Apply Progression Rules

Apply Progression Rules - PRGJ6100

This process updates the database
Subsystem	Progression
Purpose	To apply progression rules to Student Course Attempts and update their Progression Status based on the result of this rule evaluation.
Normally Run By	Progression staff
Anticipated Frequency	Nightly
Update Process(es)	Evaluates Student Course Attempts against applicable progression rules. May update the student's Progression Status. Add new or update / remove existing Student Progression Outcomes. Calculate and store GPA/WAM values where required, for each Student Course Attempt processed.
Report	Progression Rule Application - Exception Report
Parameter Sample
Report Sample
Related/Dependent Jobs	PRGJ6800 - Apply Progression Outcomes PRGJ6450 - Progression Maintenance Process

Update Process

This section gives a brief outline, in sequence, of the main processing involved in the application of progression rules. It assumes a good understanding of the configuration of progression and the relevant dates used in controlling this process and the rule application hierarchy determining which progression rules are applied to an individual Student Course Attempt. (Refer to Understanding Progression, Specialist Functions and Progression Rules Overview.)

This job now handles the situation where a student course attempt is complete but has failed progression outcomes.

The Apply Progression Rules process:

The following assumes default parameters that do not limit processing to a specified progression period or processing type.

1. Selects the currently 'active' progression calendar instances:
Those where the current date is between the earliest apply start date and the latest apply end date recorded for the calendar.

2. Selects the Student Course Attempts to be processed:

Those with a Student PRG_CHECK ToDo entry (TODO processing type).
Those that have no existing progression rule check record for this progression period (INITIAL processing type). These must:
— have an active course attempt (status other than COMPLETED or UNCONFIRM);
— have unit attempts (with a status other than UNCONFIRM or INVALID) in a subordinate teaching period.

3. Checks that each Student Course Attempt (in the INITIAL group) is ready to have rules applied:

A student course attempt is ready if at this point in time:

The student has unit attempts that contribute to the progression period:
— The unit outcome date recorded for this student unit attempt is earlier than the effective end date of the progression calendar.
— There is a match between the unit outcome and the Outcome Check Type applicable to the student (FINALISED, RECOMMEND, MISSING).

The current (processing) date is between the apply start and apply end dates configured for this course version.

4. Applies progression rules to the Student Course Attempt :

Those progression rule applications that must be checked for this Student Course Attempt are identified. A student may have more than one rule application that requires evaluation. A rule application restricted to a specified attendance type (in PRGF5200) is only applied where this student's derived attendance type fits within the specified range, as determined by the link between the progression calendar and load calendars.
GPA and WAM are calculated and stored (where the configuration applicable to this student has the Calculate GPA/WAM indicators set)
Each applicable rule is tested and returns a Pass/Fail result.

5. Recording the result of rule checking (for an INITIAL check):

The Pass/Fail result and the rule check date are stored.

For a rule failure, student progression outcomes are added. These may be recorded as PENDING or APPROVED outcomes based on the setting of Apply Automatically indicator (in form PRGF5214).

Decision details (date and org. unit) are entered for an APPROVED outcome.

Expiry dates for Show Cause / Appeal periods are derived if required.

6. Recording the result of rule checking (for a TODO check):

Where this rule check returned a different Pass/Fail result from the most recent prior rule check (in the same progression period) it is recorded.

The addition or removal of student progression outcomes may be made if this rule check has occurred within the applicable End Penalty/End Benefit dates.

When the rule check occurs after those dates, the current result is written to the exception report but no changes are made to the student record. Any changes must be made manually after review of the report.

Run Details

Method

The job can be run in immediate or batch mode, through the Job Control & Scheduling subsystem.

The process can be executed for a single Student Course Attempt using the Manual Rule Check command button on the form PRGF6600.

Related jobs/forms

PRGF6700 - Maintain Progression Outcome Decision would be used subsequent to this job, to approve or waive PENDING student progression outcomes created by this job.

PRGJ6800 - Apply Progression Outcomes would be run subsequent to this job, to apply approved outcomes to a student's enrolment.

PRGF6600 and PRGF6610 can be used to view the rules applied, the resulting evaluation and any outcomes added by this job, for a single student course attempt.

Timing

In the period defined by the date aliases configuring the starting and ending of progression rule application period, this job should be scheduled to run nightly, for both initial and ToDo processing.

When the end application date is reached it will only process ToDo records.

Job Parameters

Note: The Course Code parameter is case-sensitive.

Job parameters may be used to:

Select the Student Course Attempt records to be processed through setting:

The Processing Type parameter:

INITIAL processes only those that have not had any progression rule checking done in the selected progression periods.
TODO processes only those flagged through the existence of a Student ToDo entry (of PRG_CHECK type). This type of processing cannot be limited by the setting of a progression calendar parameter.
BOTH Initial and ToDo rule checks. Because this processing includes ToDo entries, it cannot be limited by setting a progression calendar parameter.

Other Parameters :

Can be set to restrict the application of progression rules to students studying within a particular Course Type, Organisation Unit, Course Code, Location, Attendance Mode, Progression Status, Enrolment Category and/or Person ID Group.

Restrict processing to a nominated progression period:

Through setting a Progression Calendar parameter. This parameter cannot be set where ToDo records are to be processed.

Restrict the exception report to exclude students who pass all rules:

The default setting for this parameter is Y. Restricting the report in this way reduces the size of the report (and increases its usability) when running this job for large groups of students.

Reproduce an existing report:

Selecting a Previous Log Creation Date reproduces that existing report. An existing report can be re-run with a different 'Exclude from report students who pass all rules' parameter setting than was used when the original report was run. Any further parameter settings are ignored and no rule evaluation processing is executed.

Report		Progression Rule Application - Exception Report
		This report provides details on the Student Course Attempts processed by this job. It may exclude students who passed all applied rules (based on the parameter setting). Records are grouped by Processing Type, Progression Period, Course Code and the outcome of the rule application. Within each group an outcome message reports on the result of the rule check and impact on progression outcomes. For each student course attempt listed, course and progression status is displayed, Rule Category, Rule/Ref Code & Failures identify any failed rule and the Outcome Type of student progression outcomes, added because of this failure, are reported. A New TODO RULE APPLICATION EXCEPTIONS section of the report has been added to the exisiting report. This details the student course attempts that have not had a progression outcome inserted against the rules because the student course attempt was complete. Summary statistics are given at the end of the report. (See Report Sample).

Last Modified on 02 October 2001