Module SECTION SCHEDULING. Astra Schedule Training Guide

Transcription

1 Module 2 SECTION SCHEDULING Astra Schedule Training Guide

2 Table of Contents Introduction... 3 Lesson Audience... 3 Lesson Objectives... 3 Configuration Requirements... 3 Common Practices... 3 Best Practices... 3 Introduction to Tool... 3 How to... 3 Lesson 1 Section record overview... 3 Lesson 2 Using the Available Rooms Tool... 3 Lesson 3 Editing Section Records... 3 Lab... 3 Lab Lab - Solution... 3 Lab 1...3

3 Introduction Lesson Audience This lesson is specifically designed for users responsible for scheduling, or administrating academic sections in the Astra Schedule System. Lesson Objectives Provide an overall guide to the components and fields that support section scheduling in Astra Schedule. Teach end users how to edit section information and use the manual scheduling tool to assign rooms. Provide information to schedulers on available reports and grid views. Configuration Requirements Astra Schedule Client connected to a viable database containing room inventory information One term of imported section records with validated support information (instructors, courses, subjects, etc) See System Administrator Guide for more detailed information on the initial import of room and section data. Common Practices Roll forward of offerings and room assignments from previous terms Dual entry and errors due to SIS system / Scheduling incompatibility Inability to support multiple users creating paperwork nightmares for the scheduling office Unavailability of a Web client resource 3

4 Lengthy scheduling processes and unrealistic deadlines on course scheduling Grandfathered use of room resources resulting in over/under usage of space Extensive data manipulation and compilation in order to get utilization and scheduling results in an acceptable report form Best Practices The Return on Investment possibilities with Astra Schedule are vast. With refined scheduling policies and procedures, and the software to support these efforts, our customers have found ways to better manage space for growing enrollments, schedule in a zone based method to save enormous amounts on heating and cooling, and speed up the event and section scheduling tasks through automated room availability checking and messaging. For further information, please check out our customer Case Studies, Testimonials, and Best Practices documentation available on our website SIS integration with scheduling software Distributed scheduling capabilities to avoid complicated paper trails Web-based solutions for off campus users Optimized scheduling based on the institutions scheduling policies through preference weight costing analysis Scenario capabilities to find the best fit schedule in a short amount of time Resource utilization reporting for immediate result analysis Introduction to Tool Astra Schedule is a best-in-class transactional scheduling application. It can be used by full-time schedulers and anyone outside of your scheduling office: departmental or event schedulers who need occasional access, instructors and students who want to view real-time academic and event schedules and resource managers who want to confirm resource requests and view reports. Astra Schedule manages Room Scheduling for your entire campus. It provides everything you would expect in an advanced scheduling system and a few things you wouldn't expect. Its bulk room optimizer can be tailored to the needs and politics of your campus. Availability lookups simultaneously check all event assignments, bookings inherited from your Student Information System and other academic assignments made by Astra Schedule. Astra Schedule develops and supports interfaces to all major Student 4

5 Information Systems. Additionally, users can map data from and to a variety of formats - allowing Astra Schedule to integrate with a variety of homegrown systems, with little or no programming. The Tools of Astra Schedule: Distributed Calendaring (Guests and Registered Users) Event Request Management Room Scheduling Timetabling (Optional) Space Management Heating and Cooling Zone Management Event Management Resource Management Formatted and customizable reports 5

6 How to Lesson 1 Section record overview A section is a course offering for a specific academic term. The section record in Astra Schedule stores key information for the section, including the preferences used by Astra Schedule for scheduling. The following steps demonstrate how to access section record information: 1. Click on the Sections tab (refer to Figure 1). 2. Optionally, select Term and Campus tabs as necessary. Figure 1 3. Section records are represented by rows in the data grid. Double-click on a section record to access the Section Information dialog. The Summary tab displays by default (refer to Figure 2). 6

7 Figure 2 The following table describes data elements in the section record. Note: Depending on the system configuration, not all fields may be editable by the user. Read only fields appear with grayed-out text. Field Description Subject Subject abbreviation of the selected section. Course Course number or code of the selected section. Section Section number or code of the selected section. Title Title of the course for the selected section. Campus Campus on which the selected section meets. Meeting type Meeting type associated with the selected section. Max Maximum capacity of a section. enrollment Enrollment Actual number of students enrolled in the section. Start Date range for the section. date/end date Start Time of day during which the section meets. time/end time Days Met Days of the week on which the section meets. Note: Clicking the arrow button beside the day field allows users to select even/odd week meeting patterns. 7

8 Section Cluster in Same Room Do Not Schedule Arranged Section Do Not Optimize Term Status Building Room When checked, the optimizer will attempt to schedule all section clusters associated with the selected section in the same room. When checked, this section will not be scheduled during any Optimizer run or through the Available Rooms tool. Often this is due to incomplete meeting pattern information. If this box is checked, this section was imported as a prearranged section or has been manually marked as arranged by a user. If this box is checked, this section will not be scheduled by the system during an Optimizer run. Term during which the selected section meets. Current scheduling status of the section. Building in which the section meets. Room in which the section meets. Lesson 2 Using the Available Rooms Tool Sections can be assigned to rooms either automatically using the Optimizer or manually by using the Available Rooms tool. The Available Rooms tool is helpful in special circumstances when the bulk scheduling process results in unscheduled sections or in any case where an individual section needs to be assigned a room. The following example demonstrates manual room assignment. (Refer to Training Module D and the Astra Schedule User s Guide for further information on automatic room assignment.) 1. Open the Edit Section Information dialog as described in the previous lesson. (Refer to Figure 2). 2. Click on the icon next to the Building field to access the Available Rooms tool (refer to Figure 3). 3. In the Available Rooms dialog, the data grid displays only those available rooms that meet the scheduling preferences of the section. The Cost value represents how well the room fits the preference settings. The lower the cost value, the better the fit. 4. Select whether to Base Scheduling on current Enrollment or Max Enrollment. Note: It is recommended to base section scheduling on Max Enrollment (or expected enrollment) prior to the beginning of any term. Generally actual enrollment figures will not be correct until registration is complete. 8

9 Figure 3 5. To assign the section to an available room, select any room labeled Available and click the Select button at the bottom of the dialog (refer to Figure 3). 6. Click OK to close the Edit Section Information dialog and save changes. Finding an Available Room The room list results shown in the Available Rooms Tool are derived from the capacity needed by the section and the preferences applied. Once the costs have been applied, rooms that fit the requirements are listed as possibilities for the section. Typical issues that will keep a section from finding a room are: Enrollment figures outside of the max capacity of a room Room-type preference not found with the capacity needed for the section Limit to list preference not found (feature needed not available, etc.) 9

10 User access restrictions conflict with section needs _AdAstraTraining_Chapter2.doc Figure 4 Figure 5 10

11 Working with Conflicts While in the Available Rooms dialog, rooms with activities scheduled at the same time as the section meets are labeled as Conflict. By default, users cannot assign a section to a room with a conflict (refer to Figure 6). The following example demonstrates how to rearrange room assignments to work around a conflict. 1. Using any section record, access the Available Rooms tool by using the steps outlined in the previous example. Figure 6 Figure 7 2. Prior to reassigning rooms, it might be useful to view room availability through the academic term. In the data grid, highlight a room labeled with Conflict, right-click on the room, and select Available Meetings (refer to Figure 6). 3. The Available Meetings dialog appears with a listing of meetings and availability by day for the selected room (refer to Figure 7). This is strictly a viewing tool and cannot be used to change the status of or rearrange sections. Click the Close button to return to the Available Rooms dialog. 4. To view specific information regarding room conflicts, use the View Conflict Tool. In the Available Rooms dialog, click on the icon located at the bottom right of the room grid. An additional grid is now visible in the right half of the dialog displaying the sections or events creating the conflicts (refer to Figure 8). 11

12 Figure 8 5. On the Current Conflicts tab, any conflicting section or event is shown regardless of day. Optionally click on the Weekly View tab to display an entire week of conflicts for the selected room. 6. The Available Rooms tool provides a shortcut to conflicting section records to rearrange room assignments. To reassign a conflicting section to a different room, highlight a Conflict room, right-click and select Conflicts (refer to Figure 6). The Conflicts dialog appears (refer to Figure 9). Figure 9 7. The conflicting section detail appears in a grid. Click the Jump To button to access the section details. The Edit Section Information dialog appears for the section. Make note of the original room assignment. 8. For the conflicting section, use the Available Rooms tool to reassign to an available room (same as in the previous example). 9. Click OK to save the changes to the section record. 10. The Available Rooms tool for the initial section should still be open, however the room should now show as Available. 11. Highlight the room and click the Select button (refer to Figure 10). 12. Click OK to close the Edit Section Information dialog and save 12

13 changes to the section record. Figure 10 Tip: Filters can be created and saved for the room list in the Available Rooms Tool. Also, the grid can be sorted by clicking on the column header. Lesson 3 Editing Section Records Creating Exceptions Exceptions are used to handle irregularities in a section meeting pattern, whether a cancellation or meeting on a different time/day. 1. Click on the Section tab. 2. Double-click on a section record to open the Edit Section Information dialog. 3. At the bottom of the dialog, in the Additional Meeting Info area, click on the icon (refer to Figure 11). NOTE: Do not modify class data in Astra; all must be made in PeopleSoft. Any to class data WILL NOT transfer to OASIS. 13

14 Figure The Select Section Exception Date dialog box appears (refer to Figure 12) 5. Select a day of the week that the exception occurs. 6. Click OK to continue. NOTE: Do not modify class data in Astra; all must be made in PeopleSoft. Any to class data WILL NOT transfer to OASIS. Figure 12 Figure The Select Exceptions dialog appears. In the data grid, every week in the academic term is listed with the corresponding meeting date of the section. Select the checkbox next to each date to mark exceptions and click OK to return to the Edit Section Information dialog (refer to Figure 13). 8. Repeat the previous steps for exceptions that fall on other days of the week. The exception(s) is listed in the Additional Meeting Info area. At this point, the exception is considered a class cancellation because it has no building/room assignment. Figure 14 Note: The room that the section is scheduled into has now been made available for scheduling during the exception. 14

15 9. If the exception is not a cancellation, it can now be assigned a different time or room. To do this, double-click on the exception record listed in the Additional Meeting Info area. The Exception dialog appears (refer to Figure 15). Figure Select different Start/End Time by using the Select Times dialog. 11. Select a different Room Type from the list, if needed. NOTE: Do not modify class data in Astra; all must be made in PeopleSoft. Any to class data WILL NOT transfer to OASIS. 12. Select a different room by clicking on the icon next to Building. The Available Rooms tool appears, as described in the previous example. Follow the same steps to select another available room. 13. Click OK to save the changes to the exception. The updated exception information appears in the Additional Meeting Info Area (refer to Figure 16). Figure Click OK to save changes to section record. Editing Instructor Assignment Typically, instructor assignments are transferred automatically from the SIS into Astra Schedule. If necessary, instructors can be manually assigned to the section record depending on user access levels. The following steps demonstrate how to make an additional instructor assignment. 1. Click on the Section tab. 15

16 2. Double-click on a section record to open the Edit Section Information dialog. On the Summary tab, the Instructor area displays the instructor(s) associated with the section (refer to Figure 17). Figure In the Instructor area, click on the icon. The Section Instructor dialog box appears. From this form the user can edit the desired information for the selected instructor (refer to Figure 18). Then click OK to save the changes and return to the Instructor area of the section screen. NOTE: Do not modify class data in Astra; all must be made in PeopleSoft. Any to class data WILL NOT transfer to OASIS. Figure By clicking on the icon in the Instructor area, the Section Instructor dialog appears. Allowing the user to select a new instructor from the list. 5. To view instructor availability, click on the icon. The Select Section Instructor dialog appears (refer to Figure 19). This dialog is similar to the Available Rooms tool discussed in previous examples. Tip: The instructor lists default to those instructors configured to teach the subject/course. To display all instructors, check the Show All checkbox. 6. An instructor grid is on the left displaying instructor availability. Daily/Weekly grids are displayed on the right, identified by tabs at the bottom. 7. Select an available instructor by highlighting the corresponding row and 16

17 click OK to add the instructor. NOTE: Do not modify class data in Astra; all must be made in PeopleSoft. Any to class data WILL NOT transfer to OASIS. Figure 19 Understanding Section Clusters In Astra Schedule, section clusters are used to describe and track sections that are broken into multiple records due to irregular meeting patterns. Examples include: 1) A MWF class where MW meets at 9 a.m., but F meets at 10 a.m. OR 2) a MWF lecture class with a regular meeting pattern but a discussion section W evening. Note: Section Clusters are pieces of the same section that are linked in the Astra Schedule system by matching values in the Section_Cluster field. Section clusters are typically imported from your Student Information System, but they can be created manually from within the Astra system. The following steps demonstrate how to manually create a section cluster. In this example the Friday meeting of a MWF section will be moved to meet at a different time. 1. Click on the Section tab. 2. Double-click on a section record to open the Edit Section Information dialog. 17

18 3. On the Summary tab, Additional Meeting Info area, click on the icon (refer to Figure 20). Figure A message appears prompting whether or not to create multiple section cluster meetings. Select Yes to create a new section record for the new F meeting. The Multiple Meetings dialog appears (refer to Figure 21). 5. For Type of Meeting area, select the Repeating option. 6. Select a different Start and End Time for the new F meeting. This Section Cluster number is attached to each meeting of the cluster. This value must be unique to the cluster. Astra will use the unique Import Id of the section by default. If this is not available, it will use the username, date and time. Users may need to manually create a unique value, if the system is unable to find a default. NOTE: Do not modify class data in Astra; all must be made in PeopleSoft. Any to class data WILL NOT transfer to OASIS. Figure In the Repeating Meetings area, optionally adjust the date range of the meetings by selecting From and To dates. By default, the meeting spans the entire academic term. 8. Select Day(s) of Week and Which Occurrence(s). 9. The meeting appears in the grid at the bottom of the dialog. 10. Click the Create Meeting button to save changes and continue. 11. The section cluster is listed in the Additional Meeting Info area (refer to Figure 22). 18

19 Figure 22 Figure While still in the Section Information dialog, de-select the Friday (F) meeting day from the primary meeting. 13. Click OK to save changes to the section record. Tip: If you will be utilizing the Optimizer for scheduling, be sure that you set the Section Cluster in the Same Room flag on the section edit form, where appropriate. NOTE: Do not modify class data in Astra; all must be made in PeopleSoft. Any to class data WILL NOT transfer to OASIS. Working with Cross Listed Sections A cross listed section meets in the same room at the same time with one or more sections. Typically cross listed examples include: 1) departments offering credit for the same class, or 2) different sections of the same course meeting in the same room at the same time. Cross Listed sections are typically imported from the SIS, but can be created manually within the system. The following steps demonstrate how to manually cross list two sections. 1. Click on the Section tab. 2. Double-click on a section record to open the Edit Section Information dialog. 3. On the Summary tab, Additional Meeting Info area, click on the icon (refer to Figure 24). Figure The Select Cross Listed Sections dialog appears (refer to Figure 25). 19

20 5. Identify the section to cross list, and check the corresponding box under the Select column. 6. Click OK to save changes. Note: All available sections appear in the Cross List dialog. Sections are sorted by subject and grouping tabs appear at the bottom of the screen. NOTE: Do not modify class data in Astra; all must be made in PeopleSoft. Any to class data WILL NOT transfer to OASIS. Figure The cross listed section is listed in the Additional Meeting Info area (refer to Figure 26). Figure Click OK to save changes to the section record. Cross listed sections are treated differently by the system. Some things to remember are : The Cross List Number field value must be unique to the cross listed group. When looking for a room, system settings will determine if the capacity is based on the section s enrollment or the total enrollment of all cross listed sections. 20

21 Upon editing a cross listed section s meeting pattern, the user will be prompted to apply the edit over all attached sections. Cross lists are considered to be invalid in Astra Schedule if the meeting pattern and/or room assignment do not match. Additional Rooms On occasion a section will need more than one room assigned to it for the entire length of the session. This can be accomplished with the Additional Room button which is located in two places on the section edit screen. Figure 27 Locate the house icon near the Building field in the Summary tab. It can also be found in the Additional Meeting Info area at the bottom of the Edit Section form. NOTE: Do not modify class data in Astra; all must be made in PeopleSoft. Any to class data WILL NOT transfer to OASIS. Figure 28 Click on the Additional Room button to add another room assignment to the section. The Add Room dialog appears (refer to figure 29), allowing the user to select a new room type and capacity. After selecting the proper options, click the OK button to advance to the Available Rooms tool. Figure 29 Select the desired available room (refer to figure 30) and click OK to assign it to the section. The additional room will now be visible in the Additional Meeting Info area. Click OK on the section record to save the changes. 21

22 NOTE: Do not modify class data in Astra; all must be made in PeopleSoft. Any to class data WILL NOT transfer to OASIS. Figure 30 22

23 Lab Lab 1 Open an unscheduled section and use the Available Rooms Tool to find a Conflict. Jump to the conflicting section, remove the conflict and schedule the original section. Completed for Certification: / Date: Ad Astra Training Specialist 23

24 Lab - Solution Lab 1 Open an unscheduled section and use the Available Rooms Tool to find a Conflict. Jump to the conflicting section, remove the conflict and schedule the original section. 1. From the Available Rooms Tool find a Conflict and right click on the room record to get the Conflicts menu option. 2. After opening the information dialog select a conflicting section record and click on the Jump To button. 3. Drop the room assignment from the conflicting section and save the record. 4. On the original record, select the now available room record and use the Select button to assign it to the section. 5. Click OK to save the section. 24