We hope this list of frequently asked questions will answer any questions you may have about the Course Builder software. However if you have any futher questions, you can contact us using the contact form.
For backups s second pc or server running any version of Windows should be provided.
These staff members will be given Administrator level access to the Course builder software and Akari Software will train these staff members to a high level including:
Additional training days can be provided by Akari staff if required, but generally unless there is significant staff turnover this is not required.
Licensing
How much does Course Builder cost?
Course Builder is competively priced based on the number of FTE students in the department or institution. Full information on pricing is available by contacting us.What is included in the license cost?
The license costs for Course Buiulder includes the following:- Course Builder Core Application
- Course Builder Public Website
- Customisation of colours and logos to match institution
- Schedule Upgrades to the core software
- Disaster Recover Manual
- User Manuals
- Scheduled Automatic Backups
Installation
What hardware is required?
The Course Builder software suite runs requires your organisation to provide a server with the following minimum specification:- Windows 2003+ Server Edition (or later)
- 3GB of RAM
- 2 Hard Drives (OS & Application). Application hard drive should be in RAID configuration.
For backups s second pc or server running any version of Windows should be provided.
Who will install and configure the software?
An Akari Software engineer will setup and configure the server either on-site or via Windows Remote Desktop.Do we need to configure the firewall?
Yes, some minor configuration is required. Typically such alterations can easily be made by IT staff in your organisation.- For high quality support, Akari Software engineers will need access though your firewall to the server on agreed ports from our Support Office IP address.
- For the optional Course Builder public website part of the software suite to display to the public, access to the server on port 80 must be configured.
- For easy maintenance and support, and to receive software updates at scheduled intervals, the server should be allowed to access outside websites and servers on agreed ports. (Typically this is already done but some organisations may block this access by default.)
Training
What tecnical training is involved?
We recommend that your organisation designates at least 2 staff members as the primary contacts for Course Builder within your organisation. Ideally one of these staff members will be technically skilled and have at least a basic of SQL and other staff member(s) should be academic to help answer academic issues internally.These staff members will be given Administrator level access to the Course builder software and Akari Software will train these staff members to a high level including:
- How to setup and maintain reference tables such as the list of departments and fields of study.
- How to use advanced Administrator-only features such as "Impersonate User".
- How to work directly with the database including running reports, backup and restoration.
- How to migrate existing Course and module data into the Course Builder.
- How the approval process and cycle works.
- How to publish real documents to the public webiste.
- How to use the public website content management system.
- And much more..
What user training is involved?
Akari Engineers and user interface experts will train a significant number of staff on the skills and knowledge required to implement the system. These in turn will train fellow staff under the supervision of Akari to the appropriate level. In this way dependence on external trainers is minimised and the concept of "training of trainers" happens as part of the initial training and installation process.Additional training days can be provided by Akari staff if required, but generally unless there is significant staff turnover this is not required.
