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After both student and course enrollment data are entered, it is in some situations beneficial to create what we call a “generic” section. For example, when our student Sam Smith logs in to a center and is selecting a Subject for his visit, a list of courses that Sam is currently enrolled in (typically 4 - 6 courses) can be displayed in the Subject drop down menu, rather than a complete list of all available courses. However, if Sam is looking for general Writing help in preparation for a Graduate School Essay Application, this need cannot be expressed in his current list of courses. In this situation, we have the option of adding a Generic Section, perhaps entitled “Graduate Prep”, that would be available to ALL students (enrollment NOT required), so that Sam can select a more accurate subject for his visit. You might also create sections that are for generic tutoring subjects that you would like to offer as options to all students, such as Other, Personal, Study Skills, Non-Course Related, etc.
To add a Generic Section, we can navigate to one of two areas: Center Profile – Sections Tab or the Sections listing. For this example, we will go to the Center Profile - Sections Tab. Hover over the Search Glass on the right hand side of your Trac Navigation (top left corner on Main Menu) and select Center Profiles. Select your Center Profile and Navigate to the Sections Tab. Then click on the blue “New” button to the right of the “term” field.
There are two exceptions within this process that we must adjust in creating a generic section. One involves the “Non Enrolled (Available to All)” preference, and the other involves a term code of 0.
The “Non Enrolled (Available to All)” preference, if activated, will make this section Available to ALL students regardless of a student’s enrollment in the course. This is very similar to activating a section for ALL subcenters, in that, ANY student who logs in to ANY Subcenter will be able to select this course for their visit. Check the box to the left of “Non Enrolled (Available to All)” to make this section a Generic section.
Setting a term code of 0 is also recommended so that as Semester Term codes change over time, any generic sections with term codes of 0 remain constant. Assigning a term code of 0 to your generic sections also makes it easier to differentiate these courses from actual courses. If this is desirable, set the Term ID to “0”. Click “Save” to save the section record.
Generic Sections are useful in many situations. Often, campuses need a system to facilitate Prospective students, or students who have not yet enrolled at their campus but are in the process of orientation, etc…With Generic sections, prospective students are able to, for example, hold an Advising session and record the data associated with the visit, without having any course enrollment information.
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