Tips & Tricks 2012

Laurie’s Tips & Tricks

In-Progress sub-requirements • Without intervention, a sub-requirement that is complete with an in-progress course will appear with a + • One of our schools wanted a more prominent indicator for the sub-requirement. • Here’s what they had:

• Here’s what they ended up with:

Here’s how to do this: • Add the COM setting IPSRTEXT

• Be careful what you ask for – any in-progress contributing course will cause the IP+ to appear

Enlarging windows in DARwin • Discovered by Bemidji State University staff member • Works in any of the individual windows in DARwin tables • Click in one of the rows in the window

• While holding down the Ctrl button, use the scroll wheel on your mouse to enlarge the font. • Note: Also works in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.

• Example used here is in Academic Record of the student in DARwin – Joe Cool

Example Original size:

Enlarged, using mouse scroll + Ctrl button:

When do you need a #? • # represents the BLANKC character • Sometimes a space works, but there are times a BLANKC (#) is needed. • Convert table entry: • Audit results: • Convert table entry: • Audit results:

BLANKC (#) Business Rules • For all course matching, as long as you have at least one defined character on each side of the space, then a space is a space and the BLANKC - # - is not used. • In the Convert table, whenever a space is after the last defined position (with wildcards following or without), then a BLANKC - # - is needed to keep a longer old-course definition from overlaying spaces on the new course. • With the ***, the correct Convert table entry: • Correct Audit results:

Our new favorite non-DARS tool • Snipping Tool (thanks Melissa Klein for sharing!) • Windows 7 feature • Capture a screen shot of anything on your desktop – the whole window, a rectangular section or draw a freehand outline. • Then annotate, save, copy or email the image right in the Snipping Tool window.

Snipping Tool • To find the Snipping Tool, go to Start > Search Programs & Files window > Type in ‘Snipping Tool’ • From Programs list above > Right Click Snipping Tool > Pin to Task bar • Find out more about how to use it by going to: http://windows.microsoft.com/isIS/windows7/products/features/snipping-tool

• Snip away!!

Academic Progress Percentage • Satisfactory Academic Progress policy changed effective December 2011 to include courses accepted in transfer • Previously only factored in Home courses • Some schools display a requirement on the Degree Audit to report the percentage of earned versus attempted credits.

• Pat Carmody and I worked on rebuilding the SAP% requirement and VOILA! It works!

SAP % rework considerations • What transfer courses do you ‘accept’? – Do you filter those out at the time of data entry or let the Degree Audit processing filter out excess? – ‘Acceptable’ transfer courses must get their own unique course condition code, either in audit requirement processing or in the Grade Table, depending on how you filter.

SAP % rework considerations • Home courses all get the ‘H’ condition code in the driver program, so no special condition code assigning needed • There may be other courses that are not Home courses and not processed through DARS Transfer Articulation which must be included, i.e. Common Market, so these must also get the needed course condition code • Since this is highly individualized, please contact us for guidance as you use the documentation at: http://www.dars.mntransfer.org/updates/d ocuments/pdf/SAP_percentcompletion.pdf

A Reminder… • Since November 2010, the ability to display the Advisor Name on the audit also includes the ability to display any and all of these: • Phone Number • Office Location • Institutional E-mail Address • Documentation is at: http://www.dars.mntransfer.org/updates/d ocuments/pdf/Pound_AV.pdf

#AV options • #AV only – just the name appears

• Or you can provide more information for your students with a simple change to the #AV entry in your INCLTOP requirements

#AV Cautions & Notes • If you currently have INCLTOP entry of #AV Advisor(s): # you must remove the (s) • Work telephone number, office location and institutional email address all come from HR screens in ISRS, so those fields must be populated and maintained – Phone is TEL_NBR in EMPL_OFFICE – Office is BLDG_NAME (from FC_BLDG, join on BLDG_CODE)+ ROOM_NBR from EMPL_OFFICE table – Email is PS_INTERNET_ADDR + INTERNET_ADDR_TYPE=S

• If any fields are missing, the display will be: – No advisor phone available – No advisor office info available – No advisor email available

DARS Load doesn’t work? • Most of the time it’s a Duplicate Resolution issue, so submit to the ISRS Help Desk

• Once the Duplicate Resolution is done do Transfer Load and then DARS Load. • If it tells you that the DARS Load worked, but the courses do NOT go into Joe Cool, try this workaround: 1. Go into eTranscript and do the Transfer Load again. 2. Confirm that the transfer courses are in the Trsf Courses tab before you do anything else.

DA0001CP Workaround 3.

If the courses are in Trsf Courses, go into DA0001CP and put a T in the first byte of the Tech ID of Student field - no spaces and Store.

Marla’s Tips & Tricks

“A Stitch in Time Saves Nine” You can search Programs & Requirements – 9999# or 99999#

Why would you want to do this search?

Search Programs

School info here

Create a Plan

School info here

Mystery school

Go the whole nine yards • Avoid errors in u.select • Remember: Use six 9s = 999999

JACKPOT! It’s a winner! You’ll be “on cloud nine”!

Finding Course Lists As curriculum changes, many course lists need to be updated. How do you find all those lists that have been created? In this example, many of the course list requirements start with MNTC and when the search is on MN, the results produce more than just the lists.

Having all the list titles begin with the same thing makes finding those lists for annual maintenance much easier.

(NOTE: renaming the Title will not affect where the requirements are within programs or other requirements. DO NOT change Req’t Name (Requirement Name) or you’ll have to add the new names to all your programs using these lists! You will not be happy!!)

Marking Help Desk Issue Solved

New wording…more intuitive

Mary’s Tips & Tricks

Problem: Students may not know they are in an articulated program. •

Notify students that their program is articulated.

Search Articulation Agreements database for your school to find your articulated programs. • Path: www.mntransfer.org > Students > Transfer Planning > Articulation Agreements • Search Current agreements • Your school searched on “Sending Institution” and “Receiving Institution”

www.mntransfer.org

Add a text requirement to the articulated program Encoding: • Suppress requirement completion status • In Header Text: 1. Institution where the program articulates to or from 2. Contact information for the student 3. End date of agreement

•

1.

2.

3.

For maintenance purposes • Use a requirement naming convention to keep the articulation agreement text requirements together on your Select Requirements table Example: ARTXT + dept

Electronic Curriculum Inserts are available!

2012-2013 • 236 new MnTC courses • 1444 new non-MnTC courses Request electronic new course inserts: www.dars.mntransfer.org > Transfer Articulation > DARS Catalogs and New Course Inserts > 2012-2013 New MnTC Courses or New Courses

Be strategic MnSCU TA table must include: • All new MnTC courses • All equivalent courses*

* When courses or disciplines have no equivalent courses, use a generic rule

• If you do not have an education program

• Add ELECT*** to EDUC**** generic rule

• If you don’t have a Nursing program

• Add TECHT*** to NURS**** generic rule

• Be mindful…..

• If your school adds Nursing or Education programs, you will need to add and articulate all MnSCU Nursing and Education equivalent courses to the TA tables.

Questions? Any other Tips & Tricks anyone want to share?

Next… eCatalog – DARS Online Catalog Creation