Importing Classes

Class imports allow you to quickly and easily reproduce your class rosters in Experiential Learning Cloud so that you and your faculty can watch student progress and evaluate student performance on a class-by-class basis. 

When to Import Classes

Classes should be imported at the start of every term. A completed class import will create classes and groups as well as create accounts for all participants in a class. If a user's account has already been created and a class import is performed using the same email address associated with their account, the user's account will not be duplicated.

NOTE: If your program uses an LTI or REST API integration, you will not need to import classes each semester as this will be accomplished through the integration.

 

How to Import Classes

1. Go to the Program Management | Staff & Students environment
2. Click on the Classes tab on the left sidebar 
   • This tab may also be called Groups depending upon the custom terms used by your program.
3. Click on the upload icon in the upper right corner of the screen.
4. Select Download Template.
   
5. A Microsoft Excel spreadsheet will automatically download to your device. Fill out the template following the instructions below. 
6. Columns A, B, C, G, H, J, L, M, N, AG, and AK are all required fields in a class import.

Required Fields

1.  Column A = Enter the class number, e.g. MAC-1000. If the class/group does not have a course number, as in the case of a cohort, you can create a numbering convention to use. (For example, if I am importing a cohort of 2022 Admits, I might number it 2022-Admits). 
2. Column B = Enter the Class / Group Type. This should be a class, cohort, specialization, or staff group. 
3. Column C = Enter the Class / Group name. 
4. Column G = Enter the Class / Group Term. This could be one specific term (e.g. FA2022), or a broader time range (e.g. AY2022-2023) 
5. Column H = Enter the Class / Group Section identifier. This could be a true section number for a class, or it can be your own numbering convention. 
6. Column J = Enter the User Type for the first member of the class. Use "supervisor" for supervising instructors of the class, and "student" for students participating in the class.
7. Column L = Enter the first name of the first member of the class. 
8. Column M = Enter the last name of the first member of the class.
9. Column N = Enter the email address of the first member of the class.
10. Columns AG and AK are used to establish the user's program and role in Experiential Learning Cloud.  
    • Column AG = Enter the program that the first member of the class is enrolled in. 
    • Column AK = Enter the role of the first member of the class 
      • Students should have the role: student 
      • Instructors should have the role: class functions
        • You can give instructors further access through additional roles. To do so, enter all roles in the "role" column, separated by a pipe symbol (e.g. class functions|class functions plus +|student functions). 
          • See our article about user roles to learn more: Understanding Roles

Optional Fields

1. Columns D and E allow you to enter a class start date and a class end date. These dates will be applied to each individual's association with the class. 
2. Enter a program name into column I if you want to associate the class or group with a program. Remember that a class or group can only be associated with one program, so if there will be students or instructors from multiple programs associated with this class, leave this column blank. 
3. Copy columns A-J for as many members as there are in a given class. For example: if there are 12 students and 1 instructor in a class, copy the contents of cells A-J to fill 13 rows of your spreadsheet. 
4. Enter each class member's information in their own row in cells K-AM. 

Completing the Class Import

1. Repeat steps 1-10 of the required fields, and as many of the optional fields as you'd like, for all additional class sections, cohorts, specializations, or staff groups. Students who are part of more than one class or group will be listed multiple times on the completed spreadsheet. 
2. Once you have finished filling out your spreadsheet, be sure to save it. The file should save as a .CSV file by default. 
3. Return to the Classes or Groups workspace in the Program Management | Staff & Students environment in Experiential Learning Cloud.
4. Click the upload icon and drag and drop your completed import file into the upload window. 
5. If there are any errors in your import, they will be flagged once the file has been uploaded. You can make updates directly in Experiential Learning Cloud to correct these errors. 
   • You may see an error message that existing records will be overwritten. If you do not intend to overwrite existing records, but want to add new records, you can include both the existing value and the new value in the cell, separated by a pipe |.  
6. Next, the system will check for duplicates. If there are any existing classes hat have the same number, name, term, and section number as any of the classes on your spreadsheet, the system will ask if you want to keep the files from your import or if you want to leave the existing record as it is. 
   • If you choose to keep the files from your import, the members listed on the spreadsheet will be added to the existing class. 
   • If you keep files already in Experiential Learning Cloud, the students in the spreadsheet will not be added to the existing class. 
     • Instead of either of the above options, you can also select Back to update the term or section number of the classes in your import to make them unique from the existing record. 
7. Once your classes have been created, you can copy assignments from your class templates to your new classes.