Kling (1983) avers that computer-based education has been promoted with two different underlying ideologies in all levels of education. Some educators argue that computer- based instructional approaches can help fulfill the traditional values of progressive education: the simulation of intellectual curiosity, initiative, and democratic experiences. For examples, (1984) has argued that computerized universities are qualitatively different than traditional universities: College students with micro computers in their dorm rooms will be more stimulated to learn because they will have easy access to instructional materials and more interesting problems to solve.
Papert (1979), argues that in a new computer – based school cultivate, students will no longer simply be taught mathematics. These visions portray an enchanted social order transformed by advanced computing technologies. Other advocates are a bit less romantic, but not less enthusiastic.
For example Cole (1972), states because of the insatiable desire of students for more and more information at a higher level of complexity and more sophisticated level of utilization, more effective means of communication must be used Computers can provide a unique vehicle for this transmissionâ€. Hence, it is important to note that computer- based education goes a long way in helping the students as well as the staff to effectively make use of the computerized student course registration system. It also helps in convincing the stakeholders of the importance and need for adopting the computerized admission, registration and result processing system as it provides effective and accurate handling of student’s files.
Therefore, a computerized student course registration system is usually a system, which is implemented with a computer to achieve the utmost efficiency and desired goals. In well developed countries, where education systems are computerized; student course registration system should be and/or is one of the modules contained in the college portal. A “College Portal†therefore is personalized software that captures the entire education business process and makes all operations accessible via the web, thus allowing schools to effectively serve all stakeholders, students, lecturers, administrators and parents. It provides many functionalities including Admissions, Registration, Financial Services (transactions- processing), Exams & Records, Grading, Staff Management, Facility Management, Student self-care (My school), Alumni Records, Library and College shop, etc and supports workflow and Messaging and provides other collaboration tools and advanced reporting engines.
Russell, M. (1987), dealt extensively on the need for the use of computers on such database system like computerized student course registration system. In the words of Dimorji (2003), at the center of any information system is a database, which is any collection of related information grouped together as a simple item. The term can also apply to the ways in which information is catalog used, analyzed,
stored and used manually.
Russell was also of the view that without a computer, effective handling of Candidates’ records cannot be achieved effectively. According to him, “The oxford University has more than ninety- six thousand student’s records. No person would precisely remember the details of these recordsâ€. The computer is the most possible application to retain an unlimited number of records with the utmost current updating possibilities. This is true as can be seen as posited by
Eloba (1992), Computer in school record keeping, Technical
Education Today, Vol. 3 No 182. “That at a department with over a thousand candidates, with the use of computer, all qualified for admission only 100 candidates need to be chosen. With the ranking of the scores or grades of the candidates, the management is in position to choose best candidates with the best results with ease and on time†with the use of computer. Again, many computerized systems have become more than tools-they are environments that people sometimes find hard to change and so on.
Kling and Suzanne (1988), argue that we have much to learn about future uses and consequences of computerization by carefully examining past and present experiences. Knowing fully well how the University program is being run (manually), studying the past and present experiences energize the idea of computerization of the board or the program.
Also, Kling, (1994) illustrates that systems being computerized offers exciting possibilities of manipulating large amount of information rapidly with little effort to enhance control, to create insights, to search for information, and to facilitate cooperative work between people.
2.2 RELEVANCE OF COMPUTER SYSTEM IN DATA PROCESSING
2.2.1. Computer Data Processing: This is any process that uses a computer program to enter data and summarize, analyze or otherwise convert data into usable information. The process may be automated and run on a computer. It involves recording, analyzing, sorting, summarizing, calculating, disseminating and storing data. Because data is most useful when well-presented and actually informative, data-processing systems are often referred to as information systems. Nevertheless, the terms are roughly synonymous, performing similar conversions; data-processing systems typically manipulate raw data into information, and likewise information systems typically take raw data as input to produce information as output. Data processing may or may not be distinguished from data conversion, when the process is merely to convert data to another format, and does not involve any data manipulation.
