Open Blocks in NovaT

[jmshillito]

Is it possible to have an "open block" structure in NovaT? This would involve a block which contains core subjects (7 periods per week), options (6 periods), and Lifeskills/Sport? A student gets 3x core (21 periods), 3x options (18 periods), 2 Life Skills and 1 sport.

 

For example (I added 1 period of LS or Sport to the options to make the block periods correct):

[TABLE=width: 500]

[TR]

[TD]

[TABLE=width: 630]

[TR]

[TD]Block1

[/TD]

[TD]Block 2

[/TD]

[TD]Block 3

[/TD]

[TD]Block 4

[/TD]

[TD]Block 5

[/TD]

[TD]Block 6

[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]En7

[/TD]

[TD]En7

[/TD]

[TD]En7

[/TD]

[TD]En7

[/TD]

[TD]En7

[/TD]

[TD]En7

[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Ma7

[/TD]

[TD]Ma7

[/TD]

[TD]Ma7

[/TD]

[TD]Ma7

[/TD]

[TD]Ma7

[/TD]

[TD]Ma7

[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Sc7

[/TD]

[TD]Sc7

[/TD]

[TD]Sc7

[/TD]

[TD]Sc7

[/TD]

[TD]Sc7

[/TD]

[TD]Sc7

[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Ge6 Ls1

[/TD]

[TD]SS6 Ls1

[/TD]

[TD]Mv6 Ls1

[/TD]

[TD]Hi6 Ls1

[/TD]

[TD]Te6 Ls1

[/TD]

[TD]Cs6 Ls1

[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]IT6 Ls1

[/TD]

[TD]Ar6 Ls1

[/TD]

[TD]Bs6 Ls1

[/TD]

[TD]Bs6 Ls1

[/TD]

[TD]Cr6 Ls1

[/TD]

[TD]He6 Ls1

[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Te6 Sp1

[/TD]

[TD]Mu6 Sp1

[/TD]

[TD]Ec6 Sp1

[/TD]

[TD]Ac6 Sp1

[/TD]

[TD]Ww6 Sp1

[/TD]

[TD]Fn6 Sp1

[/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

[/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

 

The problem is, students take their subjects in blocks 1 to 6, so may have En in Block1, Maths in Block2 etc. When they take the option subject, they may NOT actually take Lifeskills, but could be placed in Sport. The advantage is that with only 2 Lifeskills and 1 Sports teacher, all the students can be taught. However, I can't see a way to create this structure in NovaT

 

The 6 day cycle looks like this:

 

[TABLE=width: 500]

[TR]

[TD]

[TABLE=width: 654]

[TR]

[TD][/TD]

[TD][/TD]

[TD]Day1

[/TD]

[TD]Day2

[/TD]

[TD]Day3

[/TD]

[TD]Day4

[/TD]

[TD]Day5

[/TD]

[TD]Day6

[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: right]1

[/TD]

[TD=align: right][/TD]

[TD]Block1

[/TD]

[TD]Block2

[/TD]

[TD]Block3

[/TD]

[TD]Block4

[/TD]

[TD]Block5

[/TD]

[TD]Block6

[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: right]2

[/TD]

[TD=align: right][/TD]

[TD]Block1

[/TD]

[TD]Block2

[/TD]

[TD]Block3

[/TD]

[TD]Block4

[/TD]

[TD]Block5

[/TD]

[TD]Block6

[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: right]3

[/TD]

[TD=align: right][/TD]

[TD]Block2

[/TD]

[TD]Block3

[/TD]

[TD]Block4

[/TD]

[TD]Block5

[/TD]

[TD]Block6

[/TD]

[TD]Block1

[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: right]4

[/TD]

[TD=align: right][/TD]

[TD]Block3

[/TD]

[TD]Block4

[/TD]

[TD]Block5

[/TD]

[TD]Block6

[/TD]

[TD]Block1

[/TD]

[TD]Block2

[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: right]5

[/TD]

[TD=align: right][/TD]

[TD]Block4

[/TD]

[TD]Block5

[/TD]

[TD]Block6

[/TD]

[TD]Block1

[/TD]

[TD]Block2

[/TD]

[TD]Block3

[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: right]6

[/TD]

[TD=align: right][/TD]

[TD]Block5

[/TD]

[TD]Block6

[/TD]

[TD]Block1

[/TD]

[TD]Block2

[/TD]

[TD]Block3

[/TD]

[TD]Block4

[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: right]7

[/TD]

[TD=align: right][/TD]

[TD]Block6

[/TD]

[TD]Block1

[/TD]

[TD]Block2

[/TD]

[TD]Block3

[/TD]

[TD]Block4

[/TD]

[TD]Block5

[/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

[/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

 

 

Any ideas if this can be done in any way that can be imported into SIMS??!!

[RootsSchImp]

Hi @jmshillito,

 

It should be no problem to create this in Nova. On the Model screen if you create standard blocks by dragging the subject codes into the six blocks each with seven periods. You can then click on and edit those subjects which only have six. Finally, drag the learning support/sport periods onto the appropriate rows and give them 1 period each. The blocks should look exactly as they do in your example.

 

Sims will assume that each row of each block represents a group of students, so for example in block 1 students either have Geography and LS or Tech and Sport. However, assuming you schedule Ls and Sp to happen concurrently you can use the awesomely named 'relax' button while putting students into classes to assign students to Geog and Sport or Tech and Ls.

 

Hope this helps

 

Ed

[jmshillito]

Many thanks - I am trying this, but can't see (in Pupil Curriculum) how to assign a student a different class from the one his option is "tied" to.

Am I looking in the wrong place?

 

Thanks again..

[RootsSchImp]

You are in the right place, you need to assign him to both groups, the relax button let's you do that. Then below the orange curriculum Memberships bars you have a timetable where you can resolve the clashes

[jmshillito]

Hmm - I am not seeing that. When I click RELAX I don't have any alternative choices, and the timetable doesn't appear below the orange bars. The orange bars show the 6 blocks, but only the Options, not the LS/Sport. Looking at student timetables, I can see the LS/Sport at the times scheduled in NT6 - but I can't switch these times (and in any case, if I was to drag a "LS" to a different slot, could I then replace it with the option class??). E.g. Geography is shown as Day2 Period 7 but should be Sport. Sport shows as Day3 Period 2. If I could drag Sport from D3:P2 to D2:p7, could I then drag Geography to D3:P2?

 

I suspect this structure might be difficult to model, as there is a pre-determined LifeSkills/Sport timetable, and the Core/Options timetable fits on top.

In other words, a student in block1 (let's say, Geography is his block 1 choice) takes 2 periods of Lifeskills at any 2 of 6 periods, and a period of sport at any 1 of 4 periods. Another student in block 1 is taking IT, but takes his 3 periods at different times to the first student. Sorry if this is unclear: if you like I can try to send some more graphics?

 

Thanks again for the advice so far.

[RootsSchImp]

Two issues here. You have to put the lessons in the right place in Nova T.

 

In SIMS only the subjects are appearing because these are the names of the groups for the block (with Sims assuming that all in the Gg group will do Ls and all in the tech group will do Sp) If you have a kid doing Gg and Sp you need to put them in the Gg and the Te group. Then in Student Curriculum, accessed via the student page you get orange bars and the timetable to resolve the clashes.

 

If you've got lots of students to switch between groups it might be more efficient to create a separate block for Ls/Sp, leave options as six period classes in a seven period block, then timetable Ls/Sp on top of that block.

Edited October 28, 2016 by elsiegee40
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[jmshillito]

Thanks again - I have already created a separate block for LS/Sp (N.B. there are 6 slots in the timetable for these, even though students will only take 3 of them) - however, in order to do this I also had to modify the other blocks to have 6 periods, (6x6)+6 = 42 periods in the week. Since the students only take 3, I had to then create another block of En/Ma and give it 3 periods. Of course, once I place the LS/Spo in the block I then have to arrange a clash when the other block is placed on the same period.

What I really should do is try to convert this structure to a "traditional" block structure!