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- The Grading Assistant Version 4.0
- --------------------- January 1, 1991
-
-
- Congratulations! You are using a copy of The Grading Assistant (TGA) --
- a modern program for modern teachers. TGA can take most of the drudgery
- out of computing student grade averages. It was designed by a 6th grade
- English teacher for use by teachers and instructors. TGA has been
- around since 1987, and it is only available through the shareware
- distribution method. It is in use in virtually every state of the U.S.,
- and by instructors from colleges to elementary schools. Several school
- systems are using TGA under site licenses, including an entire school
- district in Texas. In short, TGA is a solid, mature product whose
- ease-of-use and utility as a grading program are demonstrated by the
- wide-ranging base of satisfied customers.
-
-
- To run TGA you need the following type of personal computer (PC):
-
- an IBM PC or 100% compatible equivalent (called a "clone")
-
- at least 450K of free memory (called RAM) after everything else you
- run is loaded (DOS, SideKick, etc)
-
- a PC with two floppy diskette drives or one floppy drive and one
- hard disk drive;
-
- IBM or Microsoft Disk Operating System (DOS) version 3.0 or later;
- (you *may* be able to run with DOS 2.11, but the author cannot
- guarantee that TGA will work on all computers under DOS 2.11)
-
- any of the 18 common printers that TGA supports, or any of the
- hundreds of printers that are compatible with them
-
-
- All of the files you need to run and learn TGA are stored on the main
- distribution diskette(s). Before you can run TGA, you need to INSTALL it.
- Follow these steps to install TGA for use on a hard disk or dual floppy
- diskette system:
-
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
- IF YOU PLAN TO RUN TGA FROM FLOPPY DISK...
-
- You need either one blank, formatted high density (720K or more)
- diskette or three blank, formatted low density (360K) diskettes.
- Use the DOS FORMAT command to prepare the diskette(s). (See your
- DOS Manual for help.)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Put the TGA distribution diskette #1 in drive A: and enter the following
- commands:
- A:
- INSTALL
-
- Now, just follow the directions. For a hard disk installation, you will
- typically install TGA on the "C" drive and in the "\TGA" directory. For
- a floppy disk installation, you will usually install TGA on the "B"
- drive and in the "\" directory.
-
- Next, you need to print your file of documentation. To do that, ready
- your PC printer (power it off, adjust the paper, and power it on). Use
- the DOS PRINT command (or your favorite printer utility program) to
- print the TGA.DOC file. This file will be on your installed diskette #3
- if you installed TGA on low density (360K) diskettes, or on your high
- density disk or on your hard disk directory if you installed TGA to your
- hard disk. To print the documentation from a typical hard disk
- installation to your standard printer, enter this command:
-
- COPY C:\TGA\TGA.DOC PRN:
-
- Or, if you run TGA from a floppy diskette, insert the installed disk
- with the software in your A: drive, then enter:
-
- COPY A:\TGA.DOC PRN:
-
- The TGA documentation will take a while to print and uses about 60
- sheets of paper. But you just can't expect to run the program without
- reading the manual. Since the documentation file uses underlining, your
- printer should *not* be in automatic-linefeed-on-carriage-return mode.
-
- Try TGA for 30 days. It should make your grading job much easier. If
- it does, please send the $20 registration fee to the program's author.
- That way you can count on future help and support from him. It may also
- inspire him to make those changes you'd like to see in future releases
- of TGA. (For example, all of the major changes since version 3.0 were
- requested by registered TGA customers.)
-
- On the other hand, if TGA isn't what you are looking for, just erase it
- and try some of the other SHAREWARE products. There is one out there
- for you. But don't give up on automating your teaching. Life is too
- short to spend it doing grades by hand.
-
-
- Happy Computing!
- Jim Reid