Features and Benefits of Using CAIRO

The Benefits and Advantages of CAIRO are Numerous and Extensive

You may have come across some of these points elsewhere in this site, but here are a few of the major benefits, as reported by our users:

Benefits:

Time-Saving Features - Shortcuts and Accelerators

Reports are prepared using specially-designed data forms. These enable rapid and accurate input and include a number of devices to accelerate the preparation of data:

When Inputting Grades:

Review Previous Results. Grades from one or two previous periods can be displayed alongside your data input. This allows immediate review of previous performance. Results from any two reporting periods may be selected for display alongside the current results.

Selection Lists. Grades can be selected from drop-down lists of available and valid choices. The software will only accept grades that are in the list, thus minimising the possibility of typographic errors in the data.

When Entering Text:

"Boilerplate" or "Favourite" Texts. Words, phrases, snippets of text or even whole paragraphs can be prepared in advance and stored in a paersonal statement bank for subsequent insertion into the report text. Each teacher has a bank of their own phrases, should he or she choose to use this technique.

The most oft-used texts can be assigned to keyboard function keys. Thus a single keypress can insert a favourite text into the current student's report.

Pronoun Substitution. When using the ability to store and insert favourite texts, the system will modify the pronouns in the text to be inserted according to the sex of the student for whom the report is being written.

Contextual Substitution. When using the ability to store and insert favourite texts, the system recognises special words in the text to be inserted and makes the necessary substitutions. For example, #FirstName# is replaced by the student;s name. Thus the phrase:
"#FirstName# has done well this term. However, he/she still needs to apply himself/herself in order to attain a good mark in the #Subject# exams later this year." might become:
"Johnathan has done well this term. However, he still needs to apply himself in order to attain a good mark in the Chemistry exams later this year." And remember, this enture phrase could be assigned to a function key and thus inserted with a single key-press.