The administrator's Web interface allows privileged superusers to set and change the parameters for each examination location. XAM assumes that examination forms (ETX files) are available nearby on the same server. These files are discussed elsewhere.

A typical directory selection screen is shown here. To invoke this screen, type 'admin' into the station identification screen. A superuser selects a directory and logs in using their personal passcode. Once logged in, the main admin screen for that location is displayed. A typical admin screen is shown here. A brief synopsis of the screen elements is shown below.

Exam Title

The title for the current examination event.

Station Numbers

The range of active stations, from 1 to the maximum defined in admin.info.

Static/Rotate/Review/Preview

The type of station assignment used.

Exam Date

The date in YYMMDD format.

Access Field

List of access control lists or unique identifiers combined with '+' and '-' signs.

Proctor Code

Temporary passcode for use by the proctor.

Auto Generate New Codes

By default, new proctor/session codes are selected at random from the word.list file.

Passcode/Update

Submit the current settings and refresh the screen.

Session Lines

Each event may have one or more sessions. Each session is defined by:

1. Session Code - Assigned automatically, but may be overridden.
2. Start Time - Formatted HHMM on a 24 hour clock.
3. Duration - Total number of minutes allowed for exam.
4. Directory - EvalSuite directory containing exam files.
5. Form - Name of .etx file that defines exam form.
6. Range - Range of questions to be used (eg, 1-50) or 'all'.
   

Utility Links

• Status Screen - Display status screen for this location.
• Name List - Display alphabetic list of names with station assignments.
• Seating Chart - Display current seating chart.
• Build Chart - Create/update seating chart based on information in access field.
• Reset Stations - Delete all temporary files and moved completed answer files to archive.
• View - Preview exam form to check for errors, typos, etc.
• Print - Output summary appropriate for printing paper backup for exam.
• All - Output summary appropriate for printing complete exam with correct answers marked.
• Activate - Create exam data file with answer key (required for exam to become 'active').
• Link - Jump out to link specified by {Link Text|http://....}.

Proctors, instructors and other administrative personnel may check the real-time status of each test site. To access the status function, type 'status' into the station identification screen. As shown here, the active test forms are summarized at the top. The lower portion of the screen lists the status of each station (1-120 in this example). While examinees are actively taking a test, the number of questions remaining is displayed. The status flag may change to paused, done, or ready depending on circumstances. Errors are highlighted as the occur. This page automatically updates every 60 seconds to keep the information current.

During each session, examinee responses are stored in temporary answer (.ans) files. These files are renamed to '.done' when finished. These 'done' files in turn are moved to the archive when the stations are reset.

'Done' files serve as a backup in case the primary exam data (.exm) file becomes lost or corrupted. (They are also used during secure reviews.) The system builds directories in the archive based on the session specification entered on the admin screen described above. (They are created when a form is 'activated' for the first time.) The file names are based on the examinee's unique identifier.

The archive should be cleaned out periodically (using FTP or a similar file transfer program) to make room for newer data.