DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF COMPLAINT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR UNIVERSITY STUDENT:

CASE STUDY FEDERALUNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY MINNA

 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

An academic growth can be of various concerns in academic environment to promote social and functioning educational system. For an effective educational system to take place there are some issues in academic environment that should properly address to, take for instance issue of complaints management system in the university. This issue had created a lot of problems for an academic growth in the various aspects of the educational system. To support this approach, this project identifies a range of options that can be used to manage and resolve Academic complaints. This includes, where the opportunity presents itself, the need for administrator to make every effort to resolve potential or actual academic complaints as informally as possible in the first instance.

Marchington and Wilkinson (2005) defined method of handling complaint as a product of labor relations environment in the 60s and 70s when there was a more explicit struggle for control in the workplace. This had two main effects. Firstly, it created the requirement for clear techniques so that all specialists knew and decides that oversee implicit rules, and moves that may be made against them if these guidelines were charged. Besides, it prompted more prominent clarity and consistency of executive activities to determination the protests. Design and implementation of complaint management system is to maintain an effective, timely, and equitable complaint handling system which is easily accessible and offered to complainants (students) at no charge. This project defines the policy and steps for handling and resolving complaints and also to appeal for an un-favored situation and for this process to take place there must be an automation of the system that will be handle the complaints process and appeal method of registration. Automation can be defined as the aspects involved in using a computer system for the tasks or process such as circulation, implementation etc. In relation to the above preposition by Marcus, it is possible for the design and implementation of an online complaint management system to yield substantial benefits for the users (Marcus, 2000).

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Design and implementation of complaint management system is a web base application that will solve the problem facing student in the university environment. The basic problems facing complaint monitoring are:

i. Lack of fitting security and upkeep of the complaint record in the system that make avenue for disappointment and control of information.

ii. Lack of legitimate precise, concise data about the student implicit rules and character.

iii. Poor performance of the manual system may lead into the missing or exploitative of the complaint by the staff or any member of the management,

This is a circumstance where there is no avenue made for survey of the complaint. This obstructs satisfactory upkeep of the system.

iv. There is no system or database set up to screen transfer of complaint submitted on paper or as verbal representation

1.3 Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of this project is to design and implement a complaint management system. To achieve this we shall be guided by the following specific objectives:

i. To evaluate the existing paper-based information of complaint management system.

ii. To design web based complaint registration and appeal management system.

iii. To implement a new system called complaint management system for student Affair Division of Federal University of Technology Minna. With the use of HTML, JAVA and MYSQL.

1.4 Significant of Study

The significance of this study is to serve better than the existing system which is highly manual and therefore difficult in terms of monitoring the complaint in the University, improve database and enhance effectiveness, efficiency and security of the system. It is also intended that the study will help in the development of a new and hopefully and standard better computer aided system.

The new system will save time, reduce improper handling of complaint system and also improve relationship between student, lecturer and management.

The system is expected to be easy as student can login their complaint anytime, staff and management also can equally response to student complaint in a more easy way.

1.5 Scope of the Study

This study covers only the procedure for managing complaints in the Student Affair Division of Federal University of Technology Minna, Niger state.

The system is designed to be web-based. Design to help student login their complaint and request for management helps concern any complaints.

1.6 Limitation of study

Due to the scope of this project work as mention above, this project work is limited to Complaint management System. This application cannot process the penalties for anybody found being grieved or the punishment for any staff or student found being at fault of any complaints. Other limitations are following:

i. The application was developed to send notification to only the recipient email address and not mobile phone

ii. It does not provide the means of live communication between the complaint and the responder

iii. The system cannot work with other web application. This means it is not a web service oriented system.

1.7 Operational Definition of Terms

a. Lecturer

A person who gives lectures, especially (British) as an occupation at a university or college of higher education. (dictionary.com)

b. College

A school or a division of a university that usually has its own dean and other administrators and whose faculty teaches and confers degrees in specific academic fields reserved (Microsoft Encarta 2009)

c. Academic

Designed for students who intend to study at a college after high school, or attending a school with such courses (Microsoft Encarta 2009)

d. Registration

The process of enrolling at a college or university, choosing courses, and paying fees at the beginning of an academic term (Microsoft Encarta 2009)

e. Staff

A particular group of employees within a company, institution, or organization (Microsoft Encarta 2009)

f. Complaint

The act of expressing discontent or unhappiness about a situation (Microsoft Encarta2009)

g. Appeal

Request by a complainant to have a matter heard and/or re-considered after receiving an unfavourable decision (Microsoft Encarta 2009)

h. Procedure

An established or correct method of doing something (Microsoft Encarta 2009)

i. Tedious

Boring because of being long, monotonous, or repetitive (Microsoft Encarta 2009)

j. Monitoring

A school student who helps a teacher by being given a responsibility or special duty (Microsoft Encarta 2009)

k. Complaint

A problem or issue which has not been resolved through discussion and progresses to a written complaint (Microsoft Encarta 2009)

l. Discrimination

Unfair treatment of one person or group, usually because of prejudice about race, ethnicity, age, religion, or gender (Microsoft Encarta 2009)