StudyWorx passes it first large scale test

Подарък иконамека мебеликониStudyWorx went live as the infrastructure for the School of Biblical Studies in Montana on Sep. 21st 2010. Today after five months of everyday use by real staff and students I am happy to report that the system is working well. Having actual students pounding on the program day and night has revealed quite a number of previously undiscovered issues, but none of them fatal and as of last night all serious bugs have been cleared from the issues list.

Obviously work continues and the list of desired features and optimizations continues to grow. However, it has been an encouraging test. The feedback from both staff and students alike has been positive and I am currently looking for more help to take this program to the next level.

I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank all those that have helped make this first roll-out a success.

{:> Tom

Web Developers Wanted

If you are a web developer, especially if you have Ruby on Rails or graphical design skills, I would love to have your help with the web application I am developing to replace QuickFrame. This new application is called StudyWorx since it is designed to do much more than simply create blank chart frames. It is designed to be a complete study environment where a student can fully complete their studies online, including grading and communication with teaching staff. Essentially it is a framework for running online schools.

If this interests you please read on….

Click to continue reading “Web Developers Wanted”

Studyworx BETA 1 released!

After months of work I finally have a version of StudyWorx the new inductive study program ready for testing.

If you are interested in helping me by logging in and registering please go to http://studyworx.net and sign up.

If you are a web designer or rails programmer I still need help. There is still much to do if StudyWorx is going to be fully released by fall.

To learn more about helping with this project click here.

New MAC stand alone server

Due to numerous problems with the last version of the QuickFrame stand alone server for MAC. I have reworked it on a new foundation. I have replaced the xampp server package with a new server package called MAMP. I have not been able to extensively test it yet but all my initial tests seem to indicate that this package will solve the problems with the previous one.

Important update to Virtual-QuickFrame

Work on adding the auto-population references needed for the ESV version of the Bible is done thanks to the hard work of a bunch of our 2006-2007 alumni. The ability to use more than one version, a new color scheme, and the ability to auto-populate the ESV have now all been added to the current version of Virtual-QuickFrame. It is available for free download from the Downloads page.

{:> Tom

QuickFrame updated – ESV Bible Added

Due to the recent acquisition by Thomas Nelson Publishers of the NRSV bible and the subsequent unavailability of pew bibles in this version, it has become necessary to upgrade the QuickFrame program to allow for the usage of more than one translation. This was always planned but was made into a high priority by recent events. I am currently trying to get volunteers to work on paragraph refs for the ESV. But if you need a different version in your location please contact me and I will help you get started in adding your desired translation.

Volunteers needed (SBS alumni??):

Although the coding is done – in order for the auto-population feature to work verse references and verse counts for every paragraph in the bible are going to need to be entered in. This is a very simple but highly repetitive job that I just can’t seem to correctly automate, so it has to be done the old fashioned way – by hand. Remember this is a free project if you have benefited by it in the past consider helping future students in this way.

Click to continue reading “QuickFrame updated – ESV Bible Added”

Work resumes on StudyWorx

After a long hiatus (teaching and coding don’t always mix) work has resumed on StudyWorx. The goals of the StudyWorx project are quite a bit more ambitious that those of QuickFrame. Where QuickFrame is basically a tool to help SBS students save time on the more tedious aspects of the course. StudyWorx is designed to be a full fledged online inductive bible study tool. Capable of forming the backbone for both online schools and conventional classroom settings.

Revised Feature list:

  • Students and Staff will be organized into “schools”
    • Each school will have:
      • It’s own grading system
      • Assignment specifications
      • And full online capabilities for completing, printing, and grading the assignments.
      • It can also be used as a simple chart framing program in the same way that QuickFrame is currently used
  • Every effort will be made to make the work flow as smooth and simple as possible.
  • Hopefully I will have a working prototype by fall (2007) and a release sometime in 2008.

If anyone has experience as a PHP or better yet Symfony programmer please feel free to contact me to help with this project.

{:> Tom Possin

StudyWorx Child of QuickFrame

As work progresses on the next generation of QuickFrame I realized that I would need a new name since the new version will do far more than simply create chart frames and title lists.

StudyWorx is the name I am tentatively considering since it is going to be a comprehensive tool for the Inductive study of the Bible. Essentially, my goal is to create an entire school environment. This includes the ability to complete all assignments in StudyWorx if desired (creating frames will still be possible), grading, staff/student communications, and printing to pdf for the final product. Essentially I want to provide an infrastructure for schools to sign up and run their entire school from StudyWorx. I also want to be able to run an open, full featured, Online, school for anyone that wants to study the Bible Inductively.

If you think StudyWorx is a particularly good or bad name, or if you have a better idea, please comment on this article below, or write me a quick note here.