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Pearson onscreen platform installation woes

IT_Man_Dan

By IT_Man_Dan
in Educational Software

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dhoward_westexetc

dhoward_westexetc

Posted
Posted
Has anyone else found out just how shocking the test player software is to use?

It crashes so easily!

 

For example, try pressing crtl + alt + del and the test player dies in the middle of the exam.

 

We also had problems with students inadvertently pressing the calculator button on the keyboards which immediately stopped the test player running as it wasn't the 'main focus'.

Pearson's advice: un-program the 'special keys' on the keyboard... ummm... what!

 

Yes, we had 3 crash during our exam!

 

I have already fed back the keyboard shortcut issues to Pearson so hopefully they will release an update, until there is an update I am not installing this to any more suites.

booths

booths

Posted
Posted
Our last exam attempt was shockingly bad! The kids just think we are morons and the teachers just think there is a magic button we can press to make this ridiculous software work. I can only instruct the Exams Officer to complain to Edexcel.
dhoward_westexetc

dhoward_westexetc

Posted
Posted
Our last exam attempt was shockingly bad! The kids just think we are morons and the teachers just think there is a magic button we can press to make this ridiculous software work. I can only instruct the Exams Officer to complain to Edexcel.

 

Sounds about right....

Steve21

Steve21

Posted
Posted

Just so you know there is a shortcut to unlock the whole "lost focus" thing, we had that during testing so abused Pearson :) If you need to "unlock" it or whatever it's called.

 

Steve

Steve21

Steve21

Posted
Posted

It's as soon as the screen isn't "focus" as in the one your mouse/keyboard would type to. So if you hit WinKey, Alttab, ctrl-alt-del etc etc.

 

Steve

Steve21

Steve21

Posted
Posted

SHIFT-ALT-F12 brings up password box, after you put in password it gives options to either Terminate Test, or Unblock it. (If you don't know the pass I can do PM's but seems silly posting it here as not behind reddoor etc :( )

 

Steve

  • Thanks 1
Sput

Sput

Posted
Posted

Morning all, I too have been given to lovely job of setting the POP up. Ive installed the Service to our exam server, the AD dash to the exam officers PC and the ID to the teacher PC in a class room, (thankfully starting with just 1 room 30 test players) and the test player to 30 PCs, this has gone ok.

 

We did a demo test booked from Edexcel as part of the install as you cannot book the kids onto the exam till a demo has been ran. This worked ok.

 

Kids were booked and came to sit the exam Wednesday, and they were unable to access the tests. Downloaded the package on the Amin Dash all ok, assigned to the room and invigilator all ok, kids went to use the software and were getting the error "could not retrieve package download address, make sure invigilator dashboard running and logged in" (which it was).

 

Called our support person and went through 1st, 2nd, and 3rd line support with no one knowing whats wrong. Stopped and Started the service, deleted and recreated the database and still to no avail. Had been told by support that there is a 24 hour turn around on Wed for support calls, so called Thurs and got told they were still working on the error.

 

Inset today, and H/T next week so will be picking this up again on the 24th (SAN+NAS install for us next week) but it seems that even if you get everything installed ok, and run a demo test it does not mean to say that its going to work on the day sadly.

 

Hope everyone else has a little more luck then we are having at the moment.

 

Sput

ozydave

ozydave

Posted
Posted

What a pile of ......

Just setting this up.

First hurdle was the sent me the wrong admin password on the email. Just took a guess at what it was.

 

Got the server, admin and Invigilator all working. the came the Text platform

 

Every time someone runs the test player it needs a manual configuration. Thanks to this forum now know why.

Who in their right mind stores the config data in 'TdpClientData'

 

Just trying to think of a way to script copying this from a central location when the test player is run.

 

Maybe should not expect to much as Pearson do Successmaker!!

Steve21

Steve21

Posted
Posted
Every time someone runs the test player it needs a manual configuration. Thanks to this forum now know why.

Who in their right mind stores the config data in 'TdpClientData'

 

If you open the firewall ports up it'll autodetect the invigilator part if that's what you're referring to?

 

Steve

ozydave

ozydave

Posted
Posted
If you open the firewall ports up it'll autodetect the invigilator part if that's what you're referring to?

 

Steve

 

Thanks

I turned the firewall off completely on test station, teacher PC and admin PC and server.

It is the tdpclient data folder in local app data folder causing the problems. Spoke to their support who confirmed it.

 

Cheers

  • 2 weeks later...
howartp

howartp

Posted
Posted
Depends what exam they are doing. The specs say that headphone or an audio device may be needed.

My exam officer posed this question - at the current time, none of the exams contain audio, but this may change in future exams.

 

Peter

denzal2k4

denzal2k4

Posted
Posted
WARNING!!!!! We ran another mock exam yesterday to check running an exam in multiple rooms with multiple invigilators, this worked Ok, but we discovered if the exam user presses windows key or alt + tab or alt+ esc, or in any way tries to get the start bar or IE up, then the exam locks itself and will just say "Loss of focus contact invigilator", there is no way of unlocking the exam when you get this without contacting Pearson, so make sure to warn the students, there are no warnings on the exam and no 2nd chances its an automatic lock out, and only Pearson can get it back on (according to Pearson). HTH
Steve21

Steve21

Posted
Posted
WARNING!!!!! We ran another mock exam yesterday to check running an exam in multiple rooms with multiple invigilators, this worked Ok, but we discovered if the exam user presses windows key or alt + tab or alt+ esc, or in any way tries to get the start bar or IE up, then the exam locks itself and will just say "Loss of focus contact invigilator", there is no way of unlocking the exam when you get this without contacting Pearson, so make sure to warn the students, there are no warnings on the exam and no 2nd chances its an automatic lock out, and only Pearson can get it back on (according to Pearson). HTH

 

They are lying to you :) http://www.edugeek.net/forums/educational-software/124240-pearson-onscreen-platform-installation-woes-9.html#post1128983

 

Steve

Chris_Jones

Chris_Jones

Posted
Posted

We noticed this when testing, one way of mitigating this issue is to use a special user that has the test player software set as the shell, instead of Explorer.

 

They can still lock the test using ctrl-alt-del, but that should be it.

Steve21

Steve21

Posted
Posted
Aha, teach me to read the entire thread before thinking im clever!

 

Could you PM the pass please.

 

Thanks

 

:) It's still stupid pearson, not even having the information in their admin book...

 

Check PM

 

Steve

  • Thanks 1

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