| Overview | Importing These Files |
| Video Explaining This File | What Data Can Be Updated |
| Populating These Files | Products That Use These Files |
| Next: Sections | |
Overview
This file builds your course catalog inside your applicable Anthology tools and should include all possible courses that could be taught across all terms. The Sections file then reference these courses as they are taught over time. For this reason, this extract should include all active courses that can be pulled from the course related tables in the SIS. When building this script, assess your institution’s policies and processes for updating the course data in the SIS to ensure completeness and accuracy.
Video Explaining the Course File
Best Practices for Populating Courses
Scope
Determine whether there are any courses that should be excluded from your imports to Core Data based on local practices or usage goals. For example, you may have courses in your data related to continuing education programs that are outside the scope of your project, or placeholder courses for transfer credits that you do not intend to use. Work with the functional leaders on your campus to determine what courses to exclude and how to identify them in the data.
CourseIdentifier Source
Build CourseIdentifiers based on the subject/department code and course number (ex. ENG101) rather than using system generated identification numbers to ensure uniqueness and avoid duplicates. The course identifiers defined in this file are also used to link sections to the course catalog. These identifiers MUST be present in the SIS in a way that can be mapped to sections. When building the Courses file, assess which identifiers are used on the tables that define sections.
Data Relationships
This OrgUnitIdentifier is used to align courses to the organizational units to which they belong, allowing for reporting and permissions based on the organizational structure. These identifiers must either be present on the courses tables or be able to be mapped through another table or view to match the identifiers used in the Organizational Units file.
Type Mapping
The courses import only accepts certain enumerated values in the Type field, detailed in the Core Data Dictionary. These values should be mapped from the codes used in the SIS using case statements in the SQL scripts. The exact mapping will depend on your institution’s use of these codes in the SIS. Evaluate any fields related to course levels in your data and use them to guide your decision-making process.
CIP Codes
The CIP code column must have a valid CIP code inserted in one of the following formats (00 / 00.00 / 00.0000). For more information and a full list of valid CIP codes please reference the National Center for Education Statistics website.
Term Logic
This script typically does not use any term logic, because it should be based on the overall course catalog and not depend on the current term. However, if for any reason your script needs to pull data from the section tables, the term logic should reflect the logic used in the Sections file script.
Suggested SIS Tables
Important Information About Importing This File
Import Order
During the Core Data, Courses Import process, the Courses Import MUST be the third of the Course Data imports to go into Core Data. Courses must be in the system before Course Section data is imported.
What Data Can Be Updated
Once the Courses have been created they cannot be deleted. It is important to have your extract as accurate as possible before it is imported. All of the columns except for the Identifier can be updated by importing an updated file with the new information.
Products That Use Courses and Sections
| Product | Required | Optional | Not Applicable |
| Baseline - Rubrics | |||
| Beacon | |||
| Engage | |||
| Evaluate | |||
| Insight | |||
| Outcomes | |||
| Planning |
Requirements for populating these file can be found in the Core Data Dictionary.
Comments