................................................................35
Figure 7 USE CASE Diagram - Placement Coordinator...........................................................41
Figure 8 USE CASE Diagram - Work Supervisor....................................................................42
Figure 9 USE CASE Diagram - Academic Supervisor.............................................................43
Figure 10 USE CASE Diagram - Placement Provider..............................................................44
Figure 11 USE CASE Diagram - Student..................................................................................45
Figure 12 Proposed System Data Flow Diagram......................................................................50
Figure 13 Architecture Diagram................................................................................................53
Figure 14 Input Screen Design - Add A Placement..................................................................54
Figure 15 Input Screen Design - Add A Work Supervisor........................................................55
Figure 16 Input Screen Design - Placement Creation...............................................................56
Figure 17 Input Screen - For Scheduling Assessment Visits....................................................56
Figure 18 Input Screen Design - Timesheet Entry....................................................................57
Figure 19 Output Design - Placed Students Report...................................................................58
Figure 20 Output Design - Unplaced Students Report..............................................................58
Figure 21 Physical Design Diagram..........................................................................................60
Figure 22 Entity Relationship Diagram.....................................................................................62
Figure 23 Class Diagram...........................................................................................................64
Figure 24 Sequence Diagram - Login........................................................................................65
Figure 25 Sequence Diagram Placement Coordinator...............................................................66
Figure 26 Sequence Diagram - Placement Provider..................................................................67
Figure 27 Sequence Diagram - Work Supervisor......................................................................68
Figure 28 Sequence Diagram - Academic Supervisor...............................................................69
Figure 29 Sequence Diagram - Student.....................................................................................70
Figure 30 Login Screen.............................................................................................................71
Figure 31 Mobile Login Screen.................................................................................................88
Figure 32 Mobile Timesheet Logging......................................................................................89
Figure 33 Direct Change Over Method.....................................................................................93

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

1.0 Introduction

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The Internet has completely changed the provision of information and the way the end user
can respond to the obtained information. Sadly, in this changing world mostsystems are still
rigid and cannot respond quickly enough. Systems are still people intensive and many lack the
interactive features to allow action on the information provided.

1.1 Background

Industrial attachment has become an important part of learning and has been adopted by most
universities both in Zimbabwe and other countries. Industrial attachment has become an
important aspect of training and employers demand for fully trained students when they
recruit, Attachments are meant for students to put theory into practice hence all universities,
colleges and polytechnics are required to expose their students to some work related learning.

The student is responsible for finding a placement in industry or government owned

departments and companies. Some universities, for example the University of Zimbabwe
facilitate their students to get placement in Audit firms. This is done for bright students they
think will be accepted by Audit firms. The majority of the students are faced with the same
challenge students from other institutions are facing when looking for industrial attachment.
Universities give students some attachment letters and the students have to look around and
only advice the university when they secure a placement. The system of placing students with
companies is very manual and the chances of students getting placed without knowing
someone in an organization of their choice are very slim.

Students sometimes find attachment far from home and they have to find accommodation and
also pay for transport but remuneration they get during attachment is too little to see them
through the month. The job market continues to shrink due to economic hardships the country
is facing and students with no connections are finding it more difficult to secure placement in
reputable organizations. The curriculum is not relevant to the job market and students find it
difficult to implement theory studied in to practice as there are some gaps. It also translates to
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the anticipation of the work supervisor not being met. The suitability of attachment places
sometimes falls short of the requirements of the student’s particular discipline of study.

Another challenge is some organisations placing students on attachment are not providing
adequate work related training which is expected by the universities. Sometimes students find
themselves engaged in unskilled and routine jobs which will not give them the chance to do
the essentials of the job related to their area of study. Employers end up using the students as
cheap labour mainly because expectations are not properly communicated between the
university and the company. This results in poor supervision of students by organizations.
Lastly reporting by all involved parties is too manual as organizations are not taking advantage
of the latest technologies available.

1.2 Problem Statement

Industrial attachment is meant to bridge the gap between classroom theory and the actual work
practices. Due to the fact that the economy of Zimbabwe has continued to shrink competition
for few attachment places has been intensifying. As a result, it has become very difficult to get
placed and students are forced to take up whatever come their way yet some companies are too
small to meet the students’ needs to get the required functional exposure. Supervision of
students is compromised as companies are too busy with their core business at the expense of
the student and universities have no means of checking unless they pay the students a visit to
appreciate the setting in which the students are. Lastly the interaction between the three
stakeholders, university, student and placement provider is to a large extend too manual.

1.3 Aim

To create a platform to maintain and promote good working relationship and maintaining
higher standards in the process of work related learning.

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1.4 System Objectives

1. To create an interface connecting students, placement providers, placement

coordinators, academic supervisors, work supervisors and their organizations in real
time during work related learning.
2. To allow the university coordinator to accredit the companies that will be providing the
placements.
3. To allow the university to endorse placements from placement providers to maintain a
set standard in work related learning.
4. To enable placement coordinators, university supervisors, work supervisors schedule
for assessment visits and report due dates.

1.5 Solution/Approach

A system to place students with companies basing on degree program will be developed to
interface with the university database and both the student and the company will have access
to the platform to allow easy and fast interaction. The student will have access to the system
during the one-year window. Companies will be accredited as trainers by the university to
participate in the attachment programme. Due work flows will trigger reminders via email
alerts to all the stakeholders. Information on all stakeholder expectations will be maintained
and regularly updated to ensure optimal placement environment for the student.

Student interview outcomes and objectives for attachment will be captured and used for
monitoring and assessment purposes during the attachment period. An e-log sheet will be
maintained for student’s weekly updates and other stakeholders to provide feedback to the
student to minimize number of assessment visits by lecturers. Assessments and student reports
will be uploaded onto the system database and marks will continue to be recorded in the
university database

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1.6 Novel Characteristics

The system will accredit placement providers, allow students to apply for attachment online
and also track their applications. The system will auto schedule assessment visits and report
due dates and send reminders to students and supervisors. The system will automatically
assign academic supervisors to students. A log sheet will be maintained for students to record
timesheets and the work they do on a daily basis and endorsed by the work supervisor at the
end of the day or week. Students will enjoy the convenience of a mobile app with limited
functionality version of the system in order to track their applications and reports and capture
timesheets anytime anywhere.

1.7 Scope Delimitation

The system will allow the placement coordinator to register on the system, accredited
placement providers, upload conditions of attachment, endorse uploaded vacancies, endorse
student attachment, assign academic supervision to a student and schedule assessment visits
and report due dates. The placement provider will upload available vacancies, terms and
conditions of placement, create work supervisors and assign them to a placement, search for
students who qualify for vacancy, invite students for interview and update interview results.
The work supervisor will be able to view conditions of attachment, endorse timesheet at the
end of each day or week, view scheduled assessment visits and report due dates. The student
will view available vacancies, apply for vacancies, receive interview invites, upload CV on the
system, update timesheet, receive report reminder and submit the final report by uploading
onto the system. The academic supervisor will view scheduled assessment visits and report
due dates, view reports submitted by the students and make announcements to students under
his supervision. The system help scheduling visits and sends alerts, reminders and notification
via email and android mobile application.

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1.8 Limitations

The bulk of the information required for the project, for example, how universities and
companies are handling the work related learning program is not readily available.

Time is not enough to study all other types of colleges as more time will be required to visit
and understand how they work in terms of placing their students for attachment.

1.9 Justification

Computerization of the industrial attachment program will help students, universities and
companies providing placement to interact and exchange information quicker, easier, and
cheaper by way of reporting online, maintaining electronic assessment visit schedules. Reports
and assessments will be uploaded onto system instead of submitting in person. The system
will also have an electronic time sheet logging for students on attachment which will be
endorsed by the work supervisor and lastly an email interface for sending reminders and alerts.

The system will also provide some understanding between the companies that take students on
attachment and the university by way of accrediting the organization providing attachment.
The automation of the system will help in eliminating the abuse of students by officials in
placement providing organizations as applications and approvals will be done on the system
and the placement coordinator will be involved.

The automated system will enhance networking, economic links and general relations being
developed between universities and industries. An efficient attachment system will ultimately
make the attachment process transparent, easy and more helpful to the students as they will be
placed in reputable organizations and in relevant departments. The system will eliminate the
problem of students changing companies in search for better remuneration since the placement

xix
will be endorsed by the placement coordinator and the student’s CV will not be available on
the list of available students.

1.10 Hardware and Software

The required hardware and software tools to setup and operate the system are listed in the
table below and these are considered minimal.

No table of figures entries found.

Model

Description

Laptop

HP Probook 6570b

Processor Intel Core i5

CPU speed 2.50 GHz

RAM - 4Gb

System Type – 64bit Operating

Hard drive – 450Gb

Software

WAMP

server

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Wamp Server version 2.5

MYSQL database and PHP language for development of API

Android

Software

Android Operating system minimum version 3.0 to 6.0

Android Studio latest version 2.0.1

For student’s connections from mobile phones.

For development of mobile application.

Web Browser

Latest versions of any of the following: -

Internet Explorer, Fire Fox, Opera, Chrome etc.

For interface

Table 1 Hardware and Software

1.11 Assumptions

 The assumption that all universities value industrial attachment

 The assumption that the attachment placement system will be in universities only for
now.
 All organizations that take students on attachment are computerized and are on email.
 All universities run their industrial attachment programmes along the same or similar
principles.
 All software to be used will be open source and obtained for free from the internet.

xxi
  The system will be run from a laptop without any need to buy a proper server.

1.12 Summary

The coming of the Internet and web is meant to make the supply of information more
interactive and easily accessible but unfortunately organizations continue to struggle with staff
intensive processes and rigid systems that are not responsive or sensitive to changes. The
industrial attachment has proven to be integral to learning in tertiary and higher education but
students have been left responsible for finding placement in a shrinking economy where
companies are folding up and failing to even pay salaries. As a result, students are faced with
problems which require universities to be involved more.

To address these challenges an interactive system that accredits placement providers will be
implemented. The system will be interfaced to the university database to allow validation
andreal-time updates to be done by attachment coordinators, students, lecturers and work
supervisors. Replacement of the current manual systems in most universities will assist
students, universities and attachment providing organizations to interact and exchange
information quicker, easier and cheaper by providing the functionality to report online,
maintain electronic assessment schedules, visit schedules and functionality for students to
electronically complete their timesheets. The scope of this project will cover universities only
and students that have successfully completed their second year of study. The next chapter
will cover literature review which is aimed at getting knowledge of previous work done by
others to help me approach the problems that the industrial attachment programme has been
faced with in Zimbabwe and in other countries. The next chapter will also cover the planning
and feasibility of the project in order to assess if it is worth pursuing.

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CHAPTER TWO – PLANNING PHASE

2.0 Introduction

The previous chapter covered the problems the student’s attachment program is currently
facing and what is required to be done in order to efficiently and cheaply administer and make
students realize the benefits of work related learning during their third year of studying.
Literature review allows the researcher to explore the challenges that other institutions faced
or are currently facing the world over. After literature review, the social, technical,
operational, economical and organizational feasibility analysis of the system will be looked at
in trying to justify pursuing the development of the proposed system.

Literature review allows us to define and compare how organizations have been handling the
student industrial attachment programme and it also allows us to understand previous work
done by others with the aim to improve the efficiency and the functionality.

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2.1 Literature Review

2.1.1 Theoretical Literature Review

Industrial attachment for students was introduced to complement theory with the demands of
the real work environment. According to Leong, industrial attachment refers to on the job
training in which a student learns while working within a working environment, using
whatever tools and actually doing the job, (Leong, 2004 in
http://www.academia.edu/5438604/IJMRA-PSS1537). Industrial attachment is also defined as
a process that molds a student’s ability, skill and understanding of what every student is
required to perform efficiently and effectively. [1] Abiodun (1999) goes on to say this process
requires that the student be under the supervision of a qualified person and further explains
that attachees subjected to the right environment contribute to increased productivity as they
gain more skills, knowledge and understanding.

2.1.2 Empirical Literature Review

Literature on industrial attachment has been published in and outside Zimbabwe and it is
generally agreed that the process has not been smooth. The University of Zimbabwe took time
to investigate how the industrial attachment programme offered by its faculty of Commerce
was performing. The study was meant to find out if the programme is adding value to the work
related learning process. Chinhoyi University of Technology also carried out a research to find
out issues and concerns relating to the assessment of students on Industrial Attachment. All
these studies were a result of the fact that the attachment programme is still faced with some
problems.

A study that was done by the University of Zimbabwe’s faculty of commerce in September
2012 revealed that though the number of students were increasing gradually since 2002 when
the industrial attachment programme started it was still faced with challenges concerning the
relevance of the curricula, the quality of the resources, the quality of trainers and the limited

xxiv
places as the industry is shrinking in addition to the rough and tough work environments.
Carlson (2002) agrees with Olugbenga (2009, 2012) that when students are placed for
industrial attachment they face financial challenges as well. The industrial attachment was
rated and 52.4% of the respondents thought it was relevant to theory yet 3.2% thought it was
irrelevant and the 44.4% thought there was need for improvement in all aspects of the
attachment programme (http:/www.ijmra.us)

Another study which was done in January 2014 by International Journal of English and
Education also established that students found it difficult to secure places and ended up
settling for inappropriate attachment places in which they failed to get the necessary exposure
and end up being taken as cheap labour by placement providers. More than sixty percent
(60%) of the respondents indicated that they got placement due to the influence of certain
people connected to the various organizations, which shows there is a problem especially for
those students who do not know any influential people. Forty-eight percent (48%) of the
students indicated that the scope of their work related learning activities did not meet the
requirements of their respective area of study.

In countries like Singapore students are sent on overseas industrial attachment programmes as
well to prepare them for their future careers. This gives them a good chance to acquire some
technical knowledge and practical skills not taught in the classroom setup. In countries like
Malaysia, lecturers are sent on industrial attachment for the same reason to complement their
understanding of theory with some practical skills (www.eesenet.org/jsd -Journal of
Sustainable Development Vol. 4, No. 1; February 2011).

The concept is the same in Europe though the counties are at different stages of development
as regards the industrial attachment. It is the responsibility of the university lecturers and the
organization where the student is attached for the duration of the placement to make sure the
student is properly supervised,

xxv
2.2 Business Value

A number of problems have been bedeviling the student attachment programme and these are
due to lack of a close working relationship between the industry and the universities.
Inadequate resources for assessment visits resulted in lecturers failing to visit students. Poor
understanding of procedures and expectations is affecting quality and companies are
sometimes reluctant to take students due to economic challenges. Due to challenges being
faced by students in trying to secure attachment they end up forced to yield to unethical
behaviours. They are sometimes discriminated on the basis of the colleges they are studying
at, the degree programmes they are doing and sex. Searching for attachment is too expensive
and cumbersome for students as they end up attached in a department or company that is not
relevant to their degree program.

To address all the above challenges a system will be developed that is web based and
interactive to provide a platform that is efficient and cost effective. The following therefore
seeks to make clearer what costs are to be incurred in implementing the Industrial Attachment
Placement System for Undergraduate students.

2.3 Tangible Benefits

 The system will eliminate the amount of paper work currently involved in the
attachment programme, that is, student’s applications for placement and reports by
both supervisors and students.
 Students will save money as reports will be retrieved electronically and not send
physically through the post office or courier services or submitted in person.
 When all processes of the attachment programme are computerized both the
universities and the companies will be saved overtime.
 Time will be saved on time spent waiting for the physical reports reaching the
university.
xxvi
  As students write their report they will recommend improvements to operational
procedures which the organisations can adopt and improve efficiency.
 Students contribute positively towards enhancing the knowledge base of any
organization they work for.
 It will be cheaper in terms of labour as organizations will pay students low allowances.
The cost of employing a student will be lower than taking on a full time member of
staff and the companies will save.
 The placement organization will benefit by getting fresh ideas from students.
 Both the company and the university will realize some savings in telephone expenses
as appointments for visits and assessments will be done on the system and
communicated using email alerts.
 Students get hands on experience and exposure in a relevant field of study.
 All stakeholders will benefit from the efficiency and convenience of the computerized
system which can be accessed for updates anytime and from everywhere since it will
be web based and available on mobile phone.
 Improvement in IT skills by using an interactive, fast and easy to use system.
 Motivates students to study.

2.4 Feasibility Analysis

The purpose of a feasibility study is not to solve the problem, but to determine whether the
problem can be solved. It is a way of measuring how beneficial the system will be to a
company. This will inform the decision to proceed with the project or not. The feasibility
study covers the following areas: -

 Economic feasibility – Assess if the proposed system will generate economic benefits.
 Organizational feasibility – Assess the impact the system will bring to the
organisation and whether the organisation will be ready to adapt to the changes.
 Operational feasibility – ease of use by end users.

xxvii
  Technical feasibility – Ability to use technology currently available and make sure the
required skills are available to develop and support the proposed system.

2.4.1 Economic Feasibility

From an economic point of view, the traditional financial evaluation is the most effective
method to analyse alternatives and given the proposed system, a cost benefit analysis will be
carried out to justify if the project should go ahead.

Cost Benefit Analysis

A cost benefit analysis is used to evaluate the total anticipated cost of a project compared to
the total expected benefits in order to determine whether the proposed implementation is
worthwhile for a company (http:/www.brighthubpm.com/project-planning/58181-writing-a-
cost-benefit-analysis/). Return on investment (ROI) is normally realized over some years and
in this case the assumption is the company will realize return on its investment after three
years of using the system. Total cost will be divided into capital and recurrent expenses.
Capital expenditure comprise of the cost of purchasing hardware, purchase of software and the
cost of implementing.

Hard and Software Costs

To operate at the best possible level, the system will require the following: -

Software Costs

Software Type Justification Cost

WAMP server MYSQL database and PHP Free
language
Android To be used to connect to the Included in cost of mobile
system.Users must run on Android
xxviii
 Operating system v 3.0 up to 6.0
Internet explorer/Fire Interface for the system Free
Fox
Total Cost $0.00
Table 2 Software

Hardware Costs

ITEM DESCRIPTION SPECIFICATION COST

Laptop Hardware HP ProBook 6570b $1,200.00
Processor Intel Core i5
CPU Speed 3.50 GHz
RAM – 4GB
System Type – 64bit
Operating system
Hard drive – 450GB
Internet Bandwidth 1mbps $75.00 per month
Mobile phones for Android Android version 3.0 to $100.00 x 5 =
client compatible version 6.0 $500.00
Interface testing and
post implementation
support
Total $2,600.00
Table 3 Hardware Costs

The fact that the system will host many simultaneous client connections and response has to
be good and should not suffer with increased volumes, the above hardware is recommended.
The system will be wed based with some limited functionality accessible from a mobile
application.

xxix
Development Costs

ITEM ASSUMPTIONS COST

Labour Software 14 weeks $4,500.00
development and testing
Software requirements Freeware $0.00
Hardware requirements 5 mobile phones for testers $2,600
User and technical training + 2 Admin staff, 3 support staff $1,200.00
Documentation and 10 end users
Total $8,300.00
Table 4 Development Costs

Quantifiable Tangible Benefits

ITEM VALUES
Savings in stationary per annum $2,000.00
Savings in Students transport costs per annum $3,600.00
Reduction in overtime claims per annum (University and companies) 44,500.00
Savings in transport costs for sending physical reports by students $2,500.00
Savings in wages by the placement provider per annum $18,000.00
Savings in telephone costs per annum $600.00
Total savings $30,200.00
Table 5 Quantifiable Tangible Benefits

Recurrent Expenditure

ITEM 3 YEAR FORECAST

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3
Backup media $300.00 $300.00 $300.00
Repairs and Maintenance $750.00 $1,000.00 $1,250.00
Annual License and Maintenance Fees $1,000.00 $1,100.00 $1,200.00
Bandwidth and Internet $500.00 $500.00 $500.00
Software upgrades $250.00 $250.00 $250.00
Total costs $2,800.00 $3,150.00 $3.500.00

xxx
 Benefits Expected Annually Amount USD $
Savings in stationary $2,000.00
Savings in Student transport costs per annum $3,600.00
Reduction in overtime claims per annum (University and $4.500.00
companies)
Savings in transport costs for sending physical reports by students $2,500.00
Savings in wages by the placement provider per annum $14,000.0
0
Savings in telecommunication costs per annum $600.00
Total Benefits $27,000.00
Costs
Labour software development & testing $4,500.00
Software requirements Central server x 1 $0.00
Hardware requirements $2,600.00
User and technical training, documentation – Administration and $1,200.00
support staff from pilot University
Annual recurrent expenditure $2,800.00
Total $11,100.00
Excess/Deficit $16,100.00
Table 6 Recurrent Expenditure

Benefits to be derived from implementing the proposed system outweigh the cost of
implementing it.The current system is not efficient as it is manual and has some challenges
which can be minimized by the use of a computerized system. The computerised system will
help reduce costs, for example, stationary, transport costs for students and costs for sending
physical reports. The proposed system will be more efficient and the industrial attachment
program will become cheaper to run and the number of visits by lecturers to companies will be
reduced since the system will allow for interactive and fast exchange of information between
the stakeholders. The system will deliver tangible benefits and universities will realize return
on their investment within the first three years of use.

2.4.2 Organizational Feasibility

The current organizational structures of the four universities that were involved in the study
are all able to provide the necessary support for the project since they all have sufficient
xxxi
management expertise, competencies and resources. The introduction of the proposed system
will be a welcome development for both students and universities as it will smoothen the
process and make information more interactive and available all the time.

2.4.3 Operational Feasibility

This involves the projection of whether the system will put to use if it is developed and
implemented. The operation of the new system will be easy to use and accessible over the web
and limited functionality for students to enable them to track their applications before they are
placed since some will not have access to internet at a reasonable cost. Talking to Head of the
Faculty of Commerce at the University of Zimbabwe he welcomed the idea as currently they
are having to phone around looking for placement providers to take some of their students for
industrial attachment.

I also talked to a number of students from Midlands State University,Chinhoyi University of

Technology and University of Zimbabwe who showed enthusiasm at the idea of having a
system that will automate the application process, log sheet functionality, pool of potential
placement providers and submission of reports over the system instead of the current
arrangement where they have to incur a lot of money to travel to go and submit the report in
person or send by courier service and run from one company to the other looking for
vacancies.

The system is feasible given that mobile internet access is largely available and both the web
and the mobile app will be easily accessible any time everywhere. Students are normally in
areas where there is access to GPRS, WIFI, 3G or 4G so they will be able to access their
mobile applications all the time. The graphical user interface will be simple and easy to use
and will not require users to be trained.

xxxii
2.4.4 Technical Feasibility

Technical feasibility is done to ensure the technology is available to implement the proposed
system. It is concerned with resources such as hardware, software and the technology, which
are required to ensure that the user’s defined requirements are met on time and within the
allocated budget. The current resources and technology can be upgraded at any point in time to
accomplish specified user requirements. The technologies are diagrammatically presented in
the diagram below: -

Internet and Connectivity

Laptop

University Database Query Server

IAPMS Data base

API & Web APP (PHP)

Smart Phone

Email Server

Figure 1 Internet Connectivity Diagram

xxxiii
The system is going to be web based and that necessitates the need for internet access. There
will be an interface to the dummy university database. The Android application will connect to
the PHP server as well as the web application. There will be an interface to the email server
for sending of email alerts.

The system is technically feasible as the required skills are available to both develop and
implement the proposed system. Support and training of the system users will be provided to
the universities that will buy the system. The software to be used is free and the cost of buying
hardware is manageable and the technology is stable and established.

2.5 Project Timeline

The activities and timelines for each will be tabulated and also put in a Gantt chart to show
dependences.

ACTVITY DATES - 2016 DURATION (In

Weeks)
Requirements Analysis and Project 1 March – 8 March 1
Proposal
Feasibility study 8 March – 15 March 1
Planning 15 March – 22 1
March
Detailed analysis 22 March – 5 April 2
Design 5 April – 19 April 2
Implementation 19 April – 10 May 3
Testing 10 May – 24 May 2
Documentation 24 May – 31 May 1
Post implementation review and Training 1 June – 7 June 1
Total weeks 14
Table 7 Project Timelines

Detailed Work Plan

xxxiv
Detailed Project Plan

Task Start Finish Duration

1. Project Proposal
Develop introductory project description
01/03/2016 07/03/2016 1 week
Produce project proposal
Obtain project approval
2. Feasibility and Planning
Feasibility and risk analysis
Identify project tasks
Develop plans and schedules 08/03/2016 21/03/2016 2 weeks
Obtain approval of project plan
3. Project Analysis
Current system - Information gathering
Process analysis - Activity diagram of
current system
Data Analysis - Context diagram
Data Flow Diagram
Weakness of the current system 22/03/2016 04/04/2016 2 weeks
Evaluate alternatives - In house
development, outsource, enhance or
improve
Requirements analysis - functional and
non-functional
Obtain sign off of requirements
specification
4. Project Design
Design how the system will work
Design system architecture
Database design – that is ER and EER
diagrams
Interface design
Design reports, test scenarios, test cases
Program design – logic, specifications 05/04/2018 18/04/2016 2 weeks
and sequence diagrams
Obtain sign off of system design
specification
5. Project Implementation
Develop programs
Program unit testing and integration
xxxv
 testing
System testing – user acceptance and
stress testing
19/04/2016 23/05/2016 5 weeks
Installation – Data migration and system
change over
6. Maintenance
Training, user and technical manuals,
24/05/2016 07/06/2016 2 weeks
documentation
Table 8 Detailed Work Plan

Gantt chart

ID Task Task Name Duration Start Finish Predecessors

Mode Feb 28, '16 Mar 13, '16 Mar 27, '16 Apr 10, '16 Apr 24, '16 May 8, '16 May 22, '16 Jun 5, '16
T S W S T M F T S W S T M F T S W S T M F T S W S T
1 Requirements 5 days Tue 3/1/16 Mon 3/7/16
2 Feasibility 5 days Tue 3/8/16 Mon 3/14/161
3 Planning 5 days Tue 3/15/16 Mon 3/21/162
4 Analysis 10 days Tue 3/22/16 Mon 4/4/16 3
5 Design 10 days Tue 4/5/16 Mon 4/18/164
6 Implementation 15 days Tue 4/19/16 Mon 5/9/16 5
7 Testing 10 days Tue 5/10/16 Mon 5/23/166
8 Documentation 6 days Tue 5/24/16 Tue 5/31/16 7
9 Review/ Training 5 days Wed 6/1/16 Tue 6/7/16 8

Figure 2 Gantt Chart

Activity Sequencing

xxxvi
The activity sequencing in the Gantt chart is shown in the following Activity Network
Diagram. The diagram below shows the flow of events in their sequence from one state to the
next.

Testing
Planning

Design

Requirements 1 week

2 weeks
1 week 2 weeks
2 weeks Document
3 weeks ation
1 week
1 week

Analysis Finish
Start Implement 1 week
ation
Feasibility
0 weeks

Training
Review

Figure 3 Activity Network Diagram

2.6 Summary

This chapter dealt with the literature review whose objective was to get an understanding of
how other institutions in Zimbabwe and in other countries are handling the placement of
students for the purpose of work industrial attachment. The literature showed that most if not
all institutions of higher learning value industrial attachment as a way of learning practically
and preparing students for work and also enhances their understanding of the theory they study
in class. This chapter also covered planning of the project in terms of timeless, the work plan
xxxvii
and the business value of the proposed industrial attachment system. The analysis proved that
it is feasible economically, technically and operationally to implement the system and the next
step is the analysis of the current manual system.

CHAPTER THREE – ANALYSIS PHASE

3.0 Introduction

Chapter two covered literature review and the planning phase. Analysis phase looks at how the
current system is working and the applied techniques for information gathering stage which is
very important as it informs the Systems Analyst on how to gather information about the
current system. The information helps to give me an in depth understanding of the
specifications of the current system, its structure, design, functions, strengths and weaknesses.
At the analysis stage a technique or techniques must be chosen and these will be used to gather
information about the industrial attachment program currently being run and if there are any
gaps.

3.1 Information gathering methodologies

3.1.1 Qualitative Technique

The qualitative technique was used in order to obtain a clear picture of how the industrial
attachment program is currently working. The qualitative technique provided rich information
and allowed for individual differences to be aired through in order to understand how different
universities are running the attachment program, challenges being faced and how they relate
with organizations providing attachments for work related learning to students.

Information gathered was not in numerical form, and this was mainly in the form of
questionnaires with both open ended and closed questions. Unstructured interviews were also
xxxviii
done with some universities that are in Harare as the researcher could not travel to Gweru and
Chinhoyi for cost reasons. The data collected was an accurate description of what is currently
happening basing on the current and former students, work supervisors, academic supervisors,
placement coordinators and heads of faculties interviewed.

One of the advantages of using this technique was its strength in uncovering more about how
people felt about the current system. The Systems Analyst used this research to focus on small
groups, the employees of the universities, former students, current students, placement
providers and placement supervisors. The reason was to avoid the quantitative approach
because it was going to be more expensive as it required large groups of participants and more
expensive measurement tools.

Disadvantages

The main disadvantage experienced using the technique was the amount of time and resources
needed for data collection and analysis due to the widely dispersed location of the universities
in Harare in order to carry out the research. Some did not respond to emails and had to follow
up using the telephone. Data collected depended on few individuals interviewedin person and
over the phone. Validity of the collected data was dependent on the honest of the targeted
sample which forced the researcher to make some inferences on the information provided.

3.1.2 Unstructured Interviews

In order to collect more information, the researcher had to use unstructured interviews. This
gave the leeway to ask more questions in case of need. The unstructured interview questions
were flexible which ended up making it more difficult to compare one interview with another.
The analysis of the responses became much difficult and time-consuming than the responses
the researcher could have obtained in case of a structured interviews. The advantage was that
the volumes were small and could have not worked if the sample size was too big.

xxxix
3.1.3 Questionnaires

A set of questionnaires about the industrial attachment program were compiled in the form of
hand-outs. These were targeted at former students who went through the attachment process,
students currently on attachment, work supervisors, academic supervisors, placement
coordinators, and head of Faculties. The questionnaire was designed in a way which allowed
the participants to answer both open-ended and closed questions. The advantage of
questionnaires over interviews is that the respondents could complete them at their
convenience, in their free time. The disadvantages were that, the researcher had to follow up to
get the questionnaires back and some chose not to respond at all.

3.1.4 Secondary information analysis

This is data which has already been collected and analyzed by other researchers. A number of
sources were used to collect the secondary data. The main sources were the internet, books,
publications and journals. This method narrowed down on universities that were covered in
the journals and publications and these were University of Zimbabwe, Midlands State
University and Chinhoyi University of Technology and this saved a lot of time.Women’s
University in Africa was then added on to the list. The publications and journals helped the
Analyst to understand how the industrial attachment programme is run in Zimbabwe and
beyond, the challenges both the universities and students are facing and possible areas which
could be improved.

By reviewing publications and journals a high level of understanding was obtained which gave
the researcher an insight into how the new system is going to be implemented and how it will
provide convenience to both the students and the other stakeholders. External sources of
inform also helped to understand the best practices used the world over, the technologies

xl
available and emerging which will help in implementing my system. Usage of secondary data
saved time and it was also very cost-effective and cost-efficient as the background work
needed is already carried out. Secondary data has an established level of credibility and
accuracy which need not be validated by the researcher who is reusing the data. Disadvantages
of secondary data are the information might be out of date and may also be inaccurate and
might not cover the required sample size.

3.2 Analysis of current system

The current system works in such a way that a student who has passed his second year second
semester examinations will become eligible for industrial attachment. Four universities were
engaged and these are Midlands State University, Chinhoyi University of Technology,
Women’s University in Africa and University of Zimbabwe who confirmed the process is
almost the same for the four of them. Towards the end of semester 2.2 the university will hold
some pre-attachment seminars for students. The seminars are meant to groom students on
business etiquette, CV writing, familiarize with application process and lastly the student is
given an attachment letter he uses to find industrial attachment.

The student register for semester 3.1 and start applying for attachment during the three
months’ window from time they finish semester 2.2. Some universities link their top
performers with some firms but just a few. Students go through the selection process and once
placed they are inducted and attached to a relevant department. During attachment students are
expected to complete and submit log sheets that detail start and finish time and work done for
each day and submit at the end of the week. Lecturers do some follow-up visits to have an
appreciation of where their students are working and how they are doing. Each student is
assigned a work supervisor who will endorse a log sheet, input in the assessment of the student
and also write a report on how the student has fared. Students also write their reports and
submit to universities in person or by courier services.

xli
The study of the current system was split into Process Analysis andData Analysis.

3.2.1 Process Analysis

This stage of critically analyzing the process involved in the industrial attachment placement
system is of great importance to a sound understanding and appreciation of the existing
system. Designing and analysis tools will be used to achieve this goal.

xlii
 Student get
Student apply Placement Provider
attachment letter
for attachment shortlist students

Invite Student for

an Interview

Student not accept

Student accepted

Notify Student

Student signs
Offer Letter

Student Induction

Student complete
Student is awarded timesheet
a grade

Academic Academic
Supervisor Mark Supervisor book
Student’s work assessment visit

Not Available

Student submit
report
Work Supervisor available

Work supervisor Complete Student

Student write
signs and stamp Assessment form assessment done
report
the report and sign

Figure 4 Activity Diagram Current System

3.2.2 Data Analysis

At this point the processes that are involved with the industrial attachment system are clear,
how data is stored and how the input, processes and output operations are manipulated and
encapsulated in the system. What is left is to study and understand the flow of data in the
system.
xliii
To contextualize the current systems two tools were utilized and these are:

 Context diagram, and

 Data flow diagram (DFD).

Context diagram or level zero data flow diagram

Industrial Attachment Placement

Management System
Placement
Student Coordinator

Industrial Attachment Placement Management

Placement Work
Provider Supervisor

Academic
Supervisor

Figure 5 Context Diagram

xliv
 Start

Student Files
Student Register

Hold Preattachment
Seminar

Apply For Attachment

Selection Process

Student placed for Sumbit Timesheet Timesheets File

attachment and Inducted weekly

Followup Visit

Student write and Submit

File Reports Report

Store Marks
Student Assessment Marking and Grading and Grades

Figure 6 Data Flow Diagram - Current System

xlv
3.3 Weakness of the current system

The current system has a number of weaknesses; key among them are the following:

 It has too many manual processes.

 The application for attachment process is manual as the student has to apply to each
and every organization on paper and go and submit in person. This is tedious and very
lengthy as the student will be applying blindly without knowing which organization is
looking for students and in what field. It is also very expensive in terms of bus fare,
stationery and telephone costs.
 The selection process is also manual as the placement provider has to go through a pile
of CVs before short listing the prospective students.
 The student waits anxiously for feedback from the company as there is no way of
tracking applications submitted.
 Universities are having to phone around to companies to find out if they can take some
of their students and this is very expensive and time consuming.
 Assessment visits are also manually scheduled by way of phone or email which takes
time and is also very expensive.
 Reports are done and have to be submitted in person or sent via courier services, this is
expensive and too long process.
 The academic supervisor has to make an appointment by phoning the Work
Supervisors for all students under his supervision which is time consuming and
expensive.
 Currently students manually capture their time sheets and work done and have the
forms submitted at the end of the week. The process is involving and it takes time.
 The placement process is also lengthy as the placement provider has to write to the
university to get references on the student before they can accept him.

xlvi
3.4 Analysis of Alternatives

System development can be achieved in many ways and three main alternatives were
considered and these are:

a) Outsourcing
b) Improving/ upgrading existing system
c) Development of new system

3.4.1 Outsourcing

This is the process of getting or hiring another group or company to do a task that can be done
by internal employees. It is the norm that such groups are of high expertise and possesses
higher levels of specialization.Using this alternative comes with its advantages and
disadvantages.

Advantages of outsourcing

 Quickness and Proficiency:Vendors are experts in their field as they have specific
technical skill sets than those of the outsourcing organization. This results in the tasks
being completed quicker and with better quality.
 Sharing of consequences: Risk analysis is a very important factorthat determines the
results of a project. Outsourcing some elements of the business result in the
organization to shift some responsibilities to the vendor. By the mere fact that the
vendor is a subject matter expert risk is better mitigated.
 Reduced Costs: Outsourcing results in reduced operational and staff costs. Hiring of
permanent staff is avoided and this come with some overheads which end up being
very costly.

xlvii
Disadvantages of outsourcing

Outsourcing was not considered after taking account of the following disadvantages: -

 Risk of exposing confidential data: when an organization outsources itsinformation it

is exposedto outsiders and faces the risk of falling into the hands of unauthorized
people.
 Failure to deliver: Without proper due diligence the organisation will end up choosing
the wrong partner and this impacts negatively on delivery time frames and quality of
the product.
 Outsourcing is cost effective most of the times but it can come with some hidden costs
and some of them arise from the internal staff failing to adequately support the system.
 Lack of customer focus: Vendors cater for the needs of too many customers at the
same time and this will result in a situation where they will not be able to focus on all
their customers.
 The organisation may end up failing to develop internal skills and as a result
continuously depend on the vendor.

3.4.2 Improving /upgrading the existing system

Improving or upgrading the current system involves identifyingthe weaknesses and

addressingthe gaps.

Advantages

 It is quick to implement
 The skills are already available to implement and support.

Disadvantages

xlviii
  The system upgrade may end up more expensive when more financial resources are
required.
 Staff may resist the system if it does not meet their needs.
 It might be difficult to interface the system with other systems due to compatibility
issues.

This alternative was not considered as the current system is manual and also taking into
account the highlighted disadvantages and disadvantages

3.4.3 Development

This entails developing the new system guided by the specification requirements document of
the organization.

Advantages

 Implementation will be cheaper using internal staff

 Customising the system will be easier as the internal staff know the system.
 The system will not depend on external consultancy
 Developing internally ensures that all required functionality is implemented as it is
defined in the user requirements.
 Involving some users in the development of the system will lower costs of training as
the users will have an understanding of the system from the onset.
 Development will be guided by the latest trends and standards of technology.

Disadvantages

 The implementation project can take longer to deploy if not properly managed.
 Varied skills and expertise are required to develop the system.

xlix
  Resistance of the new system can be a problem if users feel they were not consulted in
both requirements gathering, and involved in the development of the system.

3.5 Requirements Analysis

Functional requirements define the function of the software or the component. In this case this
is the function of the Industrial Attachment Placement Management system.
The proposed Industrial Attachment Placement Management system is expected to benefit the
university in a number of ways and also to meet some quality standards.

3.5.1 Functional Requirements

These have been split into five UML diagrams because of the size of the system. The five (5)
UML diagrams will describe the function of the Industrial Attachment Placement
Management system in terms of its actors, goals represented as use cases and the relationship
between these components. Functional requirements specify the inputs, behaviors and outputs
that is required by the users of the proposed system. They cover the description of the required
functionality, queries or reports, and data structures to be setup in the system. One of the
strengths of use case diagrams is that they are very high level.

l
 Accredit Placement Provider

Endorse Uploaded
Placements

Placement Provider
Endorse Student Placement
Placement
coordinator
Assign student to
Academic Supervisor
Academic Supervisor

View updates

Schedule Assessment Visits Work Supervisor

Figure 7 USE CASE Diagram - Placement Coordinator

In the above UML diagram there are four actors and six use cases and their interactions. The
placement coordinator starts creating other actors on the systems. He then accredits all
placement providers on the system and all their details like email address, name, physical
address and contact phone numbers. An email will then be sent to the placement provider as
confirmation of the accreditation and the email will also have details like the placement
provider unique identifier in the system and login details. The placement provider will log
onto the system using an email address. After the Placement provider has interviewed and
accepted the student the placement coordinator will endorse the placement and the student’s
CV will no longer be available on list of available students. The placement coordinator will
also assign students to academic supervisors and schedule the assessment visits and report due
dates. This process will send an email to both the Academic and Work supervisors with the

li
dates of assessments for each student. The placement coordinator will have capability to view
updates and reports uploaded on the system.

Login

View Uploaded documents

View Scheduled Assessment

Visits

Work Supervisor
Approve Student Timesheet

Sign report and Assessment

Figure 8 USE CASE Diagram - Work Supervisor

In the above UML diagram there is one actor and five use cases and their interactions. The
Work Supervisor logs into the system using an email address and will view uploaded
documents like terms and conditions for attachment and guidelines on how to assess students
etc. The actor will also approve the student’s timesheets before they are sent to the academic
supervisor on a regular basis and will sign reports and assessment reports before they are
uploaded onto the system. He views a schedule of assessment visits and diaries accordingly.
lii
 Login

View uploaded
documents

View scheduled Assessment

visits and reports
Student
Academic
Supervisor Make Announcements
and Comments

View Students

Give feedback to student

Figure 9 USE CASE Diagram - Academic Supervisor

In the above UML diagram there are two actors and six use cases and their interactions. The
Academic Supervisor logs into the system using an email address as both username and
password initially and can change the password later. He will be able to view scheduled
assessment visits and report due dates for student under his supervision and diarise
accordingly. The actor will also view uploaded reports and endorse them before marking and
finally assigning a grade. Feedback is provided to the student on the same platform.

liii
 Login

Upload documents

Create Work Supervisor

Placement
Provider Create/Close Placement

View applications and CVs

Update Application
Status

Figure 10 USE CASE Diagram - Placement Provider

In the above UML diagram there is one actor and six use cases and their interactions. The
Placement Provider logs into the system using an email address and password. He will be able
to view upload documents like CVs, terms and conditions of attachment and cover letters from
the students. He creates work supervisors on the systems before creating placements and then
attach a supervisor to a placement. The actor will have the functionality to create vacancies on
the system and also search for students with upload CVs before inviting them for an interview.
The system will send an email to the student with the interview details like date, and time and
address. After the interview he updates the application with results and application will remain
pending until it is endorsed by the Placement Coordinator. An alert is sent to the student with
the interview results.

liv
 Log onto the system

Student
Search open vacancies

Apply online

Upload documents

Student Track application

View feedback

Log time and work done

Figure 11 USE CASE Diagram - Student

In the above UML diagram there is one actor and seven use cases and their interactions. The
student logs into the system using his student number and password. He will be able to change
his password as and when necessary for security reasons. After logging into system the student
that has not been placed will view open placements and can apply online, upload CV and
include a cover letter on the same platform. The student will be able to track his applications
and reports on both the web and on the android mobile application. The student is able to
upload his CV and cover letter at the time of applying for a vacancy, he will also upload his
report at the time of submitting to the university. He has a window to view feedback and
announcement from the Academic Supervisor. The student will be able to log his timesheets
lv
and work done on a daily basis or at end of week and have it endorsed by the Work Supervisor
and the Academic supervisor will view the timesheets on the same platform.

3.5.2 Non- Functional Requirements

These specify how the system must work and these are typically the quality characteristics.
These are the constraints that describe how well the functionality should be provided. In the
Industrial Attachment Placement Management system these were classified as:

Usability: - The system must be user friendly and this will be achieved by giving the users a
good look and feel of the graphical user interface (GUI), ease of navigation and the provision
of directions on what steps to take.

Reliability: - The system is expected to provide service all the time when it is needed.

Interoperability: - this is when the system is compatible and operable with other hardware
and software. In this ever changing technological environment, the Industrial Attachment
Placement Management System ensures that the newer technologies both software and
hardware are compatible.

Security: - the system will use username or email and password to log in and will also be
protected by other means like firewalls, backups for purposes of recovering in case of disaster.

lvi
3.6 Summary

This chapter covered the analysis of the existing system and it outlined information for
gathering methodologies used and also looked at the advantages and disadvantaged of each.
The current system was analyzed and this gave the researcher the understanding of how the
current system is working. Weaknesses of the current system were highlighted as having too
many manual processes and some of which are very tedious and costly. Alternative
implementation approaches were also analyzed and settled for in-house development of the
system. System requirements were identified, documented and categorized into functional and
no-functional. Finally, interaction of each user with the system was presented in use case
diagrams. Chapter four will look into the design of the proposed system and the design will be
based on the findings of this chapter.

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CHAPTER FOUR – DESIGN PHASE

4.0 Introduction

Chapter three looked at the analysis of the current system and went further to identify
weakness, gaps and functional requirements of the proposed system. Chapter four will deal
with the design of the proposed system and the basis for design will be requirements that were
identified in the previous chapter. Design covers how the proposed system will be developed
and deployed and this will be done under the System design, Architectural design, Physical
design, Database design, Program design and lastly Interface design.

4.1 System Design

The system will be interactive as it will allow information to be exchanged quickly among
user. It will comprise of five menus which will be presented in an interface that is easy to use
and to navigate. The menus will be for placement coordinator, placement provider, work
supervisor, academic supervisor and the student. The student will also have access to some
mobile application which will have some limited functionality to enable them to track
applications and reports, view announcements, check for uploaded vacancies and capture time
sheets.

The proposed system will run on MySQL database and Android mobile application. MySQL
will run as a service and Apache as the web service through which PHP will connect to the
MySQL service using PHP Data Objects commands running on Windows operating system.

lviii
4.1.1 The Applications

The Netbeans 8.02 IDE will be used together with a PHP compiler and the CodeIgniter
Application development framework version 2.0.2. CodeIgniter library uses the Model-View-
Controller based architecture which enable clear data flow in the PHP system.

The Android mobile application will be installed and an android service will be pooling the
Events table every ten seconds for events with a flag of 0. It will then send a notification to a
student’s phone and update the event flag to 1 so that the notification is not sent more than
once.

4.1.2 The Proposed System Data Flow Diagram

The Data Flow Diagram shows the flow of processes in the current system. Its purpose is to give a
preliminary overview of the proposed system.

lix
 Start Of Attachment

Accredit Placement
Privider

Send email with login

details

Upload Conditions
Student Login
of Att achment

Upload Available Check Available

Placements Placements

Upload terms and

Apply Online And
conditions of
Upload CV
Attachment

Endorse Appliction

Check CVs & Invite

for Interview

Update Interview Send Alert to

Results on System Student’s phone

Endorse Student
Placement

Induction
of
student

Assign student to Student complete

Academic Supervisor Timesheet

Send Email Alert Schedule Work Supervisor

Work Supervisor Assessment Visits Endorse timesheet

Assess File Submit timesheet

Student Assesments

Student Write
Report

Upload Report

Provide feedback

Award Award
End Of Attachent
Mark Grade

Figure 12 Proposed System Data Flow Diagram

lx
4.1.3 The Users

The users of the system will be the placement coordinator who will be the administrator of the
system and will create other users on the system like the placement provider. The placement
coordinator will also be responsible for accrediting placement providers on to the system,
endorse all the vacancies that are uploaded and the placements that will be created by the
placement providers to make sure the students are placed in relevant departments and get to be
supervised by properly qualified and experiences work supervisors. He will also assign
students to supervisors electronically and the program will balance load among the available
academic supervisors. Lastly the placement coordinator will be responsible for scheduling
assessment visits for academic supervisors and show the appointments in a graph with
different colours to present them visibly clear.

The placement provider will log onto the system using his registered email address and will
create vacancies or placements on the system and these will not be updated to the database
until they are endorsed by the placement coordinator. He will also have functionality to create
work supervisors and these will be assigned to a placement at time of creation. The placement
coordinator will then complete the transaction by endorsing the placement before it become
available to students. The placement provider is the only one who can close a vacancy on the
system.

The work supervisor will log onto the system using his email address and will only view
uploaded documents on how the university operates and what they expect from the work
supervisor and feedback comments by the Academic supervisor. He is also responsible for
endorsing the log sheet for the student before it is made available to the academic supervisor.

All University staff will not be created as users in the system but they will log using their
university staff number and password. The Academic Supervisor will view scheduled
assessment visits and these will only cover one employer per day and leaves the eight hours to

lxi
the Academic Supervisor to decide the times. The supervisor will also be able to make
announcements to students under his supervision only.

A student will log onto the system using his student number and password, view available
placements that he has not applied for. He will have an option to apply online for the
placements, upload CV and also do a cover letter. A student has functionality to upload his CV
even if there are no placements uploaded on the system. The upload CV will be viewed by
placement providers who can select the student and invite for an interview. The student will be
able to track his application and once he is placed his CV will not be available on the list of
available CVs. He will be called for an interview and also told of the interview results through
email alerts. The timesheet will be viewed and all pending timesheets will be open for
amendments and as soon as the work supervisor endorses them they will not be available for
change. Feedback and announcements will be viewed on the system. The student will write his
report outside the system but will use the report upload facility to submit his report.

The Academic Supervisor will login onto the system using his registered email address and his
surname as the password. He will view uploaded timesheets, reports and assessment forms for
student after which he will he will give feedback to the student and the work supervisor. The
academic supervisor will make announcements on the system which will be viewed by
students, work supervisor and the placement coordinator.

The system will trigger some notifications to the student’s mobile phone when the student is
invited for an interview by the placement provider. When the placement provider updates the
application status with the interview results the placement coordinator endorses the student
and a notification is also sent to the student’s mobile phone. When the placement coordinator
accredits the placement provider an email alert is triggered with the placement provider’s
login details. The placement provider will then create the work supervisor and this process
also sends an email alert to the work supervisor with his log in details.

lxii
4.2 Architecture Diagram

This details the hardware and software requirements and the architectural design of the
Industrial Attachment Placement Management system. It states the interaction between the
components, that is, the user who either uses a laptop or desktop computer via any type of
browser e.g. Mozilla, Internet Explorer, and Opera etc. The student user will also access the
system from an Android mobile application which uses PHP scripts with Apache web server
handling all requests. Apache will use port 80 to listen for incoming requests from both the
browser and MySQL service.

PHP Script

User Browser

Apache Webserver

Email Server
PHP Interpretor
User
Mobile

Database

Figure 13 Architecture Diagram

4.3 Physical Design

Physical design is concerned with the graphical representation of a system, showing how data
flow into and out of the entities. Generally physical design shows how data is given as input to

lxiii
a system, how it is authenticated and how it will be processed before subsequently displayed
as output. The physical design diagram below shows how data flows from the user who is
using either a laptop, a mobile phone or a desktop personal computer. Requests originate from
the user via the browser or mobile phone and goes to the Internet Service Provider who grants
Internet access before information is sent to the intended recipient. For mobile the HTTP
requests are send to the server then to the destination.

Physical design covers: -

Input / Output design– this is defining how users will add information into the system and
how the system will present the system back to the user. Below are the key screens designed
for the proposed system.

Input screen designed to add a Placement Provider into the system.

ADD A PLACEMENT PROVIDER

Provide Name Provider Number

Provider Address

Email Address Phone Number

Add Provider
Button

Figure 14 Input Screen Design - Add A Placement

lxiv
Input Screen designed to add a Work Supervisor into the system

ADD A SUPERVISOR

Last Name First Name

Employee Number Phone Number

Email Address

Supervisor Qualifications

Add Work Supervisor Button

Figure 15 Input Screen Design - Add A Work Supervisor

Input screen designed to enter a Placement or Vacancy into the system

ADD A PLACEMENT

Descripti on of Placement

Select Category of Placement

Placement Start Date: mm/dd/yyyy Placement End Date: mm/dd/yyyy

Application Open Date: mm/dd/yyyy Application Close Date: mm/dd/yyyy

Vacancy details

----Select Supervisor------

Upload Terms and Conditions for Placement

Add Placement Button

Figure 16 Input Screen Design - Placement Creation

lxv
Input screen designed to schedule for assessment visits

The Placement Coordinator specifies the program he wants to schedule for example IS and
then specifies the date range to be scheduled. The schedule button is clicked for the system to
schedule in the background.

SCHEDULE FOR ASSESSMENT VISITS

-----Select Program------

Schedule on Range: From Date: mm/dd/yyyy To Date: mm/dd/yyyy

Schedule Button

Figure 17 Input Screen - For Scheduling Assessment Visits

Input screen designed to capture student timesheet

The student record is generated from the system and the student simply clicks on the update
icon to call this update timesheet screen that will capture the times and work covered for a
specific date.

UPDATE THE TIMESHEET

Date: YYYY-MM-DD

From Date: hh:mm:ss

Time Out: hh:mm:ss

Work Covered

Cancel Button Update Button

Figure 18 Input Screen Design - Timesheet Entry

lxvi
Output Design

A number of reports were also designed and these include report on students placed for
attachment and a report on students not yet placed.

Placed Students Report Design

PLACED STUDENTS REPORT

Student No Name Program Provider Placement Period

XXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX

********END OF REPORT********

Figure 19 Output Design - Placed Students Report

Unplaced Students Report Design

UNPLACED STUDENTS REPORT

Student No Name Program

XXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXX

********END OF REPORT********

Figure 20 Output Design - Unplaced Students Report

lxvii
Data design

This defines how data is represented and stored within the system and the following database
tables and their attributes will be maintained in the proposed system: -

Student (stud_no, surname, forename, email, phone, year)

Placement (placement_id, Description, start_date, end_date, placement_provider,

cat_id)

Work_supervisor (ws_number, ws_name, provider, email, phone)

Placement_ws(placement_id, ws_number)

Application (application_id, placement_id, cover_letter, date)

Student_application (stud_no, status, comment, application_id)

Student_placement (stud_no, placement_id, valid)

Program (prog_id, prog_name, code)

University_staff (staff_id, sname, fname, email, phone)

Staff_program (staff_id, prog_id)

Student_program (stud_no, prog_id)

Student_staff (stud_no, staff_id)

Placement_provider (pp_number, name, address, email, phone)

Placement_coodinator (pc_number, sname, fname, email,phone)

lxviii
Process design

Depicts how data moves through the system, where validation will be done how data will be
secured and transformed as it flows into and out of the system.

Physical Design Diagram

Academic
Supervisor

Placement
Coordinator Browser Placement Provider

ISP

Student
Internet ISP

Access Switch

ISP

Student
Work Supervisor

Student

Student

Figure 21 Physical Design Diagram

lxix
4.4 Database Design

Logical design elucidates the functions and features of the system and also define the
relationships among system entities or components. This is often achieved through modelling
using graphical models of the actual system. In this case an Entity Relationship (ER) diagram
was used to represent the data flows and entity relationships. The ER diagram also shows the
cardinalities between the main entities.

lxx
 ws_name

phone Email
Year

ws_number Supervises
provider Phone

Date Placement_Id M forename

Work 1 Student
Supervisor
Application-ID cover_letter surname

1 1 1 M
Email

Belongs
1
Application stud_no
M
Applies
Belongs
M

Is doing
Assesses
placement-Id 1 Prog_ID
M
1
placement_provider 1 Program
Prog_Name Supervises
Placement
description Placement Adds M
M 1 Provider
Code

start_date M
M Teaches
cat_id
end_date
Creates Phone pp_number

Email
Endorses 1 Name
Address

1 Assigns 1
Student
1
Placement
Coordinator M University
1
staff
Schedules M
email Visit
phone
Staff-ID Phone
sname

pc_number fname fname Email

sname

Figure 22 Entity Relationship Diagram

lxxi
4.5 Program Design

Program design was done considering the number of different controllers. PHP uses a software
architecture called Model-View-Control (MVC) and MVC uses the concept of keeping
presentation of data separate from the methods that interact with the data. The two main
classes in PHP are the Controller and the Model and the class diagram is going to be centered
on the two.

The class diagram illustrates the controllers that are part of the Industrial attachment
placement management system. The student controller’s main functions are to apply online,
track application, track reports and to log timesheet. The student’s functionality on the mobile
application is limited to viewing available placements, tracking applications, tracking reports,
viewing comments from the academic supervisor and updating of timesheets.

The Coodinator controller’s functions are to add a placement provider, to endorse a student
placement, endorse a vacancy that would have been uploaded and schedule assessment visits.

The Provider controller adds placements or vacancies on the system, create work supervisor,
assess student applications, update interview results and close vacancies after the closing date
is reached. The Work Supervisor controller endorses the student’s timesheets, view
assessment schedules, and view uploaded documents and reports.

Lastly the Academic Supervisor is represented by the Staff controller and the functions he
does are, he logs onto the system and view documents like reports and assessments that are
uploaded by the student and the work supervisor respectively. He also views assessment visit
schedules, make announcements to students under his supervision, comment on reports and
view list of his students.

lxxii
4.5.1 Class Diagram

Student Controller
-Student_ID
-Name
-Progam_ID
-WSuper
-ASuper
+login()
+applyOnline()
+timeloggin()

Coodinator Controller
-Staff_ID
-Name
-Email
+addProvider()
+endorsePlacement()
+endorseApplication()
+scheduleVisits()

Provider Controller Placement Model

-Prov_ID Database Connection
-name +login()
-email +applyOnline()
+login() +timeloggin()
+addPlacement() +addProvider()
+createSupervispr() +endorseApplication()
+CloseVacancy() +endorsePlacement()
+scheduleVisit()
+addPlacement()
+endorseTime()
+closeVacancy()
WorkSupervisor Controller +makeComment()
+makeAnnouncement()
-Super_ID +geMyStudents()
-Name +createSupervisor
-Email
+login()
+endorseTime()

Staff Controller
-Staff_ID
-Name
-Program
-Email
+login()
+makeAnnouncement()
+makeComment()
+geMyStudents()

Figure 23 Class Diagram

lxxiii
4.5.2 Sequence Diagrams

The sequence diagram will capture all the operations and events that will happen and it is a
very important aspect of the development of the Industrial Attachment Placement
Management system. The conceptual picture of the processes and events will be depicted in
the sequence diagram below. Login is the same for all the actors so the sequence diagram was
done separate so that it is not repeated in the main sequence diagrams

Sequence Diagram – Login for all users

User System Database

Login Details

Check login details

Results returned
Login Confirmed

Login Rejected

Change Password
Check Password

Result Returned
Password Changed Successfully

Password Change Failed

Figure 24 Sequence Diagram - Login

lxxiv
 Project
IAPM Email Server or
Coordinator IAPM System
Database Mobile phone

Upload Terms and Conditions

Update Database

Upload sussessful Result Returned

Create Placement Provider

Update Database
Email Alert Sent
Placement Provider Successfully Created Result Returned

Endorse Placement
Query Database

Placement Successfuly Endorsed Result Returned

Placement Rejected

Endorse Student
Update Datase
Notification Sent
Result Returned
Student Successfully Endorsed

Student Placement Rejected

Auto Assign Academic Supervisor to Student

Update Dataase

Result Returned
List of Supervisors and Students Displayed

Schedule Visits and Report Due Dates

Query and Update Database

Result Returned
Visits and Reports Successfully Scheduled

Figure 25 Sequence Diagram Placement Coordinator

lxxv
 Placement Email Server/
IAPM System IAPM Database
Provider Mobile phone

Create Work Supervisor

Update Database

Result Returned

Work Supervisor Created Successfully

Create Placement

Update Tales

Result Returned
Placement Successfully Created

View Application, Cover Letter and CV

Query Database

Invite Student For Interview

Update Tables
Notification sent
Result Returned

Invite successful

Update Interview Results

Update Record

Applcation Status Successfully Changed

Result Returned

Close Application

Figure 26 Sequence Diagram - Placement Provider

lxxvi
 Work
IAPM System IAPM Database
Supervisor

View Terms and Conditions of Attachment

Query Database

Results Returned
Documents successfully Displayed

View Assessment Visit Schedules

Query Database

Results Returned
Schedules Displayed Successfully

Approve Student Timesheet

Update Tables

Results Returned

Timesheet Successfully Endorsed

Timesheet Rejected

View Reports
Query Database

Result Returned
Report Successfully Viewed

Figure 27 Sequence Diagram - Work Supervisor

lxxvii
 Academic
IAPM System IAPM Database Student
Supervisor

View Uploaded Reports

Query Database

Results Returned
Reports Displayed Successfully

View Assessment Visits Schedule

Query Database
Result Returned
Schedules Listed Successfully

View Students
Quey Database

Result Returned
Students listed

Make Announcements
Update Database
Result Returned Announcement
Announcement sent Successfully

Give feedback to students

Update Database

Feedback

Figure 28 Sequence Diagram - Academic Supervisor

lxxviii
 Student IAPM System IAPM Database

Search for vacancies

Query Database
Result Returned
Available Placements Listed

Apply Online

Write Cover Letter

Update Database
Upload CV
Results Returned
Application Sumbitted Successfully

No placements Available

Upload CV

Track Application

Interview Invite

Student Invited For Interview

Log time and work done

Database Updated
View Feedback
Query Database
Upload Report

Update Dataase

Figure 29 Sequence Diagram - Student

lxxix
4.6 Interface Design

The interface design is concerned with user’s view of the system as he interacts with it in the
process of inputting data into the Industrial Attachment Placement Management system.
There will be three types of interfaces that will be covered and these are Graphical User
Interface (GUI), mobile interface and the classic interface. The GUI interface will be used by
all actors in the system, the mobile interface will be used by students only.

Main Screen – GUI

Figure 30 Login Screen

lxxx
The main Screen is the first to be displayed when the /localhost/placement-management URL
is requested. It displays of the Student login screen and login screens for all other users of the
Industrial Attachment Placement Management system, that is, the Placement Coordinator,
Placement Provider, Work Supervisor and the Academic Supervisor. When different users
login they will have different views depending on what is available and what they are
supposed to do on the system.

Login for all other users

lxxxi
Placement Coordinator Endorsements Screen

lxxxii
Placement Provider - Add Placement Screen as was designed under Input Design

lxxxiii
Work Supervisor Assessment Visit Schedule Screen

lxxxiv
Change Password Screen

4.7 Summary

This chapter covered the design of the Industrial Attachment Placement Management system.
Firstly, it touched on how the system will work in the real environment. A detailed data flow
diagram was used to show the follow of events as they will happen, the users of the system
and their functionalities, architecture of the system, physical design and the database, program
and lastly the interface design. Chapter five will look at the implementation of the proposed
system and this will cover coding, testing, installation and system conversion.

lxxxv
CHAPTER FIVE – IMPLEMENTATION PHASE

5.0 Introduction

Chapter four looked at the design of the system, and it designed the system basing on the
findings from the analysis phase. The analysis phase identified the requirements which
requirements were the basis for the design phase. The implementation phase will now focus on
building the different components of the system, user training, and then conversion from old to
new system. The first step is to write code and then compile to make sure there are syntax
errors. Testing is very important as it validates if the set out objectives are being met. The user
of the system has to sign off after a User Acceptance Testing (UAT) is done to confirm that
the system is working as stipulated in the user requirements that were identified in chapter
one.

5.1 Coding

Coding involves the writing of programs to implement the design. A programming language
has to be used to achieve the implementation and in this case PHP was used. Only code
snippets to achieve the system objectives will be included in the documentation.

1. To create an interface connecting students, placement coordinators, work supervisors

and their organizations in real time during work related learning.

lxxxvi
2. To allow the university coordinator to accredit the companies that will be providing the
placements.

3. To allow the university to endorse placements from placement providers to maintain a

set standard in work related learning.

lxxxvii
4. To enable placement coordinators, academic supervisors, work supervisors schedule
for assessment visits and report due dates.

lxxxviii
lxxxix
xc
5.2 System Testing

System testing involves different types of testing which are performed at different stages of
the implementation phase. Normally tests are based on test scenarios and test cases which are
prepared based on the documented user’s requirements. Sample test scenarios and test cases
will be included in the appendixes.

5.2.1 Unit Testing

Before implementing the new system, a test run of each program was done to remove syntax
and logical errors and any other bugs that could be identified. Some system tables were
populated with data and then some test data was captured for testing each program. All
unsatisfactory results were noted and programs were revisited several times until they were
error free. Next integration testing was then done to be sure the different programs were
working together correctly as a system.

5.2.2 Black Box Testing

This type of testing was done from the end user’s perspective. It was done mainly to check the
overall functionality of the system compared to the defined user’s requirements that were
identified in Chapter 3 (Analysis Phase). Validation of fields were checked at input stage. All
the requirements that were not met were then incorporated and retested again.

5.2.3 White Box Testing

White box testing was done to test the logical errors in the program code. The technique that
was used in this testing was code walkthrough and was done by the developer alone. The main

xci
aspects that were focused on were control flow, loop testing and the objective was to optimise
code.

5.2.4 Module Testing

Module testing involved testing of related components as a unit and the purpose of this type of
testing was to make sure the units or programs are working together correctly. The testing of
the modules was positive and the screen shots of auto assignment of Academic Supervisor to
students are attached below as sample test runs.

xcii
Sample tests runs

The above output is from the auto supervisor assignment run and it basically lists the details of
which academic supervisor will be supervising which students and their degree program.

xciii
The above list also shows the same details butin a format that can be manipulated
dependingon what the Placement Coordinator wants to view. The filter can be used to narrow
down on a specific student or supervisor.

xciv
Schedule Graph

The schedule graph is the output of the schedule assessment visits run and it basically shows
which student will be assessed when, where and by which academic supervisor. The
supervisor will have a unique colour and the names are displayed at the bottom of the
schedule. The schedule can be viewed in different windows and different formats as show at
the top right hand corner.

xcv
The Work Supervisor email alert was sent after creation of a work supervisor record by the
Placement Provider. The alert gives details of the URL to be used and instructions on how to
log onto the system.

xcvi
The above email alert was sent to the Placement Provider at the time of accreditation by the
Placement Coordinator. It gives similar details as those sent to the work supervisor, that is, the
URL and instructions on how to log onto the system.

xcvii
The following test runs were run on the Android mobile application and these include the log
in screen

Figure 31 Mobile Login Screen

xcviii
Timesheet before logging viewed on the mobile phone

Figure 32 Mobile Timesheet Logging

Notifications coming from the Industrial Attachment Placement Management System

xcix
Notifications viewed from the mobile phone’s inbox.

c
5.3 Installation

Installation will cover installing and configuration of hardware and software, migration of data
if any and lastly user training.

5.3.1 Hardware Installation

This entails setting up of the required hardware for the new system but in my case no
installation was done as the laptop is being used as the localhost server for purposes of running
the Industrial Attachment Placement Management System.

5.3.2 Software Installation

Wampserver version 2.2 was installed which automatically installed the following
components: -

 Web Server Apache 2.2.22

 PHP version 5.4.3
 phpMyAdmin version 3.5.1
 MySQL Server version 5.5.4

A browser hasto be installed and this will be the client side. Any browser will work perfectly
well with MySQL and this can be any one of the following: -

 Chrome,
 Internet Explorer,
 Opera etc.etc.

ci
Installation of the Mobile application

The mobile app was download onto the phone’s Bluetooth folder and installation was
achieved by clicking on it.

5.3.3 User Training

Training was divided into two main categories which are, technical and end user training.

TechnicalTraining

Technical training covered installation and configuration of the system, how to back up the
system and generally how to administer the Industrial Attachment Placement Management
System. It also covered how to troubleshoot errors that may come up as the system is used.
Developers were trained in PHP, HTML 5 and Java scripting to enable them to support the
system in the future. The technical staff were trained on how to create student and academic
supervisor usernames and generate their initial passwords. Initial setup of students, their study
programmes and job categories. The System Administrators also participated in the end user
training to give them an appreciation of how the system works which will enable then to
support the system going forward.

End user Training

Training was offered to various users of the system. Firstly, students were trained on how to
log into the system, how to navigate on the system, how to complete their time sheets and
upload reports. Employees from placement providing organizations were also trained on how
the system works, how to log in and change their passwords, how to navigate, create work
supervisors and create placements on the system. They were also taken through the report
listings available on each menu. Lastly a group of academic supervisors was brought together
and were also trained on how to login, change passwords, view assessment schedules,
broadcast announcements, view, endorse and download student reports and assessments.
cii
5.4 System Conversion

5.4.1 File conversion

As the system is manual no conversion of data was done, instead data was manually captured
into the following university dummy tables, that is, Student, academic supervisor, Category
and study programs.

5.4.2 System changeover Strategy

To put the system into production a number of changeover methods were considered and their
pros and cons were evaluated before making a decision. The four options available are
parallel, direct, pilot and phased approaches. Parallel, pilot and phased methods were not the
most appropriate as the system was going to be setup for the first time since the current system
is manual.The direct changeover method was the best option that suited the system and the
advantages and disadvantages of this method were weighed before the decision was made. The
diagram below explains the direct change over method. The old system is switched off and the
new system takes over as it is shown in the diagram below.

Figure 33 Direct Change Over Method

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Advantages

 The immediate availability of the new system to all users from day of going live.
 This installation method was considered the cheapest since there is no need to run two
systems concurrently.
 Lastly there is no requirement to keep to sets of data which will need to be compared
until the system stabilizes.
 Users of the system cannot afford to resist change as they are left with no other options
to consider reverting back to.

Disadvantages

This method is considered the riskiest method should anything go wrong as the university will
be left with no fallback option. The risk was minimized by the fact that the university
currently operating a manual system and the fact that historical data will not relate to the
current group of students who will be on attachment. It would not make sense to create details
of past students in retrospect, for example placements, timesheets, assessment visits and report
due dates. In view of the above the direct changeover method was considered the most
appropriate.

5.5 Summary

The chapter covered the system implementation which phase enabled measurement of the
outcomes against the objectives of the system. The chapter detailed how both hardware and
software are installed. Coding and testing of the system were done against a backdrop of the
functional and non-functional requirement specifications and this phase helped us to validate
each and every aspect of the system. Errors that were unearthed by the testing were then
addressed at various stages of testing, that is, unit testing, module testing and lastly user
acceptance testing. A most appropriate method of changeover was adopted after weighing the
advantages and disadvantages of all the four methods. Training covered the technical and the
end user aspects of the system which enabled the end users to carry out a successful user
civ
acceptance testing. Chapter six will be concerned with the maintenance of the system and this
will cover documentation and how the system will be supported in order to enable the
university to enjoy the benefits of the system and also realize a return on this ICT investment.

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CHAPTER SIX - MAINTENANCE

6.0 Introduction

Maintenance is at the center of every ICT system as it can make or break it. With good
maintenance the system will be acceptable to its users and can be in existence for a long time.
Changes originate from the various facets of both system and the operating environment.
Users will have new requirements and a good system must accommodate such changes
without introducing bugs into the system. A good system will evolve with time due to new
requests from users and must adapt to the changes and must also be very scalable. Changes to
the system must be controlled and tested thoroughly.

Poor maintenance will result in system unavailability and will end up being very costly to run.
To mitigate on these problems, the following types of maintenance must be done: -

 Corrective
 Perfective
 Adaptive
 Preventive

6.1 Corrective Maintenance

This type of maintenance involves modifying and updating the software product after
implementation in production environment. Its main objective is to investigate, correct and fix
bugs or problems in the system. Regression testing will then be done to make sure the applied
fixes did not affect other functionalities.

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6.2 Adaptive Maintenance

This is concerned with modifications and updates applied in order to keep the software
product up to date and abreast with the ever changing technology and work environment.

6.3Perfective Maintenance

Concerned with system performance, and precision of the system. It entails modifying and
updating the software to keep it usable over some time. It Includes adding new features or
enhancements, new user requirements to improve the system’s reliability and performance.

6.4 Preventive Maintenance

This is crucial for organisations that care about their customers as it is a proactive approach
that anticipates problems before they occur. This type of maintenance minimizes disruptions
and guarantees high availability of systems to the users as it is done regularly on the system to
reduce the likelihood of failing. It generally is concerned with modifications and updates done
to prevent future problems. It is meant to attend to problems that not of importance now but
may cause bigger issues in the future.

6.5 Documentation

Documentation is important as it acts as an information repository which will be used by

maintenance or support personnel to provide support. Good documentation provides enough
information to enable management to perform program management related activities. It
describes to the end user how to administer and operate the system. User manuals are part of
documentation and must keep changing as the system evolves with the development of the
system.

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6.5.1 User Manual

User manuals were done for the five key users of the system, that is, the Placement provider,
placement coordinator, student, work supervisor and academic supervisor.

Placement Coordinator - User Manual

From browser enter the following URL

http://localhost/placement-management/

You are taken to the Login Screen shown below

Enter your email address as username

Press Tab key

Your email address is your password

You are taken to the Home page and items to be endorsed are listed.

Details of the placement and work supervisors are displayed to assist with your decision to
either endorse of revoke the placement

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Click on ‘Endorse’ to accept the placement or Click on ‘Revoke’ to reject the placement

Click on ‘Manage Users’ button, you will be taken to a screen

Click on ‘Providers List’ to view providers already accredited

Click on ‘Staff List’ to view Academic supervisors

To create a Placement Provider, fill in fields below ‘ADD A PLACEMENT PROVIDER’

Click ‘Add Provider’

Created provider will be included in the providers list at the bottom of the screen

Click on ‘Placed Students’ to see all placed students

Click on ‘Student Report’ button to view both placed and unplaced students

Filter using any field to narrow down on search of a specific student.

To assign Academic Supervisors to students click on ‘Academic Supervisor’ button

List of those already assigned is displayed at the bottom of the screen

Click on ‘Run Auto Supervisor Assignment’ button

Newly assigned Supervisors and the students they are supervising are displayed on the screen.

The newly assigned Academic Supervisors are included in the list at the bottom of the screen

Click on ‘Schedules’ button

‘Schedule For Assessment Visits’ window is opened

Select Program you want to schedule, for example IS, BAS, PSM, HRM or LOG

Put in the date range for the period you want scheduled.

NB**. The system will not allow you to schedule for a day less than the system date.

Click on ‘Schedule’ button to run

List of scheduled dates and Supervisors are listed in the bottom part of the screen

Click on ‘Manage Account’ to change your password

Click ‘<<Go Home’ button

Click on ‘Logout’ button to log out of the system

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Placement Provider - User Manual

From browser enter the following URL

http://localhost/placement-management/

You are taken to the Login Screen shown below

Enter your email address as username and press Tab key

Your password is your email address

You are taken to the Home page and a list of applications from students will be displayed.

Click on the application and details of the application will be displayed on the right side of the
screen

Click on ‘CV link’ to view the student’s CV

To invite student for an interview, put in date and time of interview

Click on ‘Call For Interview’ button

The button will be greyed out to make sure invite is not sent more than once to the same
student.

Click on ‘My Work Supervisors’ button

A screen to add a work supervisor is displayed

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Use the Tab key to move to the next field

Click on ‘Add Work Supervisor’ button to commit update in the database

List of existing work supervisors is displayed at the bottom of the screen

To add a placement, click on the ‘Add A Placement’ button

You are required to read through the 3 documents listed on top of the page in order to
understand what the attachment conditions for the university

Enter the details in fields displayed below ADD A PLACEMENT and navigate using the Tab
key

Description, Category, Work Supervisor are all mandatory fields make sure you enter values
in them.

Click on ‘Choose File’ button to select a file

Once selected a window will open up with the file name and the ‘Upload’ button.

Click on ‘Upload’ Button

Confirmation will be displayed to say a placement has been added successfully

List of placements at the bottom of the screen will be refreshed and the new placement will be
included in the list with a ‘Pending’ status.

NB** Status will only change after the Placement Coordinator has endorsed the placement.

Click on ‘Students List’ to view all placed students and the interviewed students

Click on ‘Placed Students’ to view all students placed with your organisation

Click on ‘Interviewed Students’ to see all students who were interviewed but not yet updated
with interview results

Click on the Student record and further details will be displayed on the right hand side of the
screen showing interview results are still pending.

Click on ‘Pending’ and more choices will be shown for you to choose from.

Choose Accepted or Denied and Click on ‘Apply Result’ button

Confirmation to say ‘Your change has been saved’ will be displayed.

The record will disappear from list of Interviewed students waiting endorsement by the
Placement Coordinator

Click on ‘Manage Account’ to change your password

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Enter old password then Enter new password

Click ‘Change’ button

A message ‘You have successfully changed your password’ is displayed as confirmation

that the change has been effected.

Click on ‘<<Go Home’ button to go back to Home page.

Click ‘Logout’ to log out of the system

StudentUser Manual

Unplace student

From browser enter the following URL http://localhost/placement-management/

You are taken to the Login Screen shown below

Enter your student number as username

Press Tab key

Enter your surname as the password

Click “Login” button

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If student is not yet placed the following screen will show

The home screen will show all placements that are available on the system

Click on “My Applications” button to view all your applications that are still pending.

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NB** The “Upload My CV” option is used when there are no placements available and the
student’s CV will be seen by all Placement Providers.

Click the “Upload My CV” button to upload CVs on the system for placement providers to
consider.

If you attempt to upload your CV for the second time the system will throw a message “You
have already uploaded the CV”

Click on “Manage Account”button to change your password

Enter old password

Press Tab key

Enter new password

Click “Change” button

Click “Go Home” button to go back to home page

If a student is already placed the following screen will be displayed

This screen is for logging your time and work done on a daily basis.
cxiv
Click on the small blue button under Update column

You will be taken to the “UPDATE THE TIME SHEET” screen

Enter Time in,

Press Tab key to go to the next field

Enter Time out and Work covered

Click on Update button to commit the record

Click on “Announcements” button to view announcements from your Academic Supervisor

Double Click on the announcement record to view the announcement on the right side of the
screen.

Click on ‘Report Tracking’ button to see status of your report

A due date will show if report has not been uploaded on the system

Click on ‘Send Report’ button to upload report

Put in Report Title

Put in comments if any. Click on Choose file and attach your report

Click on Upload button

The button is greyed out to make sure report is not uploaded more than once.

Click on Submit button

Status Pending will show if report was uploaded but not yet accepted by your Academic
Supervisor.

Click on ‘Logout’ to go back to login screen

Work Supervisor - User Manual

From browser window enter the following URL

http://localhost/placement-management/

You are taken to the Login Screen shown below

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Enter your email address as username and press Tab key

Your email address is your password

You are taken to the Home page where the links to placement documentations will be listed
for you to familiarise with how the attachment program is run.

Three key documents are lists, Employer’s Manual, Employer’s training and assessment
booklet, and the Memorandum of Understanding.

Click on the link and the document on the link will be downloaded to your machine.

Click on it to open. Read and save to your machine.

cxvi
At the bottom of the screen there is a window to select student.

Click and select student record

Timesheet for the student will be opened for you to endorse.

Click on the blue button under Update column.

The following window will be opened for you to endorse and comment

cxvii
Click Confirmed or Rejectedthen press Tab to go to the next field

Put in your comments

Click Update button to save record or Cancel button to discard the updates

Click ‘My Schedules’ button

A list of your assessment schedules is displayed showing the dates and number of students

Click on ‘Manage Account’ to change your password

Enter old password, press Tab, then Enter your new password

Click ‘Change’ button

A message ‘You have successfully changed your password’ is displayed as confirmation

that the change has been effected.

Click on ‘<<Go Home’ button to go back to Home page.

Click ‘Logout’ to log out of the system

cxviii
Academic Supervisor - User Manual

From browser enter the following URL

http://localhost/placement-management/

You are taken to the Login Screen shown below

Enter your email address as username and press Tab key

Your email address is your password

You are taken to the Home page

Click on Select Student and pick a record

The select student’s timesheet is displayed with a navigation bar at the bottom

Below the timesheet is the student’s report

Click to view report

A ‘Down Load And Read’ button is displayed. Click on it to download the report.

Open the downloaded report and read or save to your machine

Add comments in the Comments window

Click ‘Send’ button

A message ” You have successfully made a comment”is displayed.

cxix
Click on ‘Announcements’ button

A window with previous announcements is displayed as shown below

Type in an announcement in the window below the list

Click ‘Send’ button

The announcement is added to the list

A message ‘You have successfully send an announcement’ is displayed

Click on ‘My Schedule’ Button

Your assessment visits schedules will be displayed.

Click on ‘Manage Account’ to change your password

Enter old password, press Tab, then Enter your new password

Click ‘Change’ button

A message ‘You have successfully changed your password’ is displayed as confirmation

that the change has been effected.

Click on ‘<<Go Home’ button to go back to Home page.

Click ‘Logout’ to log out of the system

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6.5.2 Technical Manual

Wampserver installation was not covered as it already has a standard manual that can be
downloaded from the internet. Installation of the Android application was documented in the
following steps: -

Installation of Industrial Attachment Placement Management Android Application

Sent to mobile via Bluetooth

Go to File Manager

Go to SD card folder

Go to Bluetooth folder

Click on the latest version of Placement-Management.apk file

The application is installed and icon is placed on mobile screen

To RUN tap on the Placement-Management icon

The login screen is displayed

Click on GET STARTED and a LOGIN screen is displayed

Login using Student Number and Surname as password

6.6 Future Developments

The developed system did not automate all processes and there is room to further improve this
system in the future. Future developments can focus on automating the assessment of students.
An electronic form can be designed on the system and this will be accessible to the key users
which are the work supervisor, the academic supervisor and the student. Currently the forms
are completed and signed by the three before they are marked and manually filed away by the
university. The assessment visits can also be eliminated as the parties involved can hold some
video conferencing to discuss the performance of the students. Cameras can be used to get an
appreciation of the environment in which the student is working in. Interviews can be done
cxxi
over skype video or phone. The current system has addressed the process of shortlisting
students as the CVs are available on the system. Lastly the report writing is one other aspect of
the system that can be automated and instead of manually signing they will be endorsed on the
system with all the audit trail of who would have done what.

6.7Summary

As earlier alluded to, maintenance is at the center of every ICT system and with good
maintenance the system will be acceptable to its users and can be in existence for a very long
time. This chapter covered the key types of maintenance the university must embrace as this
will enable it to serve its stakeholders better. Documentation of the system will also make life
easier for the technical and end users of the system as there will be continuity after the key
support personnel resign from the university. A helpdesk system will be a must to implement
as it will capture all challenges faced on the system. A knowledgebase can be created by
recording all the incidents and challenges encountered and how they were addressed.

cxxii
APPENDICES

Appendix A:Industrial Attachment Placement System Interview Questions

Q1. State at least 3 objectives of your University in sending students on attachment?

Q2. Do you have a training partner development policy with companies that are taking your
students on attachment?

Q3. Is there a minimum qualification standard for the work supervisor agreed between the
University and the organization?

Q4. How many months does the student have before finding attachment?

Q5. What assistance do you give to students looking for attachment?

Q6. What minimum period can a student be on attachment?

Q7. How quickly is the information shared among the student, university and the placement
provider?

Q8. What are your expectations as a University of the companies offering placement for your
students?

Q9. Does the university accredit the organizations that place students for industrial
attachment?

Q10. Are students getting adequate on the job training relative to the requirements of the
respective disciplines of study?

Q11. What are the challenges the university is facing with the industrial attachment
programme?

Q12. What challenges do students face pre, during and post attachment?

Q13. How many students does each lecturer supervise at any given time?

Q14. Do university lecturers and workplace supervisors share a common understanding or

meaning regarding the assessment process itself in terms of the programme objectives?

cxxiii
Q15. Briefly explain the type of relationship that exists between the University and
companies providing attachment to your students?

Q16. Kindly explain every step of the Industrial attachment process up to the time the student
is awarded a mark or grade.

Q17. Which of these processes are computerised?

Q18. Which of these processes are manual?

Q19. Which of the manual processes in your view do you think need to be computerised?

Q20. Of the already computerised processes which ones do you think need to be optimized?

Q21. How do you get reports from students?

Q22. Do you have standard report formats for both the student and the work supervisor?

Q23. How many times does the lecturer visit the organization providing attachment to a
student?

Q24. What student details do you maintain in your university student database?

Q25. Explain the log sheet (Time sheet) system for students

Q26. Explain the student record keeping process and the retention period.

Appendix B: Questionnaire for university students

Introduction

My name is Chipo Moyo and I am an Information Systems student at Women’s University in

Africa (WUA). My student number is W130973 and as part of my research project I seek your
assistance in answering the questions in this document. The questions are important as they
will help me gather information on how the Industrial attachment program is run, the benefits
accrued from such a program by students, challenges they face and areas that might need to be
improved going forward. The information will be part of my research project which project
will implement information systems to solve challenges and improve efficiencies of the
system.

cxxiv
Your cooperation will be most appreciated.

Thank you.

Instructions on how to complete the questionnaire

i) Enter information in the provided space or tick on boxes provided

ii) Do not write your name anywhere on the questionnaire.

1. What is your gender?

a) Male b) Female

2.Which University are you attending?

3. What Degree programme are you studying?

4. How many months did it take you to get placed for Industrial Attachment?

5. Did you know anyone in the company where you are placed prior to getting
attachment?

a) Yes b) No
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6. What challenges did you face or are you facing in your Industrial Attachment?

7. Are you getting paid an allowance, if so how much per month?

a) Yes $____ b) No

8. Is the work you are doing relevant to your degree programme?

a) Yes b) No

If ‘No’ state why?

9. Was the induction process helpful? Please explain.

10. Do the reports you produce capture every aspect of work you are covering?

cxxvi
11. How quickly is the information shared among the student, university and the
placementprovider?

a) Hours b) Days c) Months

12.In your view is the assessment process objective? (Only answer if you have been
assessed)

13. In what way is the industrial attachment programme benefiting you?

14. Any suggestions on what you feel can be done better?

15. In your opinion how ethical are the work supervisors and their organizations?

a) Quite ethical? b) Somewhat ethical? c) Very unethical?

16. In your opinion are students appropriately placed in relevant departments?

a) All the times b) Sometimes c) Rarely

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17. How much time does it take you to complete your weekly log sheet

a) Minutes b) Hours c) Days

Appendix C: Questionnaire for former university students

Introduction

My name is Chipo Moyo and I am an Information Systems student at Women’s University in

Africa (WUA). My student number is W130973 and as part of my research project I seek your
assistance in answering the questions in this document. The questions are important as they
will help me gather information on how the Industrial attachment program is run, the benefits
accrued from such a program by students, challenges they faced and areas that might need to
be improved going forward. The information will be part of my research project which project
will implement information systems to solve challenges and improve efficiencies of the
system.

Your cooperation will be most appreciated.

Thank you.

Instructions on how to complete the questionnaire

iii) Enter information in the provided space or tick on boxes provided

iv) Do not write your name anywhere on the questionnaire.

2. What is your gender?

cxxviii
 b) Male b) Female

2.Which University did you attend?

3. What Degree programme did you study?

4. Did you go for Industrial Attachment?

a) Yes b) No

5. How many months did it take you to get placed for Industrial Attachment?

6. Did you know anyone in the company where you were placed?

b) Yes b) No

7. What challenges did you face pre, during and post Industrial Attachment?

8. Were you paid an allowance, if so how much per month?

a) Yes $____ b) No
cxxix
9. Was the work you did relevant to your degree programme?

a) Yes b) No

10. Was the induction process helpful? Please explain.

11. Do the reports capture every aspect of work covered?

12. How quickly is the information shared among the student, university and the
placementprovider?

a) Hours b) Days c) Months

13.In your view is the assessment process objective?

14. Did the industrial attachment programme benefit you in any way?

cxxx
15. Any suggestions on what you feel can be improved?

16. In your opinion how ethical is the work supervisors and their organizations?

b) Quite ethical? b) Somewhat ethical? c) Very unethical?

17. In your opinion are students appropriately placed in relevant department within
organizations?

a) All the times b) Sometimes c) Rarely

Appendix D: Questionnaire for University Lecturer

Introduction

My name is Chipo Moyo and I am an Information Systems student at Women’s University in

Africa (WUA). My student number is W130973 and as part of my research project I seek your
assistance by way of answering the questions in this document. The questions are important as
they will help me gather information on how the Industrial attachment program is run, the
benefits accrued from such a program by students, challenges they faced and areas that might
need to be improved going forward. The information will be part of my research project
which project will implement information systems to solve challenges and improve
efficiencies of the system.

Your cooperation will be most appreciated.

cxxxi
Thank you.

Instructions on how to complete the questionnaire

v) Enter information in the provided space or tick on boxes provided

vi) Do not write your name anywhere on the questionnaire.

3. What is your gender?

c) Male b) Female

2.Which University are you working at?

3. In what Faculty and Department do you teach?

4. How long does it take your students to get placed for Industrial Attachment?

a) Less than 3 months b) More than 3 months

5. What assistance does the University offer to students looking for attachment?

cxxxii
6. What challenges are your students faced with during Industrial Attachment?

7. How many students do you supervise at any given time?

a) 1 to 5 b) 6 to 15 c) more than 15

8. How many times do you visit each student on attachment?

9. In your view are the work supervisors properly qualified and experienced to
supervise your students?

10. Do reports produced by students capture every aspect of the work they cover?

11. How quickly is the information shared among the student, university and the
placementprovider?
cxxxiii
a) Hours b) Days c) Months

12.Briefly explain the assessment process?

13. In what way is the industrial attachment programme benefiting students?

14. Any suggestions on what you feel can be improved?

15. In your opinion how ethical is the work supervisor’s and their organisations?

c) Quite ethical? b) Somewhat ethical? c) Very unethical?

16. Are students appropriately placed in relevant organisations and departments?

a) All the times b) Sometimes c) Rarely

Appendix E: Questionnaire for Work Supervisor

Introduction

cxxxiv
My name is Chipo Moyo and I am an Information Systems student at Women’s University in
Africa (WUA). My student number is W130973 and as part of my research project I seek your
assistance by way of answering the questions in this document. The questions are important as
they will help me gather information on how the Industrial attachment program is run, the
benefits accrued from such a program by students, challenges they faced and areas that might
need to be improved going forward. The information will be part of my research project
which project will implement information systems to solve challenges and improve
efficiencies of the system.

Your cooperation will be most appreciated.

Thank you.

Instructions on how to complete the questionnaire

vii) Enter information in the provided space or tick on boxes provided

viii) Do not write your name anywhere on the questionnaire.

4. What is your gender?

d) Male b) Female

2.What is your position in the Organization?

3. What are your areas of responsibility?

cxxxv
4. What benefits do you get from engaging students on attachment?

5. Do all universities you deal with use the same scoping standard in terms of exposure to
the student?

c) Yes b) No

6. What basis is used to assess the students?

7. What challenges have you faced with the students?

8. Do you have an engagement form for the students?

a) Yes b) No

9. How do you ensure the work you assign to the students is relevant to their degree
programme?

cxxxvi
10. Please explain the student induction process.

11. Do the report/s students produce capture every aspect of the work they cover during
attachment?

12. How quickly is the information shared among the student, university and your
company?

a) Hours b) Days c) Months

13.In your view is the student assessment process objective?

14. In what way is the industrial attachment programme benefiting your company?

15. Any suggestions on what you feel can be done better?

cxxxvii
16. In your opinion how ethical are university placement coordinators and the
universities?

d) Quite ethical? b) Somewhat ethical? c) Very unethical?

17. Are studentspaid an allowance when attached to your organization?

a) All the times b) Sometimes c) Rarely

18. In your view is the allowance sufficient for the student’s upkeep?

cxxxviii
Appendix F: Test Scenario 1

Use Case ID Test Scenarios

UC000 TS001 Check that a user Test case 1
can log onto the
system with a valid Logging into the
username and system
password

TS002 Check that a user Test case 2

can change his
password Change user
password

cxxxix
Appendix G: Test Case 1 UC000

Test Case 1 Logging into the system

Test Date :……/……./……… Application: Login Menu

Process Login process

Author:………………………………… Tester:…………………………….. Verifier:……………………………….

Event Description: Check that a user logs into the system with a valid username and password
Areas to be checked Expected Result Actual Result
 Enter a username  The System must
accept the username

 Enter a password  The password must be

accepted

 Click Login button  System must compare

the username and
password stored on
the database and
display the user’s
home page

Exceptions:

Pass/Fail:

cxl
Appendix H: Test Case 2 UC000

Test Case 2 Change User password

Test Date: ..……/……./……… Application: User Home Page – Manage Account

Process: Change user password

Author:………………………………… Tester:…………………………….. Verifier:……………………………….

Event Description: Check that a user can change password

Areas to be checked Expected Result Actual Result

 Click on Manage  The System must take
Account user to change
password screen

 Enter old password  The old password

must be accepted

 Enter new password  The new password

must be accepted.

 Click on Change button  The system must

change the password
and display the
message “You have
successfully changed
your password”

 Click on Go Home
button  User is taken back to
home page

Exceptions:

Pass/Fail:
cxli
Appendix I: Test Scenario 2

Use Case ID Test Scenarios

UC001 TS001 Check that a Test case 1

placement provider
can be created on the
system

TS002 Check that a Test case 2

placement can be
endorsed before it is
available to students

TS003 Check that Test case 3

Placement
Coordinator can
assign students to
Academic
Supervisor

TS004 Check that Test case 4

Placement
Coordinator can
schedule assessment
visits and report due
dates

cxlii
Appendix J: Test Case 1 UC001

Test Case 1 Accredit Placement Provider

Test Date: ..……/……./……… Application: Manage Users

Process: Add Placement Provider

Author:………………………………… Tester:…………………………….. Verifier:……………………………….

Event Description: Create Placement Provider on the system

Areas to be checked Expected Result Actual Result

 Login as placement
Coordinator
 Click on Manage
Users button
 Enter Placement
Provider Name
 Accept login and take
Coordinator to his home
page.
 Coordinator must be
taken to “Add A
Placement Provider”
screen.
 Full name must be
captured. No Validation

 Enter Place Provider  The system must only

unique identifier or
code
 Enter Physical Address
 Enter email address
 Enter phone number
 Click on “Add
Provider” button
accept 2 uppercase
alphabets and 4 numeric
digits as code
 Enter a free format
alphanumeric address
 Email address format
expected and system will
expect a value in this
field.
 Must be numeric and
maximum 14 numeric
digits.
 Display the message
“You have successfully
added Provider:”
Provider name. The new
provider will appear in
the list of Placement
Provider window.
cxliii
Exceptions:

Pass/Fail:

Appendix K: Test Case 2 UC001

Test Case 2 Endorsements of creation of placement

Test Date: Application: Endorsements Waiting List on Home Page

..……/……./………

Process: Endorse Creation of Placement

Author: Tester:…………………………….. Verifier:

………………………… ………………

Event Description: Endorse Placement

Areas to be checked Expected Result Actual Result

 Login as  Accept login and take Coordinator
placement to his home page.
Coordinator
 Qualification of work Supervisor
 Click on event must be relevant.
and check if
placement meets  Department must be relevant to the
university program.
expectations
 Duration must meet the minimum
attachment period

 Message “You have successfully

endorsed placement xxxxx “ is
displayed. Status changes to
endorsed.

 Must now appear under list of

 Click Endorse available placements for students
to apply.

 Revoke/Reject  Placement once rejected must not

show on endorsements list and
must not show under available
placements for students list.
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Exceptions:

Pass/Fail:
Appendix L: Test Case 3 UC001

Test Case 1 Assign Students To Academic Supervisor

Test Date: ..……/……./……… Application: Academic Supervisors

Process: Run Auto Supervisor Assignment

Author:………………………………… Tester:…………………………….. Verifier:……………………………….

Event Description: Create Placement Provider on the system

Areas to be checked Expected Result Actual Result

 Login as placement  Accept login and take
Coordinator Coordinator to his home
page.
 Click on Academic  Coordinator must be
Supervisors button taken to “Run Auto
Supervisor Assignment”
screen.
 Click Run Auto  System will run through
Supervisor placed students and
Assignment assign them to academic
supervisors.

 List of newly assigned

supervisors will be
displayed just below the
“Auto Run Supervisor
Assignment” button.

 Supervisor program must

match student program

 List of students and their

academic supervisors will
now include the newly
assigned supervisors.

Exceptions:

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Pass/Fail:

Appendix M: Test Case 4 UC001

Test Case 1 Schedule Assessment Visits and Report Due Dates

Test Date: ..……/……./……… Application: Schedules

Process: Schedule For Assessment Visits

Author:………………………………… Tester:…………………………….. Verifier:……………………………….

Event Description: Schedule Assessment Visits and Report Due Dates

Areas to be checked Expected Result Actual Result

 Login as placement
Coordinator
 Click on Schedules
button.
 Accept login and take
Coordinator to his home
page.
 Coordinator must be
taken to “Schedule for
Assessment Visits”
screen.

 Put program and date  A graph is produced that

range to be shows who is assessing
scheduled. who, where and when.

 Academic Supervisor
must assess at only one
Placement Provider per
day.

 An email alert must go to

both Academic and Work
Supervisor

 Student report dates are

scheduled.

 Student must be able to

see report due date
under his “Report
Tracking” menu.

Exceptions:

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 Pass/Fail:

References

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[2] A. Carlson, "The Benefits of Work – intergrated Learning," in ITE Teachers’ Conference, Malaysia,
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[3] [Online]. Available: http://www.brightubpm.com/project-plannng/58181-writing-a-cost-benefit-

analysis/.

[4] [Online]. Available: http://www.sp.edu.sg/wps/portal/vp-spws/scheee.lif.iap.

[5] [Online]. Available: http://www.academia.edu/5438604/JMRA-PSS1537 - Leong, S (2004) How to

Develop talent for Training, New York: Management Books.

[6] A. F. Olubenga, "Towards Effective SIWES Curriculum Development in Applied Sciences for
Adequate Skills Utilisation: A Case Study of the School of Applied Science," Pacific Journal of
Science and Technology, vol. Vol.10, no. 1, pp. pp234-239, 2009.

[7] A. F. Olubenga, International Journal of Physical and Social Sciences, vol. 12, no. 9, p. 22, 2012.

[8] "Journal of Sustainable Development," Journal of Sustainable Development, vol. 4, 2011.

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