CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING

Introduction

Computer technology brings significance and advancement

in our lives. From an industrial society, the researcher is

in transition to an information society. The process of

deriving in this transition and advancement of man are the

computer and the people who strive to work for these

changes. This advancement of computer had been a great

factor in our daily living. Nowadays, computer is one of the

main reasons why almost everything becomes so simple and

easy from difficult and complicated way of accomplishing

each job almost everything now is being operated and manage

through computers. Today it is widely recognized that most

organizations need information systems to survive and

succeed in the competitive business environment.

An attendance-monitoring system serves as a time log

that is set up as a computerized database. An attendance-

monitoring system maintains a daily record of a person's

arrival and departure time from school. This process in the

1
case of this study, the user logs with the use of barcode

technology.

Barcode, in its simplest form, is a set of bars and

spaces representing alphabet or numeric data for

identification of a particular product, service or a

process. Barcode technology is the best-known and most

widely used method of Automatic Identification. Automatic

identification or “Auto ID” encompasses the automatic

recognition and recording of data, most commonly through the

printing and reading of information encoded in barcodes

thereby eliminating risk of human error. Early applications

of bar code scanning, which included retail point-of-sale,

item tracking and inventory control, have been expanded to

include more advanced applications such as time and

attendance, work-in process, quality control, sorting, order

entry, document tracking, shipping and receiving, and

controlling access to secure areas.

The Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology

uses a manual Attendance Monitoring System, this uses bunch

of log books for the faculty members to log on. The faculty

members write their time in these log books everytime they

enter the university. Then, these log books are collected by

2
the auditing department, and manually checked the daily time

records. After checking the daily time records the

accounting department prepare the payroll. In case there are

errors in computation, errors are corrected manually,

resulting in a tedious task. The greatest disadvantage of

manual attendance monitoring systems is their propensity for

errors. With so many calculations being performed by hand,

it can be quite easy to make mistakes and doubly hard to

correct them. Manual entry of employee time can include

misused and fraud data. People can enter a wrong time of

entry or exit. Keeping these issues in mind the researcher

aim to developed Attendance Monitoring System using Barcode

Technology to replace the manual attendance monitoring of

Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology.

The proposed attendance monitoring system that uses

barcode technology, is easier to use and more convenient

than the manual system. The proposed system accurately

monitors lecturers’ official time. It improves accounting

departments' efficiency by calculating accurate payroll and

the data capture by the barcode system is quick and

accurate. It is also easy to store and manage the data

collected. The systems software calculates the hours and

identifies any payroll issues within no time. This

3
eliminates the time consumed for manually checking payroll

audits. This can enhance labor productivity and thus the

efficiency of the whole university.

Statement of the Problem

This study focused on the development and evaluation of

“Proposed Barcode Attendance Monitoring System” that will

ensure clear, accurate and reliable methods of monitoring

lecturer attendance and calculating accurate payrolls.

Specifically, this study aim to answer the following:

1. Development and Description of the Barcode Attendance

Monitoring System

1.1 Planning;

1.2 Analysis;

1.3 Design;

1.4 Coding;

1.5 Testing;

1.6 Implementation; and

1.7 Maintenance

4
 2. Presentation of the content of Barcode Attendance

Monitoring System

3. Assessment of the respondents on the Developed Barcode

Attendance Monitoring System based on the six quality

model characteristics of a software

3.1 Functionality;

3.2 Usability;

3.3 Reliability;

3.4 Efficiency;

3.5 Portability; and

3.6 Maintainability

4. Difference on the assessment of the respondents on the

Barcode Attendance Monitoring System based on the six

quality model characteristics of software.

5. Suggestions of the respondents to further enhanced the

proposed Barcode Attendance Monitoring System.

Hypothesis of the Study

5
 There is no significant difference on the assessment of

the respondents on the Barcode Attendance Monitoring System

based on the six quality model characteristics of software:

functionality, usability, reliability, efficiency,

portability, and maintainability.

Conceptual Framework

Barcode technology is a natural fit for automating

Attendance Monitoring System. Barcodes and barcode scanners

offer a quick and accurate way for each lecturer to complete

time-tracking transactions.

Barcode Attendance Monitoring System is a good

substitute for manual systems for recording lecturers’

attendance and working hours. The manual processes of

logging in/out are replaced with automated barcode readers.

The difference is that the data is digitized. In order to

capture time and attendance data, the lecturer has to have a

quick and accurate method for recording time transactions.

This is accomplished by using fixed and movable corded

barcode scanners with an ID card that has the employee

number in a barcode. Both types of devices require help in

processing the data. The transactions on the fixed scanner

6
will be just like those of a time-clock, so the device

itself can be programmed to update the Attendance Monitoring

System database appropriately. The data stored in the

Attendance Monitoring System database will be use for

generating a payroll reports.

Independent Variable Dependent Variable

Interview Guides
Supporting Materials Proposed Barcode
MS Visual Studio 6.0 Attendance Monitoring
MS Access 2003 System
Barcode Reader

Figure 1

Research Paradigm

Figure 1 shows the research paradigm. It explains all

the requirements that must be obtained to create the

proposed computerized system, starting from the interview

guides, to clearly define what are to be included and what

are the processes involve in the attendance monitoring

system. The supporting documents to see what are the

expected outputs. Microsoft Visual Studio 6.0 is the

programming language to create the computerized system and

Microsoft Access 2003 is the database that will be used that

7
will hold all the data of the Barcode Attendance Monitoring

System.

Significance of the Study

The result of the study would be significant to the

following:

Students. They are the main beneficiaries of this study

because implementation of the RFID Student Monitoring and

Notification System can offer additional security

applications for students. The students whom travel

themselves are attached with the passive tags. So, when the

students enter the university, they will be scan and

automatically update their attendance.

Parents. The proposed system helps to ease worries

among the parents. It will overcome limitations of current

safety that provided by university. Parents just make sure

that their children always wear the passive tag. Parent will

automatically receive a message from the system when their

children enter and leave the school. Parents will be getting

regular updates about their offspring and the schools day to

day activities.
8
 Teachers. The system may be used by the instructors to

ease the process of attendance taking. With passive tag and

reader, the student entry or exit is recorded automatically

when they pass by the scanners, so there is a proper

organized attendance.

University Administrators. The findings of this study

will improve the university manual student monitoring sytem.

The development of the proposed system helps university to

better manage its student's attendance and will inform the

parents when the children enter and back from school. It

will provide the school with a computer system that can

store its student's information efficiently in a database.

This system also provides the RFID antenna and reader that

can detect the student when they touch the tag through

reader. Therefore, with the development of the proposed

system the university will have a better and efficient

management of its students and hence improves its

operations.

Schools, College and Universities. This study may serve

as a basis for the schools, college and universities that

similarly wish to integrate attendance monitoring system

using RFID tags and SMS Notification.

9
Scope and Delimitation

The study is delimited to the development of Student

Attendance Monitoring using RFID Technology and SMS

Notification. The scope that will be cover in this project:

Firstly is to use appropriate RFID Tag for this application.

The proposed system will be applied to a university; the

RFID tag must used same frequencies as university student ID

card. Secondly is to design GUI to integrate with RFID

technology. Design and implement a system in student

attendance using RFID and SMS Notification .The RFID reader

will use to detect the student ID card code. The code will

use to compare with Access database and the information in

database will be display and store by using interface on

Visual Basic 6.

Furthermore, the development and evaluation of the

system had been based on these six stage criteria being used

in characterizing software: functionality, usability,

reliability, efficiency, portability, and maintainability.

Technology Used:

Programming Language: Visual Basic 6.0

Backend: MS-Access 2003

10
Device: RFID Tags System

Requirement:

Minimum RAM: 256 MB

Hard Disk:40 GB

Processor: Intel Pentium 4

Operating System: Windows XP Service Pack2

11