guidance for master course scheduler tool · 2017. 3. 29. · this document describes the “master...

Guidance for Master Course Scheduler Tool District Users

June 8, 2015

Purpose of this Guidance

This guidance has been prepared for the individuals in each school district who are responsible for submitting course schedules to the Department for SEI Endorsement courses that will be hosted in your respective districts.

This document describes the “Master Course Scheduler” tool you will use to submit these schedules, how to gain access to it, and how to use it successfully.

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

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A Few Notes on Tool

The tool was designed to allow districts to submit course schedules for approval. While RETELL is the first program to use this tool, other PD programs will also use this tool for submitting course information for PD sponsored by the Department.

SEI Endorsement Course Facilitators will have view-only access to the tool to see all the courses they have agreed to teach and the details of the courses and will be able to identify course sections that might need an instructor.

Based on course selection, the tool will pre-populate the number of face-to-face, capstone and make-up sessions and the hours per session required.

Once the district clicks “Add a course” and selects a semester, Fall 2015 or Spring 2016, they will not be able to change the semester since the tool has already assigned a number for that course section based on the semester chosen.

The tool does not auto-save. There is a “Save’ button so please make sure to “Save” often to avoid losing work.


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A Few Notes on Tool (cont’d) The tool is not designed to prevent districts from creating more courses or

different types of courses than what the Department asked districts to host. If districts submit a request for a course that is not the type and/or during the semester the Department requested, this course section is subject to rejection.

A course section can be submitted without a facilitator being identified. However, please note that should a facilitator not be found to teach the course section, it will be cancelled. If a course is submitted without a confirmed facilitator, and all other information is correct, a course

will be “Pre-Approved” and will be posted in the Registration system. If a course is submitted with a confirmed facilitator, and all other information is correct, a course will

be “Approved”.

The system will not allow districts to submit the course section for approval if there are errors and will provide error messages to guide in correcting these errors.

The “Search” feature allows districts to view all courses across the state but the tool only permits districts to edit their own courses.

The tool is designed to send emails upon various status changes. Emails will be sent from the address of ESE Registrar. Copies of these emails will also be sent to the Facilitator named in the course section. The following emails will be sent: Course section submitted for Approval Course section has been Pre-Approved Course section has been Approved Course section has been Rejected Course section has been submitted with Revision and Request for Approval Course section has been Deleted


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Where to Find and How to Access


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The Master Scheduler tool is accessible through the ESE Security Portal – https://gateway.edu.state.ma.us

Your role for the tool is MCS-District Registrar

As a MCS-District Registrar you will be able:

To search and view all course sections

Add and Edit course sections

(For SY 2015-16, each district’s courses for Fall and Spring are already loaded into the Master Course Scheduler for your convenience. Please do not create new courses.)

Save and/or Submit course sections for review and approval

To get started, contact your District Directory Administrator and ask them to give you the role of “MCS-District Registrar” for the Master Course Scheduler Tool.

https://gateway.edu.state.ma.us/

https://gateway.edu.state.ma.us/

How to Login to the Master Course Scheduler


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Step 1. Go to https://gateway.edu.state.ma.us


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https://gateway.edu.state.ma.us

Step 2. Enter Your User Name and Password.


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Step 3. Click “Application List” and then click on “Master Course Scheduler”


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Step 4. Click “Search” on the upper left corner. Select your “district” in the dropdown and select “In-progress” as the status. Then Click the “Search” button underneath “Course Start Date To”.


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Step 5. Click on a course to input the course details. Note: that the tool only allows information to be entered for one course at a time.


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Course Details Page – Consists of two basic sections – General Course Information and Session Details


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Step 6. - Complete the Course Details page – General Information


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• An * next to a field means the field is mandatory. • Course Name – preloads from previous page and cannot be changed. • Semester – preloads from previous page and cannot be changed. • Section – auto-assigns in sequential order • Course Code – pre-populates from course selection. • Status – changes based on status of the course section. Statuses include: In Progress, Pre-Approved, Rejected/Not Approved, Revised, Deleted. Districts are

only able to edit a course section when the course is “In Progress” status. • District – defaults to your district • Endorsement ID – pre-populates from course selection and is an internal only id. • PDPs – pre-populates based on course selection. • DSAC Region – pre-populates based on district. • The “Start Date” will default to the beginning of the semester. Please change this to equal the date of Face-to-face session 1. • The “End Date” should default to the end date of the semester. Please leave this date as is. • Type of posting. Unless you have been told that you have a “District-Restricted” course, select “Regional”. • Description field should be left blank. It is not needed for RETELL courses.


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Step 7. - Complete the Course Details page – General Information (cont’d)

Host Location – add where the course will be held. All fields are mandatory.

Comments (For Internal Use) – For any special comments, if appropriate, but otherwise leave blank.

Facilitator information – If known, select facilitator from drop down of approved facilitators. Once facilitator is chosen, contact information will pre-populate.

Facilitator Confirmed – check box to indicate facilitator has agreed to teach the course section; leave unchecked if facilitator is not confirmed.

Step 8. – Complete the Course Details Page – Session Details


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• The tool automatically generates the number of sessions for each course (see the next slide for a sample of a completed course section)

• Click “Edit” and the fields open up to edit and “Update” and “Cancel” are now in the Action Column.

• After all information is entered, click “Update” to save. Click “Cancel” to undo.

• The Session Date can be added by either using the click pick calendar or typing in the date.

• If the session information is entered incorrectly (times do not equal Length of Session), or you leave any session blank, the system will not allow you to “Submit” for approval. It will give you an error message when you click “Submit”.

• Remember to “Save” if you can not finish this page in one sitting.

Sample Course Section Schedule


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• Face-to-face sessions must be scheduled with no less than one week between sessions.

• Capstone sessions are added to schedules to provide information for course participants so that they can reserve their time in advanced. However, during the course, facilitators and course participants can agree on alternative dates and times.

• Capstones can be scheduled 2 per night, or 1 per night. They can also be scheduled subsequent, consecutive nights or event all in a row on Saturdays.

• Makeup sessions can be scheduled on alternative nights during a week or after the last day of the face-to-face sessions or the same night as Capstones in the event that they Makeup day is not used. One Makeup day could be scheduled between sessions 10 and 11 (on a Saturday) for the Full Course, and sessions 6 and 7 for the Long Bridge.

• Session start times should take into consideration commuting and parking times so that course participants can get to the course on time. Sections may not be approved if they are less than 45 minutes after dismissal and not earlier than 4:00.

Step 9. – Review and Submit

Please review all entered information to ensure information is accurate and complete. Then click “Submit” at the bottom of screen. You will receive a confirmation on your screen as well as a confirmation email that your course has been submitted:

The status of your course section changes to ”Submitted”

If you are unsure and want to submit later, please select “Save”. You can log out and return at a later time to complete the course section. Your course section status will remain as “In progress”.


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Frequently Asked Questions


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1. I do not have access to the Master Scheduler tool when I log into the security Portal, what do I do?

Please contact your District Directory Administrator who must give you access to the tool in order for you to see and use the tool. The role is MCS-District Registrar.

2. Who do I contact if I have problems with using the tool?

Please contact the RETELL Administrative Assistant, Mary Freed, via email at [email protected].

3. How will I know when my course section(s) are approved?

Once your course section(s) have been approved, you will receive a confirmation email.

mailto:[email protected]

Frequently Asked Questions (cont’d)


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4. What is “Pre-Approved”?

If you did not identify a facilitator, or the facilitator has not been confirmed, but all other information is correct, your course section will be “Pre-Approved”. Courses that are “Pre-Approved” will be posted. However, courses without facilitators are subject to cancellation if a facilitator is not identified before the close of registration.

5. How do I revise a course that has been “Approved”, “Pre-approved” or has been “Submitted”?

Once a course has been Submitted or has been “Pre-Approved” or “Approved”, you will need to contact the RETELL Administrative Assistant Mary Freed, via email at [email protected] and ask that the Department change the status of the course to “In Progress”. Once the course is back to “In Progress”, you will be able to make the changes and submit the course section again for approval.


Frequently Asked Questions (cont’d)


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6. What if I do not find my Facilitator’s name on the list but I know they have been approved?

If the Facilitator you want has been approved to teach, but is not yet appearing on the list, please contact the RETELL Administrative Assistant, Mary Freed, via email at [email protected]. If you are submitting a course for the first time, you can also add a note about this in the “Comment” text box.

7. What if I made a mistake and need to cancel the course?

If you made a mistake and have already submitted the course, you can contact the RETELL Administrative Assistant, Mary Freed, via email at [email protected], who will be able to cancel the course for you. If you are still “In Progress”, you can change the components of the course by clicking “Cancel”. As noted before, you will not be able to change the course type and semester. If you need to change those attributes as well, you will need to add another new course.



guidance for master course scheduler tool · 2017. 3. 29. · this document describes the “master...

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