Overview
Paradigm records a variety of time periods which gives meaning to specific dates or date ranges in your business or institution. It also allows you to configure the time periods to meet the business requirements of your institution, and at the same time comply to the government reporting. This article provides detailed workflows on how you can Search, Edit and Create Time Periods in Paradigm.
Complexity MEDIUM
Implications
NOTE:
Incorrectly setting configuration periods may adversely affect the following system functions:
Invoice generation;
Student and Contact user personal timetable views;
Unit enrolments performed via the Course Plan; and
Controlling access for students to make unit enrolment changes via the Course Plan.
BE ADVISED:
By default Time Period Editing is only available to users with full admin permissions. Time periods contain critical information within the system and should not be changed by users who have lower permission levels.
When dates and periods are set incorrectly this will cause issues, incorrect data will have a flow-on effect to other periods, dates and settings.
Please ensure that new dates and periods are created in advance to allow for future functions e.g. Scheduling, enrolling (Academic Years, census etc).
Ensure that old dates are set to hidden for the convenience of other users.
Please note there are different types of time periods. Some are created multiple times and once created (unless there has been a mistake) never altered (except to archive). e.g. Academic Year, Academic Term, Census date, census period.
Others are configuration periods e.g. Invoicing period, CAN census period, Application Portal etc. These are set up in consultation with the institution when the system is initially set up. These time periods only have one per system and are updated (rather than created) to reflect the new time period.
Workflow
STEP 1 Choose your action with Time Periods
A. Add New Academic Year
You can add new Academic Year in Paradigm in two ways: Follow WORKFLOW 1 if you have an existing Academic Year records in the system, e.g. a record from your previous Academic Year. However, if you would want to add new Academic Year from scratch [if you don’t have any existing records yet], follow WORKFLOW 2.
WORKFLOW 1 Add New Academic Year with existing records
STEP 1 Choose 1 System > 2 Edit Time Period > 3 Set Type: Academic Year > 4 Click the SEARCH TIME PERIODS button.
STEP 2 Select the previous Academic Year record from the list of academic records which are being displayed after clicking the SEARCH TIME PERIODS button. 5 You can also filter the record by typing the year in the Filter Box, this will display the Academic Year records of the year that you specified. 6 Click the 📝 EDIT button on the right of the Academic Year record to start editing.
INFO: In the example above, the search is filtered to 2021, as the user would want to create a new Academic Year record for 2022.
STEP 3 After clicking the 📝 EDIT button, a TIME PERIOD DETAILS Form will appear below the SEARCH TIME PERIOD Form, showing all the fields to be edited. 7 Change all the fields which has the previous year data to the new Academic Year that you want to add. 8 Click SAVE TIME PERIOD button to apply changes.
INFO: In the example above, after clicking the SAVE TIME PERIOD button, a new Academic Year for 2022 has been created.
WORKFLOW 2 Add New Academic Year with no existing records
STEP 1 Choose 1 System > 2 Edit Time Period > 3 Click the ADD TIME PERIOD button.
STEP 2 After clicking the ADD TIME PERIOD button, a TIME PERIOD DETAILS Form will appear below the SEARCH TIME PERIOD Form, showing all the fields that needs to be filled out to add a new Academic Year. Follow the guide below in filling out the fields.
4 Time Period Id – It is highly recommended on this field to use the acronym AY for Academic Year followed by an underscore, and then the year of the Academic Year that you want to add. Format to be followed should be like this: AY_YEAR. In the example below, since the user is trying to create a new Academic Year for 2022, the field is being filled out as AY_2022.
5 Parent – Leave this field blank, as the newly created Academic Year will serve as the Parent period.
6 Organisation – Select your organisation / institution from the drop down list.
7 Type – Select the Academic Year from the drop down list.
8 Number – Set this field to 1.
9 Name – Copy the data from the Time Period Id field to the Name field. In the example below, AY_2022 from the Time Period Id field is being copied to the Name field.
10 Label – You can set the label to this format: Academic Year YEAR. In the example below, it’s set to Academic Year 2022.
11 From: AND the To: – Enter here the Start Date and the End Date of the Academic Year that you want to create.
12 Visibility – Set this field to Visible if you want your newly created Academic Year to be available and ready to use.
Click the SAVE TIME PERIOD button, to create the Academic Year record.
INFO: In the example above, after clicking the SAVE TIME PERIOD button, a new Academic Year for 2022 has been created.
B. Add New Academic Term
You can add new Academic Term in Paradigm in two ways: Follow WORKFLOW 1 if you have an existing Academic Year with Academic Terms record in the system, e.g. a record from your previous Academic Year with Academic Terms. However, if you would want to add new Academic Term from scratch, given that you already created a new Academic Year with the instructions above [if you don’t have any existing records yet], follow WORKFLOW 2.
WORKFLOW 1 Add New Academic Term with existing records
STEP 1 Choose 1 System > 2 Edit Time Period > 3 Set Type: Academic Term > 4 Click the SEARCH TIME PERIODS button.
STEP 2 Select an existing Academic Term record from the list which are being displayed after clicking the SEARCH TIME PERIODS button. 5 You can also filter the record by typing the year in the Filter Box, this will display all the Academic Terms record of that year that you specified. 6 Click the 📝 EDIT button on the right of the Academic Term record that you want to edit.
INFO: In the example above, the search is filtered to 2020_SEM_1. It would be best if you choose the same Academic Term/Semester period from your existing records to the new one that you are planning to add. An example would be choosing AY_2020_SEM_1 if you plan to create a new Academic Semester 1 for the Academic Year 2021.
STEP 3 After clicking the 📝 EDIT button, a TIME PERIOD DETAILS Form will appear below, showing all the fields to be edited. 7 Change all the fields which has the previous year and term/semester data to the new Academic Term/Semester and Year that you want to add. 8 Click SAVE TIME PERIOD button to create the record.
NOTE:
Note the changes of the data fields from the chosen Academic Term/Semester record to the newly created one.
Time Period Id format: Refer to your institution’s naming convention. The suggested format would be: AY_YEAR_SEM/TERM/etc. NUMBER. In the example below, it is set to AY_2022_SEM_1 as this will be created as a new first semester for the Academic Year 2022.
Parent field should be changed to the same year as your newly created Academic Year that you want this term/semester to be in.
Visibility should be set to Visible if you want your newly created Academic Term to be available and ready to use.
INFO: In the example above, after clicking the SAVE TIME PERIOD button, an Academic Semester 1 has been created under the newly created Academic Year for 2022.
WORKFLOW 2 Add New Academic Term without existing records
STEP 1 Choose 1 System > 2 Edit Time Period > 3 Click the ADD TIME PERIOD button.
STEP 2 After clicking the ADD TIME PERIOD button, a TIME PERIOD DETAILS Form will appear below, showing all the fields that needs to be filled out. Follow the guide below in filling out the fields.
4 Time Period Id – Refer to your institution’s naming convention. The suggested format would be: AY_YEAR_SEM/TERM/etc. NUMBER [e.g. Semester 1 = 1, Term 2 = 2, Semester 2 = 3, Term 4 = 4, Summer School = 5]. There should be no spaces in between, use the underscore instead. In the example below it is set to AY_2022_SEM_1 as this will be created as a new first semester record for the Academic Year 2022.
5 Parent – Set this field to the newly created Academic Year that you want this term/semester to be under. In the example below, it is set to AY_2022.
6 Organisation – Select your organisation / institution from the drop down list.
7 Type – Select the Academic Term from the drop down list.
8 Number – Set this into the Period Number field. e.g. Semester 1 = 1, Term 2 = 2, Semester 2 = 3, Term 4 = 4, Summer School = 5.
9 Name – Set this field in an easily readable format (this is what will appear on the screen for you to select) e.g. 2022 Semester 1
10 Label – You can set the label the same as the Name field.
11 From: AND the To: – Enter here the Start Date and the End Date of the Academic Term/Semester that you want to create.
12 Visibility – Set this field to Visible if you want your newly created Academic Term to be available and ready to use.
Click the SAVE TIME PERIOD button, to create the Academic Term record.
INFO: In the example above, after clicking the SAVE TIME PERIOD button, a new Academic Semester 1 for 2022 has been created .
C. Add a Census Date
STEP 1 Choose 1 System > 2 Edit Time Period > 3 Set Type: Census Period > 4 Click the SEARCH TIME PERIODS button.
NOTE: If this is the first time that you’re adding a Census Period [meaning you don’t have any existing Census Period records yet in the system], just click the ADD TIME PERIOD button and proceed to CENSUS PERIOD FIELDS below for guidance in filling out the required fields.
STEP 2 Select an existing Census Period record from the list which are being displayed after clicking the SEARCH TIME PERIODS button. 5 You can also filter the record by typing the year in the filter box, this will display all the Census Period records of that year that you specified. 6 Click the 📝 EDIT button on the right of the Census Period record to start editing.
INFO: In the example above, the search is filtered to 2020, it then displays all the Census Period records for that year. It would be best if you choose the same Census Period record from your existing records to the new one that you are planning to add. An example would be choosing AY_2020_CEN_1 if you plan to create a new Census Period record 1 for the Academic Year 2021.
STEP 3 After clicking the 📝 EDIT button, a TIME PERIOD DETAILS Form will appear below, showing all the fields to be edited. 7 Change all the fields which has the previous year and term/semester data to the new Census Period year and semester that you want to add. 8 Click SAVE TIME PERIOD button to create the record.
INFO: In the example above, after clicking the SAVE TIME PERIOD button, a Census Period for Semester 1 has been created in the Academic Year 2021.
CENSUS PERIOD FIELDS This section will give you guidance on how to fill out the fields to create a new Census Period.
NOTE: If you don’t have an existing record to edit, refer to the guide below on how to fill out the TIME PERIOD DETAILS Form.
1 Time Period Id – Refer to your institution’s naming convention. The suggested format would be: AY_YEAR_CEN_NUMBER [e.g. Semester 1 = 1, Term 2 = 2, Semester 2 = 3, Term 4 = 4, Summer School = 5]. There should be no spaces in between, use the underscore instead. In the example below it is set to AY_2021_CEN_1 as this will be created as a new first semester Census Period record for the Academic Year 2021.
2 Parent – Set this field to the Academic Year that you want Census Period to be under. In the example below, it is set to AY_2021.
3 Organisation – Select your organisation / institution from the drop down list.
4 Type – Select the Census Period from the drop down list.
5 Number – Set this into the Period Number field. i.e. Census 1 = 1, Census 2 = 2.
6 Name – Set this field in an easily readable format (this is what will appear on the screen for you to select)e.g. 2018 - C1, or 2018 S1 Census
7 Label – You can set the label the same as the Name field.
8 From: AND the To: – Enter here the Actual Census Date.
NOTE: You can open the census date up to a 1-2 weeks period, as long as the To: Date is the actual census date
9 Visibility – Set this field to Visible if you want your newly created Census Period to be available and ready to use.
D. Edit Configuration Period
INFO: Paradigm contains a number of special time periods, called configuration periods, that control specific areas of system functionality for example the course outline screen for online unit enrolments. Some of these configuration periods are also used in various system generated reports to limit the contents of a report when a user does not declare a specific date parameter such as a unit enrolment start date or a census date.
The Student load on the student summary information specifically the Part / Full time displayed in the “Classic records loaded” is derived by paradigm based on the true EFTSL enrolment of the student in question by summing up the EFTSL on the scheduled units that sit within the dates specified in the time period called “SEMESTER_LOAD_PERIOD”.
The following Time Period Ids with their descriptions will guide you on how to edit your institution’s configuration period.
UNIT_ENROLMENT = It controls the scheduled units the student can enrol from the course plan.
ENROLMENT_PERIOD = Period that opens or closes the course plan to students [opens and closes online enrolments for students].
TIMETABLE = A set of dates that controls which scheduled units are showing on the Student and staff View Timetable screens. It controls the session start and end dates imported from Rapla. The start date of a student’s unit enrolment must equal or sit within the beginning of the specified time period - ‘TIMETABLE’.
SCHEDULED_UNIT_DATES = The default start and end date for scheduled units.
SEARCH_SCHD_UNT_DATE = Default dates used on scheduled unit search fields across the site when the user does not specify a date. It should be change every year to the current year.
MOODLE_EXPORT = Dates for what data is sync via integration to a Moodle or other external site
INVOICING = It is used to the invoice time period when creating invoices, if a student’s unit enrolment sits within the window of the Invoicing date range defined in the system. This applies to both bulk invoice and manually raise the invoices.
INVOICING_DUE_DATE = An override can be used on the invoice to put on invoices.
Statement Of Fees = It controls what unit enrolment to put on the Statement Of Fees report that is printed for student. It is commonly called as Proma Invoice.
CAN_CENSUS_PERIOD = It is used to control the units put on a CAN Notice when running the CAN report to send to students.
Edit Enrolment Configuration Period
INFO: An example below will guide you on how you can edit an Enrolment Period Configuration Period in Paradigm.
NOTE: An Enrolment Period is a Configuration Period. These are already set up in the system for you and these only need to be updated for each new period.
STEP 1 Choose 1 System > 2 Edit Time Period > 3 Set Type: Configuration Period > 4 Click the SEARCH TIME PERIODS button.
STEP 2 A list of all Configuration Period records in your system will display below the screen. You can also use the Filter Box menu, and limit the result to your previous Academic Year. 5 Select the ENROLMENT_PERIOD Id under the Time Period Id Column, as in this example, we are going to edit the enrolment period. 6 Click the 📝 EDIT button on the right, to start editing the fields.
STEP 3 After clicking the 📝 EDIT button, a TIME PERIOD DETAILS Form will appear below. 7 Make sure the Parent field is set to the current Academic Year where the enrolment period would apply. The Number field needs also to be checked depending on which time period it applies. 8 Edit the From: and To: fields, this will set your Start and End Date of your enrolment period. 9 Click the SAVE TIME PERIOD button to create the new enrolment period configuration.
INFO: In the example above, after clicking the SAVE TIME PERIOD button, a new Enrolment Period – Configuration Period has been created for the 1st Semester of the Academic Year 2021.
Edit Invoice Configuration Period
Invoicing: this is a range of dates that the system uses to find scheduled units when bulk generating invoices.
NOTE: An Invoice Period is a Configuration Period. These are already set up in the system for you and these only need to be updated for each new period.
STEP 1 Follow the same steps as above [Edit Enrolment Configuration Period], in STEP 2 , select INVOICING under the Time Period Id Column instead. In STEP 3 editing the From: date, you only need to capture the start date of a specific semester/term.