International Journal of Science and Advanced Technology (ISSN 2221-8386) Volume 1 No 9 November 2011 http://www.ijsat.com 298 Development of an E-Communication System for Nigerian Universities O. Akinsanmi, J.Y.Oricha, O. K. Udochukwu M.B. Soroyewun Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Iya Abubakar Computer Center Ahmadu Bello University Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Nigeria Zaria, Nigeria akinsanmi_oa@yahoo.com delemike@gmail.com Abstract - This paper presents the development of an E- Communication platform for application in Nigerian Universities with Ahmadu Bello University, specifically the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering as a test ground in 2011. In this age of digitalization where the quest for information thrives, communication has become the bridge that integrates the web of our quest. This paper seeks to solve a part of this problem by providing a faster and much easier way of interaction between students and lecturers on a platform for sharing academic materials via the intranet or internet. This web application uses MySQL as the database, PHP as the HTML file generator over the network, CSS for designing the web page, Java script as the intermediate language, and WAMP Server as the web server. This work was tested over the WAMP Server platform and was found to work according to design specification. Keywords: MySQL/PHP, E-Communication, CSS I. INTRODUCTION In every organization, communication plays an integral part of its functionality. The degree to which communication is established in any organization would determine to what extent it would be able to handle information, process it, dispatch and co-ordinate its flow within the organization and this in effect would affect its efficiency since time is a key factor. E-communication refers to communication using computers connected in a network including the websites, e-mails and electronic documents [1]. Thus, there is need for a database driven website which would try to incorporate the aforementioned and ease communication especially within an educational establishment. This work is aimed at creating a database driven web application by applying a simple, yet comprehensive approach. This application is aimed at establishing a much easier and efficient way of communication between lecturers and students thereby eliminating the bottle- neck associated with the prevalent analog process of releasing and photocopying lecture materials which is not always as feasible and has no guarantee of completeness as the original copy. This application will also give students the opportunity to beat the constraints of time as regards submission of assignments. It also serves to reduce the financial expenses incurred in the photocopying of lecture notes and encourages students on the frequent use of the internet. It also creates a forum where students interact with one another; posting information relevant to their courses registered such as solved questions, possible exams questions, etc. This work was born-out of a desire to establish an easy and simplified way of communication between students and lecturers. When you take a general view of a typical Nigerian educational institution especially the tertiary institutions (for example Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.) where communication is of paramount importance, you will realize that it is however still done manually and thus in an inefficient way. In 2009, Agbaji O.T Ruth of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria designed a web application; “Development of an E-Assessment Platform for Nigerian Universities”. Her work provided means through which tests in multiple choice formats will be taken online and graded immediately. The web application relied solely on Microsoft developed technologies. It runs on the Microsoft.Net framework, uses the ASP.NET web server, C# as the intermediate language, ADO.NET to interact with the relational database and Microsoft SQL server as the relational database [2]. The work was aimed at easing the stress of computing students results thereby enhancing accuracy and conserving time for publishing results. It made use of student’s information from the Department such as; Registration Number, Courses offered and the likes [2]. Another student of the same Department by name Agbede Zakari Onagie designed a similar web