NetSupport already has a fine pedigree with its excellent Manager remote control software, and for many years it has put this expertise to solving the problems of distance learning in a networked environment. NetSupport School (NSS) takes many of the features of Manager to offer tools that equip teachers and trainers to deliver and manage classes, training sessions and examinations to any number of students.

This latest version of NSS brings new and useful features to the table, including the creation of automated lesson plans, countdown timers and alerting messages for pupils, wizards to speed up lesson creation and a student registration feature. NSS comprises Tutor and Student components, and installation is easy.

The main Tutor interface sees a substantial revamp with cheerful, chunky icons for each function and it kicks off by automatically populating the main window with all discovered student systems. The Monitor screen provides thumbnails of all student systems showing the contents of their screen and this can be updated as often as every five seconds. Hover the pointer over any screen and the zoom feature will enlarge it for easier viewing.

Introduced in the previous version, control modules enable you to remotely view active applications and strictly control what programs students are allowed to run. The Details view provides a complete rundown on all loaded applications and that which is currently active and these can be swiftly placed in approved or restricted lists which can be customized for different groups. The same applies to Internet access, as the web control module allows you to determine what web sites can and cannot be accessed based on their URL. The lists are easily created; as you can view all NSS systems from the Tutor interface and see what web pages they are accessing in real-time.

Test Designer
The Test Designer module makes light work of creating customized tests and exams. Wizards are provided throughout and you can create a wide range of tests including multiple choice and use video, text, pictures and sound files linked to each question. Naturally, security in a testing environment is critical and all examinations are maintained in a separate database that requires a username and password to access. You can automate a sequence of events such as scanning all required systems or locking the keyboard and mouse on each PC.

Once you’re happy with the test you use a separate console to publish it to selected users. As the student steps through each test they can call up help screens created specifically for the test and use drag and drop for multiple choice questions. A counter keeps students appraised of the time remaining and when this has run out, or when the Tutor stops the test, the results are gathered together and collated into a table. Throughout the test the Tutor can monitor a screen, which keeps a running tally of each student’s progress through the questions.

Naturally, with NetSupport Manager at the foundation of NSS you get some the best remote controls tools for viewing and controlling an individual PC. Good annotation tools are provided and files transfer options are extensive as you can remotely manage files on a single PC or copy them from the Tutor system to multiple PCs. A whiteboard can also be published to Students where you can amaze them with your mouse drawing skills.

As a teaching and training aid for classrooms with networked PCs, NetSupport School 8 has virtually no serious competition. It offers a range of excellent features that’ll make light work of designing, deploying and monitoring examinations and backs these up with some of the best remote control tools currently on the market.