XStream Software Launches RapidExam™ v2.0
New
release includes support for creating Printed Exams, exporting
to XML Format, and adding Introduction/Ending Screens.
OTTAWA, Canada, August 31, 2001 - XStream
Software Inc., the leading provider of today's unmatched
Simulation and Exam Authoring tools, today released RapidExam
v2.0, the latest version of XStream's innovative, 100%
programming-free exam-authoring software. This new version
includes a variety of much anticipated new features, including
facilities for creating printed (paper-based) exams, exporting
exam files to XML format, adding pre-exam introduction screens
and post-exam ending screens, and assigning question difficulty
levels.
RapidExam v2.0 enables professional
or novice developers to create, deploy, and administer Interactive, Multimedia
Exams in a feature-rich, programming-free environment.
Using only drag-and-drop actions and property settings, developers
may author review-style exams, certification-style exams,
self-study modules, and other types of exams. Exam content
may be designed with splash screens, login screen, exam introduction
screens, seven different types of questions (True or
False, Multiple Choice, Check List, Hot
Spot, Drag and Drop, Match List, and Fill-in-the-Blanks),
prefabricated reports, exam ending screens, and a host of
multimedia enhancements, including images, audio, video,
recorded voice-overs and sound clips, navigational hyperlinks,
links to external files and web pages, mouse pointer animations,
instruction boxes, status bars, colors, shapes, and more.
Exams may be generated in native.EXM format
or in .XML format, and then deployed to students on CD-ROM,
over a Local Area Network (LAN) or Wide
Area Network (WAN), and over the Web (Internet, Intranet,
or Extranet).
New features in RapidExam v2.0 include:
-
Create Printed (Paper-based) Exams - An exam
file may be printed out as a traditional paper-based
exam, complete with title page and corresponding answer
sheet.
-
Export to XML Format - Exam content may be exported
to XML format, which is a standard, common, and consistent
file format for sharing and accessing information over
the Internet.
-
Add Content Frames - Enhance exams with introduction
screens, which are ideal for presenting pre-exam
information (such as introductory text, background
information, exam guidelines and rules, and multimedia
exhibits), and ending screens, which are ideal
for displaying post-exam summaries and follow-up information.
-
Assign Question Difficulty Levels - The developer
may guarantee a consistent level of difficulty in an
exam by assigning an estimated level of difficulty between
1 and 10 to each exam question. The developer may then
specify the percentage of questions from each difficulty
category that will be included in a single exam session.
-
Custom Frame Templates - To speed up exam development,
the developer may create, save, and load custom frame
templates for any section of the exam.
-
Suppress Print Screen - The Print Screen key
may be disabled during exam playback. This will prevent
end users from taking unauthorized screen shots of exam
content.
-
Full Screen Playback - The exam may be configured
to fill the entire screen area during playback, which
prevents any distractions from other screen areas.
-
Prevent Task Switching - Task switching may be
disabled during exam playback. This increases exam security
by preventing the end user from using the mouse or keys
to switch to another task or program window. The end
user is confined to the exam runtime window.
-
Change Font Size - End users may be provided
with the capability of changing the font size of the
exam text during playback. End users may access a pop-up
menu to select the desired font size (Small, Normal, Large,
or Very Large).
-
Customize Reports - The developer may customize
the content and functionality of the reports by showing
or hiding scoring information, feedback and history tables,
the Retake Exam button, and the Print button.
- RapidManager™ v2.0 - This is the back-end (SQL
Server-based or Oracle-based) enterprise administrative
management tool that works with both RapidExam and RapidBuilder® (XStream's
application simulation-authoring software). RapidManager enables
tracking of RapidExam (.EXM and .XML) files and RapidBuilder (.RBX
and .RPR) files, and it includes support for offline exam
generation, anonymous logins, ASP Global Logins, and a
variety of built-in General and Statistical reports.
"XStream Software has forged a strong reputation
for responding to the needs of eLearning clients, and the
release of RapidExam v2.0 will make that reputation
a great deal stronger," said Sunil K. Sethi, XStream's
President and CEO. "The enhancements and additions in
this new version provide the increased capabilities and multi-purpose
functionality desired by the growing eLearning community."
"Developers, trainers, students, and administrators
will all reap the technological benefits of RapidExam
v2.0," adds Mahendra K. Agrawal, XStream's
Vice President of Technology. "The variety of authoring
options, the speed and simplicity of development, the flexibility
of exam deployment, and the efficiency of LAN/Web administration
all combine to set RapidExam v2.0 apart as the smartest
and most comprehensive exam-authoring package on the market."
About XStream
XStream Software is an innovator in the
computer simulation, eLearning, and knowledge management
domains. Its first two products, RapidBuilder® and RapidExam™,
are already in use by a growing base of clients. RapidBuilder
captures real-time interactions between users and OEM software
applications to create tutorials, product demos, and courseware
with minimum time and effort. A powerful compression technology,
paired with a multimedia edit suite, allows customers to
create high-end, interactive demos and learning tools in
minimal time. RapidExam then enables customers to create
equally fast and feature-rich competency and/or certification
exams - a perfect way to close the training loop. LGP Builder™ is
our Live Guided Practice (LGP) technology that enables developers
to create and provide guidance to users in real-time within
the 'live' applications they are using. Users are provided
step-by-step multi-language instructions (in audio or text
format) along with animated laser pointers that indicate
to the user where they need to perform actions within the
'live' applications they are using.
For more information, visit www.xstreamsoftware.com or
call 613-731-9443 or send an email to info@xstreamsoftware.com.
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