Management of Existing Enrolments

This section describes:

changing a student's course offering option
discontinuation
intermission
course transfer
encumbrances

Changing a Student's Course Offering Option

Students are enrolled in course offering options. A course offering option is a particular occurrence of a course offering, distinguished by its unique combination of location, attendance type and attendance mode.

Occasionally the location, attendance type or attendance mode of a student's enrolment may need to be changed, either:

for administrative reasons (e.g. the course will not be offered at that location in a particular teaching period) or
at the student's request (e.g. the student wishes to change from full time study to part time).

It may also be necessary to:

change the course version in which a student is enrolled (e.g. when the original course version is no longer offered, or the student has requested a transfer to a later version) or
change the calendar type of a course offering (e.g. where a student starts a course in one country, with an academic calendar type specific to the country and then completes the course in another country, under a different academic calendar type).

Many courses have a number of offering options available. With appropriate authorisation, the student can be switched between current course offering options using the Change Student's Course Offering Option form (ENRF4110).

Where a group of students require changing from one course offering option to another, the Bulk Course Offering Option Transfer process (ENRJ4420) can be used.

Some course offering options have forced components. These specify that the location and/or attendance type and/or attendance mode are mandatory for students enrolled in that option. When a student's course offering option is changed to one with forced components which their enrolment contravenes, the user is warned. Further information about forced components of options is available in Features of the Record Enrolments Form.

Discontinuation

The term discontinuation applies to both course and unit attempts, and is the ending of a student's enrolment at course or unit level other than by completion. Discontinuation may be initiated by a student requesting to withdraw from a course, or from one or more individual units. Discontinuation may also be initiated by the institution, through the application of a progression outcome resulting from failure of progression rule evaluation.

Where a course attempt is discontinued or an intermission is in effect, the relevant unit attempts are discontinued automatically by the system.

Discontinuation of a unit attempt may have many implications. These include student load and some fee calculations, treatment of the unit in course progression rules, and the recording of grades. Several forms are involved in setting up the unit discontinuation mechanism and their inter-relationships require an understanding of various concepts. This area is likely to be the responsibility of a specialist user. The concepts and processes are explained more fully in Managing Unit Discontinuation.

How to discontinue a student's course or unit attempt using the Record Enrolments form is fully documented in Course and Unit Discontinuation (ENR3000g).

Discontinuation applied through Progression functionality is documented in Understanding Progression.

Intermission

Students may be allowed to temporarily suspend their enrolment in a course attempt. More rarely, the institution may require that attempts in a particular course version be suspended for a period of time. In either case, this is achieved by recording an intermission against a student's course attempt, subject to certain conditions (for example, a student may need to have studied a certain number of units in a course before intermission can be granted).

Note that an intermission also affects all the student's unit attempts that fall within the intermission period. Pre-enrolled unit attempts already recorded on the database remain with a status of unconfirmed. Enrolled unit attempts are discontinued. If the duration of an intermission is altered, or an intermission planned for the future is cancelled, student records staff will need to reinstate the units affected. This is not done automatically by the System. If the census date for the teaching period occurred during the period of intermission, it is not possible to add new units to a student's enrolment in that teaching period, even if the intermission's end date has passed.

For detailed information about the handling of intermissions, see the documentation of the form Maintain Student Course Intermission (ENRF4160).

Course Transfer

This process provides a streamlined method of transferring a student between courses. Before transferring, the institution may require the student to apply for entry to the new course through the Admissions subsystem, but transfers can also be made directly through the Enrolments subsystem. Course transfer groups limit the set of courses it is legitimate to transfer between.

All or some of a student's unit attempts (with associated grades) can be marked for transfer with the original course attempt, but transfer is subject to any restrictions that might apply to a unit as part of the destination course. A successful transfer process includes the automatic discontinuation of the original course attempt (unless already completed), with concomitant effects as for a standard discontinuation through ENRF3000.

A transfer is commonly used to move a student's unit records from a generic course to one of its specialisms (e.g. from Bachelor of Engineering [General] to Bachelor of Engineering [Civil]) or from a combined degree to one of its component degrees (e.g. from Bachelor of Arts [ Literature]/Bachelor of Laws to the single Bachelor of Arts [Literature] course).

Whether the transfer is made directly or via Admissions, the process is initiated in the Process Course Transfer form ENRF4150, accessible through the enrolments form, ENRF3000.

Generic courses

Students do not normally graduate from generic courses. On transfer to a specific award course, its date of commencement is set to the commencement date of the originating generic course, and it appears, to all intents and purposes, as though the student has always been in the specific course.

Advanced standing

A student may apply for advanced standing in the destination course either before or after transfer takes place. Likely reasons would be to gain credit for units taken in a course other than the originating transfer course, or for units that cannot be transferred but could be regarded as electives in the destination course.

Transfer setup

Before the automated transfer process can be used, the following data must be recorded:

Course group types must be recorded in the Maintain Course Group Types form CRSF1180 as equivalents to the two system course group types ADMTRANSFR (transfer via the Admissions subsystem) and TRANSFER (transfer via Enrolments).
Distinct groups must be set up for courses in which transfer is required through Admissions, and those where it is allowable through Enrolments. Membership of course groups is assigned on the basis that a transfer can only occur between courses in the same course group, and groups are only available for transfer if their group type matches the method being employed. Groups and members are recorded in the form Maintain Course Groups, CRSF11D0.
A discontinuation reason code or codes must be recorded against the TRANSFER type in the form Maintain Discontinuation Reason Codes, ENRF01G0, and one must be set as the system default for the transfer process.

Course Transfer of a Research Candidate.

The course transfer process, as it applies to transfer from one research course to another research course, allows the existing candidature record to be transferred to the new course. The transfer of a candidature record includes transferring a candidate's attendance history; all thesis records (except any deleted thesis records which exist in the current candidature); thesis exam and panel member details; supervisors; scholarship and milestone details. If a candidature does not exist in the current course, a course transfer cannot occur. If a candidature record exists already in the new course, the current candidature cannot be transferred.

Encumbrances

Overview

Callista uses encumbrances to restrict a student's access to services (for example, access to a copy of their academic record or a copy of their certificate of results) and to control aspects of a student's enrolment. Where a student is encumbered, a lamp (ENCUMBERED or ADMIN ENCUMBERED) is displayed in key forms such as the Record Enrolments form (ENRF3000). Refer to Encumbrance Checking in ENRF3000 for full details of this process.

Callista categorises encumbrances as either Academic or Administrative in nature.

Academic encumbrances are applied through the Progression subsystem, because the student has performed poorly in their studies (for example, failed to make satisfactory course progress or failed a unit for a second or subsequent occasion). It is recommended that Academic Encumbrances have only academic effects attached to them.
Administrative encumbrances are applied because a student has failed to meet one or more administrative requirements relating to their study at the institution (for example, failed to pay a fee or failed to return institution owned equipment.) It is recommended that Administrative Encumbrances have only administrative effects attached to them.

There are up to three components to an encumbrance.

1. Encumbrance Type

Each encumbrance type is institution defined and describes the reason for or the desired result of the encumbrance. Each encumbrance type must be categorised as either Academic or Administrative. Typical examples include:

SUSPENDED - Right to enrol suspended. An administrative encumbrance which through its effects prevents a student from gaining admission, enrolling or re-enrolling in a course.
PROBATION - Probationary enrolment. An academic encumbrance which through its effects restricts or controls a student's enrolment within a specific course or group of courses.

2. Encumbrance Effects

Each encumbrance type must have at least one default effect. There are eighteen system-defined encumbrance effects (see Table 1) which, subject to certain rules, can be attached to encumbrance types.

Some encumbrance effects are designed primarily for academic encumbrance types used in the creation of progression outcomes (for example EXC_COURSE - Excluded from enrolment in a specific course; EXC_CRS_GP - Excluded from admission and enrolment in a specific course group). Other encumbrance effects are designed primarily for administrative encumbrance types (for example IDCARD_BLK - Issue of ID card blocked; SUS_SRVC - All services withdrawn. To be reinstated when obligations met.)

Each encumbrance effect has a system defined level: 1, 2 or 3. This is a system defined hierarchy. Note that Callista prevents you using an encumbrance effect of one level combined with an encumbrance effect of a different level, under the same encumbrance type. For example the encumbrance effect C_MTRL_BLK - Mailing of course materials blocked is classified as a Level 1 effect. It can be combined with other Level 1 effects such as RESULT_BLK - Release of results blocked, and INFBTH_BLK - Use of information booth is blocked, but not with a Level 2 effect such as SUS_SRVC - All services withdrawn. To be reinstated when obligations met or with a Level 3 effect such as RVK_SRVC - All services revoked.

Level 1 effects have a narrow focus such as the blocking of a specific service or restriction of a particular aspect of a student's enrolment in a specific course. Level 2 effects have a broader focus and either incorporate or take precedence over Level 1 effects of the same category. Level 3 effects are broader still and are the most powerful effects in the system.

A number of effects are deemed either '+' (positive) or '-' negative in their sense. Negative effects such as SUS_COURSE restrict a student course enrolment. Positive effects, by contrast, require a student to enrol in a particular manner. RQRD_CRS_U - Enrolment in a specific unit required is an example of a '+' encumbrance effect. Callista prevents both '+' and '-' effects from being attached to the same encumbrance type.

Finally, the 'Apply to Course' indicator determines whether the application of certain encumbrance effects is restricted to existing student course attempts or may be applied more broadly. For example the effect RSTR_AT_TY - Enrolment restricted to the specified attendance type has the 'Apply to Course Indicator' set to 'YES' and therefore can only be applied to an existing student course attempt. By contrast the effect EXC_COURSE - Excluded from Admission and Enrolment in a specific course has the 'Apply to Course Indicator set to 'NO'. This enables a course exclusion to be applied to existing student course attempts and to any other courses that it is considered the student should also be prevented from gaining admission to and enrolling in.

3. Encumbrance Detail

Certain encumbrance effects require additional detail to be entered either when applied to a particular student or when defining a progression outcome that includes the encumbrance effect (in PRGF1100 or PRGF5214). For example where the effect EXC_CRS_U - Excluded from enrolment in a unit within a specific course, is associated with a progression outcome the code of one or more units must be entered. Likewise, the effect RSTR_LE_CP - Enrolment restricted to less than or equal to a nominated credit point value, requires the credit point value to be specified.

Maintenance of Encumbrances:

Maintenance of encumbrance reference data is typically performed by the System Administrator or Subsystem specialist

Using the Maintain System Encumbrance Effect Types form (ENRF6100), descriptions of effects can be maintained;
Via the Maintain Encumbrance Types form (ENRF6200), institution-defined encumbrance types and their default effects are added, maintained and closed.

Administrative encumbrance types are subsequently applied to individual students using two further forms - Maintain Basic Person Encumbrance Detail (ENRF6310) and Maintain Person Encumbrance Effects (ENRF6320).

The process of maintaining encumbrances against individual students is:

Record the encumbrance (encumbrance type and start date) against the student using the Maintain Basic Person Encumbrance Detail form (ENRF6310). This form can be accessed either directly from menus or (where enrolment steps permit) via the Person Details screen of the Record Enrolments form (ENRF3000).
Select the Maintain Encumbrance Effects navigation button to invoke the Maintain Person Encumbrance Effects form (ENRF6320). This defaults some encumbrance effects and permits the details of others to be recorded for the student. This is explained under ENRF6320.

Further detail is provided in the sections dealing with each form. Follow the links above or the subsystem table of contents.

Academic encumbrance types are only applied to individual students through progression subsystem functionality. The process of maintaining academic encumbrances applied to a student as progression outcomes can only be done in the Maintain Student Progression Outcome form (PRGF6610).

Last Modified on 11 March 2002