Overview

This page outlines the detailed instructions to assist in walking you through how to send bulk communication emails with and without personalised attachments such as final grades, CANs and invoices.

Complexity: MEDIUM

Page Contents

1 Overview
2 Key terms and concepts
3 Implications
4 Workflow
5 Video Tutorial
6 Related Pages

Be Advised

The communication event module uses the email delivery provider SendGrid to deliver emails on behalf of the users. To avoid being classified as SPAM, it is important that our SendGrid email server IP address (168.245.65.115) is white-listed to ensure that Paradigm is able to send emails on behalf of your existing company email server. It may also be nescessary to configure a DKIM or SPF DNS record to ensure that Paradigm is permitted to send emails on behalf of a provider email domain.

For further details please contact the Silverband support team.

Key terms and concepts

The letter templates are designed to be a cover letter (in email format) for attaching invoices, CANs, enrolment letters, etc to be emailed to the students and stored as proof of communication. Copies of both the letter and attachments are then saved to the student's record within the communication event section. These can then be interrogated for delivery, bouncing, and opening. The letter can be formatted within the provider section for ease of use and minimal updating when used.

Contained within each email sent with the communication module is a one-pixel tracker. This is one 1x1 pixel that is hidden within the body of the email that allows the email client to track the email. It can determine if the email has bounced, been delivered, has been opened and read and if any attachments have been clicked into. This can be particularly useful when students are questioning if an important email/communication was sent to them and if they received it.

Below is a list of required fields to build a bulk student report for Communication events. This report can be built in the report builder and saved for future use. The fields below are required for such a report (i.e. Bulk student report) but additional ones can be added.

Table 1. All field Overview

Field Name	Brief overview

Field Name	Brief overview
From Communication Request Sender	It will be sent from the email address that is recorded against the users profile. Provider record is linked with the student’s course enrolment. Make sure you load the student’s course enrolment first, then you will see Provider option in the drop-down. If you want a Provider Name/Home Institution to be in one of the options under the From field, you have to add a role to that Provider record as a “Communication Sender“, see https://silverband.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/PKB/pages/984771 for more details.
To Communication Request Recipient	Who the email is going to
Communication name / Email Subject	The subject name / line of the email
Communication Date	Date sent. This date is recorded within the communication event as the sent date.
Communication Type	For Communication Events this is normally set to Email
Communication Status	This will tell you the status of the communication event: Bounced - Receiving Server could not or would not accept the message. Cancelled - Communication Event Cancelled Closed - Email Opened - Recipient has opened the Message Entered - Failure Sending - In-Progress - Pending - Referred - Resolved - Sent - Unknown Party -
Course Enrolment	The Course of Study the student is enrolled in
Communication Template Message	This option will allow the user to select from pre-written email templates. These can be added to or updated once loaded into the HTML writer.
Communication Description / Email Body	This is where the template will be displayed once loaded. Alternatively this is where the user can write the body of the email to be sent.

Table 2. Merge Fields in Communication

Merge Fields Within Communication Templates	Brief Overview

Merge Fields Within Communication Templates	Brief Overview
{email_from}	This is the email address of the sender
{email_from_first_name}	This is the first name of sender (blank if the sender is a provider)
{email_from_last_name}	This is the last name of sender (blank if the sender is a provider)
{url_read_tracker}	This is a 1 pixel image that, when added to an email, will upon opening of the email by the receiver will mark the email as open within the system
{email_first_name}	Student / Receiver's first name
{email_last_name}	Student / Receiver's last name
{student_number}	Student’s number issued by provider
{email_subject}	The communication event/email subject

Implications

Please note: The Example below for sending bulk communication events with an attachment assumes that a default has been set up in the report builder and uses the CANs notice. It includes instructions for checking the census date for it. If you are sending other attachments ensure that the dates required for that type of attachments are correct e.g. Final grades, invoices etc.

Workflow

1. How to send Bulk Communications (With Attachments)

Click on the Search button under Student tab as the first step, to ensure that any previously loaded record is cleared.
Click on the System tab in the menu
Click on the Edit Time Period option in the menu
Click on Census Period from the drop down box for the time period type
Click on the Search Time Periods button.
Ensure the census date has been correctly recorded for the current period.
Click on the Reports tab from the menu.
Click on the Report Builder option from the menu
Scroll to the Saved Report Descriptions section
Click on the Global Reports drop box and select a suitable report that your institution has set up to generate a bulk student list if one has already been setup. Click on the Load Report button (Jump to Step 13).
If a suitable report has not yet been setup, in the Base Report Descriptions section, select ‘Student Course Enrolment Details’ as the Base report and click on the Load Base Report button.
In the Report Columns section, hold the Ctrl key to select multiple columns as required, ensuring that the key fields are included for the type of report you are trying to generate.
Ensure that the Base Report Parameters are correctly set to cover the required unit enrolment start and end dates and enrolment status values to produce a list that contains the required students.
Scroll down to the Format Report section. Click the Bulk Student Select radio button
Click the Produce Report button
This will take some time to run, and will depend on the scope of the list being created. Please wait for the screen to refresh and reload with a list of the students returned by the report.
Once the bulk list of students appears, click on the tick box for each student who is to receive the communication. You may choose to select all and then deselect specific students from the list, or you may choose to select only specific students from the list.
Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Add Selected to List button. This may take a few moments to store the list in memory. Please wait for the list to appear.
Click on the Student tab from the menu.
Click on the Communication Event option in the menu (or click on the Hat icon at the top left hand corner of the screen and then click on the Communication option)
Enter the Communication Name, which will become the subject of the email, e.g. CAN - Semester 1 2018.
Select the Communication Type, e.g. Email.
Select a Communication Template Message for the body of the email
Edit the Communication Description/Email Body field to add in any additional information or updates to the body of the message. You may choose to include options from Table 2 above (each wrapped inside curly braces eg. {email_first_name} {email_last_name} ), or add text that is to appear in the main body of your email.
Set the Communication Status to Sent from the drop down menu.
Click the Save New Communications for Loaded Students button.
Click the Reports tab from the menu
Click on the Letters option from the menu
Scroll to the Commonwealth Assistance Notice report and click the Get Report button
Check the parameters in the report section and click the Create Report for Communication Events button. This will take some time to complete, while each report is generated individually. The progress bar provides an indication of the rate of progress.
Click on the Page icon to check the CAN notices are for the correct period and are attached for the correct person for a few of the records.
Click on the tick boxes for the ones that are to be sent.
Click on the Email Selected Recipients with Attachments button. This will take time to complete.
The emails have now been sent.
Check the status of the sent emails to verify whether any have not been successfully sent. These will need to be either resent or posted.

2. How to send Bulk Communications (Without Attachments) using the Report Builder

Click on the Search button under Student tab first to ensure any previously loaded record is cleared.
Click on the System tab in the side menu
Click on the Edit Time Period in the side menu
Click on Census Period from the drop down box
Click on Search Time Period button.
Ensure the Census date is correct for the required period.
Click on the Reports tab from the side menu.
Click on the Report Builder option from the side menu
Find the Saved Report Descriptions section
Click on the Global reports drop box and select a suitable report that your institution has set up to generate a bulk student list if there is one already exists. Click on the Load Report button (Jump to Step 13).
If not, select ‘Student Course Enrolment Details’ as the Base report, click on Load Base Report button.
At Report Columns section, refer to the above table 1, hold Ctrl key for multiple select the required columns.
Ensure that the Base Report Parameters cover the required units dates and enrolments status to produce the required students.
Scroll down to the Format Report section. Click the Bulk Student Select radio button
Click the Produce Report button
Once a bulk list of students created, click on the tick box against a list of required students to send communication to
Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Add Selected to List button
The Bulk list of students has now been produced.
Click on the Student tab from the side menu.
Click on the Communication Event option in the side menu (Or click on the Hat icon at the top left hand corner then select the Communication option
Enter the Communication Name, this becomes the subject of the email, e.g. CAN - Semester 1 2018.
Select the Communication Type, e.g. Email.
Select a Template Message for the body of the email or options to type in the main body of your email.
Add in any additional information or updates to the body of the message.
Set the Communication Status to Sent from the drop down menu.
Click the Save New Communication for Loaded students button
Click the tick boxes next to the students to send the communication event to (alternatively click the select all box)
Click the Email Selected Recipients button.
The Emails have now been sent.
Check the Statuses of the sent emails to check if any failed sending. These will need to be either resent or posted.

3. How to send Bulk Communications (Without Attachments) Alternative method

Click on the Search button under Student tab first to ensure any previously loaded record is cleared.
Click on the Student tab from the side menu
Click on the Search Course option from the side menu.
Click on the Course name drop box to select a single course.
Select other options from the Course enrolment search box to filter down so it produces a list of required students.
Click on the Search Course Enrolments button.
Click the tick boxes next to the students to send the communication event to (alternatively click the select all box)
Scroll down to the bottom of the list and click on the Add Enrolments to List button.
Click on the Communication option in the side menu (Or Click on the Hat icon at the top left hand corner then select the communication option.
Find the Communication section, enter the Communication Name, this becomes the subject of the email, e.g. CAN - Semester 1 2018.
Select the Communication type - Email.
Select a Message template for the body of the email or type the main body of your email.
Add in any additional information or updates to the body of the message.
Set the Communication Status to Sent.
Click the Save New Communication for Loaded Students button
Click the tick boxes next to the students to send the communication event to (alternatively click the select all box)
Click the Email Selected Recipients button.
The Emails have now been sent.
Check the Statuses of the sent emails to check if any failed sending. These will need to be either resent or posted.

4. How to search for sent emails within a student record

In the side menu click on the Student tab.
Click on the Search option
Enter one of the following options into the relevant search box: Student Number, Student's Family Name / Surname
Click on the Search Student Button
This will return a list of students that meet the above criteria
To further filter the search results, in the search box above the list of results, start typing the student's Given Name or Family Name.
When you find the record you are looking for, click on the Student No field, highlighted as a blue link at the left side of the row.
The Summary page of the student's record is now shown.
You can either click on the Communication Event option in the side menu (if applicable)
or click on the student’s name located at the top left corner to access the communications event.
Find a list of the sent email records and click the pencil icon to view the record as well as any attachment.
The email has now been loaded.

Paradigm Knowledge Base

Communication Event (archived)