Overview
This article clarifies how courses are pulled into a plan by explaining the key relationships between a Plan, a Reporting Year, and a Term. It also defines the difference between a Course and a Course Section to help users understand why the number of courses in a plan may not match the total courses in a department.
Relationship Between Plans and Terms
A course plan is not directly connected to a specific term (e.g., Fall 2023 or Spring 2024). Instead, it is connected to a Reporting Year.
- For example, a 2023-2024 Reporting Year includes the following terms:
- Fall 2023
- Spring 2024
- Summer 2024 (if applicable)
Therefore, a plan created for the 2023-2024 Reporting Year will automatically pull in data from all courses offered during the Fall 2023, Spring 2024, and Summer 2024 terms.
To see the terms associated with a reporting year, navigate to Admin > Configuration Settings > Reporting Years.
Courses vs. Course Sections
This is a key distinction:
- A Course (e.g., Physical Therapy 101) is a static entity that exists in the system. Courses are not affiliated with a specific term.
- A Course Section is an instance of a course offered during a specific term. Course sections are affiliated with a term (e.g., Physical Therapy 101, Section A, offered in Spring 2024).
Why the Course Count May Not Match
When a plan is created and a department is selected, the system looks at the following criteria to determine which courses to pull in:
- Courses that belong to the selected department.
- Course sections that are affiliated with the terms included in the plan's reporting year.
For example:
When courses are created in System Administration, a Department must be selected as the course owner. For example, looking up the Physical Therapy Department in System Administration shows that it owns 43 courses.
Only courses with at least one course section during the relevant reporting year will be included in the plan. This is why the number of courses in your plan may be different from the total number of courses in the department.
In this example, of the 43 Courses owned by Physical Therapy, only 26 have affiliated Course Sections for either Fall 2023 or Spring 2024.
If necessary, the courses that were automatically pulled in can also be de-selected. This can be done by clicking into the courses selected link (under Plan Settings) and unchecking the box next to each course.