Scholaris

2006 Consensus Software Awards

Product Description

Scholaris leverages Internet portal technology and the Microsoft platform to deliver education support services to teachers, students and parents. Unlike most education software, Scholaris focuses on the delivery of education in the K to 12 environment, not just on school administration. 

The product effects real change to teaching and learning in a positive way and specifically supports the different needs of all members of a school community; this is the key to its success.

Through leveraging the Microsoft platform as the underlying “engine”, Scholaris can scale from the needs of one individual school to the needs of an entire school system comprising thousands of schools.

A summary of the functional areas offered by Scholaris follows;

Electronic Essentials

e-mail, newsletters, planning, task management, contact management and news

Administration

electronic attendance, resource management and building management

Student Information

enrolment records, parent information, emergency information, anecdotal assessment, attendance records, levelling and assessment

Learning Management

activity creation, course planning, sequence building, student assessment, assignment management, flexible learning management and student reporting

Resource and Document Management

e-learning resources, legacy teaching materials, multi media content, document management, workflow and collaboration

Photo Galleries

campus views, sports carnivals & social events, showcases and student features

Electronic Portfolio

school, class, year level, learning area, lesson, parent, teacher & student access

Collaboration

discussion boards, surveys, virtual staff rooms, class & assignment workspaces, personal web sites, lesson planning, collaborative projects & events.

Public Web Sites

‘my sites’ for teachers and students, school, faculty, learning area, clubs and associations

Presence Awareness 

real time messaging, voice, video, chat, white board interaction and application sharing

Professional Development

on campus events, off campus events, resource library and document management

Applications

Web applications, legacy applications, MS Office integration and online resources

Electronic Commerce

school book store, uniform store and online fee payment

Innovation

There are many examples of the innovations have been achieved. For brevity, an example is given under each heading below.

Breaking new ground

For decades, without success, organisations worldwide have sought to develop an effective widely-functional IT application that meets the needs of teachers, students and parents.

Scholaris has been successful in this regard. Feedback from Microsoft Education Specialists in North America is that Scholaris has a twelve to eighteen month lead on the market.

Scholaris is also the first product of its kind that has been developed according to Microsoft’s Learning Gateway software platform.

Earth shrinking potential

The collaboration facility of the Learning Management module allows teachers to share teaching programmes and ideas within schools, across schools and across States and countries.

Expanding user horizons

To date, teachers worldwide have had little opportunity to gain benefit from technology in managing their classrooms, teaching programmes, individual students and interactions with parents. Scholaris allows all these capabilities and supports teachers in fundamentally changing and improving the associated work processes at a time when they are under pressure from increasing workload and longer hours.

Social change or empowerment of users

Scholaris offers real support for the adoption of Outcome-based Education such as is current Australian Federal Government policy.

Students are increasingly more aligned to electronic communication mediums than they are to traditional methods. Scholaris directly supports students in dealing with school matters as assignments, timetables, class project teams, events and clubs, amongst others.

Performance

Enthusiastic customer support

After conducting a three month trial in late 2005 (see comment below under “Successful Beta Testing”), AISWA, on behalf of its independent schools in WA, have proceeded to commit to Scholaris and the establishment of a sizeable Hosting facility.

Upon Microsoft’s encouragement, in late 2005, Solutions IT did a three week promotional tour of Canada. The response was so strong that a Microsoft-qualified list was established of twenty prospective School Systems covering over 1.25 million students. As a consequence, the Company is establishing a Canadian operation in March 2006 and appointing a Canadian Regional Manager.

Standards and codes compliance

Scholaris is based on standard Microsoft software and, in particular, the Microsoft Learning Gateway.

Professionally executed code

Scholaris development is being carried out in accordance with a defined methodology that incorporates quality assurance. A Senior Product Manager has been appointed to further strengthen the management of systems development and product relkeases.

Proof of real world performance

Scholaris version 1 has been implemented in 20 schools for over twelve months.

During February/March 2006, Scholaris version 2 is being implemented in 50 schools.

Please refer to comment below under “Successful Beta Testing”.

Successful beta testing

AISWA, on behalf of its independent schools in WA, conducted a three month trial of Scholaris in late 2005, across fourteen schools and three thousand five hundred users. An excerpt from their Trial Report is 

“Feedback from the trial participants has indicated that the Scholaris Learning Gateway provides a feature rich environment for school administrators, teachers, students and parents. Each user has been able to login and then customise their own secure portal, which recognises them as a user and then provide access to information and data that is relevant to the individual and to which they have been given permission”.

AISWA have proceeded to commit to Scholaris and the establishment of a sizeable Hosting facility.

Real user benefits

Feedback from the AISWA Trial conducted in late 2005, included:-

“Feedback from the trial participants has indicated that the Scholaris Learning Gateway provides a feature rich environment for school administrators, teachers, students and parents. Each user has been able to login and then customise their own secure portal, which recognises them as a user and then provide access to information and data that is relevant to the individual and to which they have been given permission”.
AISWA have proceeded to commit to Scholaris and the establishment of a sizeable Hosting facility. 

Sets new industry benchmarks

Quotation from Simon Geoghegan, Microsoft Education Solutions Group, following presentations in Canada in late 2005.

“I wanted to drop you a note to let you know how excited we are to have Scholaris solution in Canada. The customers in Ontario and Eastern Canada that we have introduced it to, have all been very positive about what they have seen and asked about next steps. As you know, we have been actively promoting the Learning Gateway in Canada for over three years. However, with System Integrators that are not focussed on education and no K-12 ISVs like Solutions IT in Canada, it has been hard slow work to get customers to deploy. It certainly seems Scholaris is the piece that we have been missing. Our customers can now buy the finished product rather than a vague vision with no clear end point.”

The above comment could well be applied to developed countries worldwide.

Potential

Designed for international use

As demonstrated through the exposure of Scholaris in Canada, the product is well-suited to international English speaking markets. Experience has shown that only a small degree of customisation is required to meet local country requirements.

The plan is for Scholaris to be developed in French and Spanish, which is expected to require a greater degree of customisation to meet cultural differences.

Enterprise structured for growth

From 2005, Solutions IT took in $750,000 in equity funds, part of which were required to design and implement an organisation structure that will support the rapid growth of the Company and the wide distribution of Scholaris around the world.

Consequently, a Chairman and an additional Director, having past experience in successfully growing businesses, were appointed. A sound and comprehensive Business Plan to 2009 was developed (see attached) and is being implemented. 

Key appointments are being made, viz Senior Product Manager, Canadian Regional Manager and a Business Development Manager.

Processes across all the Company’s operations have/are being refined and attuned for rapid growth and scaleability across geograghic regions.

Global design standards

Scholaris is based on standard Microsoft software and, in particular, the Microsoft Learning Gateway. 

Identified potential markets

Strong markets have been confirmed in Australia and Canada. Market research will soon commence for USA and UK, and subsequently, other English speaking developed countries will be addressed. Feedback from Microsoft Educational Specialists is that these countries are also expected to be strong markets for Scholaris.

Periodically, encouraging contacts have been made with Solutions IT in respect of Scholaris from interested parties in China, Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan amongst others.

Other awards or recognition received

On the strength of Scholaris, Microsoft has awarded Solutions IT; “Microsoft Education Partner of the Year for 2005 (Asia Pacific)”. 

It is noteworthy that Solutions IT edged out Hewlett Packard, Accenture, Volante, Unisys and other major Education service providers in the Asia Pacific region in achieving this win. 

In May 2005, on Microsoft’s invitation, Solutions IT conducted an online presentation of Scholaris to the worldwide Microsoft field - 47 countries participated in the web-cast.

Success in home or export markets

Scholaris version 1 has been implemented in 20 schools for over twelve months.

During February/March 2006, Scholaris version 2 is being implemented in 50 schools.

Upon Microsoft’s encouragement, in late 2005, Solutions IT did a three week promotional tour of Canada. The response was so strong that a Microsoft-qualified list was established of twenty prospective School Systems covering over 1.25 million students. As a consequence, the Company is establishing a Canadian operation in March 2006 and appointing a Canadian Regional Manager.

Working with international collaborators

Solutions IT works closely with the Microsoft Education Specialists in each country of interest. 

As the implementation of Scholaris carries with it the relevant Microsoft licences and the education market is seen as key to Microsoft, Solutions IT enjoys active marketing support from local Microsoft Education Specialists. This support goes up to Microsoft’s worldwide Director of K-12 education, based in Redmond Washington State.

Solutions IT also establishes relationships with local SI subcontractors, which can carry out part of the school implementations.

Overseas assistance

Solutions IT gets considerable assistance from Microsoft (see comment above). This assistance is critical as demonstrated by the expansion plan described below.

As of January 2006, Scholaris is being offered for in Canada and a Canadian Regional Manager is being appointed in March 2006.

Solutions IT has an aggressive expansion plan (see attached Business Plan 2006 to 2009) which is initially targeted at English-speaking countries in the 2006 to 2009 period, in particular USA, UK, Ireland and New Zealand.

The plan is to reproduce Scholaris for French and Spanish speaking countries, possibly within the 2006/2009 timeframe.

Other information the judges should know

Text

Content2004Copyright©Tabpoint Pty Ltd
Format2004Copyright©Consensus Pty Ltd

This web-site uses frames, click here for the full picture
End of page