Purpose

This job produces files (via email) containing formatted finalised results data suitable for export to a spreadsheet, database, word processor or other program

Assessments Specialist and/or scheduled to run automatically at regular interval

Structure

Block

Results File For Publication

Tab

Parameters

Button

Find Course

Run Details

Depending on parameter selection, this job provides an output file with student results information suitable for publication either –

• On a university notice board
• In a newspaper
• In official notifications, or
• As a document for internal institution use.

In each case, the output is made available via email as a comma-delimited file.

Timing and Method

This job is normally run at the end of each Assessment Period. It can only be run in batch mode. Refer to the Job Control and Scheduling Subsystem for further details.

Email Address

The email address to which output is directed can be set as a part of the job, using form JBSF4120. This is convenient when all results information will be handled by the same person every time the job is run.

Alternatively, an email address can be set for the request, each time the job is run. This is done in JBSF5230, which is accessed from the request form, JBSF5210.

Identifying Output

Each file created is identified in the HEADER line by its request job run ID (see Layout heading at end of document). This ID is given in the run log for the job.

The Results File For Publication block contains:

Parameters Tab

• Extract Comment
  Optional – can be used to add identifying details to the output file, which has a COMMENTS line. A recommendation is to include the File Type and/or description.
• File Type
  Required – determines the type of output file produced.
  For example, the newspaper results file, the official notification results file.
  The four File Types are NB-RESULTS (noticeboard), INT-RESULT (internal documents), OFL-RESULT (official notification) and PRESS-RLTS (newspaper).
  The type selected has an effect on which students will be reported, which of their results will be shown, and how. This is explained in more detail under the heading opposite, 'How are Records Selected?'
• Include Student Names check box
  If selected – a student's name, as well as their Person ID, will be recorded in the file for the three File Types NB-RESULTS, INT-RESULT and OFL-RESULT.
  For PRESS-RLTS (newspaper publication), names are never included. Setting this parameter to be not selected is enforced.
• Assessment Calendar
  Required – the job runs for a single specified Assessment Period. The parameter defaults to the current Assessment Period.
• Course Owning Org Unit
  Optional – select a value to restrict results reporting to students enrolled in courses owned by the Organisational Unit.
  For example, to restrict to students in a particular faculty. (The responsible Organisational Units are recorded against courses in CRSF1210.)
• OR Org Unit Member Type
  Optional – select a value to restrict to students enrolled in courses owned by any Organisational Unit of that type. (Member types are assigned in ORGF0141, and defined in ORGF0112. Possible examples are FACULTY, SCHOOL).
• Include Child Org Units check box
  If selected, the selection includes any Organisational Units which are in a dependent relationship (as specified in ORGF0143) to those already selected as a result of the previous two parameters. Child Organisational Units do not have to match the member type parameter.
• Course Type
  Optional – select a value to restrict selection to students enrolled in courses of this type.
• Course Code
  Optional – select a value to restrict selection to students enrolled in this course.
• Correspondence Category
  Optional – select a value to restrict selection to students with this Correspondence Category recorded against their Course Attempt.

Rules/Notes:

Note: The % symbol indicates that the parameter is not considered for processing.

How are Records Selected?

Background Structure

Every Unit Offering Option has a Grading Schema assigned in CRSF2500. For each grade in a Grading Schema, 'grade inclusion' check box is set (in ASSF5110) for each of the four types of publication (i.e.output File Types). A selected check box allows the grade to be reported in the corresponding type of publication.

The File Types set in this job are the same as Correspondence Types, and are system generated. The Correspondence Types (e.g. NB-RESULTS) can be seen in the form CORF2110.

Processing

For students meeting parameter selection criteria, completed or discontinued Unit Attempts are examined. The Grading Schema for the Student's Unit Attempt is selected. If the 'grade inclusion' check box matches, the File Type is set for the grade obtained by the student, this student's finalised unit grade is considered for output.

For example, a student gets a 'credit' grade for a unit associated with the STANDARD Grading Schema. In this Grading Schema, the 'credit' grade has the 'grade inclusion' Noticeboard check box selected, and therefore the student can be considered when this job is run with a File Type parameter of NB-RESULT.

But students must also have a matching Correspondence Type (e.g. NB-RESULT) in the Correspondence Category assigned to the Course Attempt under which the unit was studied. If a match is made, the student's grade will be reported unless they have an encumbrance with:

• A RESULT-BLK system encumbrance effect, or
• A RVK_SRVC or S_COR_BLK System Encumbrance effect, and the Block When Encumbered check box is selected in CORF2110 for the Correspondence Type (File Type) of the output file selected.
  For example, a student has an Encumbrance with the RVK_SRVC effect. If NB-RESULTS is the File Type selected, and the NB-RESULTS Correspondence Type has its Block When Encumbered check box selected for the Correspondence Category assigned to the Student's Course Attempt, grades for units in that Course Attempt will not be selected for the output file. With a RESULT-BLK, a student's grades will never be reported, irrespective of the setting of the Block when Encumbered check box.

What is shown?

The layout of the four types of output file is the same. The data reported varies depending on the File Type and on parameter selection. The PRESS-RLTS File Type never reports students' names.

• Translated grades
  A Student's Unit Attempt grade is reported unless that grade has been translated (refer to translating grading schemas in the Specialist Overview, and ASSF5120). Translated grades for a student can be seen in ASSF53B0, or the history form AUDF3102.
• External/standard grades
  For NB-RESULTS (noticeboard), OFL-RESULT (official notification) and PRESS-RLTS (newspaper), external grades are shown, if recorded in ASSF5110. For INT-RESULT (internal documents), the internal grade is shown.

Sort Sequence

The file is sorted:

• Alphabetically by student name if included, otherwise on Person ID, within:
  • Course sorted alphabetically on short course title, within:
    • Course Type in ascending order (1, 2, 3 …), within:
      • Organisational Unit, sorted alphabetically.

Layout

The file is organised with an initial HEADER, showing: institution name (local), output file name (from JBSF4110), request job run ID.

Except for the COMMENTS line, subsequent data lines are preceded by a header line identified by the suffix 'H' in the first word. For example, the COURSEH header line lists the contents of the following COURSE data line.