JORDAN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

A CONSTITUENT COLLEGE OF ST. AUGUSTINE UNIVERSITY IN TANZANIA

FACULTY OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION SCIENCE.

PROJECT TITLE

ONLINE COMPUTER LEARNING SYSTEM

SUBMITTED BY

GEOFREY FRANCIS

BSCSS/0081/2021

SUPERVISOR

MR. CHURI.

A PROJECT PROPOSAL SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION

SCIENCE FOR THE STUDY LEADING TO A PROJECT IN PARTIAL
FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF DEGREE OF
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN COMPUTER SCIENCE OF JORDAN UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE.

JANUARY, 2024
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABBREVIATIONS ..................................................................................................................................... iii

ABSTRACT................................................................................................................................................. iv

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. 1

1.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 1

1.2. Project Background ....................................................................................................................... 1

1.3. Statement of the problem .............................................................................................................. 2

1.4. Motivation ..................................................................................................................................... 2

1.5. Objectives ..................................................................................................................................... 3

1.4.1. Main Objective ...................................................................................................................... 3

1.4.2. Specific objectives ................................................................................................................ 3

1.5. Research Questions ....................................................................................................................... 3

1.6. Significance of the project ............................................................................................................ 3

1.7. Scope of the project ...................................................................................................................... 3

CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................................................................... 4

2.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 4

2.2. Existing systems............................................................................................................................ 4

2.2.1. Moodle .................................................................................................................................. 4

2.2.2. Digital Chalk ......................................................................................................................... 4

2.2.3. Blackboard ............................................................................................................................ 5

2.2.4. Brightspace ........................................................................................................................... 5

CHAPTER III: PROJECT DESIGN & METHODOLOGY ......................................................................... 6

3.1. Methodology and General Work Procedures ................................................................................ 6

3.1.1. Development tools ................................................................................................................ 6

3.1.2. Development Methodology................................................................................................... 7

3.2. System Design .............................................................................................................................. 8

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 3.3. Project Schedule.......................................................................................................................... 11

Project budget ............................................................................................................................................. 11

Project schedule .......................................................................................................................................... 11

3.4. Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 12

REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................................... 13

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 ABBREVIATIONS

ERD Entity Relation Diagram

ERM Entities Relationship Model

RAM Random Access Memory

OLMS Online Learning Management System.

MYSQL My Structured Query Language

IT Information Technology

HTML Hyper Text Makeup Language

PHP Hypertext Preprocessor.

DFD Data Flow Diagram

GUI Graphical User Interface

DBMS Database Management System

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 ABSTRACT

An Online Learning Management System or OLMS is a term used to describe web‐based

technology, designed to plan, implement, and assess a specific learning process. Online Learning
Management System features can be viewed as comprising of four various tools which includes:
a tool for distribution, a tool for communication, a tool for interaction and a tool for course
administration. There is a dire need among university students for a centralized learning system so
as to enable them share learning materials, communicate, submit assignments and take assessments
online, which has been implemented and adopted by many educational institutions but juco is yet
to adopt the system. The software development methodology used to develop this system is the
waterfall, the system is developed and implemented using Php, javascript, ajax, HTML and css.
Online Learning Management System is designed, developed and implemented for ADSU Mubi
using responsive design in order to encourage and facilitate learning through the use of internet
and the available devices capable of accessing the internet regardless of the users’ location. This
work was not able to capture video content delivery and discussion forum. Therefore, it is open
for further research so as to fill in these gaps.

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 CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION
1.1. Introduction
According to Gast & De Houwer (2013), Learning has been defined functionally as changes in
behavior that result from experience or mechanistically as changes in the organism that result from
experience. The researchers define learning as an ontogenetic adaptation that is, as changes in the
behavior of an organism that results from regularities in the environment of the organism. People
are not satisfied with our current methods of teaching. The digital age has outpaced the traditional
lecture and textbooks paradigm and people expect much more than book learning, especially with
the amount of information readily available on the internet and through mobile devices. Today
online learning system likewise called an E-learning system is another form of teaching. It is a
distance learning training system where progressive Internet innovation is used to encourage the
instructor to teach intrigued students. The students don't have to go for their classes physically but
just signing on to their system gives them enough motivation to think about. Students can even
take classes offline via smartphones and tablets if they would like to learn on the go. With the rapid
growth of the use of e-learning systems around the globe assessing the success and impact of such
systems is becoming increasingly important.

Online is the condition of being connected to a network of computers or other devices. The term
is frequently used to describe someone who is currently connected to the Internet (Moore &
Kearsley 2011).

A system is a collection of elements or components that are organized for a common purpose. A
computer system consists of hardware components that have been carefully chosen so that they
work well together and software components or programs that run in the computer (Rouse, 2013).

1.2. Project Background

Nowadays, there are a lot of online learning systems such as Moodle, Blackboard and Brightspace.
The main purpose of online learning systems is to provide a better and effective way to help
students to get learning materials and information. In this project, an online learning system also
known as eLearning management system will be developed for the Universities. Purpose of this
system is to enable teachers and students access the study materials at anytime and anywhere.

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Pitman (2011) With the introduction of the computer and internet in the late 20th century e-
learning tools and delivery methods expanded. The first MAC in the 1980′s enabled individuals to
have computers in their homes making it easier for them to learn about particular subjects and
develop certain skill sets. Then in the following decade, virtual learning environments began to
truly thrive, with people gaining access to a wealth of online information and e-learning
opportunities.

1.3. Statement of the problem

According to Rouse (2013) Chalk and talk or lecture and textbook, Because of this methods teacher
tend to focus in their teaching. Because they think it is the best way to share their knowledge to
their student. But in using this method there are some student who cannot follow or understand
their own lesson because the teacher cannot explain it further because of the limitation time. Lack
of time per subject because of that the teacher do not have a chance to give extra time for those
students who have any concern. Student spends a lot on buying study materials and extra classes
like tuition.

1.4. Motivation
Few more motivational points can be given as:

i. Activity and ROI Measurements – If you are using a learning management system to
deliver your eLearning, then tracking learner progress is a piece-of-cake, and reporting on
this activity is just as simple.
ii. High Learning Retention – Blended learning approaches result in a higher knowledge
retention rate. It also helps that coursework can be refreshed and updated whenever needed.
iii. Time and Money Savings – This one is pretty well known, and a staple of any well-done
eLearning program. eLearning reduces time away from the workplace, eliminates the need
for travel, and removes the need for classroom-based training.
iv. Up-to-date and immediate content – Learning Management Systems allow
administrators instant access to update the content of courses, or to add materials and
resources for students for immediate access.
v. Multimedia learning – The systems allow businesses and educational institutions to create
multimedia learning content which is comprehensive and practical, using video, images,
audio and text which all serve as great tools in learning new skills or information.

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1.5. Objectives
1.4.1. Main Objective
The main objective is to provide an online study platform for students in Universities to learn
conveniently and efficiently. Online learning system also decrease the proportion of lectures and
increase the proportion of individual work in the study process and make the information and study
materials better available for learners

1.4.2. Specific objectives

i. To provide an online learning system which can be accessed all the time
ii. To enable student to study via distance learning
iii. To enable student check results, enroll subjects, download course material and interact with
lectures online

1.5. Research Questions

i. How will people access online learning system?
ii. Will online learning system enable student to study via distance learning?
iii. How will student be able to check their results, enroll subjects and download course
material?

1.6. Significance of the project

The study aims to make a web-based System to help student learn and access material online
beneficial to the following.

To the student (users), the system will be able to collect and manage a lot of learning resources,
materials and information as well as allow student to share their material online

To future system developers (students and academicians), being student or standalone developers,
this system could be used as a reference. At some point, it could help in learning and innovation
to their knowledge.

1.7. Scope of the project

The online learning management system will only be accessible and usable within Tanzania and it
is intended to support the learning process at higher learning institution in Tanzania particularly in
Morogoro.

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 CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Introduction
College students are connected 24 hours a day. Online learning systems have become an extension
of the brand, learning, and pedagogical design of the activities taking place on our campus. We
are excited to providing them access to a tool that supports anywhere, anytime educational
experiences

2.2. Existing systems

2.2.1. Moodle
According to Lungu (2016) Moodle is a free software, a learning management system providing a
platform for e-learning and it helps the various educators considerably in conceptualizing the
various courses, course structures and curriculum thus facilitating interaction with online students.
Moodle was devised by Martin Dougiamas and since its inception, its primary agenda has been to
contribute suitably to the system of e-learning and facilitate online education and attainment of
online degrees.

Moodle is an Open Source, free, online learning management system. In fact, it’s the most widely
used e-learning platform in the world. It enables people just like you to create engaging, and utterly
personal, online learning courses for the people who matter the most whether that’s students, team
members, partners, affiliates, recruits, or even volunteers. That’s the beauty of Moodle-you decide.
It’s truly scalable, and it’s used by tens of millions of people worldwide (Gemma, 2017).

2.2.2. Digital Chalk

Jordan (2017) Digital Chalk LMS is a robust, flexible online training software with an excellent
support team. It provides a learning experience for both academic and corporate organizations.
Additionally, Digital Chalk LMS also provides the option to sell online learning courses.

Digital Chalk is a time-saving, efficient, learning management system (LMS) that empowers our
customers to design and launch their course products, their way. Digital Chalk is designed to
handle the needs of small organizations to large enterprises, supporting course sales and internal
course delivery to both employees and customers alike. With Digital Chalk, our customers receive
the benefits of online training without having to worry about the hassles and high cost of
developing and maintaining a software platform (Russ, S., Troy, T., 2018).

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2.2.3. Blackboard
According Renée (n.d). The Blackboard Learning System is software that allows educational
institutions to create and host courses on the Internet. Courses created with this software can serve
as entire online courses or as a supplement to traditional classroom courses. To use Blackboard
Learning System software, you need an Internet connection.

You must know how to use an Internet browser, have basic word processing skills and have basic
computer file management skills. You are not required to know HTML or computer programming.
Depending on your role, you will use this program in different ways.

2.2.4. Brightspace
Kitchener-Waterloo (2015) Stated that Brightspace LMS is ranked number 1 for next-gen online
teaching and learning, according to Ovum. It delivers amazing an adaptive learning experience
with comprehensive tracking and analytics. It also offers features for corporate learning 5
environments as well. The new "Daylight" experience is a much-improved user interface that
should delight its users.

The Brightspace Online and Blended Learning solution for higher education starts with D2L
Learning Environment, seamlessly bringing together the best in analytics, mobile, collaboration,
and media tools and an award-winning accessibility approach. The Brightspace platform includes
a robust set of built-in mobile feature, such as web support across multiple platforms and
responsive HTML 5 layouts and content and a growing range of native mobile apps that can
enhance productivity for both students and instructors (George F. Claffey Jr 2015).

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 CHAPTER III: PROJECT DESIGN & METHODOLOGY
3.1. Methodology and General Work Procedures
The system of collecting data for research project is known as research methodology. The data
may be collected for either theoretical or practical research for example management research
may be strategically conceptualized along with operational planning method and change
management. Information which was used for this study was carried out by oral interview.

3.1.1. Development tools

Since there is no single tool or methodology that can be used all alone, and it goes by to this project.
There is a combination of different tools and methodologies that will be used to develop and
implement the proposed solution. For clarity, they are categorized into four major categories.

3.1.1.1. Programming languages.

i. Javascript. Is a high-level, dynamic and interpreted programming language. It has
been standardized by ECMAScript language specification. It is most commonly used
as part of web browsers, whose implementations allow client-side scripts to interact
with the user, control the browser, communicate asynchronously, and alter the
document content that is displayed.
ii. PHP Language. PHP is a server-side scripting language designed for Web
development. It runs on the server and generally cannot run on its own unless in
response to an event. It provides more flexibility than HTML alone. It is platform
independent, powerful, robust and scalable, web development specific
iii. HTML Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). Is the standard markup language
for creating web pages and web applications, Web browsers receive HTML documents
from a webserver or local storage and render them into multimedia web pages
iv. CSS Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). Is a style sheet language used for describing the
presentation of a document written in a markup language, although, most often used to
set the visual style of web pages and user interfaces written in HTML and XHTML.

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3.1.1.2. Integrated development environment.
i. Sublime text.
ii. Toad Data Modeler Toad Data Modeler is a database design tool that allows users
to visually create, maintain and document new or existing database systems. Toad
Data Modeler allows users to create logical, physical and universal entity
relationship diagrams (ERD) - models.

3.1.1.3. Infrastructural software.

i. XAMPP. XAMPP is an archetypal model of web service solution stacks, named
as an acronym of the names of its original four open-source components: the
Windows operating system, the Apache HTTP Server, the MySQL relational
database management system (RDBMS), and the PHP programming language.
ii. MySQL. MySQL is an open-source database that is platform-independent and can
easily interface with other scripting languages, but it works best with PHP.
Deploying a MySQL database is cheap and easy, it doesn’t require special hardware
or software requirements.

3.1.1.4. Framework and library

i. Twitter Bootstrap. is a free and open-source front-end web framework for
designing websites and web applications. It contains HTML- and CSS-based design
templates for typography, forms, buttons, navigation and other interface
components, as well as optional JavaScript extensions.
ii. jQuery. Core Library jQuery, at its core, is a DOM (Document Object Model)
manipulation library. The DOM is a tree-structure representation of all the elements
of a Web page and jQuery simplifies the syntax for finding, selecting, and
manipulating these DOM elements.

3.1.2. Development Methodology

For any project to be completed, it has to go through stages called Development Life Cycles.
System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is the process of understanding how an Information
System (IS) can support business needs, designing the system, building it and delivering it to
users. The SDLC composes of four phases: Planning, Analysis, Design and Implementation.
In order for this project to be developed, the methodology that will be used is Waterfall
Development. With Waterfall Development, analyst and users proceed sequentially from one

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phase to the next and each phase can be mapped out and evaluated (Hevner, 2004). Below, in
figure 3.1 is a diagram on the waterfall methodology.

Planning Figure 3.1 The waterfall development

Methodology (Wee, 2007)

Analysis

Design

Implementation

System

3.2. System Design

DATA FLOW DIAGRAM (DFD)

A data flow diagram (DFD) is a graphical representation of the "flow" of data through an
information system, modeling its process aspects. A DFD shows what kind of information will be
input to and output from the system, where the data will come from and go to, and where the data
will be stored.

The development of DFD’S is done in several levels. Each process in lower level diagrams can
be broken down into a more detailed DFD in the next level. The Top-level diagram is often called
context diagram. It consists a single process bit, which plays vital role in studying the current
system. The process in the context level diagram is exploded into other process at the first level
DFD. Figures 3.1 to

3.3 shows a data flow diagram about the system.

Level 0

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 Inquiry learning material
USER

OCLS

Reading and interaction

Maintain Master
ADMIN

Generate

Figure 3.1 Context View of Online Computer Learning System

USE CASE DIAGRAM FOR USERS AND ADMIN

A use case is a description of a system’s behaviour as it responds to a request that originates from
outside of that system (the user). In figure 3.2, a use case of the activities in a bus transport system
is shown.

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 Notes Availability check

Upload material
User

Preview reading material

Print notes

Administrator
Login

Update materials

Update users

Update material categories

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 3.3. Project Schedule

Project budget
SN ITEM PRICE/UNIT UNIT TOTAL
1. Data bundle Tshs. 20,00/= @1GB 30GB Tshs. 60,000/=

2. Stationeries varies with services Varies Tshs. 60,000/=

3. Transport fare Varies Varies Tshs. 30,000/=

4. Communication Varies Varies Tshs. 20,000/=

5. Domain name Tshs. 30,000/= @year 1year Tshs. 30,000/=

6. Hosting plan Tshs. 70,000/= @1 year 1year Tshs. 70,000/=

Total Tshs. 270,000/=

Project schedule
TASK TASK ALLOCATED START END STATUS
ID TIME DATE DATE
TSK001 Requirement gathering 7 days 1/3/2024 10/3/2024 On progress

TSK002 Requirement analysis and 10 days 11/3/2024 20/3/2024 On progress

documentation
TSK003 System analysis and design 20 days 20/03/2024 10/04/2024 On progress.

TSK004 Development and 30 days 10/04/2024 10/05/2024 On Progress

implementation
TSK005 System testing 7 days 11/05/2024 18/05/2024 On progress

TSK006 Writing system report 10 days 19/05/2024 30/05/2024 On progress.

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3.4. Conclusion
LMS is a software that is best known for managing learning in higher institutions. This study gives
insight of how LMS has been used and adopted by many educational institutions from around the
world and Tanzania. Looking at the LMS developed, it is very clear that learners can benefit from
it Based on the advantages it offers, LMS plays a vital role in learning administration and delivery
based on its features; therefore,

LMS adoption by Tanzania Institutions especially juco will give room for the utilization of such
great technological advantages it offers through the use of the internet. Study also shows that staffs
and students in various institutions has usability problems with the adoption of LMS, therefore,
LMS that is to be developed has to be more user friendly, with the enhancement of user-experience
so as to enable them use the system effectively and without stress. This study however gives room
for further improvement especially in terms of video content delivery.

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 REFERENCES
Rouse, M. (2013). WhatIs.com. Retrieved August 18, 2018, from TechTarget:
https://searchwindowsserver.techtarget.com

Moore, M. G., & Kearsley, G. (2011). Distance education: A systems view of online learning.
Cengage Learning.

Gast, A., & De Houwer, J. (2013). The influence of extinction and counterconditioning instructions
on evaluative conditioning effects. Learning and Motivation, 44(4), 312-325.

Gemma, M. (2017). What is Moodle - Why is it one of the best e-learning platforms. Learning and
Motivation,

Moore, M. G., & Kearsley, G. (2011). Distance education: A systems view of online learning.
Cengage Learning.

Cooper, D. R., & Schindler, P. S. (2011). Business research methods. Singapore: McGraw-Hill.
Lungu, M. (2016). Study portals online course. Retrieved October 10, 2018, from Distance
learning portal: https://www.distancelearningportal.com

Renée, C. (n.d). Getting to Know the Blackboard Learning System, Manager: eLearning, vol 043
704, No 7031, p 1

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