Technical Specifications
Privacy and Security
The STEPS system is compliant with FERPA (Family Education Rights and
Privacy Act) in its handling of student data. The STEPS system further
incorporates a number of security-related features enabled by its .Net
2.0 and Oracle 10G Enterprise Edition (with Advanced Security)
technologies in order to encrypt:
-
Communication with the web application
- Session variables in the web application
- Communication between the web application and database
- Selected data in the database
STEPS for Assessment offers both hosted and self-hosted options. The data center for our hosted schools is a secure, restricted-access environment with climate control, fire suppression and nightly, encrypted backups.
Application Framework
The STEPS web application is built using the .Net 2.0 Framework with C# code behind that interacts with an Oracle 10G Enterprise Edition database (with the Advanced Security option). The code for the entire application, including Oracle stored procedures, exceeds 100,000 lines. The STEPS web application addresses accessibility standards according to Section 508 of the United States Rehabilitation Act.
Success Stories
"I believe this system can provide a significant advantage to any university implementing an assessment process."
—Chair of the AACSB Assessment Committee, University of Houston-Downtown