Options/Options Online

[jmel27]

Hi All,

 

I was wondering if anyone used the Options/Options Online part of SIMS?

 

We are looking at possibly using it for our GCSE options for next year as we always used a paper version.

 

Does anyone have any experience with it? Pro, cons?

 

 

Thanks!

[ChrisH]

I used it last year, we only used it in school though and we didn't give out access to it. It was just used as an administrative tool but I probably wouldn't have any issue using it the way it was intended. The only issue I had last year is I couldn't get it to transfer into the curriculum blocks, when I was doing the timetable.

[DeeleyNet]

The only issue I had last year is I couldn't get it to transfer into the curriculum blocks, when I was doing the timetable.

 

 

This is the primary reason we're going to use it, it'll be disappointing if it fails the first time we use it.

[ChrisH]

I think my main issue was I already had a structure in-place and I think you may have to give consideration to the year group in use eg all the options were chosen for year 9x as that was the the one extracted from SIMS, then to go on to try and put it into blocks for year 10. This in theory should have worked for early timetable promotion in the last term but I couldn't get it to work. It maybe just needed a better reading of the manual!

[howartp]

We're using it this year for the first time.

 

Our new deputy is more up on it so has introduced it; not heard of any problems yet.

 

Only using it in school this year, presumably to release to students/parents next year.

 

Peter

[panosthegreat]

I really like it. We don't use it properly though as you're meant to set up next year's timetable first in Nova and get Options Online to transfer the blocks into Nova-T at the end, it seemed like too much effort to do that.

 

Instead we used a form on our VLE for students to pick their options, then manually entered them into Options Online after teachers had cleared their choices as appropriate, hit the 'generate' button and it set up the blocks of GCSE and A Level subjects in less than a minute. We had 4 students out of 90-ish that only got 3 out of their 4 choices, and all of their backup choices fit.

 

Next year I'll try the proper method where students enter their choices directly into the system, just didn't have time this year to read up all the documentation.