In simple technical terms, ASCENT is a safe website. It's hosted and maintained on our servers, so you don’t need to install or configure anything.
Your I.T. department may ask for the Specifications or System Requirements before you buy it, so here you go….
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Computers:
- Basically, any non-ancient (about 6 years old or newer) computer with web browsing capability.
- Windows: XP or higher.
- Mac OS: 9.1 or higher.
- Any other operating system capable of graphical web browsing
- Generally functional with most web capable devices like Blackberry, Palm, etc. ASCENT is not currently optimized for these and we do not provide tech support for use on these, but clients have told us they have used these devices successfully with ASCENT
- Suggested minimum display: 1024 x 768, thousands of colors
Devices:
- iPhone & iPad (IOS 9 or higher recommended)
- SmartPhones & Tablets running Android Operating system
- Windows Mobile tablets, phones, etc.
- NOTE: Content editing and a couple other functions in the system are best done with a computer.
Internet Connection:
- 56 kb/s dial-up minimum.
- If you put items into your course content pages larger than about 50 kb in size (ie: videos), we recommend users have a high speed (250 kb/s or higher) internet connection. Otherwise it's a non-issue.
Web Browsers:
Windows:
Internet Explorer 10 or higher, Edge
Firefox
Google Chrome
Opera
Mac:
Safari
Chrome
FireFox
IOS:
Safari
Chrome
FireFox
Android & Windows Mobile: Any common browser.
NOTE: Most of the system works fine with older versions of browsers, however some functions (i.e.: Video, exams editing) may not work properly and older browsers (like IE 9 and lower) are no longer supported by their manufacturers.
E-mail:
To get the most out of ASCENT, each user should have an e-mail account of their own.
if your company does not provide these to staff, users can get free e-mail accounts like Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo.
Users can still use the system without e-mails, but some features will not be usable like:
- Receiving completion certificates
- E-mail coach
- Reminders and due dates
- Receiving notices of memos
Computer Memory:
Hard drive space required: 0
RAM memory: Enough to effectively run your web browser.
Network / Firewall Settings:
Generally, no special firewall or network settings required. If you experience any problems viewing content then having the network administrator enter the ASCENT domain as an allowed website should fix any problem.
Network must allow whatever course content objects you put in (ie: images, Flash, etc.). Generally, almost all content is usually HTML with .jpg or .gif images.
No part of ASCENT requires any software or applets to be downloaded to any user’s computer.
SPECIFICATIONS
Content:
All content created in the system is in HTML. This applies to every course page, every question in reviews and quizzes, every survey, every memo, and every definition in the glossary.
The types of content objects supported by ASCENT include:
Images
.jpg
.gif
.png (but may not be compatible with all web browsers)
Video
Almost every common format of video can be inserted anywhere in content via Drag-And-Drop. It is converted to HTML5 compliant streaming video which is compatible with pretty much everything.
Sound
.wav and .mp3 can be inserted anywhere in content via Drag-And-Drop. It is converted to HTML5 compliant streaming audio which is compatible with pretty much everything.
Multimedia
Animations, simulations, etc. are best delivered as Flash / Shockwave (.swf) objects. These can be inserted anywhere in content with a toolbar button.
PowerPoint
Basic PowerPoint content can be imported into system in editable format. Some multimedia portions may need to be converted and then inserted in content separately.
Database:
All generated data (user data, records, etc.) is in mySQL database format. This is a universal database language. The database can be changed to a preferred format.
Applets and Cookies:
No applets are downloaded to any user's computer for any function.
The only cookies created by the system are web-typical expiring session cookies to maintain login integrity during the user's session.
Security:
The system is hosted at one of the world's largest web applications hosting companies, located in the U.S. They host hundreds of thousands of businesses including banks. Their premises are top-notch secure with multiple security and power redundancies.
All access to the system is via a username and password.
Secure Socket Layer (SSL) login is available for a nominal annual fee.
The system is database based, so all data in the system is retrieved via a database function, and is not sitting in web pages where it can be accessed by search engines and spiders.
OTHER USEFUL SOFTWARE:
For those who are developing courses in the system, we recommend the following:
For formatting and optimizing photos and other graphics:
Microsoft Office Picture Manager (almost all Windows computers have this), PhotoShop, ImageReady, Illustrator, etc.
For writing out course content:
Microsoft Word
For further information, contact Aerostudies. |
