DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF ONLINE TUTORIAL ON FISH FARMING AND PRODUCTION

ABSTRACT

          The tremendous impact of electronic technology (like computer and computer embedded devices, computer networking, artificial intelligence, multimedia among others) on the human psychological capabilities productivity, intellectuality and other human related activities are very obvious. The quest and virtual implementation of computer in all the fields of human endeavor increases with its inevitable impact, these impacts are on its increase due to the need for high quality and timely response. Therefore, this project titled, “Design and implementation of online tutorial on fish farming and production”, is aimed at exploring and incorporating some of these sophisticated technologies for the development of electronic tutorial materials. This work examines and explains the step-by-step procedure for accomplishing the development of the proposed software products, the attainment of the goals and necessary requirement for their implementation. It considers and discusses the impact of the proposed products on the targeted end-users. This project is implemented using HTML, Php, Apache, and SQL Server for the online learning platform tutorial application package, and an E-book.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

          Fish farming or pisciculture is the principal form of aquaculture, while other methods may fall under mariculture. Fish farming involves raising fish commercially in tanks or enclosures, usually for food. A facility that releases juvenile fish into the wild for recreational fishing or to supplement a species' natural numbers is generally referred to as a fish hatchery. Worldwide, the most important fish species used in fish farming are carp, salmon, tilapia and catfish.

          The Nigerian fishing industry comprises of three major sub sectors namely the artisanal, industrial and aquaculture. The awareness on the potential of aquaculture to contribute to domestic fish production has continued to increase in the country. This stems from the need to meet the much needed fish for domestic production and export. Fish species which are commonly cultured include Tilapia spp, Heterobranchus bodorsalis, Clarias gariepinus, Mugie spp, Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus, Heterotis niloticus, Ophiocephalus obscure, Cyprinus carpio and Megalospp. Fish culture is done in enclosures such as tanks.The aquaculture sub sector contributes between 0.5% and 1% to Nigeria’s domestic fish production.

          The rapid increase in population of the world has resulted in a huge increase in the demand for animal protein (which is essentially higher in quality than plant protein). The average protein intake in Nigeria which is about 19.38/output/ day is low and far below FAO requirement of 65g/ output/day. The nutritional requirement is particularly crucial in a developing country such as Nigeria where malnutrition and starvation are the major problems faced by million of rural dwellers .The low protein intake is an indication of shortage of high quality protein food in the diet of Nigerians. The consumption has been estimated to be 1.56267metric tones Tabor (1990).

1.1     BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

          Learning is one of the very vital human activities that require concentration blended with interactivity, clear and distinct understanding of the facts been stated or discussed, high communication skills and techniques, attractive learning qualities such as colorful pictorial presentations of information among others. Nevertheless, all not learning process is considered to be effective. Effective could be assumed to had been achieved if about hundred percent (100%), of the population lectured assimilate the knowledge and/or ideas across; this is quite different when the population size is very high and there is existences of certain un-conducive learning conditions such as noise, poor ventilation, and extreme temperatures.

The progress made in the computer world through the development of sophisticated hardware, software, and other technologies could be employed for the remedy of the situation. Exploring the powerful capabilities of multimedia and implementing it on teaching and learning processes via the production of learning material and products such as e-book, computer assisted learning (CAI), computer aided instruction(CAT), computer based training(CBT), internet based training among others would go a long way towards improving the advancement of the practical and theoretical knowledge of the students. With high quality content value of the e-learning products and the captivating multimedia features embedded in them, a student can easily, assimilate such knowledge (even in the absence of a teacher and the required physical environment) through repetitive

Accessing of the e-learning materials and following the animated instructions contained therein.

1.2     STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Deficiency of Technical Knowledge: Start output before knowing what operationsoptions are available or how you can farm fish.

Poor Investment Plan: Several farmers assume that to become commercial fish farmer one have to have several large ponds. Consequently,they construct many ponds at a time, which constrains their earnings. Because of this,some farmers require a while to start output or may only afford to get started production in one pond after all the investment.

Don't employ the right people.Entrepreneurs employ the right people who are qualified for a selected job. Hiring family members who have minimal desire to learn proper fish farming techniques is a liability because most people find it difficult to dismiss them even after they have become apparent that they are the real reason for the poor performance from the fish farm.

1.3     OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

          This project is aimed at implementing e-learning tutorial through the development of a web site expected to be published over the internet, a CAL application package that will be installed in a computer, and on e-book in portal document format (PDF); this is to provide different remedy platforms for the shortcoming found in the training, production and development of fish farming in our nation.

Focusing on the above, the objectives of the study are to develop e-learning tutorial applications that are capable of:

I.       providing coherent instruction for the selected section of learning

II.      Provide a media training on the selected section.

III.     Encouraging individual in different geo-graphical location who wish to start up a fish farming and production, but with no knowledge of it as it will bring to their door step a video tutorial on how to start it up.

IV.     Enhancing the students practical knowledge and broaden their theoretical knowledge.

V.      Creating a more interacting way of learning process.

VI.     Overcoming most factors affecting effecting learning such as noise.

VII.   Accommodation of learner’s unrestricted learning schedule as they can access it any time they wish.

VIII.  Promoting quick assimilation of information.

IX.     Providing accurate and high quality content value.

1.4     SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This project uses the combination of multimedia features, little artificial intelligence features, and human –computer interaction principles for the development of a web site for an online and implementation of e-learning tutorial for fish farming and production. These proposed e-learning tutorial avenues are deviations from the traditional learning procedure, and as a result have their main importance as follows:

i.        Effective learning of the subject topic by the individual- the traditional classroom methods have high tendencies of responding to the many factors affecting effecting learning.

But with the adoption of e-learning, these factors may exist with little or no impact on the learner. Hence, this project is focused on developing an online tutorial learning application for fish farming that will be captivating through the provision of different learning platforms and skillful use of multimedia which will lead to the enhancing of effective learning and reduction of teachers teaching work load.

ii.       Cost of learning materials-could be reduced significantly when compared to the cost of traditional learning materials or the cost of conventional instructional system. This is, however, accomplished in this project by providing free access with limited content value to the user.

1.5     SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The proposed online tutorial learning center are targeted for the attainment of effective learning through the use of interactive presentations. In the development of the proposed products, certain security consciousness likes piracy where moderately considered while some security measures like password were implemented. Each of the proposed e-learning-tutorial have different security requirement.

On the side of the fish farming and production tutorial package, password usage was implemented for discriminating the premium users from the free users. The internet application is designed to have an open unrestricted accessibility; this is to boost content awareness and marketing.

Its e-book is created in portal document format (PDF) so as to ensure content authenticity and videos.

1.6     LIMITATION AND DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY

Apart from the usual risk and limitation present in every project due to time, scope, quality and financing, a major limitation arises from the gathering of information or data from the concerned individuals with fair and un-bias judgment of the proposed tutorial subject. Many of the individual, especially the expected users, were unwilling to give feedback on the impact of the proposed system on them while some other will prefer to give haphazard information which tantamount dirty data. In addition, the tendency of receiving unfair and bias information and materials (which ranges from reference materials to development support devices) required for actualizing the proposed online tutorial specifications posed a great impediment to the study. Nevertheless, in the attempt to overcome these impediments, the research work of other scholars and practitioners were used in conjunction with the result of my project research evacuation and analysis. This approach is adopted to ensure accurate and good developmental practices

1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Program module – this is made up of one or more program procedure, routine, function, or events that handle a definite task or set of task.

Program procedure – a set of program codes that response to a particular action such as click or could be called for execution from another program procedure depending on its scope.

HTML – this is one of the programming languages which could be used for developing web documents. HTML stands for hypertext markup language. Other languages that could be for web development are XML (Extended Markup Language) and XHTML (Extended Hypertext Markup Language).

Programming language – this is a set of operation of grammatical rules (syntax or protocol) use for written and developing instructional codes given to the computer for task performance.

Interpreter – this is a kind language translator that translates high level programming codes equivalent and at the same time executes the program codes line after line, this is achieved if and only if the line of code is error free.

Compiler – this is a kind of language translator that translates high level programming language code into its low level programming language codes equivalent and makes it executable only if this entire program code is error free.

Media – these are those things, materials or tools used for storing and delivering of information or data. Media can also imply channels, links or materials that convey data or information.

Learning media – learning materials that convey information to a student or from which a student can extract knowledge from. Example, textbooks novels, among others.

Multimedia – as applied to this project, it is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms.

Contents – information and experiences that may provide value for end-user.

CAL – this stands For Computer Assisted Learning. It is an application package that is designed to enable the user learn a particular subject through the provision of tutorial that may or may not companied by questions. CAL is popularly called tutorial software. CAL is very close to CAI and could be used interchangeable, but in some cases, might not mean exactly the same.

CAI – this is an abbreviation of Computer Aided Instruction. It is an application package that is designed  to enable the user learn and/or get acquainted with a specific subject or an aspect of life.CAI, in most cases, is a simulation of real life event or true appearance of the subject for which for the user is to be educated on. Most CAI comes in the form of examination preparatory tutorials like TOEFL (test of English as a foreign language) and safety training tutorials like military combat training. Computer game is not always regarded as a CAI application rather entertainment application software.

APACHE: Apache is the actual web server application that processes and delivers web content to a computer.

MYSQL: Every web application, however simple or complicated, requires a database management system for storing collected data’s from the users.

PHP: PHP stands for hypertext pre-processor. It is a server-side scripting language that powers most of the world’s web sites.

FLASH PLAYER: Due to flash content in the application, it therefore requires adobe flash player to display all the flash content.

TUTORIAL: A tutorial is a method of transferring knowledge and may be used as a part of a learning process. More interactive and specific than a book or a lecture; a tutorial seeks to teach by example and supply the information to complete a certain task.