15/1/01
The Internet will continue to be an important resource for Western Australian school leavers seeking a fast, safe and easy way to access their TEE results.
Year 12 students in 2000 were the first to benefit from the Tertiary Institution Service Centre (TISC) Online Universities Admission Advice Service.
On December 27, some 9,100 students obtained their results via the web, compared with 8,500 students who used the traditional TISCLine telephone service.
Works and Services Minister Rob Johnson said the ability of students to access their Tertiary Entrance Exam (TEE) results, Tertiary Entrance Ranking (TER) and eligibility messages for university admission marked a new era in the way students obtained their results.
“Year 2000 TEE students were able to gain secure access to their results from anywhere in the world via the Internet,” Mr Johnson said.
“Many thousands of students took advantage of this new technology and were able to gain rapid access to their universities admissions advice information.
“I believe even more students will access the service in the 2001 school year - a trend that will continue as computer use expands.”
Mr Johnson said behind the scenes, his portfolio agency - Contract and Management Services (CAMS) - and private sector firms Computer Associates and AlphaWest, combined resources with TISC to develop the requirements needed for the results service.
The main challenge was determining the impact of an estimated 10,000 students accessing the website at the same time and the impact on the network and the web servers.
Two high-end computers were used to manage the service.
Another vital consideration was protecting the privacy of students. This was achieved by authenticating the student through a user ID and PIN.
“Testing before December 27 demonstrated a capacity to handle a remarkable 400 result pages per second,” Mr Johnson said.
“On December 27, the network, servers and the application software all combined to meet the needs of students logging on and getting their results via the web for the first time.
“With 52 per cent of students electing to obtain their results via the web, it demonstrated that the community and in particular students, are e-enabled.”
Mr Johnson said the success of the results service had prompted an examination of other services that could go online in the near future.
Media contact:
Fran Hodge (08) 9215 4800
