Development of a Web-Based School Practice Placement Management System (SPPMS) for Busitema University, Nagongera Campus.
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2026-09-01
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Busitema University
Abstract
The manual, paper-based placement process for School Practice at Busitema University Nagongera Campus is inefficient, costly, and time-consuming. Approximately 500 students participate in School Practice annually, with many spending between UGX 50,000 and 100,000 on transport and experiencing delays of over two weeks in receiving placement letters.
This project aimed to design, implement, and evaluate a web-based School Practice Placement Management System (SPPMS) to automate the placement process. The specific objectives were to: (1) establish requirements through literature review, (2) design system architecture and role-based dashboards, (3) implement the system with full functionalities, and (4) test and validate its usability, security, and effectiveness.
The system was developed using PHP with the Laravel framework, MySQL database, HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, and Bootstrap. The Rapid Application Development (RAD) methodology guided development. Data was collected through questionnaires administered to 12 students, interviews with the School Practice Coordinator, and document review. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) provided the theoretical framework.
The implemented SPPMS includes four user roles with role-specific dashboards. Key features include automatic SP I/SP II categorization, strict subject selection, zone and shift management, digital placement letter generation, confirmation upload with re-upload capability, general and zone-based group chats, reporting, and audit logging.
System evaluation using the System Usability Scale (SUS) yielded an average score of 43/50 indicating above average usability. The system successfully reduced letter generation time from minutes per student to instant generation.
The study concludes that the SPPMS effectively automates the placement process, reduces administrative workload, and enhances communication. Recommendations include deployment on the university server and user training.
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Simiyu Emmanuel