Academic Result Checking and Dissemination n Tertiary Institutions: A Comparative Review of Existing Approaches

Abstract

Timely and convenient access to academic results remains an important requirement in tertiary institutions, particularly where students depend on conventional notice boards or single-channel electronic systems. This study presents a review and comparative analysis of existing approaches to academic result checking and dissemination, with emphasis on web, Short Message Service (SMS), Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) and electronic mail (email)-based systems. A structured narrative review was adopted to identify, examine and compare relevant studies based on system purpose, access channels, communication mode, authentication, functionality, accessibility, security, and system limitations. The findings indicate that existing systems have improved result accessibility, but many rely on a single communication channel and provide limited integration of complementary access mechanisms. The review also reveals an important distinction between result processing and result dissemination, as well as between student-initiated pull-based access and system-initiated push-based notification. Web systems are suitable for detailed result retrieval, while SMS and email provide useful mechanisms for timely notification. These findings informed the practical consideration of a Multi-Channel Result Checking System (MCRCS) in Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, Ondo state, Nigeria where an existing Result Processing System serves as the source of approved results and the dissemination layer provides SMS and email notifications. The study concludes that integrating complementary communication channels can improve accessibility and reduce dependence on a single medium. Future research should evaluate multi-channel systems using common measures of usability, security, reliability, response time, delivery success and user satisfaction across different tertiary institutions.