Posted Date:April 24, 2014
| Author: | Pamela Eliadis, Service Director, System Operations & Aid Delivery Management, Federal Student Aid |
Subject: Beta Test Volunteers Needed for EDExpress 2014-2015, Release 3.0
We are recruiting schools and servicers to participate in the beta test of EDExpress for Windows 2014-2015, Release 3.0. Beta testing is scheduled to run from May 19 through May 30, 2014.
During this beta test, participants will focus on testing EDExpress Direct Loan functionality, particularly enhancements related to the 150% Direct Subsidized Loan Limit that resulted in new origination and disbursement fields for the 2014-2015 Award Year. If time permits, users can also examine enhancements to the TEACH Grant module and to Financial Aid Shopping Sheet functionality as part of this beta test.
During the beta test, participants download an in-development version of the EDExpress software and test documentation from an FTP site, replicate typical usage of the software in a mock-production environment, report any problems encountered, and submit a summary report detailing test findings and software suggestions for our analysis.
If you are interested in being considered as a participant for this beta test, please e-mail us at CPSSAIG@ed.gov using the subject line “Attention: EDExpress 2014-2015 Release 3.0 Beta Testing.” In your e-mail, provide the following information and question responses:
1) School name, TG number, and Direct Loan School Code
2) Primary and secondary testing contact names, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses
3) Windows operating system version(s) for PC workstations accessing EDExpress 2014-2015
4) EDExpress operating environment (network/standalone). If your EDExpress database is stored on a network, please identify the network type and version (Novell 5.1, Windows 2003 Server, etc.).
5) FTP download capability (i.e., can you upload and download files from an FTP server?)
6) Do you use EDExpress in combination with a mainframe system or 3rd party software to process loan data? If so, what type of mainframe system and/or 3rd party software do you use?
7) Are you currently preparing Direct Loan data for 2014-2015 processing using EDExpress 2014-2015, Release 2.0? If so, what steps are you taking to prevent the export and transmission of Direct Loan data to the Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) System?
We will select participants from a wide variety of processing environments to ensure a diverse and thorough testing of the software is performed.
We will contact all Release 3.0 beta test volunteers by May 14, 2014. If your school is selected for participation, further information will be provided by e-mail at that time.
We appreciate your interest in EDExpress 2014-2015, Release 3.0 and look forward to hearing from you.