Design and Development of Student Data Retrieval System via GSM

Remote data access and machine to machine communication are some of the value added services made possible by the GSM communication technology. With this service, automated access to records, information and updates can be achieved by the use of the GSM short message system (SMS) queries. This work presents the development of a remote access platform for remote access to a database. The system utilizes the GSM-SMS technology and an interactive voice recorder system to access data. The database contains students result, financial status and information on the number of exeats taken. This data is accessed by calling dedicated phone number and following the voice prompt voice prompt, the user is able to access the desired information from the database. Once the required data is accessed, the GSM module transmits this query result back to the caller in SMS format. The system provides a cost effective channel for accessing data from remote databases

Understanding interactions in face-to-face and remote undergraduate science laboratories

This paper reviews the ways in which interactions have been studied, and the findings of such studies, in science education in both face-to-face and remote laboratories. Guided by a systematic selection process, 27 directly relevant articles were analysed based on three categories: the instruments used for measuring interactions, the research findings on student interactions, and the theoretical frameworks used in the studies of student interactions. In face-to-face laboratories, instruments for measuring interactions and the characterisation of the nature of interactions were prominent. For remote laboratories, the analysis of direct interactions was found to be lacking. Instead, studies of remote laboratories were mainly concerned with their practical scope. In addition, it is found that only a limited number of theoretical frameworks have been developed and applied in the research design. Existent theories are summarised and possible theoretical frameworks that may be implemented in studies of interactions in undergraduate laboratories are proposed. Finally, future directions for research on the interrelationship between student interactions and laboratory learning are suggested