3S-EMNet
The network version of the CD-ROM assessment has all the functions and features of the stand-alone CD-ROM assessment. It provides the additional benefit of shared assessment files across the network. A teacher can access any student assessment file from his or her own workstation regardless of the particular computer at which the student took the assessment. This allows the teacher to print/view any individual student assessment results in the network system and to combine the results from any number of students into an overall class report. If Adobe Acrobat Professional is available, assessment reports can be "printed" to PDF documents that can be e-mailed and stored electronically.
In developing the network version of the CD-ROM assessment, we have considered the many demands made on a school network by student work, programs used in the classroom, and administrative tasks. Accordingly, we have created the simplest possible communication architecture compatible with school-wide use.
The network version makes use of the school's LAN. Each classroom or lab workstation will receive its own copy of the assessment program; each will communicate through a shared folder to a central computer or server. We recommend a network file server such a Win2K Server. The shared folder will be the storage location for very small text files (1-2K per student using the assessment program throughout the school). Beyond this, very few if any dedicated resources are required for the server:
- No special communication software is needed
- No formal database application is needed
- No dedicated hardware or storage is needed
- Little or no ongoing administration or data entry is needed
- No upgrade to existing network is needed
- No special security or authentication requirements are needed
In addition, beyond a simple installation through a provided installation wizard, no additional plug-ins are needed on the classroom workstations (a list of approved systems is provided in the Network Installation Manual).
- No browser is required
- No plug-ins or VMs are needed
- No special hardware is needed
- No special software other than Adobe Acrobat is needed
The assessment program is an Adobe/Macromedia Authorware Windows or Macintosh executable. The installation program provides all the necessary accessories/utilities (except Adobe Acrobat) that are required (Adobe Acrobat is not essential for the assessment functions). No changes are made to the registries of the classroom/lab computers or to the server. Finally, no complex files, images, media, binaries, executables, plug-ins, etc. are sent from the server to the workstations or from the workstations to the server. All communications are via very small (1K) ASCII plain text data files (i.e., student assessment results). For a typical school, no more than 2-10 MB of storage for student files will be necessary on the server. Our rigorous testing has found that virtually no detectable network traffic increase is associated with the use of the assessment program. This is the case even when there are several concurrent users.
ATTENTION NETWORK ADMINISTRATORS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY STAFF: The Network Installation Manual provides a technical overview of how the assessment program is installed on a school’s network, the resources and time required to install and administer the program, recommended network topologies, set-up and installation procedures, and detailed diagrams and screen shots of a typical installation. We recommend that you download and read this manual to ensure that our network version meets the requirements of your network system.
Click here to download a PDF version of the Network Installation Manual.
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