Creating Optional Classes in Nova T6

[ggladman]

Hi

 

I am attempting to write a school timetable using NOVA T6, with some success last year.

 

This year I am having a problem setting up optional classes in the 6th form. The setup is as follows:

 

(1) Year 12 is setup with 5 blocks. Four are standard blocks full of 10 periods per fortnight A Level subjects. No problems here.

 

(2) The 5th block contains a variety of "enrichment" subjects, e.g. Health & Safety, Food Hygiene, Community Service, etc...... all of which run several classes,of differing numbers of periods and different (overlapping) times within the block. Students are then allowed to opt for as many of these options as they wish (i.e. they could go for 10 frees if they wish or any combination on enrichments.) I.e. an optional timetable.

 

So you can't allocate students to more than one line within the block once in SIMS and hence we have problems with registration of students on optional courses and the exams officer goes crazy without established set lists on SIMS (being linked to course manager and therefore NOVA T6).

 

Can anyone think of a solution. How could I set up this 5th block in such a way that students we can place students in multiple subjects within the block. I am happy to look at banding solutions or any other ideas.

 

Many thanks

 

Graham

[RootsSchImp]

I

Can anyone think of a solution. How could I set up this 5th block in such a way that students we can place students in multiple subjects within the block. I am happy to look at banding solutions or any other ideas.

 

Many thanks

 

Graham

 

Hi Graham,

 

I think you're right that bands are your friend here. Create a separate band for the optional block and put the classes in it, schedule them whenever they happen.

 

The real magic happens in Sims. When allocating students to classes there's a relax button that let's you put students into two bands, then they can made members of the optional groups.

 

If there's a clash, say some of the community classes clash with their academic subject but they go to others, on the timetable below their student memberships in Sims it says so and there's an option to resolve it by saying which of the simultaneous lessons they attend.

[ggladman]

Hello

 

A big thank you for taking the time to reply.

 

Not sure I understand however. If we have an extra band, then presumably you'd have blocks within it. Do I place all enrichments in one block in this extra band, in which case I'm not sure how it's different? Students wanting to do say food hygiene and community service as their enrichments, but not general studies (say) would still be doing a selection of more than one from the block.

 

Thanks for any more help you can give,

 

Graham

[RootsSchImp]

There's two ways round this, either you have a linear block say:

grp 1 - Fh, Gs, Cs

grp 2 - Fh, Gs, Cs

 

Then in curriculum assignment in SIMS when you allocate students to grp 1 it will put them in all three classes and you have to take them out of the ones they don't do.

 

Or

 

Create separate blocks for each subject (this might entail putting some blocks on top of each other in Nova which have to be locked in place)

 

Or

 

Create blocks per subject in multiple bands to allow you to schedule simultaneous classes, then in curriculum assignments you might have to put students into 2 or 3 bands.

 

Whichever way you cut it, it ends up being a bit messy somewhere. My approach would probably be separate blocks in one band as that's messy in Nova but only you see Nova and I think it will be the easiest in SIMS as you have to relax the rules to put them in one extra band then put them only in classes which they will attend.

[ggladman]

There's two ways round this, either you have a linear block say:

 

 

Create separate blocks for each subject (this might entail putting some blocks on top of each other in Nova which have to be locked in place)

 

 

 

Whichever way you cut it, it ends up being a bit messy somewhere. My approach would probably be separate blocks in one band as that's messy in Nova but only you see Nova and I think it will be the easiest in SIMS as you have to relax the rules to put them in one extra band then put them only in classes which they will attend.

 

 

Thanks again RootsSchlmp, I am very grateful.

 

I am beginning to get my head around what you've said. So having played this morning, I have worked out how to put blocks on top of each other. This seems to be the way to go.

 

All girls in Year 12 are in the same band as we only offer A Levels and none of the more vocational routes. And the extra block does not clash with the A Level blocks (an enrichment period every day). So am I right in thinking the following:

 

(1) Create blocks for each enrichment subject in the one common band. Would I need to create a dummy study period row in the extra blocks so that each student can be allocated something in the block?

 

(2) Place these blocks on top of each other in the scheduling. These seems easy to do.

 

(3) When in SIMS, allocate students to enrichments on the basis of their choices and then remove from the inevitable clashes (with the dummy study periods).

 

Many thanks once more

 

Graham

[RootsSchImp]

The advantage of the dummy study period would be in knowing where students are - so for example if all private study happens in the library you put students in a private study 'class' so that you know at this time students will be in the library. If that's not the case - students could be in private in a number of locations then I wouldn't create class for it, the effect of that will be a blank in the students' timetables which means private study. Definitely don't create a lesson in Nova without a room or a teacher because if you send the timetable through with classes like that, the next time you try SIMS will spit the dummy.

 

Seeing as we're talking about set enrichment periods and students can choose say Community service monday, tuesday, nothing wednesday, general studies on friday, my approach would be create a block for each day of the cycle with a one period class for each of the activities happening on that day. That way students can be allocated to the classes they want without any locks/clashes.