The database is both a repository for questions but also serves as a control panel for the web server extension. It allows the author to specify who may access the assessment generated from the questions as well as how to evaluate user responses to the questions.

When the user first opens the database, they are greeted with the splash screen containing important contact information and instructions on obtaining updates. Like any other program, Test Pilot is periodically updated. To make sure you have the most current version, be sure to check our web site occassionally at http://www.clearLearning.com/

Once you click on the Begin button, you'll be taken to the global info security screen. You must specify an owner name and password which is used by the web server extension to control access to the response data from your assessment when it is deployed. Entering this information is required and is always the first step in creating an assessment with Test Pilot.

Note the help message at the bottom of the window. On every database screen is a similar message. You may click on that message to get a more detailed explanation as to how the data entered on this screen is used by Test Pilot. Furthermore, help is always available from the TestPilot menu in the application's menubar.

Note the button panel at the top of the screen. It is common to all Test Pilot database screens and is broken down into six logical areas of operation:

1. Question Designing - clicking here takes you to the question editing screens where you will enter the text of your questions and possibly specify correct and incorrect answers, points to award and even custom feedback.
   
   
2. Question Selection - clicking here takes you to the first of several question selection screens where you can specify what questions should appear on your assessment. Test Pilot permits you to enter and group literally thousands of questions in a single database and yet select which group or individual question you wish to appear on a particular assessment. Test Pilot is also capable of random selection from groups of questions
   
   
3. Look & Feel Controls - clicking here takes you to the first of several screens with options which control how the Test Pilot web server extensions presents your questions to the user on a web page.
   
   
4. Security Controls - clicking here takes you to the global info security screen as seen above. The global info screen is but the first of several screens with options that control who the Test Pilot web server extension allows to have access to your assessment.
   
   
5. Submission Handling - clicking here takes you to the first of several screens with options that tell the Test Pilot web server extension how to handle users' responses to your questions.
   
   
6. Export for Web Server - once you have entered your questions (Question Designing), selected the one you wish to appear on your assessment (Question Selection), chosen how you wish them presented to the user (Look & Feel Controls), chosen how you wish to restrict access to your questions (Security Controls) and how you want the users' responses handled (Submission Handling), clicking on Export for Web Server commands the database to create a file with all of that information in it. It is that file that Test Pilot's web server extension uses to generate its assessments. Note that the power of our database architecture permits you to generate any number of such files from a single database. For example, an entire semeter's questions could be entered into a single database with weekly quizzes and practice exams generated by simply making different question selection choices.