The Power of Offline

Connection Challenges

Taking a swift poll of the typical workplace, the standard Wi-Fi router is handling at least 10 PCs/laptops, 8 Smart Phones, 2 Printers and a couple of other peripherals such as external hard drives or a security camera. All this for a device which is designed to only take 4 or 5 connections. Wi-Fi handles all this traffic pretty well as the concurrency is still low, but when there is a need for constant connection, to upload files to an Internet site then performance issues start to crop up.

Offline Sync

Over the last few years, eCom has been working on changing the way we use the Internet for delivering both High-stakes assessment and competency management. Our customers are global and “on the move”, so getting a secure reliable connection can be really difficult. Our applications have been updated to include the facility for downloadable APPs that enable users to complete their activity off-line and then sync when the Internet connection is available.

Benefits of Offline

Having offline with sync has opened the doors to many new customers going online. Many of these customers have held off moving to online delivery as they couldn’t give a consistent service to their full user base. Giving both online and offline access means that everybody, no matter where or when, can access the same system and record their results in the same way using the same process. Thus the organisation will benefit from the savings an online platform can bring.

Offline in Practice

Examples of offline in use are:

British Council: Online professional development for English teachers has been transformed, especially for those in remote locations and regions with limited bandwidth. By adopting a ‘mobile first’ approach and providing flexible, accessible learning solutions - including an offline app - eCom has helped the British Council enhance professional development for teachers worldwide, improving both their English and digital literacy. These efforts were recognised with a Bronze award in the ‘Best use of mobile learning’ category at the Learning Technology Awards 2023.

Aviagen: eCom developed a secure mobile app that allows Aviagen’s farm managers and employees to manage their competency records on-site, even offline. This digital solution has streamlined data entry, improved efficiency, and reduced administrative burden, while enhancing workforce management and compliance reporting. The shift to a mobile platform has also delivered environmental benefits, reducing paper usage and biosecurity risks.

IWCF- High-stakes exams undertaken at Training Centres across the world using IoT devices. Exams are downloaded to device memory and taken to Centres where the devices are connected either directly via USB, Wi-Fi or LAN to the user’s laptops or tablets. The exams are opened in a secure environment requiring two stage authentication for users to undertake. Once exam completed the IoT devices are returned to the Administrator to upload into the e-Assessment system where the exams are marked.