Moderate to large teaching/training organisations most often find themselves facing difficulties with the seemingly 'simple' task of administrating trainee/student appraisal processes. Where training courses incorporate numerous tests, problems invariably arise with:
1. Recording results, consistently and reliably
2. Monitoring failures and co-ordinating related re-tests
3. Depicting trends, to identify training weaknesses
4. Locating specific previous results
INTREPs 'Results' incorporates a range of novel features that collectively alleviate the problems listed above. It utilises much of the power of MS Office to keep a firm grip of individual trainee results in situations where:
Courses exist within courses:
This situation arises when the training organisation is large, running numerous intakes of the same course simultaneously. Where the course is allocated a unique title and where a common syllabus is used, each individual intake possesses a unique identity
Individual topics within a typical course are tested in more than one way:
Topics characteristically incorporate 'Theory', 'Practical' and 'Progress' trainee appraisal processes; usually in the form of tests. Failures occur and re-tests have to be scheduled, but also, corresponding administrative procedures have to be catered for. Typically, trainees that consistently fail have to be interviewed, advised and - in many instances - supported by means of re-training or by means of services that have been designed to cater for remedial processes
The quantity of trainees/students ongoing often prevents realistic ad-hoc mental assessment:
Too many trainees/students, courses and course topics are ongoing to enable training management to just mentally register names, faces and scores. Additionally, because of the volume of training operations, the co-ordination of tests, re-tests, retraining event instigations etc, is a complicated - and is often a convoluting - task in the midst of a busy timetabled training scenario. Re-testing attendance is frequently difficult because of ongoing training activities. Illnesses, compassionate absences and motivational inhibitions often exacerbate this situation.
The volume of ongoing trainees/students generates a heavy 'data-entry' overhead:
Individual trainee records are most often extensive. The existence of common surnames forces the use of unique identities. Comments and or reports accompany scores. Supplementary documentation often has to be correlated. Additionally, the input of personal information - where trainee/student analysis data is required - is often drip-fed and inconsistent.
INTREPs 'Results':
1. Provides for data to be posted/edited in 'singular' and in 'multiple volume' fashions
2. Displays on-board data in the form of sub-form lists, filtered and sorted successively and reliably
3. Displays on-board data in 'hard-copy' report form; easily converted - by means of the powerful Office-Links feature - to MS Excel and MS Word faithful content
4. Displays on-board data as to course, course identity and as to individual trainee identity
5. Schedules forthcoming tests/examinations, with provisions for room bookings and examination paper ordering
6. Incorporates dedicated 'failure checking' facilities, with automatically linked MS Word mail-merge 'Failure Report' production features
7. Features individual 'mug-shot' styled trainee/student profiles, with provisions for rapid and convenient topic comments insertion, using MS Windows clipboard. Additionally, it provides for rapid 'Final Report' production
8. Provides for all individual trainee/student records to be back-coursed
9. Quickly and efficiently displays course compositions and topic identities
