These instructions are for the free, time limited STACS Server Multi Teacher Evaluation Version available by download and email. You can copy to a Word document if you wish.

STACS Server Multi Teacher Evaluation Version Quick Install and Start:

Download the zipped installation folder STACSServerMultiTeacherEvaluationInstallFolder.zip from the downloads section of the website http://www.stacstesting.com. Copy this file from the download folder to a detachable medium and unzip or extract all files as a STACSServerMultiTeacherEvaluationFolder .

Order the free STACS Server Multi Teacher Evaluation Version Main application by email from the Order Free Evaluation Version tab on the website. Unzip the supplied STACSServerMultiTeacherEvaluationMain zipped file and copy the resulting STACSServerMultiTeacherEvaluationMain.exe file to the STACSServerMultiTeacherEvaluationFolder folder on the detachable medium.

Check that you now have the following folders and files in your STACSServerMultiTeacherEvaluationInstallFolder folder:

AllSTACSExtrasFolder folder

STACSHowToVideosFolder folder

STACSSampleTestsFolder folder

STACSOfflineTestCreator file

STACSServerMultiTeacherEvaluationInstaller file

STACSServerMultiTeacherEvaluationMain file

STACSServerSitTest file

Copy this folder to the C:\ drive of the server. You will need administrator permission for the server or policy may require the server administrator to install on your behalf. Either way, the process is very straightforward.

Run the STACSServerMultiTeacherEvaluationInstaller (.exe) file from the installation folder on the server (STACS will advise if any of the installation folders or files are missing). This will initialize STACS on the server. You will the need to set the necessary access permissions to Read/Write for Everyone using Share with or Grant access to options. STACS checks for an existing installation and if found, highlights the importance of not replacing this installation unless it is what is required.

When STACS has been initialized on the server, copy the installation folder to the C:\ drive of the machine where the STACS Server Main Application will reside. This will usually be a dedicated teacher workstation but it can be any workstation on the network.

Run the main application STACSServerMultiTeacherEvaluationMain (.exe) file from the installation folder on this machine or create a shortcut on the desktop and run it from there. Do not copy the install folder to the desktop as the STACS main application needs to reside in the installation folder to function properly.

The Licence Key for the evaluation version is 20612061.

Add a teacher using the Add Teacher item of the Add menu. For security reasons, you can only add the logged on teacher (STACS will read the teacher log on name and append it to the specified Teacher Display Name. Furthermore, when you log in again you will only see your own teacher name regardless of how many other teachers are registered on the system.

Add one or more classes for this teacher using the Add Class item of the Add menu.

Add one or more students using the Add Student item of the Add menu. If this is an actual class of students, the student log in names must be genuine. Otherwise, the students will not be able to sit tests later. If you intend to pose as one of the students to sit a test, the student user name and password must be genuine network user name / password combination. You can add yourself as a student if you wish to sit a test to assess the system.

Now that you have added teacher, class and student information, you can investigate many of the facilities of STACS, apart from facilitating students to sit a test. To do this you must first have a detachable medium containing a folder of test files. Initially, you can use the Sample Tests folder from the installation folder, but later you will need to create your own test files and upload them in the same way. To prepare for students to sit a test, you must do two things:

  1. Using the Upload Test File(s) from External Medium to Student/Class Test Bank item of the Upload menu, navigate to the folder containing your test files and click OK. All of the test files in this folder will be uploaded to the teacher/class test bank. Any existing test files of the same name will be overwritten.
  2. Upload one of the test files to the student folders using the Upload Test File from Teacher/Class Test Bank for Student Group to Sit Test item of the upload menu.

Exit the STACS main application, choosing not to back up the teacher folder on exit.

The Server versions are designed for students to sit tests as a group logged on to the server from workstations. The Server Sit Test application needs to be uploaded to the desktop of each student. This can be done by distributing the Sit Test application from the installation medium to each student for copying to their desktop on a once off basis while they are logged on to the server. If the student user names and passwords are known, the Sit Test application can be uploaded unknown to the students.

To test the Sit Test application, you can log on to a network workstation as one of the added students (or as yourself if you have added yourself as a student) and sit the test.

When the test is completed, the score is shown and stored in the student folder. You can verify this by running STACSServerMultiTeacherEvaluationMain.exe file from the install folder and choosing an item such as ‘View Student Results’ from the View main menu item.

When using a server version, a whole class can sit a test at the same time and the results will automatically be stored on the server. Furthermore, on any workstation, when a logged on student is sitting a test, STACS will only allow the logged on student to sit the test. This prevents a student from sitting a test on behalf of another student.