A Web-Based Student Support Services System Integrating Short Message Service Application Programming Interface
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International Journal of Future Computer and Communication, Vol. 5, No. 2, April 2016 A Web-Based Student Support Services System Integrating Short Message Service Application Programming Interface Maria Concepcion S. Vera and Benilda Eleonor V. Comendador university-related events and activities, announcements and Abstract—This paper presents the integration of Short notice of meetings. By-request services that provide prompt Message Service Application Programming Interface in a delivery of pertinent records are hard to come by. Grade Web-Based Student Support Services System for a university report cards that notify the students and faculty about would facilitate two-way communication between the students, faculty and other stakeholders. It aims to keep in contact with computed grades are not stored electronically. Consequently, students and deliver significant information arising from the receipt of academic information on a timely basis could not be University using the system’s SMS facility offering auto-reply guaranteed. Observable delays in transmitting and receiving feature. Based on the survey, the respondents highly accepted information, even losses of valuable information, take place the developed system. Thus, utilizing it as an alternative to the now and then. Clearly, the primary cause is the method of university’s existing media of communication would enable the disseminating information in use, like bulletin boards, system users to avail of an effective and convenient manner of getting information from the university anytime. The manner of memorandums for notice of meetings and other related disseminating would become speedy, timely, and appropriate. information, or verbal communication. Furthermore, using the system in an academe would result to Indeed, communication plays a vital role in all universities. paperless capturing, speedy recording and filing of students’ It is crucial in their operation, not only in the pursuit of records; standardized format of academic-related forms, timely academic excellence, but also in the on-time delivery of dissemination and receipt of academic-related information quality services to its intended clientele. Evidently, the need is through SMS; and production of accurate reports. to adopt innovative ways in dealing with student needs Index Terms—Web-based student support services system, through integration of SMS and the Web. student support services, short message service, application In response to the urgency of enhancing the IT needs of programming interface, SMS-API. students and other stakeholders, the issues raised related to information dissemination, the need to develop a system is recognized. One that seeks to adopt the use of electronic I. INTRODUCTION methods of communication to keep in constant contact with ICT comprises any devices that are used to communicate students and to deliver significant information relative to or allowing the transmission of information to an individual or arising from the University. group of individuals anywhere, geographically. Such devices The system uses SMS in disseminating information where includes radio, television, cellular phones, computer and SMS messages are sent from mobile device and/or from the network hardware and software, satellite systems and even web-based interface of the system via Hypertext Transfer videoconferencing and distance learning [1]. In education, Protocol (HTTP) to the short code provided by the SMS ICT has the ability to make change possible that at some point Application Programming Interface (API) integrated on the or another may touch teaching methodologies and strategies system. This facilitates two-way communication between the and the student‘s approaches to learning as well [2]. And students and the university. With the system‘s web-based user through ICT, information, ideas and experiences from an interface, student‘s grades are stored and reports are speedily array of diverse people, societies and beliefs can be accessed generated for decision-making purposes, whereby all so easily and rapidly [3]. As stressed by Danner and Pessu, information are stored and retrieved from a centralized education is the paramount key area for ICT [4]; and it helps database. improve students‘ learning by using modern ICTs in the form Short Message Service (SMS) is a text messaging facility of wireless networks, internet, search engines, databases and of mobile communication systems that send short messages websites [3]. thru mobile networks. It uses standardized communications Yet, most universities do not use ICT, such as Short protocols to allow mobile phone devices to exchange short Message Service (SMS), to obtain up-to-date information text messages not more than 160 characters [5]. API is a about students, particularly personal records and grades, software-to-software interaction requesting the other program to provide service which permits access to data or somewhat Manuscript received March 1, 2016; revised April 12, 2016. This work perform a function [6]. It can easily be integrated with any was supported in part by the Polytechnic University of the Philippines. web-based application. Once SMS API is integrated on the M. C. S. Vera is with Polytechnic University of the Philippines. She is also with Catanduanes State Universit, Philippines (e-mail: application system, it enables the users to send, receive and [email protected]). reply SMS using mobile numbers or short SMS codes through B. E. V. Comendador is with Polytechnic University of the Philippines, an HTTP POST interface and it seamlessly connect Philippines (e-mail: [email protected]). doi: 10.18178/ijfcc.2016.5.2.448 77 International Journal of Future Computer and Communication, Vol. 5, No. 2, April 2016 applications to the major carriers, particularly in the how the system is acceptable to them and the Philippines, without any hassle [7]. recommendations to improve/enhance the system were The use of cellular phones, through SMS messaging, is still formulated to address the needs of the university. the best, fastest, and most effective way to communicate. The output of this study, the developed system, had been Communication carried on via a mobile phone has become subjected to feedback from the students enrolled in the popular among students when SMS was introduced. university and the faculty and staff of the university. Their According to a report entitled ―Philippines - Mobile feedbacks served as input to the implementation/enhancement Communications, Forecasts and Broadcasting Market‖, the of the developed system. number of mobile telephone subscribers had grown to approximately 113 million during the early quarter of CY Input Process Output 2015, with mobile penetration moving past 114% in this country of almost 100 million people. In the Philippines, Information and around two billion SMS messages were being sent every day Knowledge Requirements Verify System o Students, Faculty, that it remains to generate the largest SMS volume in the Requirements Employees world [8]. In Catanduanes, mobile telephone subscribers most Profile Database Design DEVELOPED AND o Class List likely increased for the past decade due to the absence of land EVALUATED o Student’s Grades GUI Design line telephone systems. o Student’s inquiry A WEB-BASED Develop prototype of Kajumbula mentioned in his study that in the developing on grades and STUDENT SUPPORT other records/ A WEB-BASED world, communication in universities and colleges through STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES SYSTEM announcements SERVICES SYSTEM INTEGRATING SMS not only now exists but has been existing [9]. In via SMS INTEGRATING SHORT SHORT MESSAGE particular, the Philippines with its large and small islands o SMS messages to MESSAGING SYSTEM SERVICE students, faculty APPLICATION APPLICATION PROGRAMMING having colleges and universities, students prefer the use of and employees PROGRAMMING o University INTERFACE INTERFACE SMS as the primary means of communicating with faculty and announcements, Data Conversion activities and other students comparable to the findings of Nonyongo et al. events Test and debug the that UNISA students find communication through SMS to be o Survey System Questionnaires Recommendations efficient and convenient [10]. Conduct Assessment Software to improve/ Survey From this perspective, the focus of this study was to Requirements enhance the develop a web-based system that integrates SMS API for o PHP Tabulate and analyze developed system student support services that facilitates two-way o Apache the respondent’s o MySQL responses communication between the students and the university. o Web Development software Hardware Requirements II. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK o PC Unit o Mobile Phone Fig. 1 presents the over-all conceptual framework based on o Intranet the Input-Process-Output (IPO) system. This system is composed of interrelated elements that served as guide in FEEDBACK pursuing the problem under investigation. The first box is referred to as the input. This box includes Fig. 1. Conceptual model of the study using IPO. the requirements needed before the study can be investigated such as information and knowledge requirements which are III. METHODOLOGY the profile of the students, faculty and employees, students‘ grades, class list, student‘s inquiry on grades and other A. Baseline Study records/announcements via SMS, SMS messages to students, The study utilized the descriptive and developmental faculty and employees, university announcements, activities method of