Student Options Overview

This one day instructor led course is designed for new Timetablers who have some experience in timetabling and require an overview of how student elective subjects (options) are managed using the latest in specialist timetabling software, The Timetabler V7TE.  The course illustrates how student elective lines are managed within the Roll Class concept developed by Timetable Solutions.  Participants will be using our prepared data to create grid lines.  This course covers the essential knowledge needed for the Advanced Courses.

Audience

This course is designed for new Timetablers who have some experience in timetabling who wish to:

• Use The Timetabler V7TE to enter student subject choices
• Use The Timetabler V7TE to create elective lines or blocks
• Create the elective building blocks for different curriculum models
• Prepare electives lines to import into the timetable

At Course Completion

After completing this course, you will be able to:

• Set up the structure for a grid
• Create a number of different grids using different curriculum models
• Interrogate student subject choices to verify validity
• Create and edit class codes
• Plan draft staffing and specialist room usage for a grid
• Calculate the staffing cost of the grid
• Print results
• Create an exam timetable

Prerequisites

This course assumes that you have these skills:

• Perform simple file access tasks, such as browsing a directory structure, opening and saving files, and creating folders
• Describe the process of timetable construction in your school
• Understand the concept of Blocking, Lines or Grids
• Understand the concept of a Roll Class

Course Materials

You will be provided with a lesson manual which describes and documents all processes used in this course.  Sample data will be provided and data from real schools will be used in a range of “hands on” tasks.

Please note:  Participants at venues other than Highton, Geelong are to provide their own notebook (laptop) computer for the course and to have administration rights to be able to install appropriate software.

Course Outline

• How to handle core versus elective based subjects
• Create files to store information
• Import student details and subject names and codes from School Administration Systems
• Set the structure of the grid lines or blocks, e.g., how many electives do students study?  How many lines or blocks will be created?
• Enter student subject choices in priority order
• Give subjects different weightings (Units)
• Check student subject choices for prerequisites and other requirements
• How to deal with room and teacher constraints, e.g., Only ONE Science Lab.
• Automatically create grid lines or blocks
• Counselling students
• Print class lists
• Create an exam timetable
• Import grid lines into the Timetable Development module in preparation for timetabling