Creating Activities

[Print-friendly version]

Once we have all completed our Student Sets, we can create Activities. This is done through the Activity Template screens (in previous version of Syllabus Plus we used the Module Planner).

Click on the Planning tab Select the Activity Template to work with. If the Generate button is active then there are activities to be generated.	The screen shows us a lot of information:. we have no activities yet (Existing Activities=0) we need 4 activities (Need to Generate=1) the required activities=4 The number of activities suggested by Syllabus Plus is derived by dividing the module size by the template size and rounding the result up to the next whole number.

If you agree with the system's suggestion, then click on the Generate button, OR If you think there should be more, or fewer activities, then click on the Make Activities button.	You may think that the system has calculated too many or too few activities. By using the Make Activities button you will be asked how many activities should be created. In this example, we accepted the system's suggestion, and created four activities. Note the difference in the screen information now.

Allocating Student Sets

When you have created your activities, you can allocate Student Sets to them.

Click on the Allocate tab to display the window. Select the Activity Template to work with. Click on the Allocate button to allocate Student Sets to each activity.	The student sets which are to be allocated are listed under the Name column.The top axis shows the activities that you have created for this Activity Template.

Student sets are automatically allocated to each activity when the Allocate button is clicked. You can override the allocation by clicking on the appropriate grid square.	If there are more students to allocate than can be accomodated by the existing activities, they will be left unallocated.

You may wish to change the Student Set allocation. This is done by double clicking in the grid that you want to reallocate. For example, by double clicking in the circled grid in the screen below, the allocation has changed (compare it to the previous screen).

Note that in this example, the change caused that activity to be overloaded. this is identified by a yellow exclamation mark. This means that we are now allocating 55 students to an activity that will be scheduled into a location suitable for 40 students.

Finalising your Activities

When you have created your activities, and allocated student sets, you should spend some time checking and finalising the activities. For example, if you have two lectures, one may be run at night. You may also want to modify activity descriptions to make them easier to identify, or to use the Tutorial Allocation System.

These tasks are performed in the Activities window.

In the previous examples we created 4 tutorials for MMB131. One of these should be scheduled at night.

Locate and select the Activity Click on the Availability tab	Remember to make use of the Filter option

Either click and drag to identify the availability period, or select one of the Named Availabilities. Click on the Modify button or press Control+M	Named Availabilities are set up by the system coordinator. Note: In the previous version of syllabus Plus we didn't have to modify these actions. Now we do.

Some rules and reminders

• Activity Descriptions MUST BE 40 characters or less in length. This is a constraint of the current QV system which we use to display timetable information on the web.
• You must have correct CAMPUS selected for ALL activities.
• You must have either "General Classroom/Lecture Theatre" selected for university rooms OR your own specialist locations selected for specialist rooms.
• If using your own specialist space, make sure it is selected correctly.
• Do not select a room if it is a "General Classroom/Lecture Theatre."
• Evening and day classes must be set up corrrectly.
• Durations must be correct and accurate.
• Use the Green and Red preferred usage constraints (under the Usage tabs) as much as possible to show preferences for staff and activities. Avoid using hard constraints (greys) except for approved reasons such as School meeting times. Some areas may have legitimate reasons for using hard constraints (e.g. dance classes must be in the morning, some engineering students are only available on block release on certain days) and these are also permitted. Contact the Timetabling Manager if you have any queries.
• Ensure that the Lecturer has been selected for Lectures.
• Ensure Non lecture activities have "None" for staff unless you are absolutely certain that a particular person will be allocated to them.
• There must be NO wildcards in the staff list.
  

Class Free Times

The following times should be kept class free:

Carseldine: Wednesday 12-1pm
Gardens Point: Monday12-1pm and Friday 1-2pm
Kelvin Grove: Tuesday 12-1pm