Start using Semester Templates

Our last blog entry introduced the bulk add utility to help enter your courseload. I mentioned how that had spawned from us looking at the course-add function and asking how it could get better. I didn’t share that the bulk add utility wasn’t the only thing we thought of to improve the Step 2 work. Another idea we developed was the notion of creating template semesters. For a few years now, we have offered the ability to replicate past courseloads. This made it so you didn’t have to enter a courseload but could edit a previous one instead. This makes a lot of sense for many schools where one term can look a lot like a prior term.

But through a suggestion from one of our existing schools, we devised a modified version of that idea. Instead of using an actual past courseload, what if the school created a model term that could serve as a template for future semesters? Doing it this way offers some compelling options.

1. You can enter a partial courseload. Do this when there is only a subset of classes that will repeat. You are free to add more classes to it (or even drop classes from it).
2. Set all professor assignments as Open. This way, you can methodically go through and assign profs for the semester being worked on and have a good sense of what has been touched and what still needs attention.
3. You can continuously refine the template as your school’s needs change.

If this is something you would be interested in, shoot us a note, and we can help get your model terms created.