Title: DESIGNING A SOFTWARE ARCHITECTURE FOR AN INTERACTIVE WEB-BASED ASSESSMENT TOOL FOR SMART BASIC EDUCATION SCHOOLS IN ENUGU STATE

Authors:
Ani Okechukwu Mathew, Anene Angela Okwudili & Chukwu Daniel Uchenna

Abstract: Abstract The study designed and evaluated a software architecture for an Interactive Web-Based Assessment Tool (IWBAT) intended for integration into smart basic education schools in Enugu State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study identified the software requirements for the proposed IWBAT, determined appropriate software architectural components, and evaluated the suitability of the resulting architectural design. The study adopted a Design Science Research approach complemented by expert evaluation. Researcher-developed instruments, namely the Interactive Web-Based Assessment Expert Questionnaire and the Software Architecture Validation Questionnaire, were used to collect data from software experts and ICT compliant teachers, who were purposively selected. Data were analyzed using mean and standard deviation. The findings revealed that all identified software requirements were considered necessary for the development of the IWBAT (Overall Mean = 3.77), while the proposed architectural components were rated as highly appropriate (Overall Mean = 3.71). Furthermore, the overall architectural design was adjudged appropriate to a high extent (Overall Mean = 4.33), particularly in terms of requirement representation, interoperability, scalability, system availability, and support for online examinations. The study concludes that the proposed software architecture provides a robust framework for developing secure, scalable, and maintainable interactive assessment systems capable of supporting smart basic education schools in Enugu state, Nigeria. It was recommended that educational authorities adopt architecture-driven approaches in developing digital assessment platforms and that future studies validate the proposed architecture through real-world implementation and usability evaluation. Keywords: Assessment, Digital Assessment, Interactive Web-based Assessment Tool, Software Architecture, Smart Basic Education School

Publication Date: 2026-07-20