Overview
Creating a Course Outline and adding constraints to the units can get complicated if all the units which are related to a course are not added to the system upfront. Adding all the core and elective units is the first set of the Course Plan Rules that focuses on positioning units on the screen, thus, will make adding constraints or rules easier and more manageable for an administrator. This Knowledge Base article will guide you on how to add core and elective units in the Course Outline.
Workflow
How to display your units in the Student's Course Plan screen
Given all the introduction about the Course Outline User Interface from the 1. Course Outline Basics page, all the units (constraints) when coded under the Courses > Outline page, will have some of the possible Display Code values (as shown in the screenshot below).
Example
In the Student Course Enrolment Screen (Student > Summary (enrolled course loaded) > Course Enrolment > Course Plan) view, students can see all the units available for them to complete their course in table format (as shown in the sample screenshot below); the two units highlighted in RED below show their grid positions.
While for you as an administrator, under the Course Outlines Screen (Courses > Outline) view, you can see this (see Screenshot 2) for a course that has already an existing outline; and
a screen like below (see Screenshot 3) for a course that has no outline yet.
Now, if you have noticed, on your screen as an administrator, you will see a column name called Display Code with the sample values of A1, B2, A3, etc. This would indicate where you want the scheduled unit or subject to be displayed on the student Course Plan page. This works like the table in EXCEL spreadsheets: A would mean the column called Stage 1 in the student screen screenshot above, B on Stage 2, so on and so forth…, and the number 1 would indicate the row number so 1 in row 1, 2 in row 2, so on and so forth…(as shown in the first image above this page), so for the unit name ID BEM1001 (A1), it appears on the Stage 1 column in the first row of the student course plan’s table, and BEM1002 (B2) on Stage 2 column row 2 (as shown in the student Screenshot 1: Student Course Plan View above, highlighted in RED, and expanded in the below screenshot).
How to Add Core and Elective Units in the Course Outline
Video Tutorial Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHbObgb6QPA&t=14s
NOTE:
A constraint can only be added to the Course Plan once. For example, if it has been added as a Core Unit, you cannot also add it as an Elective Unit. Only the first constraint will appear in the Course Plan.
If you add more columns to the grid, it will be harder to view the course outline grid on mobile devices.
When adding a unit in the outline, note that Paradigm uses the Base Unit record Id when searching for a unit to add. If your business or institution is using the same Unit Code and only changes the Unit Name when creating a new Base Unit record in Paradigm, always search for the Unit Code and add the intended/required Unit Id. If you plan to make both units with the same unit code appear on the Course Plan, you can add additional constraints to one of the units, see Adding Constraints section.
Add all the units first, prior to setting up any pre-requites, or co-requisites rules, as it will make the process easier to follow.
BE ADVISED:
It might be useful to have a test student within the system who can be enrolled into the new course to visualise the course plan as it is built.
NOTE:
The instructions below assume that the Course record that you want the core and elective units to be loaded has been created already. If the course record is not currently loaded, start with the STEP 1 instructions, else proceed to STEP 2.
STEP 1 Load the Course to be outlined
1 Refer to the instructions on this link on how to load a course record: https://silverband.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/PKB/pages/985094/Courses+-+Search+Add+and+Edit#01.-How-to-search-for-a-Course-Record.
STEP 2 Add the units you want to be set as core and elective
1, 2 With the Course record loaded in the system, choose Courses > Outline menus on the side.
3 On the Course Outline page, click the ADD CONSTRAINT button.
NOTE:
You have the option to select the COPY SELECTED CONSTRAINTS button, if you have other existing courses with the same constraints that you want to apply to this new course.
4 Go to the UNIT SEARCH Form section and search for the unit you want to add as a core or elective unit. Enter either the unit code, unit name, etc.
5 Click the SEARCH UNIT button.
5 Once you’ve found the unit that you want, click the Add as Unit button
6 Fill out the EDIT COURSE OUTLINE DETAILS Form section below. Select Core Unit or Elective Unit as required under the Constraint Type field. Enter the Display Code value as explained above in this article.
INFO:
The Constraint Type field will define the unit (Core, Elective, Prerequisite, Required, etc.);
while the Display Code will indicate which cell in the table under the Student Course Plan page it appears (you can arrange your contents by checking on the next page:3. Arranging Content on the Course Plan; and
another thing to consider is the Description field as this will be displayed in the first column under Course Name of the student’s Course Plan screen. This is very helpful in organising your outline as discussed comprehensively on this article:3. Arranging Content on the Course Plan.
Refer to this link for more details of the description of each field: https://silverband.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/PKB/pages/1463943207/1.+Course+Outline+Basics#Add-a-New-Constraint-Form-Fields.
7 Click the SAVE OUTLINE CONSTRAINT button.
NOTE:
Repeat the same steps to add another unit and just be mindful of the Constraint Type and the Display Code fields. Start with Step 3 by clicking the ADD CONSTRAINT button again to clear the details previously entered.
Student Course Plan Display
After adding the core and elective units, you should see all the units added under the (Courses > Outline) COURSE OUTLINE section (as shown in the screenshot below); and
in the (Student > Course Enrolment > Course Plan) Student Course Plan screen, it will be displayed like this (see below screenshot).
Alternatively, you can watch the demo clip below on how to create a basic Course Outline:
How to Delete/Remove Core and Elective Units in the Course Outline
STEP 1 Load the Course with core and elective units to be deleted
1 Refer to the instructions on this link on how to load a course record: https://silverband.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/PKB/pages/985094/Courses+-+Search+Add+and+Edit#01.-How-to-search-for-a-Course-Record.
STEP 2 Delete the core or elective units
1, 2 With the Course record loaded in the system, choose Courses > Outline menus on the side.
3 In the Course Outline section, click the DELETE button on the right of the core or elective unit that you want to delete.
4 Click OK on the pop-up message that will appear on top of the screen to confirm your deletion action.
Video Tutorial
Introduction to Course Plan | 1. Course Outline Basics | 2. Adding Core and Elective Units | 3. Arranging Content on the Course Plan | 4. Adding Constraints