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SIS 2000+ Loader Rules

Last update: 09/02/2000 jmm

Loader Rules are course scheduling restrictions, course alternates rules, and course load balancing restrictions for the Student Loader program. Data entered in this application is accessed by the Student Loader when certain Student Loader options are checked "On" (See Student Loader, Step 2, "Set Loader Options" ). Rules defined in the Loader Rules program can be accessed by all schools sites in the district.

 

Prerequisites:
Before Loader Rules procedures can be executed properly, all courses to be offered by the district must be defined in the District Courses database.
 

1. Open Loader Rules
From the SIS 2000+ Main Menu, open the Scheduling module. From the Scheduling Menu, click on the Loader Rules icon button. There are three tabs (information screens) in the main screen (Fig. 1). Shift the focus to the target screen by clicking on the tabbed titles. At the top of each screen is a read-only English description of the currently selected rule.

Go to the appropriate Step for further instructions on each tab:


Fig. 1 - read-only mode

Existing rules defined in each tab can be viewed by scrolling forward or backward with the VCR buttons or by choosing a rule from a selection list (Fig. 2) activated by the List command button. The selection list applies only to the currently selected tab.


Fig. 2
 

2. Course Rules
Course Rules are used to enforce course prerequisites and corequisites during scheduling and to group or ungroup students according to term, teacher, or course section number.

The Course Rules defined in the following procedure will be enforced during automatic scheduling when the Use Course Rules option is checked "On" in the Student Loader program. When the option is left unchecked these rules will be ignored. See Student Loader, Step 2, "Set Loader Options"

2.1 Add a Course Rule
2.1.1 Initiate

Go to the 'Course (Class) Rules' tab and click on the Add command button to initiate the Add procedure, signified when the 'Add Course (Class) Rule' dialog opens (Fig. 3).


Fig. 3

2.1.2 Designate the Rule Type
Choose the type of rule to be defined and the two courses that will be involved in the rule.

2.1.3 Select two courses

search button

Use the search buttons in the Course 1 and Course 2 fields to open a list of courses from the District Courses database (Fig. 4). Select the two courses that will be involved in the rule. (Only the Course ID numbers will be displayed in the fields after the selections are made. These selections can be edited later in the procedure).

Fig. 4

2.1.4 Continue
When all preliminary criteria are defined in the 'Add Class Rule' dialog (Fig. 5) click on the Done command button to continue.


Fig. 5 - sample criteria

The view will revert to the Class Rules main screen showing the default options according to the rule type that was selected in the previous step.

2.1.5 Define the conditions of the Rule
Use the Tab key to move from field to field. According to the type of rule being defined, enter data as follows:

2.1.6 Save the rule
Click on the Save command button to save the newly defined rule, or Undo to cancel. The view will revert to the read-only mode, indicated when the data fields turn from white to gray (Fig. 1).
2.2 Edit or Delete a Class Rule
With the 'Class Rule' tab selected, select a rule by scrolling forward or backward with the VCR buttons or by executing the List command button to view a list of existing rules. When the target rule is found, click on the Edit command button to activate the edit mode.
  • To edit, use the Tab key to move from field to field. Make modifications. Save.
  • To delete the currently selected rule, click on the Delete command button. In the dialog that appears (Fig. 9), answer "Yes" to confirm the deletion or "No" to abort.


    • Fig. 9
     
     

    3. Global Alternates rule
    (Not yet available)
     

    4. Course Load Balancing rule
    A particular set of courses can be scheduled to be balanced across semesters (i.e. if a student has requested 4 of this set of courses, 2 of them should be scheduled in each semester). "Sets" of courses must first be defined in the Group Editor application as "Course Groups". Course groups are totally user defined, based on the courses in the District Courses database. For example, a course group could be composed of required courses, elective courses, difficult courses, exploratory courses, courses in a particular department, etc. The Course Load Balancing rules will spread out the scheduling of the courses in the group to insure that they are not all scheduled at the beginning of the year or the end of the year, and so on. For example, a set of advanced math courses could be balanced in this manner so that a student doesn't end up overloaded with that subject during any particular term.

    Scheduling balance is measured, in this context, by meeting times (In a single cycle day schedule, this is the same as the number of scheduled periods; in a 5 day cycle schedule, a class that meets in a particular period on Mon, Wed, Fri would count as three meeting times, etc.) A value is entered in the rule that defines a "tolerance" for the rule - what is the maximum allowed difference of scheduled meeting times between terms for the rule to be successful.

    The Course Load Balancing rules defined in the following procedure will be enforced during automatic scheduling when the Use Course Load Balancing option is checked "On" in the Student Loader program. When the option is left unchecked these rules will be ignored.See Student Loader, Step 2, "Set Loader Options"

     

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