Capita get into bed with Uniservity

[PhilNeal]

We have an arrangement with UniServity but we have a responsibility to ensure that others are not disadvantaged. I hope that gives you the reassurance that you need.

 

I haven't got to the bottom of the XML issue yet but will update you when I have the information,

[PhilNeal]

An answer to the question posed about OpenOffice.

 

We have tried to minimise the need for MS Office to be installed on all workstations. However for designing certain things we can do a much better job by calling Word/Excel. For example drop down field lists can be made to appear in Word and quite sophisticated layouts can be created for school reports in Word. What is more our users know how to use Word and that makes it very accessible. Once created, these features can be called up by OpenOffice.

 

I'm sure that we could put the same features into OpenOffice but at the moment we have higher priorities.

 

The files outputted from SIMS can come from a number of different sources:

 

The Reporting Engine

 

Files produced in .xml, .rtf and .csv format should be able to be read straight away by Open Office when run.

Files produced into .doc and .xls need to be run first in Microsoft Office and then saved into .doc or .xls so that they can be read by Open Office.

 

Mail Merged files

 

The merging for these files should be done using a Microsoft Office System. Once complete, the files can be saved into a .doc format for reading by Open Office.

 

Assessment Manager / Profiles

 

Templates need to be created on a machine with Microsoft Office. A report using a template should be generated using Microsoft Office or Word Viewer.

Once the report is created, it can be exported into an xml document. This is the document which contains the header information ‘

These xml files should be able to be opened by Open Office providing the correct Java Runtime Environment (JRE) is installed on the workstation.

[penfold_99]

An answer to the question posed about OpenOffice.

 

We have tried to minimise the need for MS Office to be installed on all workstations. However for designing certain things we can do a much better job by calling Word/Excel. For example drop down field lists can be made to appear in Word and quite sophisticated layouts can be created for school reports in Word. What is more our users know how to use Word and that makes it very accessible. Once created, these features can be called up by OpenOffice.

 

I'm sure that we could put the same features into OpenOffice but at the moment we have higher priorities.

 

The files outputted from SIMS can come from a number of different sources:

 

The Reporting Engine

 

Files produced in .xml, .rtf and .csv format should be able to be read straight away by Open Office when run.

Files produced into .doc and .xls need to be run first in Microsoft Office and then saved into .doc or .xls so that they can be read by Open Office.

 

Mail Merged files

 

The merging for these files should be done using a Microsoft Office System. Once complete, the files can be saved into a .doc format for reading by Open Office.

 

Assessment Manager / Profiles

 

Templates need to be created on a machine with Microsoft Office. A report using a template should be generated using Microsoft Office or Word Viewer.

Once the report is created, it can be exported into an xml document. This is the document which contains the header information ‘

These xml files should be able to be opened by Open Office providing the correct Java Runtime Environment (JRE) is installed on the workstation.

 

Hi Phil,

 

Thanks for you reply to my questions about open office.

 

I can see the requirements of MS Office are needed at certain times ie creating and running reports.

 

The main point of was trying to get across is in regards to viewing files generated in SIMS.net for example Individual Reports.

 

Once Individual Reports have been generated and then uploaded to the document server, the requirement for office is gone, the only hindrance is the actual .xml file extension.

 

Could the file extension be changed to .doc or .xls without changing the file format?

 

This simple change would add more support for open office without Capita having to spend long trying to implementing it

[Tonyoung]

I would like to know which VLES Kiren and Ravening wolf would have partnered with if they were Capita ?

 

Quote "I can safely say that Uniservity had the worst product available. The product is so bad, I think Capita risk further besmirching their name by advertising the partnership" - could you add some more meaningful feedback for us ? This statement has no technical or educational content as it stands.

[penfold_99]

I would like to know which VLES Kiren and Ravening wolf would have partnered with if they were Capita ?

 

Quote "I can safely say that Uniservity had the worst product available. The product is so bad, I think Capita risk further besmirching their name by advertising the partnership" - could you add some more meaningful feedback for us ? This statement has no technical or educational content as it stands.

 

have a look at my post http://www.edugeek.net/forums/educational-software/11435-uniservity-2.html#post185184 this will give you some idea the problems.

[olcinm]

Having read the wording of the press release I was assuming that this would essentially be Capita Web Parts working in UniServity rather than IMS or SIF transport and Uniservity interfaces to Assessment Manager and Lesson Monitor?

 

Although I thought Capita took a decision not to licence web parts to Learning Platform suppliers for potential escalating support reasons?

 

If it's a SLG Sharepoint Portal solution with Capita and UniServity Webparts then I guess a lot of the agreement may centre around Active Directory provisioning, structure and management. Any VLE that has web parts could work alongside SIMS Learning Gateway webparts but there would have to be some other form of logic to get the data to mix in a proper interoperability fashion.

 

SIF zones are surely the way ahead for this, not the IMS point to point route We all await the Becta/DCSF decision. Maybe it will arrive in time for the SIF Quarterly meeting who knows? Becta might.

 

Where does this partnership leave the SIMS Learning Platform aka Learnwise?

 

Lets not forget there are several Learning Platform vendors working towards Capita SQL read/write partnerships via business objects. The list is here but there are companies who are progressing this but not on the list yet.

 

SQL Technical Partners - Capita Education Services

 

It's going to be an interesting 12 months......

[HodgeHi]

Whats the point of getting a VLE into school when i assume the ultimate goal is to integrate into your pupil DB. If all of this has not been sorted out yet then why the deadline (which is what i have been told) i think is 2009/10 for all schools to have a VLE?