“Pete’s initiative in automating basic testing procedures, has allowed us to prioritise other more complex, critical elements” – Veronica Cucuiat, Platform Manager

Pearson UK provides educational tools containing a rich variety of content, making learning more engaging and effective.

The ActiveLearn division is aimed at students, helping them to take control of their own learnings by providing them with a wide range of online tools to supplement their traditional text books.

”I really can’t think of anything that Surge Online could have been done better on the QA testing side – they’ve been great” – Veronica Cucuiat, Platform Manager

• Deliver continuous updates to over 300,000 registered users
• Work closely with Project Managers to ensure changing customer needs are met
• Provide back-up to the Platform Manager who has ultimate responsibility for the product

Surge Online have been working with Pearson UK since 2009, providing QA testing services for their various online platforms.

As with all online content providers, Pearson has exacting standards, although with the ever-changing educational environment and given Pearson’s dominant position in this market, the user demands placed on Pearson are arguably greater than most.

Therefore, the rigorous testing environment set up and managed by Surge Online is a critical factor in the delivery of Pearson’s acclaimed service.

“The buck literally stops with me – I require absolute certainty” – Veronica Cucuiat, Platform Manager

If anything were found to not work properly through a lack of testing, the situation could escalate very quickly from minor inconvenience to the user to a complete lack of trust in the product. That is something which we cannot allow to happen, hence our insistence upon a continuous, robust testing regime.

“There is a huge amount of unseen compliance required”

Given the content-rich nature of our online learning products, with embedded videos, interactive exercises, and downloadable reading lists, there is a huge amount of unseen compliance required at the back-end. This is further compounded by the need to make sure all the content is tablet responsive across a wide range of operating systems and browsers.

Surge Online have been responsible for embedding the appropriate tester within our team, who has then taken the lead on all quality tasks as well as liaising with other external contractors, such as software developers.

“We have earned great feedback”

With Pete’s help, we have increased our ActiveLearn product range, earned great feedback, and consolidated our dominant position in the educational software market.

“Teachers and students don’t have time to faff around – they require the content to be accurate and to work first time. With Surge Online’s rigorous testing procedures, we were able to fulfil those needs”