Now for an important message from the support team…
If you have used an online system, you have likely experienced an online issue. Just this morning a very large support system, Fastly, a cloud tool to help with load times, had an outage that took down major components of the internet including Amazon, eBay, Reddit, Twitch, Target, and some UK government sites. The point is, the more powerful the online resource is, it would seem to reason, the more important it is to be utilizing the system to its design.
Knowing the design and intent of online resources however can be a bit of a struggle. The moment the first iPad came out and lacked a printed instruction manual, was one of the first moments we users began defining how to interact with technologies and making assumptions about design intent – or was that just me? Well…beyond all of the information placed in the help area of the Test Generator, here is a list of best practices as shared from those on the support team.
Best Practices to Support Best Outcomes:
- Only one test should be run at a time on one machine in one browser window
- The test should be run on a machine all by itself with only the LMS and TG running on that machine
- Do not use the machine for anything other than the test (i.e. surfing the web, checking email, etc.) while the test is going on
- Do not try to run multiple tests in multiple browser windows, incognito windows, on different browsers, etc.
- This applies to Test Preparation as well
- Create one test at a time in one browser window at a time
- Only Windows, Mac, and Chromebook machines should be used with Firefox, Chrome, Safari or Edge
- Tablets and iPhones are not supported
- iPads are notorious for causing issues
- For remote testing
- Test administrators and examinees should both be running Zoom/Teams/GTM on a separate device from the machine they are using for the test. This keeps the test taker from losing focus and the test giver from possibly causing any interference with the test being given
- Before starting the test
- If the test administrator has been logged into the LMS for a signification amount of time, or is running multiple tests in a row, they should make sure to go back to the LMS (They are two completely separate systems) and navigate around to keep the session active before starting the test to prevent possible LMS timeout. – LMS Timeout is set at 120 minutes of inactivity.
- Make sure all examinee info blocks on the testing page are green and that everyone is connected before selecting to Start Test
- Should an examinee get disconnected
- Instruct them to try a browser refresh
- If they still don’t regain their connection, the test administrator should try a browser refresh
- Do not do rapid browser refreshes; give it up to 30 seconds to reconnect before refreshing again
- Avoid using browser – back/forward buttons to navigate the TG screens. Use the TG navigation instead
But, if something should go wrong, our team will be wanting to collect the following:
- Program name (ID if you know it), the test ID, and the rough time the test was started.
- A description of the issue with as many details as possible about the sequence of events that led up to the issue.
- Identify if the examinees were in the training center, remote, or a mix of both.
- Identify any experience of internet outages, Wi-Fi issues, or slowness in other systems during the exam.
- For both the administrator and examinees who had any issue, identify:
- the type of device being used (i.e. laptop, Chromebook, etc.)
- the operating system (Windows, MacOS, Chrome)
- the Browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari)
- if the LMS and Test generator were the only things running on the machine at the time of the issue
- If you are aware of any other issues with other systems at the time of the issue.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, reach out to our friendly Customer Service Advisor, Steve Strickland via email or by phone at 888.652.4007.
Thanks for reading!