The Dolphin System is available for UK schools both as an online service and on CD for installing locally. Which version you choose for your school will depend on a number of factors. The pros and cons of each option are given below.

Schools outside the UK may currently register for the online version only.

The online version

• No installation necessary. Simply continue using the trial materials which will be made permanent.
• Instant upgrades - the Dolphin System is continually being developed and upgraded. You and your pupils will always have access to the latest version without the need to perform any upgrades at the school - so the school will have the most up to date version all the time.

• Some of the fine detail in the pupil progress tracking is not available. Because of internet traffic speeds it is not possible to save pupil progress data at the SKILL level online - however, data at the MODULE level is saved. In practice this means that the happy people at the top right of the 'I can' pages showing overall competence on each lesson are logged to the database and retain their colour, but those on the skills pages and the left of the 'I Can' pages revert to red when the page is revisited. ie the I Can pages only permanently record progress for whole modules, not for individual skills. Since pupil retention of individual skills is not an exact science anyway, many schools consider this not to be a significant problem.
• Speed and reliability of access to the materials is dependent on your school internet connection. Broadband is recommended!

Installing on your own network

• As well as recording overall confidence in the different modules, the I Can pages permanently record the pupils' self assessment of individual skills, giving a more detailed picture of pupil competence.
• Class progress records are available in a wider variety of formats - showing % of skills learned.
• Depending on the speed and reliability of your network, access to the materials is likely to be faster and more directly under your control.

• The local installation of Dolphin requires Microsoft Internet Information Server or Personal Web Server to be pre-installed. Setting up these programs requires some technical know-how - so the installation needs to be carried out by experienced technical support staff.
• While the system can be set up without one, the local version of Dolphin runs more efficiently when the school has its own server. Schools without a server may therefore choose not to pursue this option.
• Upgrades will only happen when you install them, and may cost you, if your local authority charges you for installation.

Subscription Costs