This information will also be in the form of an email, mailed directly to the students a week prior to the exam, as well as being available on the new system, (set up on a computer near the main hall, or some other accessible area) before the exam starts if the candidate forgets.
Students need to know where the exam is being held, and where they are seated (when the papers are collected, they need to be organised into candidate numbers, so seating students correctly stops unnecessary sorting at the end).
Specific Objectives – Quantitative
- The system must work with speed; speed is essential because if a candidate is late to an exam, and does not know any of the essential details, the problem must be rectified with speed so the candidate can start his/her exam as soon as possible. Details must be available in less than 30 seconds.
- New candidate details do not need to be entered so quickly, as this can be done at any time. Details to be entered within a minute and a half.
- The exam sheets must be created automatically, because typing out each one will take to much time and effort.
- The emails to be sent out must be automatically created to save time and effort.
Specific Objectives – Qualitative
- The system must be relatively user-friendly and simple to operate, so confusion is not an issue.
- User-friendliness is important, because an exam room is a stressful environment, so the less stress added to the situation the better.
- This is also a reason for it to be simple to use, but also, if the system must deliver the information as fast as possible, the user may be trying to access the information quickly, and therefore possible errors must be kept to a minimum.
- The forms and mail merge can be slightly more complex, because only the administrator is to use them.
Constraints
Hardware
I will be designing the system on computer with a 1GHz CPU, with 128Mb ram and 15” Monitor, keyboard and mouse.
When the system is completed; the hardware can be used on a computer with the minimum of a 300 MHz CPU, 128Mb of Ram, a 17” Monitor (so information is visible easily), keyboard and mouse.
Software
The software to be used is MS access, a database program. This program is the most appropriate, because of its following characteristics:
- Queries – the candidates name and/or other credentials can be used to find out essential candidate & exam information.
- Forms – an easy-to-use interface can be created by which the information can be input, accessed and manipulated.
- Reports – a list of all candidates can be made for use in a mail merge to inform students of when the exam is to take place.
- Tables – the candidate information can be entered in and stored easily and in a good layout.
- Relationships – Tables can be linked to give a better layout of candidate information.
The computer must also use a compatible OS for MS Access such as Microsoft Windows 98 or NT.
User’s IT skills and knowledge
Because the system is designed to be simple, the end-user’s IT skills can be at practically any level. All the end user needs to know is how the system runs through; what results can be expected when the forms are used to find out information etc. and how to start up the program in preparation for the exam. Knowing how to use the mail merge system may be an issue, but if possible the system will be automated, so the end-user needs only to have the computer and system up & running at the time the e-mails are to be sent out.
Specification
Requirements Specification
The new system must:
- Create a report which includes all exam details being taken by each individual candidate, for the exam sheet which is to be handed out
- Create an email which informs the candidates of when their particular exams are to be taken, and email the message to the correct candidate
- Run queries which allow the candidate to find out;
- The candidate seating position by entering student details or candidate number
- The candidate’s details by entering the candidate number or candidate seat
- Who is sat in a particular seat by entering the seat number
- Where the exam is being held, and what subject the exam is testing
- Present the information in a form which is easy to read, and has the school name and logo on it
- Have a list of all candidates, exams and exam rooms
Input, Output and Processing needs
In this area I shall be talking about how the new system will be used in terms of inputs, processing, and a final outcome.
Input
Processes
Outputs
Design
The first page you will see will be this:
From this page you can navigate to 2 sub-menus:
Candidate Information
The first sub menu will hold information about all the candidates currently entered into the system, and the ability to enter new candidates. From this sub menu, you can navigate to 2 places:
Find a candidate
This button will bring up a sub menu with the following options:
Find a Candidates ID number
This button will bring up a search query, which will ask you to enter the Candidates surname. The query will then search the database and display all results found. No other information is asked for because this part of the system needs to work quickly; entering a surname and locating the correct candidateID should be available in 15 seconds from starting the query.
Find Details about a candidate
This button will bring up a search query, and will prompt for the input of a CandidateID number. If the candidateID is found, then the query will display all information excluding exam details relevant to that candidate. If no record is found from the candidate number, then the message “error, no information is available on that candidate, please check you have entered the number correctly” shall be displayed.
Find a list of exams a candidate has been entered for
This button will bring up a search query as before, but this time the only information displayed will be that of all the exams that candidate has been entered for.
View a list of all candidates on this system
This button will bring up a report containing all candidates’ information excluding that of their exam details.
Enter a new candidate
This button will bring up a form with all the various relevant sub-headings in it for details on the candidate, excluding exam details. The new information about the candidate can then be typed in.
The candidate information ID sub-menu will be divided into more sub-menus than the exam sub-menu, because this is the part of the system which will need to be accessed in a hurry. Therefore dividing it into more options will allow easier navigation to the desired operation.
Exam Details
From exam details, the following menu will be displayed:
Find Exams Being Taken on a particular Date
This button will bring up a query search, and ask for a particular date. The format of this criteria is an issue, as the same date could be entered as Thursday 18th November 2002, or 18/11/2002 or 18-11-02 or many other variations. Therefore the form that contains this search query must specify which format to use, and tell the user when an incorrect format has been used. I will decide on the correct format during my implementation.
Find Exams Being Taken by a Particular Candidate
This will work in the same way as the “Find a list of exams a candidate has been entered for” form in the Candidates information sub-menu. The reason I have entered it twice is because it will be less stressful if someone is looking for this option, but navigates to the wrong sub-menu.
Enter a new exam
Like the “enter a new candidate” field, but has field ent
ries for all the different exam details.
View a List of all Exams
This button will bring up a report containing all the exams’ details.
This part of the system need not work with so much speed, as the main exam administrator operates it in preparation for an exam.
Exam Handout Sheets
This button will bring up the following sub-menu:
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Candidate ID – a number assigned to each candidate so that they can be seated in the correct order
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Candidate Name – the name of the candidate, this can be used in a query to find out the candidate ID of a particular individual, e.g. if they forget it.
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Candidate Telephone Number – to contact the candidate, e.g. if they miss the exam or there is a problem.
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Exam Paper Number – a number assigned to each individual subject paper, this can be used in a report to tell the candidates what exams they are taking
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Exam Paper – so the candidate knows which exam they are taking – in a report, this information must be verified.
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Exam Board – so the candidate knows which board their exam is being held by
