Products: School Dynamics
Frequently Asked Questions
Below is a list of non-technical questions concerning the general operation of School Dynamics. If you have a question that isn't covered here, please submit it using our contact form.
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What difference does it make that School Dynamics Software was developed by a veteran administrator in a Christian school environment?
Our founder and president, Dr. Kris Bjorgen has over ten years experience in Christian education. He had three goals in mind in developing School Dynamics Software:
- to reduce teachers' repetitive tasks so that they could concentrate more on teaching
- to reduce office staff workload while increasing their efficiency
- to make the program easy to use, yet powerful in its application
Why sell all modules in one complete program? Other companies don't do this.
School Dynamics' vision is to provide partner schools with the information technology needed to manage their data. We see ourselves as partners-in-ministry and are committed to assisting Christian schools to operate efficiently and effectively.
What does it mean that your program is fully integrated?
It means that data is input to the system once and is available to every module. Grades, lunch ordering, account information, extra curricular activities, even library fines are all linked together in one program.
Why is it so important that School Dynamics Software operate over a network?
The program was designed to run on a school-wide network. All data, from any computer on the network, is immediately recorded in the database and is available to the entire network. This eliminates the "paper shuffle" (attendance reports, lunch counts, discipline referrals, etc.) between the classroom and the office. It can be networked to be used in an office setting with just a few computers, but the broader the network, the more effective the program becomes.
Most of my teachers and staff are not highly computer literate. Can they operate an advanced program like this?
Most teachers gain a general understanding of how the program works in about an hour. Then it usually it takes a few days of using the program in their classroom (taking roll, lunch count, entering announcements, and recording grades, etc.) for them to feel comfortable using the program.
I've got an enrollment of 950 students, a 70 member staff, and an annual budget of $4 million. Is School Dynamics powerful enough to meet my needs?
Yes, it can handle an unlimited number of funds. For example, the program can separate day care from regular school funds, and financial reports can either be combined or separated for review. School Dynamics uses a standard double-entry system that tracks expenses and payments to all accounts. Routine fees are automatically posted to proper accounts and numerous financial reports can be generated for decision-making and financial forecasting.
Describe the initial installation and training process. Will my staff and teachers be trained? Do you have training aids?
The implementation consists of two phases performed on two separate days (note that these days are not necessarily consecutive days): Phase 1: Hardware/software installation and setup. Phase 2: Training. School Dynamics provides several ways to help you learn the program. The following items come with the system: An Operation Manual, Assistance Cards for teachers and office personnel, a Help File is included in the program for on-screen help, and a Training CD.
Can my existing data be transferred into School Dynamics?
Our technicians have had good success at converting schools' data into the School Dynamics environment. Our company's vision is to help our partner schools to handle their data to free teachers, office staff and administrators to concentrate on education. By converting existing data, your school has a head start to utilizing the power of School Dynamics right away. Data conversion is billed on a per-hour basis.
How secure is this program?
School Dynamics has a sophisticated password system that allows administrators to choose who will have access to which data. Plus, for the financial module, each person with access privileges has a unique ID code that the system uses to track account activity for added security.
What do I get with my service contract?
Our developers are continually upgrading and fine-tuning the program with features that expand the capabilities of School Dynamics. With the service contract you get free upgrades to the program, phone support, Internet support, and e-mail support. Our customers appreciate our quick response and proactive method of solving problems.
Customer Service is extremely important to me. Tell me about yours.
School Dynamics believes in a high level of customer service to include timely telephone and e-mail response, with web and on-site service and training. Every person and aspect of our company is focused on customer service. The School Dynamics challenge is to take ownership of our partner schools' problems until those problems are effectively resolved. As is with any computer database, occasionally problems are encountered. Schools reporting problems usually have a solution within 24 - 48 hours. Our committment is to stand with you to be the total solution for your school's information management.
Is there only a network version?
Yes, School Dynamics is designed to use a networked system. It is most efficient when each work station can "feed" information to the database.
Are updates included in the total cost of the program?
Updates are included with our support option. Updates will be released quarterly, bug fixes are released as needed.
Do you do onsite training?
Yes, as a matter of fact, that is how we have structured our installation procedure. We come to your school and install the software, then we provide two days of training for your staff. When we leave your school, the system is up and running, and your staff will have at least a basic understanding of how the system works.
As new teachers or staff are hired is there training for those individuals?
Included in the installation package are video training sessions that cover every part of the program. These can be used to train new staff, or as a refresher for existing staff members.
Can more than one person be using the program at one time?
Yes, each user has a copy of the "front end" of the program on their computer and they each write to the "back end" where all of the data is stored on your server. We have schools with as many as 110 networked computers using our program without any problem.