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SIS 2000+ Mass Student Schedule Changes

This application allows classes (course sections) to be added (scheduled) or scheduled classes to be dropped (unscheduled, exited) for a group of or set of students according to defined conditions. All schedule changes executed with this program will be reflected in each student's individual schedule in a separate Scheduling application: Student Schedule Editor. The Mass Student Schedule Changes program allows for previewing results on a trial run basis before actually posting the changes to the database. Both summary reports and detail reports can be generated from within the application.

See Student Schedule Editor for more information on student schedules.

Prerequisites:
All classes (course sections) to be added must be properly scheduled in the Master Schedule for the target track. See Master Schedule Editor for more information.
 
 

1. Open Mass Student Schedule Changes application
From the SIS 2000+ Main Menu go to the Scheduling program module. From the Scheduling Menu click on the Mass Schedules icon button.

Fig. 1

Screen Layout

Initially, the opening screen, 'Pending Actions', will be empty (Fig. 1). Actions (Add, Drop, and Drop and Add) are adding via the Add command button. The Actions that are created are not stored in the database but rather exist in a temporary queue that will be displayed on this screen until the Process button is used to execute them, they are deleted, or this application is exited. As long as actions exist in the queue the VCR buttons and the List button are disabled, since moving to another track would require that the actions be discarded. Fig. 14 below is an example of Pending Actions in a queue ready to be processed.
 

2. Select a Track
Mass Student Schedule Changes can only be applied to one track at a time. Select the target track, either by using the VCR buttons to scroll forward or backward or by using the List command button to open a selection list of all available tracks for the logged on school site (Fig. 2). The year listed in the left-hand column indicates the year that the track ends. After a selection is made, the year end plus the track's code will be displayed along with the track's description in the upper portion of the 'Pending Actions' screen.

Fig. 2
 

3. Add Actions
There are three types of Mass Student Schedule Change Actions available:

• Add (schedule course sections)
• Drop (unschedule course sections)
• Drop and Add (unschedule and schedule course sections simultaneously)

Click on the Add command button at the bottom of the 'Pending Actions' screen to open the criteria selection screen (Fig. 3).

Fig. 3

Choose an Action to define by putting a check mark in one of three Actions in the upper left corner of the screen (Fig. 4). Then go to the appropriate Step below to continue.

Fig. 4

3.1 Add (schedule course sections)
To activate this Action, put a check mark in the Add radio button in the upper left corner of the screen (Fig. 4).

In its minimum configuration, this Action will schedule a specified course section to all students in the track. By further defining conditions and criteria, the course section can be configured to be added only to those students with a specified existing scheduled course section (Fig. 5). The Select Students command allows a set of students (such as grade level, gender, etc.) to be selected to receive the Action by the application of queries. This action will not add a schedule record to students who have any of the sessions already scheduled.


Fig. 5 - sample of 'Add' criteria selection screen
 

3.1.1 Select a Course Section to Add
In the lower portion of the criteria selection screen, select a course section to schedule and an Entry Code (reason for enrolling) in the 'Section to Add' dialog (Fig. 6). For verification, when a course section is selected, the term code and the date range of the term will appear above the Entry Code field.


Fig. 6

3.1.2 Determine Add (enrollment) Date
The date specified in this step will be the first day the the student will be enrolled in the class. Activate the drop-down calendar (Fig. 7) using the field button in the First day Student will be in Added class field. Use the small, single VCR buttons to scroll forward or backward through the months until the target day for scheduling is found. Click on the target date until it is highlighted in yellow. Then click on the Select command button to enter that date in the field and automatically close the calendar. Notice that only dates that fall within the date range of the term defined for the course section are available for selection - all others are grayed out.


Fig. 7

3.1.3 Define a conditional existing scheduled section (optional)
This procedure allows the user to set up a condition so that the Section to Add course defined in the previous steps will be added only to those students that have a specified course section already scheduled. To activate this dialog, put a check mark in the Only add to students who already have a schedule for field at the top of the screen (Fig. 8). Then select the conditional course section using the drop-down list. For verification, when a course section is selected, the term code and the date range of the term will be displayed immediately below the section description.


Fig. 8

3.1.4 Select a Set of Students (optional)
The Action defined in the previous steps will be applied to all active students in the selected track by default unless a specific set of students is selected in this step through the application of select queries. The procedure that follows is almost identical to the Select Queries procedures in standard SIS 2000+ reports. (See General Reporting Procedures, Step 2.2, Apply Select Queries for more information.)
 

3.1.4.1 Initiate select query



Click on the Select Students command button to open the 'Select Students' dialog (Fig. 9). Five categories are available for querying.


Fig. 9

3.1.4.2 Select a category to query
Select a category by clicking on an entry until it is highlighted in gray (Fig. 9). Then click on the Edit command button to open a query (Fig. 10)

3.1.4.3 Select criteria and apply a query
Click on the criteria to apply to the selected category. To select more than one criteria, hold the CTRL key down while clicking with the mouse (Fig. 10). Deselect criteria by reversing this process. Click on the Done command button to save the query and return to 'Select Students' screen, or Cancel to abort. Repeat this process for other categories in the list, if required


Fig. 10 - sample query

3.1.4.4 Review criteria and apply all queries
Criteria for queries applied will be indicated by codes for each category in the 'Select Students' screen (Fig. 11). Click on the Done command button to apply all queries, use the Edit command button to modify queries, or click on the Reset button to set all categories back to their default of 'All'. When Done is executed, the view will revert to the main criteria selection screen for the Action (Fig. 5).


Fig. 11
 

3.1.5 Save completed Add Action



From the main criteria selection screen, click on the Save command button (or Undo to cancel). If Save is executed the view will revert to the 'Pending Actions' screen where the completed Action will be displayed as an entry in a queue (Fig. 12). The Action remains in memory only, until the Process command is initiated in later steps.


Fig. 12

3.1.6 Continue or Process

• Follow Steps 4-5.3 to review and process this Action, or
• Repeat Steps 3-3.1.6 to create more Add Actions, or
• Continue with Steps 3.2 and 3.3 to add other types of Actions before processing.
 
3.2 Drop
From the 'Pending Actions' screen click on the Add command button to move back to the main criteria selection screen. To create a Drop Action, put a check mark in the Drop radio button in the upper left corner of the screen (Fig. 13).

In its minimum configuration, this Action will drop all sessions of the specified course section for all students in the track. By further defining a condition, the course section can be configured to be dropped only for those students with a specified existing scheduled course section (Fig. 15). The Select Students command allows a set of students (such as grade level, gender, etc.) to be selected to receive the Action by the application of queries.


Fig. 13 - sample of 'Drop' criteria selection screen
 

3.2.1 Select a Course Section to Drop
In the lower left  portion of the criteria selection screen, select a course section to drop and an Exit Code (reason for exiting) in the 'Section to Drop' dialog (Fig. 14). For verification, when a course section is selected, the term code and the date range of the term will appear below the Exit Code field.


Fig. 14

3.2.2 Determine Drop Date
The "drop date" is equivalent to the last day the student will attend the class being dropped. Activate the drop-down calendar using the field button in the Last day Student will be in Dropped class field. Use the small, single VCR buttons to scroll forward or backward through the months until the last day before unscheduling is found. Click on the target date until it is highlighted in yellow. Then click on the Select command button to enter that date in the field and automatically close the calendar. Notice that only dates that fall within the date range of the term defined for the course section are available for selection - all others are grayed out.

3.2.3 Determine drop behavior
If a course section is dropped on the same day as a student started it (class entry date) or dropped before a student starts it there are three options that will determine what happens to that course section in the students' schedule records. Select one.
 

• Ignore class -

If the class entry date is on or after the specified drop date, checking this option will prevent the course section from being dropped. This is to prevent dropping sessions from students who are scheduled to enter the course at some future date.
• Delete Class -

If the class entry date is on or after the specified drop date, this option will delete the schedule records and any affiliated attendance records for this class, as if they were never scheduled.
• Drop as of Entry Date -

The "drop date" is equivalent to the last day of attendance for a class and the "entry date" is equivalent to the first day of attendance for a class. If the class entry date is the same as the specified drop date, checking this option will leave a schedule record of one day for the class being dropped. (When the entry date is after the drop date, using this option, the drop date will be moved up to be the same as the entry date thus, in effect,  leaving a schedule record of one day for the class being dropped.)
 
3.2.4 Define a conditional existing scheduled section (optional)
This procedure allows the user to set up a condition so that the Section to Drop course will be dropped only for students who have a specified course section already scheduled. To activate this dialog, put a check mark in the Only drop from students who already have a schedule for field at the top of the screen (Fig. 15). Then select the conditional course section using the drop-down list. For verification, when a course sections is selected, the term code and the date range of the term will be displayed immediately below the section description.


Fig. 15

3.2.5 Select a Set of Students (optional)
Refer to Steps 3.1.4 - 3.1.4.4

3.2.6 Save completed Drop Action



From the main criteria selection screen, click on the Save command button (or Undo to cancel). If Save was executed the view will revert to the 'Pending Actions' screen (Fig. 16) where the completed Action will be displayed as an entry in a queue. The Action remains in memory only, until the Process command is initiated in later steps.


Fig. 16

3.2.7 Continue or Process

• Follow Steps 4-5.3 to review and process this Action, or
• Repeat Steps 3.2-3.2.6 to create more Drop Actions, or
• Continue with Step 3.3 to add other types of Actions before processing.
 
3.3 Drop and Add
From the 'Pending Actions' screen click on the Add command button to move back to the criteria selection screen. To create an Drop and Add Action, put a check mark in the Drop and Add radio button in the upper left corner of the screen (Fig. 17).

In its minimum configuration, this Action will drop a specified course section followed by an add of a specified course section. The dropped class will be exited on the day before the specified date. The added course section will be added on the specified date. By further defining a condition, the Action will only take effect for those students with a specified existing scheduled course section. The Select Students command allows a set of students (such as grade level, gender, etc.) to be selected to receive the Action by the application of queries.


Fig. 17
 

3.3.1 Select a Course Section to Drop
In the middle portion of the criteria selection screen, select a course section to drop and an Exit Code (reason for exiting) in the 'Section to Drop' dialog (Fig. 18). For verification, when a course section is selected, the term code and the date range of the term will appear above the Exit Code field.


Fig. 18

3.3.2 Determine drop behavior
If a course section is dropped on the same day as a student started it (class entry date) or dropped before a student starts it there are three options that will determine what happens to that course section in the students' schedule records. Select one.
 

• Ignore class -

If the class entry date is on or after the specified drop date, checking this option will prevent the course section from being dropped. This is to prevent dropping sessions from students who are scheduled to enter the course at some future date.
• Delete Class -

If the class entry date is on or after the specified drop date, this option will delete the schedule records and any affiliated attendance records for this class as if they were never scheduled.
 
3.3.3 Select a Course Section to Add
In the lower portion of the criteria selection screen, select a course section to schedule and an Entry Code (reason for enrolling) in the 'Section to Add' dialog (Fig. 19). For verification, when a course section is selected, the term code and the date range will appear above the Entry Code field.


Fig. 19

3.3.4 Set enrollment date
Set the enrollment date of the course section to be added. Activate the drop-down calendar using the field button in the First day Student will be in Added class field (Fig. 7). Use the small, single VCR buttons to scroll forward or backward through the months until the target day for scheduling is found. Click on the target date until it is highlighted in yellow. Then click on the Select command button to enter that date in the field and automatically close the calendar. Notice that only dates that fall within the date range of the term defined for the course section are available for selection - all others are grayed out. The course to be dropped will automatically be exited the day before the enrollment date of the course that is being added.

3.3.5 Define a conditional existing scheduled section (optional)
This procedure allows the user to set up a condition so that the Section to Drop and the Section to Add course sections defined in the previous steps will be dropped and added only for students who have a specified course section already scheduled. To activate this dialog, put a check mark in the Only drop/add from students who already have a schedule for field at the top of the screen (Fig. 20). Then select the conditional course section using the drop-down list. For verification, the term and the date range of the term will be displayed immediately below the section description.


Fig. 20

3.2.5 Select a Set of Students (optional)
Refer to Steps 3.1.4 - 3.1.5.4

3.2.6 Save completed Drop and Add Action



From the main criteria selection screen, click on the Save command button (or Undo to cancel). If Save was executed, the view will revert to the 'Pending Actions' screen (Fig. 21) where the completed Action will be displayed as an entry in a queue (Fig. 21). In this Action, only the section to be dropped will appear in the listing. The Action remains in memory only, until the Process command is initiated in later steps.


Fig. 21

3.2.7 Continue or Process

• Follow Steps 4-5.3 to review and process all pending Actions, or
• Repeat Steps 3-3.2.6 to add more Actions

 
 

4.1 Review Actions
After each Action is saved the view revert to the 'Pending Actions' screen. A list of all Actions saved in the current session will be listed for review in the order they were entered (Fig. 22). If all is satisfactory, continue to Step 5 to process the actions.

4.2 Edit Actions
To edit an Action, click on the target entry until it is highlighted in gray and then click on the Edit command button to go into the edit mode of its corresponding criteria selection screen.

4.3 Delete Actions
Click on an Action in the list until it is highlighted in gray. Click on the Delete command button to remove the selected Action from the list.

4.4 Sort Actions
The Actions listed will be processed in the order they appear in the list, from first to last. One Action may affect another Action. Therefore, the order in which a group of Actions is processed could have a dramatic effect on the final results of the course requests database. Sort the Actions to the desired order by dragging and dropping a selection to a different position on the list using the mover bar . In the example of Fig. 22 and Fig. 23 below, the Add "HEALTH" Action was moved from fourth place to second place in the list. The positions of the other Actions in the list was adjusted accordingly.


Fig. 22


Fig. 23
 
 

5.1 Initiate
Click on the Process command button at the bottom of the 'Pending Actions' screen.

5.2 Select Preview and Print Options
Reports are available in a variety of configurations as the Actions are being processed. In the 'Process Actions' screen that appears (Fig. 24) select the following options:


Fig. 24 - default print options
 

• Display Summary Report -

Includes a cover page listing a summary of Actions processed, similar to the list in the 'Pending Actions' screen (Fig. 25). This will show the number of students processed for each action plus the number of schedules added and/or dropped per action.


Fig. 25 - sample 'Summary Report'
 

• Detail for all students -

When this option is checked, the detail report will list:
• Students who do not have the required course scheduled
• Students who do not have the course to be dropped scheduled
• Students who already have the course to be added scheduled
• The number oif sessions added for each student
• The number of sessions dropped for each student
The student detail entries will be grouped under course section headings which are, in turn, grouped under Action Type headings ('Add', 'Drop', and 'Drop and Add'). The table below (Fig. 26) shows that various types of entries that may appear in the listing.
 

Detail Entry	Action Description	Processing Status	Exception?
Required * section is not scheduled	A course section to be added was not scheduled because the student did not have the required existing scheduled course section.	Action unprocessed	No
Add section * - (n) is already scheduled	A course section(s) to be added was not scheduled because the student is already scheduled for that section.	Action unprocessed	Yes
Add Section * - (n) not added, conflicts with...	A course section(s) to be added was not scheduled because it conflicts with a section the student is already scheduled in.	Action processed	Yes
(n) session added -	A course session was added (scheduled) in the student's schedule	Action processed	No
(n) session closed -	A course session was dropped from the student's schedule	Action processed	No

Fig. 26


Fig. 27 - Sample 'Detail for all students' (vertically condensed to show groupings)
 

• Detail for students processed -

This option details only on those students for whom classes were added or dropped, giving the number of sessions added or dropped. This will also include the conflict exception exception entry (see table - Fig. 26). The student detail entries will be grouped under course section headings which are, in turn, grouped under Action Type headings ('Add', 'Drop', and 'Drop and Add'). The table below (Fig. 26) shows that various types of entries that may appear in the listing.


Fig. 27 - sample 'Detail for students processed'  (vertically condensed to show groupings)
 

• Detail for students with exceptions -

Reports details only on exceptions (Fig. 28). An "exception" is a course section that could not be scheduled due to a schedule conflict or because the course is already scheduled. Exceptions are generated by the 'Add' or the 'Drop and Add' type actions only. The student detail entries will be grouped under course section headings which are, in turn, grouped under Action Type headings ('Add', 'Drop', and 'Drop and Add').


Fig. 28 - sample 'Detail for students with exceptions'
 

• No detail -

Displays no report detail. Use this option when only a Summary Report is needed.
• Preview and Print -

Displays a print preview with the option to print. See General Reporting Procedures, Step 3, Preview for more information on previewing reports.
• Preview Only -

Displays a print preview with no option to print.
• Print Only -

Prints hard copy of the report directly to default printer without preview. See General reporting Procedures, Step 4, Print report for more information on printing reports.
• Do not change data -

Check this option to processes Actions on a trial run basis in RAM memory only. The results are available for analysis as a print preview or a hard copy report (according to preview and print options selected above) but the SIS 2000+ database will not be changed. Actions will remain in the 'Pending Actions' queue after processing.


Fig. 29
 

5.3 Complete Processing
After selections are made in the 'Process Actions' screen, click on the Process command button again. A screen gauge will show the progress of the processing (Fig. 30).


Fig. 30

This may take a short period of time or a long period of time depending on the size of the database, speed of the network, and the number and criteria of the Actions being processed. Press ESC to cancel the processing. After all Actions are executed the view will return to the print preview, if selected as an option, or to the 'Pending Actions' screen if no preview was requested. Successfully processed Actions will be removed from the 'Pending Actions' screen (unless the Do not change data option was selected, in which case they will remain in the queue.)
 
 

7. Exit program
Click on the Quit command button to exit the Mass Student Schedule Changes program.
 

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