Summary: Pell and Direct Loan Beta Test Volunteers Needed for EDExpress for Windows 2006-2007, Release 2.0

Publication Date: January 13, 2006

Author: G. Kay Jacks, General Manager, FSA Application, School Eligibility and Delivery Services

Summary: Pell and Direct Loan Beta Test Volunteers Needed for EDExpress for Windows 2006-2007, Release 2.0

Posted on 01-13-2006

The U.S. Department of Education is recruiting volunteers for participation in the beta test of EDExpress for Windows 2006-2007, Release 2.0. Schools and servicers are needed to test the Pell and Direct Loan modules, both of which will be included in Release 2.0.

Beta test participants download an in-development version of the EDExpress software and test documentation from an FTP site. The tests will replicate typical usage of the software in a mock-production environment. Beta test participants will report any problems encountered, and submit a summary report detailing test findings and software suggestions for our analysis.

Pell and Direct Loan beta testing is scheduled to take place from February 6 through February 10, 2006.

If you are interested in being considered as a beta test participant for the Pell and/or Direct Loan module(s) for Release 2.0, please send an e-mail to CPSSAIG@ed.gov with the subject line "Attention: EDExpress 2006-2007 Release 2.0 Beta Testing" and provide the following information:

1) School name and address
2) School type (4-year public university, 2-year private college, proprietary/trade school, etc.)
3) Primary and secondary testing contact names, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses
4) TG number
5) Windows operating system version(s) and environment (network/standalone)
6) Network type and version (if applicable)
7) EDExpress module(s) you want to test (Pell, Direct Loan, or both)
8) Modules/features/tools you currently use in EDExpress (please provide specific details, such as External Add Imports, User Database, etc.)
9) Do you use EDExpress in combination with a mainframe system or 3rd party software? If so, what type of mainframe system and/or 3rd party software do you use?
10) FTP download capability (have the ability to upload and download files from an FTP server)
11) Your school's average number of Pell and/or Direct Loan recipients per year

We will select participants with a wide variety of processing environments to ensure the most diverse and thorough testing of the software is performed.

We will contact all Release 2.0 beta test volunteers by February 1, 2006. If your school is selected for participation in the Pell or Direct Loan beta test, further information will be provided by e-mail.

Thank you for your interest in helping make EDExpress for Windows 2006-2007, Release 2.0, a superior software product. We look forward to hearing from you.