Generating Activity IDs

This section provides an overview of the activity generation process and discusses how to:

Generate activity IDs for a single course.
Generate activity IDs for multiple courses.

The Activity Management feature allows institutions to manage coursework at the course level and apply it to the section level. To do this, administrators must define course roots in a term for the course. A course root provides a view of the course with all its associated coursework (components, exams and other learning content). While Activity Management uses the CS class schedule, it also provides a method to fuse class sections within a course root to provide a view of coursework that makes sense for an institution.

For example, only one instructor teaches the three sections of Genetics in the spring term; using the features in the Activity Generator, the class sections can be organized so that the instructor can manage the coursework of all three class sections as one by organizing the three sections under one course root. Thus, instead of having to go into three separate sections to alter an attribute for a particular coursework item, the instructor can change it once and the system applies it to all three sections.

The activity generation process provides three options to create course roots: by session, by class associations within a session, and by graded section. It also provides a mechanism to establish exam offerings for the overall course. Exams for the course can be created by term, by session, or by course root. Exams require an association with an Academic Period ID. Academic periods are defined on the Academic Period Table.

Once the course root structure is established and exams are defined, users will generate an Activity ID for each piece of coursework defined for the course root. The Activity ID level is where administrators and faculty will manage the course root and its coursework. Later, the Activity IDs will be utilized in activity rosters against which results are entered or calculated for individual student coursework. In the case of required exam enrollment, the Activity IDs will be part of the student's exam enrollment record.

Three components are available to generate activity IDs:

Activity Generator
Activity Generator – Advanced
Batch Activity Generator

Use the Activity Generator to:

Determine the number of course roots required for the term.
Review the number of exam sittings that are defined in the Activity Registry and associate an exam with an academic period.
Generate Activity IDs for course roots and the each course root's associated coursework (components, categories, exams, exam sections, assessment items, attendance, and conditions).

Some institutions may choose to use the Activity Generator – Advanced component instead, which provides additional and more complex options.

See Using Advanced Activity Generator Functionality

While the previous methods generate activity IDs for one course at a time, the Batch Activity Generator allows users to generate activity IDs for multiple courses. Within the batch process users also have the option to either use the Activity Registry structure as the source to generate IDs or they can point to an existing Activity Manager structure as the source. The latter operates similarly to the Class Copy Prior Term Schedule process, which rolls data from one term to another.

Page Name	Definition Name	Navigation	Usage
Activity Generator	SSR_ACO_CLASS	select Curriculum Management, then select Activity Management, then select Organize and Manage, then select Activity Generator	Define the number of course roots required for a course.
Class Sections	SSR_ACO_SECTIONS	select Curriculum Management, then select Activity Management, then select Organize and Manage, then select Activity Generator, then select Class Sections	View data from the class table in a grid for a quick reference to the class sections scheduled for the term.

Access the Activity Generator page (select Curriculum Management, then select Activity Management, then select Organize and Manage, then select Activity Generator).

Image: Activity Generator page (1 of 2)

This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Activity Generator page (1 of 2). You can find definitions for the fields and controls later on this page.

Image: Activity Generator page (after clicking Generate Activity button)

This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Activity Generator page (after clicking Generate Activity button). You can find definitions for the fields and controls later on this page.

The Activity Generator allows users to define the number of course roots required for the course. A course root is equivalent to a course view. The course root is the level at which administrative and faculty users will manage the coursework.

Field or Control	Definition
Assign Root Activity by	Select a value to define how to create Activity IDs for the course root. Options are: `Session`: When selected, the system will create one course root for each session. `Session & Class Association`: When selected, the system will create one course root for each class association within a session. This value is selected by default. `Individual Graded Section`: When selected, the system will create a course root for every scheduled section indicated as the graded component. You can select this option even if there is no graded component built into the Activity Registry Content Tree for the course. This option will not appear if the course was created as an EOC in the Activity Registry.
Assign Exam Activity by	This field is visible when an exam content type exists in the content tree for the course. Select a value to define how exam sittings will be created for the course. It is assumed that for each unique exam activity ID generated an exam sitting will be scheduled. Options are: `Activity Root`: A unique exam activity will be generated for each course root. Students enrolled in any of the course root class sections will be associated with the exam(s) of the corresponding course root. `Session`: A unique exam activity will be generated for each session which has class sections scheduled. Students enrolled in a class section of a specific session will be associated with the exam of the corresponding session. `Term`: One exam activity will be generated for the entire term. All students enrolled in the course for the term will be associated with this exam. Term is selected by default. In the instance of an EOC (defined as such in the Activity Registry), there will only be one course root and exam option, so this option will not appear. You can associate an EOC with an academic period on the search page of the Activity Generator component. If it was noted in the Activity Registry that the exam should be scheduled for one or more instances, an Exam Section row(s) will be inserted into the Content Tree as a child to the exam content type. These exam sections will have an activity ID generated and it is against these activity ID that an exam's scheduled detail will be built in the Section Manager.
Academic Period ID	Enter the Academic Period ID with which the exam(s) for this course will be associated. Academic Period IDs are set up on the Academic Period Table. The career associated with the academic period must match the career associated with the course to appear in the search results. If the course was designated as an EOC in the Activity Registry, the selection of the Academic Period ID will occur on the search page of the Activity Generator component and appear upon entering this page.
Refresh Activity Grid	This button becomes available when you make a change to any field in this group box. It controls the number of course root rows in the Root Content Tree group box below; the system generates Temporary IDs for the Registry Content items based upon the settings in this group box.
Generate Activity	Click this button to generate Activity IDs based on the settings in this group box. The generated Activity ID replaces the Temporary ID previously established. The system displays generated course root results in the Course Root group box. There is a row for every root created. A more complete display of the root and all associated coursework appears for each course root in the Content Tree Activities section.
Unlock Activity Options	This button appears once Activity IDs are generated. It should be used if there is a need to regenerate the Activity IDs using a different assignment option. Once any student is associated with an activity ID for the course root, this option is no longer available.
Activity Generation Status	This indicates the current status of activities for this course. The values include Pending and Complete.

Course Root

This group box indicates the results of the activity generator options. The course root rows are determined and displayed within the header of this section. The Content Tree Activities section displays the content as it associates to the course root. As you adjust the generator settings in the Activity Generator group box and refresh the grid, the system assigns a temporary ID so that users can review how Activity IDs would actually be generated. When you are satisfied with the settings and select the Generate Activities button, the temporary ID is replaced with an Activity ID.

Field or Control	Definition
Activity Registry ID	This field displays the registry ID for which the course root is associated. The Activity Registry ID for this course was created when the content tree was built in the Activity Registry.
Session	This field displays the session for the particular course root. It appears in the class registry header when the Root Activity is generated.
Class Association	This field displays the class association for the particular course root. It appears in the class registry header when the Root Activity is created by either Session & Class Association or Individual Graded Section.
Section	This field displays the section number of the particular graded component. It appears in the class registry header when the Root Activity is created by Individual Graded Section.
Class Number	This field displays the class number of the particular graded component. It appears in the class registry header when the Root Activity is created by Individual Graded Section.
Content Description	This column displays the content tree that was defined for the course in the Activity Registry.
Temporary ID	This field displays the temporary ID of the course, exam, or scheduled component. This pregenerated ID assists users in determining the activity generator settings by placing temporary IDs where Activity IDs would appear after the Generate Activity button is selected. When the Temporary ID is the same across multiple content items, this means these content items will share an Activity ID. For instance, if several lecture components are grouped under a specific course root and each Temporary ID is LEC1, they will share an Activity ID. In this instance then, if this shared Activity ID is changed by an administrator or faculty member, the change will be applied to all the lectures that share the Activity ID.
Activity ID	This ID replaces the temporary ID once the Generate Activity button is selected.
Aggregate To	This field is active when there are multiple course roots for the overall course and before activities are generated. When the delivered generate options do not meet the specific needs of an institution, schools can use this field to further refine the course root structure. This field is available for the content types of Course (on both the standard and advanced option pages), Component, and Exam (on the advanced option page only), when multiples of each are generated based upon the Generate Activity settings. For example, say two sections are scheduled in the Regular session and two sections are schedule in the OEE session and a school wants to manage the regular session sections as one course root but the OEE as separate roots. The school would select the Individual Graded Section option, so that four course roots are originally created in the temporary status, but then they would aggregate one of the regular session sections to the other. When the activities are generated, three course roots would be generated – one for the regular session (with both sections) and one each for the sections in the OEE session.
Horizontal Scroll	This feature is enabled when two or more components or exams point to one course root. Users scroll to display the various Section, Session, Class Association, Class Number and Temporary or Activity IDs.

Special Consideration for Topic IDs

Image: Example of Course Root (1 of 4)

If an Activity Registry is created with a Topic ID, a unique course root will be generated for each topic ID. For instance, if Music 265 has two Activity Registry IDs, C-00000000016 for topic IDs 1 & 2 and C-00000000017 for topic IDs 3 & 4, at least four course roots will be generated, one for each topic. These will appear as follows:

Image: Example of Course Root (2 of 4)

A unique course root is generated for each topic ID as explained above.

Image: Example of Course Root (3 of 4)

A unique course root is generated for each topic ID as explained above.

Image: Example of Course Root (4 of 4)

A unique course root is generated for each topic ID as explained above.

If however, no topic IDs were associated with the Activity Registry for Music 265, then the above scenario would yield only one course root and no topic IDs would display.

Access the Class Sections page (select Curriculum Management, then select Activity Management, then select Organize and Manage, then select Activity Generator, then select Class Sections).

Image: Class Sections page: Class Status tab

This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Class Sections page: Class Status tab. You can find definitions for the fields and controls later on this page.

Image: Class Sections page: Class Enrollment Limits tab

This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Class Sections page: Class Enrollment Limits tab. You can find definitions for the fields and controls later on this page.

There are two tabs: the Class Status tab provides the session, section and class numbers, the component, the enrollment status, the class type, the class status, the class association, auto enrollment and resection settings (if applicable), consent settings, and schedule of classes print options; the Class Enrollment Limits tab indicates the enrollment and waitlist capacity and totals, as well as the required minimum enrollment.

This tab will not appear for an EOC.

Activity Generator Example

Image: Content Tree Example

The following example discusses how activity IDs would be generated for BIOLOGY 102 depending on which course root option is selected. The content tree has all three of the course components represented (Lecture, Lab, and Discussion).

For the particular term the class section breakdown is as follows:

Session = One (Regular)

Class Association = Two (1 & 2)

Lectures = Two. This is the 'graded component'. One lecture is assigned to class association 1 and one lecture is assigned to class association 2.

Labs = Three. Two labs are assigned to class association 1 and one lab is assigned to class association 2.

Discussions = Two. One discussion is assigned to class association 1 and one discussion is assigned to class association 2.

This information is verified on the Class Sections page.

Image: Class Sections page: Class Status tab

This example illustrates the Class Sections page as explained above.

Scenario 1

Image: Example of activity setting for Session & Class Association

Root Activity Option: Assign Session & Class Association

Exam Activity Option: Activity Root

Example of activity setting for Session & Class Association

Two course roots will be generated in this scenario based upon Class Association 1 and Class Association 2.

Course Root for Class Association 1

Image: Example of content tree activities for Class Association 1

This scenario coordinates all the sections assigned to Class Association 1 into one course root. This will include class sections 1 (Lecture), 1A and 1B (Labs), and 1C (Discussion).

Image: Example of Labs generated for Class Association 1

The horizontal scroll on the Lab row allows users to move between the two labs assigned to this course root. In this course root, both the labs will point to the same activity ID (LAB 1).

Course Root for Class Association 2

Image: Example of content tree activities for Class Association 2

Here all sections assigned to Class Association 2 are associated with this course root. This will include class sections SR1 (Lecture), SR1A (Lab), and SR2A (Discussion). The horizontal scroll is no longer displayed since there are not multiple labs in this class association.

Scenario 2

Image: Example of activity setting for Individual Graded Section

Root Activity Option: Individual Graded Section

Exam Activity Option: Session

Example of activity setting for Individual Graded Section

This option also generates two course roots but it is based on the graded component – the two scheduled Lectures (Section 1 and Section SR1). After setting the course roots based on the graded sections, the components are then grouped under these roots based on class association.

Course Root for Graded Section 1

Image: Example of content tree activities for individual graded section

In this scenario, all the sections associated with the same class association as Section 1 are grouped in the Section 1 course root. Again this includes class sections 1 (Lecture), 1A and 1B (Labs), and 1C (Discussion).

However, this time because the option is section based, the lab sections will point to unique activity IDs. Thus a change to section 1A will only apply to that section.

Image: Example of labs for individual graded section setting

Example of labs as explained above.

Course Root for Graded Section SR1

Image: Example of content tree activities for individual graded section

In this scenario, all the sections associated with the same class association as Section SR1 are grouped in the Section SR1 course root. This will include class sections SR1 (Lecture), SR1A (Lab), and SR2A (Discussion).

Note that the Exam was generated by Session, thus each course root will point to the same exam activity for the academic period 2011 EP 1.

Scenario 3

Image: Example of activity setting for Session

Root Activity Option: Session

Exam Activity Option: Term

Course Root by Session

Image: Example of content tree activities for session

In this scenario only one course root is generated and all the Lecture, Lab and Discussion sections are associated with it. Because each component will have multiple sections, the horizontal scroll is displayed for each component type.