Almaris now offers a comprehensive assessment system. The assessment system is flexible, easy to use, and affordable.

Our assessment system has the following minimal system requirements:

• No software installation is required. You need only a current version of any popular web browser. We have tested our system with Internet Explorer 6.0, Netscape 7.1, Opera 7.23, and Mozilla Firefox 0.8.
• The system requires only session cookies, not permanent cookies. The cookies are not used to collect any personal, surfing, or system information.
• The system uses standard technology and requires no plug-ins, or client-side scripts. Therefore, we do not foresee any conflicts with corporate network security requirements.
• The system should be accessible from Windows, Macs, and UNIX, although we have not tested access from Macs and UNIX.

Our system assigns users to groups. Every user is a member of only one group. For clear communication here, we refer to the group manager by “she” and group members by “he.”

When we create a group, we assign a manager to the group and inform the manager of her login details. The manager can register users to her group, assign tests to her group, set the minimum required score for each test, set the deadline for each test, and set the number of attempts allowed for each test.

If some users join the group late, their submission deadlines can be set later than the rest of the group. That is, the manager can set the deadline for each individual user-test combination.

If we have set you up as a manager, you can login at Manager Login

The manager can also assign observers to her group. As soon as the manager assigns observers to her group, they get an email with their password. The observers can register members to their groups, view user progress and test scores, change submission deadlines for each member, and allow more attempts to each member.

If you have been set up as an observer, you can log in at Observer Login

The system displays the following information about a member.

• Member last name and first name
• Member email
• Member password
• A link to delete the member. Be careful, once deleted, a member cannot be reinstated.
• Test name
• Most recent test score if the member has tried the test at least once. Failing scores, i.e., scores below the minimum passing percentage are shown in red.
• Feedback sent to the member after his attempts. You can also see the feedback sent for previous attempts.
• The most recent set of answers saved by the participant.
• Number of times a user has tried the test. A try is counted after a user submits the test for grading. If a user has exhausted his attempts, then the number of attempts are shown in red.
• Maximum number of tries allowed. If a user has exhausted his tries, then this box turns red on most browsers. You can allow up to 10 tries by changing the number in this box and clicking update.
• Start time for the test. This is used only for timed tests.
• End time for the test. A user cannot submit a test after this deadline. For those users that have not passed the test by the deadline, this box turns red on most browsers.
• All dates and times are displayed as three character month description, date followed by a comma, two-digit year, and hours and minutes in military format. [Not the AM/PM format but the format]. The system accepts user input in several formats but it is safe to stick to the format displayed.

Although the system allows the assigned managers and observers to add users manually, we do NOT recommend using this feature. It is better for users to self register. This way they get to see the interface themselves.

You can also send a message to all members and download their scores as a comma delimited file. You can then import this file into Excel. Make sure that you tell Excel that the file is comma-delimited when importing it.

The system allows fours ways of registering users:

This is the easiest and the recommended method of registering users. Click here to see how users can register themselves automatically.

The self registration proceeds in the following steps:

• Users get an email informing them of their group name and asking them to visit the log in site at Member Login.
• Upon visiting the log in site, a user enters his email, last name, first name, and the group name, which he received in the initial email.
• The group manager gets an email with the registration request. She then clicks on a link to either approve or deny the registration.
• If she approves the registration, the user gets an email with the password. Otherwise, the user gets an email telling him why his registration request was denied.

Alternatively, the group manager can upload a file with the list email addresses, last names, and first names. The system registers the users on the uploaded list and sends them an email with the password and log in site address.

Group manager can also register a single user by entering his email, last name, and first name. This feature is useful when new users must be added to the group after the initial bulk registration, e.g., when new employees are hired or new students are admitted after the registration date.

Users visit Member Login, which is the same site that they visited for registration. Users log in by entering their email address and the system generated password. If the users forget their password, they can enter their email address in the box and click login. The password is emailed to them.

After a user logs in, he sees the tests that have been assigned to his group. For each test, he sees the submission deadline, the minimum passing score, and the number of times he can take the test.

For tests that the user has submitted before, he can see his answers and a copy of the feedback displayed to him. For the tests that the user has saved partially before, he can see his answers.

The users see the following instructions:

• This is an open-book, open-notes exam. You are expected to answer all questions on your own without any outside help. [The tests are open-book and open-notes because we cannot monitor what the users are reading while taking the test remotely.]
• You can take the exam in multiple sittings, i.e., you can save your partially completed test and return to it later. You can also change your answers as many times as you like, but you must click the "Save All" button before you exit the system. If you do not click Save All, your answers will be lost. For your convenience, we have provided a "Save All" button after every question. You need not click the button after every answer. You must click it before you exit the system.
• You will get credit only if you click the "Final Submit" button at the bottom of the test before the deadline. You cannot change your answers after you click the "Final Submit" button. After you click the Final Submit button, you will receive your grades and detailed feedback if your score exceeds the minimum score. A copy of the feedback will also be emailed to you. However, if you score less than a minimum score, you will not get detailed feedback. You may be allowed additional attempts. The number of attempts allowed is chosen by your training manager and is displayed on the log in screen.

When a user clicks Final Submit, his test is graded instantly. The system response depends on whether the user passes or fails the test.

• If the user’s score equals or exceeds the minimum score for the test, he immediately sees a display of his mistakes and their correct answers. He and his group manager and group observers also get an email with a copy of the feedback displayed to him.
• If the user’s score is less than the minimum score for the test, the user is told his score but is NOT given a list of his mistakes and their correct answers. Instead, he is told to retake the test if permitted by the group manager. The group manager and group observers, however, get a list of his mistakes and their correct answers. The group manager and group observers can use this list of mistakes to guide struggling users about the topics on which they need to focus.