The legacy test generator has been undergoing a phase-out over the last few years. No legacy test generator exams have been updated for this upcoming ’20-’21 calendar school year. This final component of the phase-out leaves five courses that require special treatment. This blog post will explain the needs and use updates for the new Assessments tool of the LMS.
Basic Use: Please review this LMS Assessments Post Link:
The Assessments tool in the LMS is the sole area for training programs to locate and manage course exams from mid-September 2020 forward. By enrolling your instructor(s) and students in a course session, they can prepare, administer, and review reports of exams from the LMS Assessments tool.
The Wrinkle: As we phase out the legacy test generator, a few courses will still be delivered via a workbook and not the LMS. There are five such courses for the ’20-’21 calendar school year.
- Photovoltaics, Level I (From J230SW.J)
- Photovoltaics, Level II (From J230SW.J)
- Installer/Technician Nurse Call Systems (From J267SW)
- Residential Fire Alarm & Security (From J296SW)
- Security Systems (From J264SW.I)
Other than the five courses listed above, using the LMS Assessments tool for the other over 400 courses comes down to two needs:
- Have at least one active session of the course; and
- Have a current subscription to the legacy test generator, as described above.
For the five courses listed above, where the course content is not in the LMS, the student and instructor need both the workbook (identified by the item codes) and a test supplement session. You will find these testing supplements in the Training Management System (TMS). There are no student or instructor fees for enrollments; however, there is a $10.00 session fee that grants access to the exams.
To deliver an exam for one of the five courses above, locate the matching course title(s) from the TMS list below. Use the course title(s) that will be delivered to the students via a workbook for the ’20-’21 calendar school year.
- Testing Supplement for Photovoltaics, Level I (From J230SW.J)
- Testing Supplement for Photovoltaics, Level II (From J230SW.J)
- Testing Supplement for I/T Nurse Call Systems (from J267SW)
- Testing Supplement for Residential Fire Alarm & Security (From J296SW)
- Testing Supplement for Security Systems (From J264SW.I)
Next, create a session for the appropriate testing supplement(s) and add your students and instructors via the TMS enrollments area.
NOTE: There will be no content in the LMS for these courses for practice or review – the content is only in the physical workbook. These sessions (testing supplements) grant access to the LMS Assessments area for preparing, administering, and reporting exam(s).
Finally, access the Assessments area of the LMS and manage the exam just as you would any other course. You can also prepare, administer, and review reports of an exam. The exams can be delivered with the use of the online administer function, or you can export the exam to PDF for use as a paper test. The delivery of the exams should be within the requirements of the registered Standards when either method is used.
Why All the Changes
The Legacy Test Generator was built on Flash. Flash has had a long and prosperous life for use in delivering online resources; however, that will end on December 31, 2020. As a result, the legacy system will no longer function beyond 2020, and access to exams for all courses will only be through the LMS Assessments tool.
What Happens to our Program’s Test Generator Subscription?
An annual subscription fee has been charged to use the legacy test generator. As the online LMS Assessment tool has been made available and content converted, currently there is no change to the fee. Starting January 1, 2021, training location subscriptions for the LMS Assessments will be updated to $400 per year. After December 31, 2020, when your legacy Test Generator subscription comes up for renewal, the new fee will be $400. Any extension of a test generator subscription before January 1, 2021, will extend at the current fees. For a rundown of the LMS Assessments tool features, access this blog post or contact etA Director Bill Ball at bball@electricaltrainingalliance.org.
Thanks for reading!