Custom Classes

Custom Classes

Overview

Compass allows classes not scheduled within the main timetable to be created directly within Compass. This may be appropriate for classes such as Instrumental Music, or Literacy and Numeracy Support.

Teachers who take these classes can be given the ability to schedule these classes directly within Compass by being added to the CompassSuper permission group, which will give them the ClassesAdmin permission.


Permissions

To start setting up Custom Classes at your school, users must have the ClassesAdmin permission. This allows for a user to create/edit/delete classes and class sessions.
The lead teacher of a custom class will also have these permissions and be able to schedule their sessions as appropriate.

Please note, the SubjectsAdmin permission will not allow for a user to create or edit custom classes.

For more information regarding how to set this up for your school please refer to the Knowledge Base Article - Permissions.

  

Step One: Creating Subjects

The first step in setting up a custom class is to create a Subject. A Subject is a curriculum/activity that is studied by classes of students at the same time. For some schools, broad custom class names are used such as Instrumental Music or Literacy Support; other schools prefer to create more specific subjects, such as Guitar or Year 2 Literacy Support. 

Tip: When setting up subjects for we recommend considering if the school reports on these subjects. Compass Semester Reporting allows schools to define a separate reporting template for each subject in Compass. As a result all classes within the subject have the same reporting template. If you are wanting to report on different elements and against different criteria for different classes within the subject, it may be worth creating separate subjects for this.
To create a subject, navigate to the Subjects and Classes page - Teaching and Learning menu (pencil icon) > Subjects and Classes. Click on the '+ Add New Subject' button at the top of the Subject View tab.

This will open an Add New Subject window to enter the information about the subject, as below:
     


CodeThe code is used to identify the subject. This code needs to be unique within Compass and cannot clash with any existing subject codes.
Short/Long NameThe name of the subject. This should accurately describe what is being studied in this subject. The name will appear at the top of the class page, and on students' Semester Reports.
Year LevelThe year level of students who study this subject. For most custom classes this will be set to 'Cross Year' as the subject will be studied by students in more than one year level. 
FacultyThe faculty this subject sits under. This can be left as the default faculty unless you have set up your Faculties in Compass.
Academic YearThe academic year that this subject will be studied in. 
Schedule LayerSelect 'Custom Classes'.
Roll Marking ModeDetermines what kind of roll will be marked for these classes of if the subject requires a roll. Most often, this will be the 'Normal' option if a roll is required.
Attendance Code when marked PresentThis indicates the attendance code that will be allocated to the student if they are marked as Present in this class.
Check In EnabledThis function should be left as "Inherit".
Course FeeThis determines the cost of the subject when students pay for it as part of the Course Confirmation module. For most subjects this can be left as $0.
Apprv Req?Does this subject require approval as part of the Course Confirmation process?


Step Two: Creating Classes

The next step when setting up Custom Classes is to set up the classes. Each group of students that study/attend together will need their own class.

If students have private lessons, a class will need to be created for each student.

To add a class to a subject within Compass, navigate to the Teaching & Learning menu (pencil icon), and select Subjects and Classes then click on the '+ Add New Class' button at the top of the Subject View tab.

This will open the Add New Class window to enter the information about the class.  You can add a single class or multiple classes at once.


Adding a Single Class:

Ensure the 'Single Class' option is selected and type in your class Code.

     

Adding Multiple Classes for a Subject at once:

Select the 'Multiple Classes option.
Set up your code structure by adding a Prefix, Range and Suffix.
Example:
If you were creating Instrumental Piano Classes and there were 4 classes, you could put 'PNO' for the Prefix, '1-4' for the Range and 'A' for the suffix.  You would then proceed to complete the rest of the fields and when you click 'Save', there would be four classes created, PNO01A, PNO02A, PNO03A and PNO04A.
Once you have selected to proceed with either a Single class or Multiple classes, continue to complete each field in the pop-up.

Fields:


CodeThe code used to identify this class. This code needs to be unique within Compass and cannot clash with any existing class codes within the school's timetable or any other Custom Classes within Compass.
SubjectSelect the subject from the drop down. You can also search by typing the subject name into the field.
DescriptionGenerally left blank by schools. Can be used to leave notes regarding the class.
Time PeriodSelect the applicable Time Period from the available list i.e. if the class needs to run the entire year, select the Whole Year time period for this year; if it is a Semester 1 only class, select the Semester 1 time period for this year.
The Time Period you choose will determin the Start and Finish date range for possible class sessions.
Lead TeacherThis is the lead teacher for the class which is the staff member who manages/supervises this class/marks the roll where appropriate. 
Please note that a Lead Teacher must be allocated to each class.
If a class is team-taught, this teacher needs to be the lead teacher who is ultimately responsible for the class. This teacher will be used for Reporting and PST conferences within Compass. When setting up the new class, this field will default to the teacher logged in, however this can be changed using the drop down list.
Attendance Code when marked PresentClasses will inherit this code from the Subject settings. This is the attendance code that students will be allocated when they are marked 'Present'.
LayerThis layer is determined by the Subject selected.
Period StructureSelect the period structure the class sessions will default to, they can be edited within sessions to be at different times if needed.  If you need to create a specific Period Structure for your Custom Classes, please refer to the 'Period Structure' section of the Configure Schedules article from our Knowledge Base.
CampusChoose the applicable Campus the sessions will run at.  This will set the default Campus setting for sessions created, it can be edited within sessions.
RoomIf you select a location in this field, it will be the default location when creating sessions for this class. This field can be left blank.
Custom LocationIf sessions are held elsewhere you can add this information here.  
Roll-Marking ModeDetermines what kind of roll will be marked for these classes. Most often, this will be the 'Normal' option. This is pre-filled by the Subject settings.

When all fields are complete, click 'Save'.

If you created a Single class, Compass will confirm and present two options: 'Open Class Profile Page' and 'Back to Subjects and Classes'.



Clicking on 'Open Class Profile Page' will enable you to continue with the new custom class to enrol students. If you choose this option proceed to Step 3: Enrolling Students to finalise the class set-up.

Clicking on 'Back to Subjects and Classes' enables you to create another class within the Subject. If you choose this option repeat Step 2: Creating Classes.

If you created Multiple classes, it will advise you how many classes were created and then close the pop-up.  You will see the generated classes.  You can then continue to create more classes if need be or you can click into the first class and proceed to Step 3, Enrolling Students.  You will need to complete Step 3 for each class you have created.


Importing Classes

Alternatively, custom classes can be defined within a CSV file in a similar way to the existing 'Import Subjects' function. This can be accessed by going to Subjects and Classes > Actions > Import Classes.

When selecting, this will provide the sample format of the file. Please note that this file should be comma delimited, all strings double quoted, and include a column headings line.

A full description of each field can be found below:
FieldValidation
ClassCodeMandatory. Max length: 15 characters
SubjectCodeMandatory. Must be a valid SubjectCode from the Academic Year selected at the time of import. Max length: 20 characters
DescriptionOptional.
LeadTeacherMandatory. Valid GovtCode1/CEIDER. If no match, fall back to Username. If no match, fall back to ImportIdentifier.
LayerMandatory. One of the following:
- NormalClasses
- CustomClasses
- LiteracyAndNumeracyClasses
- LearningSupport
StartMandatory. YYYY-MM-DD. Will be interpreted as “12:00am local time on the specified date”.
FinishMandatory. YYYY-MM-DD. Will be interpreted as “11:59pm local time on the specified date”.
PeriodStructureOptional. Valid existing Period Structure.
If not supplied will set the default Period Structure. 
SessionDefaultCampusCodeOptional. Valid Campus Import Identifier OR OffCampus.
If not supplied will set the Default Campus.
SessionDefaultLocationCodeOptional. Valid LocationCode.
SessionDefaultCustomLocationIf SessionDefaultCampusCode = Off Campus then Optional, default if not supplied: empty.
If SessionDefaultCampus = Off Campus then Mandatory.
SessionDefaultRollMarkingModeOptional. One of the following:
- Intelligent
- Normal
- NoRoll
- RollOnly
If not supplied this will set whatever the default Roll Marking Mode for the parent Subject is.
SessionDefaultAttendanceCodeOptional. If not supplied, this will set whatever the default ‘Present’ code for the parent Subject is.


Step Three: Enrolling Students

Students are enrolled in a custom class via the class profile page. If you haven't selected the 'Open Class Profile Page' option after creating the class, this page can also be accessed via Subjects and Classes page or from the staff profile or by searching for the class in the main search bar in Compass.

For example finding a class from the Teaching and Learning menu (pencil icon) > Subjects and Classes > Subject View tab. Enter the subject title  in the Subject search field and click the magnifier to filter the subject list. Click on the subject within the subject list to highlight to light blue. This will open the Classes box to the right-hand side listing all the classes within the subject.

From the Classes list click on the relevant class name/code.

     

This will open the Class page. To enrol students select the Enrolments tab.
On the Enrolments tab click on the '+ Add Enrolment(s)' button which will open the Add New Enrolments window.

     

In almost all instances, students within custom classes are not grouped by form or year level and so can be added individually by searching for the student and clicking '+ Add'. Using the 'Advanced' option, students can also be added via a list of ID codes. This option is especially useful if you have an existing CSV of the students, which you can then copy and paste into this field.

Enrolled students will then appear in a list within the Enrolments tab. Enrolments are managed via this tab, and students can be edited, withdrawn or deleted using the tools in the right-hand columns of the grid. Students will appear on rolls for the sessions that are scheduled between their enrolment start and finish dates.




Step Four: Scheduling Sessions

Now that the class has students enrolled, you will need to create sessions for the class. This can be done by a timetabler through the Class page or by the teacher of the class through their own Schedule.

Compass can be configured with a separate period structure for Custom Classes. Most commonly this is used when a school has a separate period configuration for their Instrumental Music classes. This allows sessions to be scheduled within these periods, rather than within the normal period structure. For more information regarding this set-up process, please contact the Compass Support Team at support@compass.education

Scheduling Lessons via the Class Page

Open the Sessions tab on the class profile page. Select '+ Add Session(s)' which will open the Session Editor window.


Enter the date, start and finish times for the lesson. Times can be selected using the period drop down options, the pre-set times from the drop down menu, or by typing a time into the start or finish fields. 

Select a Location from the dropdown; the availability status for the room will be displayed by a red or green dot beside the room. The staff member for the particular lesson can also be selected; this will be pre-populated with the lead teacher for the class.

Repeating Sessions

Compass has the ability to automatically add repeating sessions for a regularly occurring lessons. To use the repeat function, enter information for the first lesson of the repeat into the Start and Finish fields. 

To add the repeat function, click the 'Repeat' check box.

Repeat pattern:How often does the session repeat? If the repeat is every week, enter '1' or if the repeat is every every fortnight enter '2' etc. Then select the date of the end of the repeat.
Repeat on days:Select which days the repeating session occurs. You can repeat a session for multiple days in a week. For example: a student has an EAL session at 9:00 AM on Tuesday and Friday every week.


After clicking 'Save & Close' button, the sessions created will appear under the Sessions tab, as well as on staff and student profiles. These sessions can be edited, cancelled or deleted using the functions in the right hand column of the Sessions grid.

Scheduling Sessions from the Staff Schedule

Lessons can also be scheduled using 'drag and drop' functionality on a staff member's schedule (the Schedule tab from the staff member's profile page). Click 'Edit Schedule' to open this option. Classes will appear as blocks at the top of the schedule. These blocks can then be dragged into position on the schedule. 

Tip: This functionality works best when the school's alternate period structure has been set up within Compass. This will cause the lessons to 'snap' into these default timeslots, making scheduling classes simple!

     

If you have any questions about Custom Classes, or require assistance in setting up a Custom Class, please contact our Support Team via email to support@compass.education


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