This article provides a comprehensive guide on managing course sections within XenDirect, including setting up sections, utilizing key fields, and understanding the toolbar functions available to streamline course management. You'll also learn how to clone sections and use additional features like email, calendars, etc.
Navigation:
Main Menu → Services → Sections
Main Menu → Services → Courses View → Sections tab
Applies To: Enterprise, Plus, Basic
Overview of Course Sections
A Section is a component that makes up a Course in XenDirect. Each Course ID can have multiple sections, and every section must have a unique Section ID.
Section Information
The Section Information contains several important fields:
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Section ID:
- Unique for each section within a course.
- Up to 20 alphanumeric characters allowed (only alpha, numeric, dash, asterisk, or underline characters are allowed).
- Special characters (e.g., !, @, #, etc.) are not allowed.
- Note: The use of the asterisk (*) may negatively impact search functionality.
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Course Status (Required, not user-defined):
- Offered: The section is running.
- Canceled: The section was offered but later canceled.
- Completed: The section has concluded (users can manually change the status).
- Inactive: The section was not offered.
- Pending: The section is still in design and not yet offered.
- Start Date Text / End Date Text: Optional fields for replacing the default start and end date display with custom text in the WebReg module.
- Time Zone: Optional field for displaying the time zone of the section’s start and end times. This field only appears if the default time zone is set and enabled in the Branch Profile under Web Options.
- Min/Max Enrollment: Limits for the number of enrolled clients, though assignments can still be added if the limit is exceeded.
- Instructor 1: Required field for assigning the main instructor.
- Location: Required field, user-defined from the Room table (Facility, Building, and Room).
Schedule Tab
- Days of the Week: Select the days the course will occur.
- Contact Hours Per Day: Enter hours (fractional numbers are allowed).
- Preparation Hours Per Day: Additional hours the instructor is paid for beyond contact hours.
- Total Scheduled Hours: Enter the total number of hours (manual input).
- Total Number of Classes: Total classes from the start to the end date (manual input).
- Total Number of Weeks/Months: Total duration in weeks or months (manual input).
- Period: Define the time period during which the course will be held.
- Maximum Qty Purchase: Limits the number of units a client can purchase at one time.
- Calculation Method: Determines how balance due is calculated (either per registration or per quantity in the assignment).
- Min/Max Age: Based on client age (entered via birth date).
- Pay Rate 1 / Method 1: Pay rate and method of payment for Teacher 1.
- Teacher 2: Optional for assigning a second instructor.
- Pay Rate 2 / Method 2: Pay rate and method for Teacher 2.
- Cancellation Policy: Optional field for selecting a cancellation policy (available in the Enterprise version).
- Refund Policy: Optional field for selecting a refund policy (available in the Enterprise version).
Other Tab – Special Features
- Homeless / Workplace Literacy / Family Literacy / Corrections / Community Corrections / Other Institution: Identifies the primary focus of the section for specialized clients.
- Lowest NRS Level / Offering NRS Level: Defines the functional levels for participants based on the NRS scale (1-6).
- Computer Assisted Component: Marks if the course has a computer-assisted component.
- CTED: Marks the section for inclusion in Career and Technical Education reporting.
- Date Contract Sent / Received: Tracks contract dates with instructors.
- Revenue Account / Expense Account: User-defined fields for financial tracking related to the section.
- Target Hours / Enrollment: Used for reporting target hours and unduplicated enrollment numbers.
- Billing Formulas (EPE, AHSEP, TEP, HSE, FTE): Specifies billing percentages for each formula (must be between 0 and 1). Example: .50 means only 50% of the attendance hours for clients in this Course Section will appear on the billing reports.
- FTE Hours: Number of FTE Hours this Course Section generates for one client. It must be numeric.
- FTE Type: Type of FTE list is user-defined and represents the method of revenue generation.
WebReg Tab – Web Registration Settings
- See Web Registration Settings: Configure how the course section is displayed and available for registration in the WebReg module. Web Registration Settings
Other Functions Available on Course Sections
These Action Menu functions are available for managing course sections:
Add Calendar Dates:
- Allows you to create a unique calendar for a section based on the main calendar.
Check Web Display:
- Lists items that prevent the section from being displayed online.
Update Assignment Dates:
- Bulk update client assignment dates to match the section's dates.
View Display:
- View how the section appears in the WebReg module.
View Search:
- View how the course section will display in WebReg search results.
Send Email Clients:
Send emails to clients enrolled in the section.
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Steps:
- Click Action Send Email.
- Filter by Enrollment Status.
- Choose a template or manually enter a message.
- Enter Subject and CC (optional).
- Review the recipients.
- Click Send Email or Cancel.
Clone:
The Clone function allows users to create a duplicate course section with a new Section ID. This is useful for duplicating sections with similar configurations.
How to Clone a Section:
- Go to the Sections list and filter the list to show the sections you want to clone.
- Click the checkbox next to the sections to clone (you can select multiple sections).
- Click the Clone button above the results list.
- Select the global defaults for the cloning event and click Next.
- Enter a new Section ID for each cloned section.
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Choose any additional options for the cloned section:
- Include Materials: Includes Equipment and Textbooks in the clone.
- Include Section Program Groups: Links the cloned section to the same Program Groups.
- Include Auto Create Calendar: Automatically creates a calendar for the cloned section (Enterprise only).
- Clone includes Course Section, Credit Types, and Funding: For Plus and Enterprise versions.
- Click Next to continue or Cancel to exit.
- Review the submission and click Submit to finalize or Cancel to stop.
Conclusion
This guide provides comprehensive instructions for managing course sections in XenDirect, from setting section details to utilizing toolbar functions for cloning and managing course-related tasks. For further assistance, refer to related articles or contact support.