1. Project Team Information
Team Members
Ricky Tan, CprE Laura Longoria, EE
David Low, CprE
Faculty Advisors
Dr. John Lamont
Professor Ralph Patterson, III
Project Client
Ames Community Schools
Abstract
Project Requirements
Design Objectives
Program must be accessible to students via the Internet
Results must be stored in database for teachers to retrieve and review
Program must be similar to Globey’s World (Ongo8b) but with US Geography
Functional Requirements
Program includes login with a username/password scheme
Students choose a state using an easily navigable map of the United States
Program displays state information upon request
Design Constraints
Multiple platform use (PC, Macintosh)
User-friendly for 3rd-6th grade students
Basic instructions for new users
Measurable Milestones
PHP/MySQL education
Database population
Software coding
Testing
Ames Community Schools (ACS) has been concerned with the performance of their students’ problem solving abilities on a nationally standardized exam. While ACS traditionally scores in the 90+% on traditional math skills, results from the problem-solving section were around 40+%. The purpose of this project is to provide web-based software that supplements classroom learning, particularly in the area of geography. By utilizing the software to extend classroom learning, the students of ACS will be better prepared for standardized tests, resulting in higher test scores.
Problem Statement
General Problem Statement
To develop software for 3rd-6th grade students
To be user-friendly and interactive
To provide updated U.S. geographical information
To include practice and performance exams
General Solution-Approach Statement
Server stores software and database
Database contains geography data
Database has exercises, exams, results
Students operate from own client PCs
Server talks to clients via the Internet
Server generates a customized web page based upon client input
response
server
search
query
client
data
Proposed Approach and Considerations
Proposed Approach
Components include: database design and population, HTML design, graphic design, and application code design
Components divided amongst team members
Technologies Considered
ASP.NET
SQL Server 2000
HTML
Testing Considerations
Development testing
Installation testing
Functional testing
Operating Environment
Program exists on LAMP (Linux Apache MySQL PHP) architecture
Application code written in PHP on Apache web server
Database backend written in MySQL
Program runs on Linux operating system
Resources and Schedule
Intended Users and Uses
Intended Uses
Supplement classroom instruction
Improve standardized test scores
Monitor student progress
Intended Users
Students in grades 3-6
Instructors
School administrators
Assumptions and Limitations
Assumptions
Computers have Internet Explorer or Netscape 5+ browsers
Computers are connected to the Internet
Supervision with computer experience exists
Students have previously been exposed to U.S. geography topics
Limitations
Students may not have much prior experience using computers
Team members must learn PHP and MySQL
Internet bandwidth can limit performance
Computer/processor speed of the client machines can limit performance
Expected End Product
Summary
Application supplements U.S. geography curriculum
Students will be able to log in
Teachers will be able to access student statistics
Teachers can create additional problems
Solution can be viewed on any platform
Students can work on problem solving skills at home
Test results and discussions with ACS teachers have shown that additional resources are needed to boost the district’s performance in the problem solving sections of standardized tests. This project will provide the supplementary instruction and drills that ACS students need to meet and exceed the goals of the school and the community.