Focus on Administrative Tools

• 02/01/01

One of the most important aspects of keeping an institution running smoothly is organization. With students registering for classes, various departments submitting budget reports, and the need for secure, quick ways to establish student computer labs, maintaining order in administrative offices can be a challenge. This month's Focus On previews some of the new software titles that aid in administrative organization.

ResSched, designed for Windows systems, makes it easier and more effective for schools to schedule their resources. ResSched can help users create schedules for equipment, space, people or other resources by the hour, fraction of an hour, or day. The software provides educators with a wide variety of options for scheduling repeat bookings, and even handles bookings that are repeated irregularly. Res-Sched checks for booking conflicts in any of the involved resources. It also checks for bookings on weekends and for bookings on holidays and other specially designated periods. When a conflict is discovered, the software offers several options for dealing with it.

Resources can be grouped together for easy scheduling and monitoring. Users can group items into teams (which includes different types of resources required for a booking), classes (which includes all resources of the same type) and any other way administrators decide. Scanning bookings for a resource or group is also possible. The software can schedule several units of an inventoried item, rather than having to identify each unit individually. ResSched also lets selected users administer access to resources without giving them the more powerful access of a system administrator. Further options include recording actual booking times, as well as scheduled times, and using individualized labels for resources, booking or clients.

ScheduleSoft is easy-to-use, versatile shift scheduling software. Unlike standard cut-and-paste scheduling spreadsheets, ScheduleSoft uses a rules-based decision-making system that makes it easy to accommodate scheduling needs. The program's step-by-step interview process enables administrators to quickly configure ScheduleSoft for their work environment without the need for costly site programming. The software also offers flexible reporting features, security features and compatibility with other personnel management tools and databases. ScheduleSoft easily conforms to a wide range of hourly and shift-based work environments containing anywhere from a handful of employees to tens of thousands of employees.

CyberMatrix Corporation has released version 1.0 of Cyber Matrix Class Scheduler. An easy-to-use, multi-user application for scheduling students' classes, the software displays class schedules graphically in a grid. By changing the schedule filter, a student can see the times of a class, when a classroom is occupied and where an instructor will be teaching. Teachers can also view the schedules of any student they wish.

A student can add classes by dragging available courses onto his or her enrolled class list. Conflict prevention ensures that classes do not overlap. A search feature allows instructors to find all students who take a particular class, or to find those students sharing a common classification. Class Scheduler has a customizable time period allowing scheduling on the hour, half-hour, or any other hourly fraction. Multi-language support is also available, and allows users from non-English speaking countries to convert the software's text into their own language equivalents.

The software may be installed on a single machine or accessed by multiple people over a network. If a school has different sites that are accessible through the network, users can make use of the program's multi-site capability. This feature allows students to open the site, then view and edit class schedules at that site. When the security feature is enabled, students may schedule their own classes, but cannot view or change the schedules of other students.

A full-scale financial management system, TrueCourse is a browser-based, wholly integrated software suite designed for fund-accounting based entities. The software can be administered and utilized directly through a current Java-enabled Web browser without other client-side software in place. TrueCourse provides districts with a complete financial software package without the costs associated with obtaining a classic software license.

Features of the software system include a single point of data entry, point and click navigation, a flexible account structure, total integration between all modules and suites, and advanced security. TrueCourse includes resources for accounting, budgeting, purchasing and receiving, warehouse management, accounts payable and receivable, fixed assets, work orders, document routing, security and human resources.

SmartStuff Software's new PC management software package, FoolProof LabManager, includes FoolProof Security, a security product for the K-12 education market, and LabExpert, a remote PC management utility. The desktop security tools work hand in hand with the remote PC management tools in the LabManager so teachers and administrators can manage and modify PCs remotely without having to disable or uninstall security.

With the software, administrators can set up an entire lab of PCs in hours instead of days, maintain the integrity of students' computers with minimum downtime, change settings on multiple computers simultaneously, and remotely install, uninstall or upgrade software applications across an entire classroom in minutes. Remote PC configuration allows administrators to make minor or wholesale changes to the configuration settings of an entire classroom of PCs in minutes. Remote control options include the ability to shut down student PCs, log users out, start up applications and transfer files from the instructor's computer. LabManager also offers disk imaging, free technical support and one year of free upgrade protection.

- Sabrina Tillman
[email protected]

One of the most important aspects of keeping an institution running smoothly is organization. With students registering for classes, various departments submitting budget reports, and the need for secure, quick ways to establish student computer labs, maintaining order in administrative offices can be a challenge. This month's Focus On previews some of the new software titles that aid in administrative organization.

ResSched, designed for Windows systems, makes it easier and more effective for schools to schedule their resources. ResSched can help users create schedules for equipment, space, people or other resources by the hour, fraction of an hour, or day. The software provides educators with a wide variety of options for scheduling repeat bookings, and even handles bookings that are repeated irregularly. Res-Sched checks for booking conflicts in any of the involved resources. It also checks for bookings on weekends and for bookings on holidays and other specially designated periods. When a conflict is discovered, the software offers several options for dealing with it.

Resources can be grouped together for easy scheduling and monitoring. Users can group items into teams (which includes different types of resources required for a booking), classes (which includes all resources of the same type) and any other way administrators decide. Scanning bookings for a resource or group is also possible. The software can schedule several units of an inventoried item, rather than having to identify each unit individually. ResSched also lets selected users administer access to resources without giving them the more powerful access of a system administrator. Further options include recording actual booking times, as well as scheduled times, and using individualized labels for resources, booking or clients.

ScheduleSoft is easy-to-use, versatile shift scheduling software. Unlike standard cut-and-paste scheduling spreadsheets, ScheduleSoft uses a rules-based decision-making system that makes it easy to accommodate scheduling needs. The program's step-by-step interview process enables administrators to quickly configure ScheduleSoft for their work environment without the need for costly site programming. The software also offers flexible reporting features, security features and compatibility with other personnel management tools and databases. ScheduleSoft easily conforms to a wide range of hourly and shift-based work environments containing anywhere from a handful of employees to tens of thousands of employees.

CyberMatrix Corporation has released version 1.0 of Cyber Matrix Class Scheduler. An easy-to-use, multi-user application for scheduling students' classes, the software displays class schedules graphically in a grid. By changing the schedule filter, a student can see the times of a class, when a classroom is occupied and where an instructor will be teaching. Teachers can also view the schedules of any student they wish.

A student can add classes by dragging available courses onto his or her enrolled class list. Conflict prevention ensures that classes do not overlap. A search feature allows instructors to find all students who take a particular class, or to find those students sharing a common classification. Class Scheduler has a customizable time period allowing scheduling on the hour, half-hour, or any other hourly fraction. Multi-language support is also available, and allows users from non-English speaking countries to convert the software's text into their own language equivalents.

The software may be installed on a single machine or accessed by multiple people over a network. If a school has different sites that are accessible through the network, users can make use of the program's multi-site capability. This feature allows students to open the site, then view and edit class schedules at that site. When the security feature is enabled, students may schedule their own classes, but cannot view or change the schedules of other students.

A full-scale financial management system, TrueCourse is a browser-based, wholly integrated software suite designed for fund-accounting based entities. The software can be administered and utilized directly through a current Java-enabled Web browser without other client-side software in place. TrueCourse provides districts with a complete financial software package without the costs associated with obtaining a classic software license.

Features of the software system include a single point of data entry, point and click navigation, a flexible account structure, total integration between all modules and suites, and advanced security. TrueCourse includes resources for accounting, budgeting, purchasing and receiving, warehouse management, accounts payable and receivable, fixed assets, work orders, document routing, security and human resources.

SmartStuff Software's new PC management software package, FoolProof LabManager, includes FoolProof Security, a security product for the K-12 education market, and LabExpert, a remote PC management utility. The desktop security tools work hand in hand with the remote PC management tools in the LabManager so teachers and administrators can manage and modify PCs remotely without having to disable or uninstall security.

With the software, administrators can set up an entire lab of PCs in hours instead of days, maintain the integrity of students' computers with minimum downtime, change settings on multiple computers simultaneously, and remotely install, uninstall or upgrade software applications across an entire classroom in minutes. Remote PC configuration allows administrators to make minor or wholesale changes to the configuration settings of an entire classroom of PCs in minutes. Remote control options include the ability to shut down student PCs, log users out, start up applications and transfer files from the instructor's computer. LabManager also offers disk imaging, free technical support and one year of free upgrade protection.

- Sabrina Tillman
[email protected]

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