SOLAR Business Process Guide:
APDB
California State University, Northridge
DOCUMENT HISTORY--SOLAR Business Process Guide: APDBDATE / ACTION / PAGE REFERENCES, IF ANY
01/09/03 / First publication.
08/31/04 / “Prepare for APDB, Adjust Learning Mode and Course Attribute” chapter:
● Added instruction to gather a list of classes with service learning components that are not officially designated as such in the course catalog.
● Added procedures about adjusting the Course Attribute field and Course Attribute Value field on the Basic Data page for a class section that has a service learning component that is not officially designated as such in the course catalog.
“Check AutoCalc Workload” chapter deleted.
”Perform SOC Audit” chapter: Added procedure to be taken on the Meetings page when CLASS HAS NO FACULTY ASSIGNED error message displays in SOC Audit report.
“Review Workload Reassignment” chapter: Added caution to ADD NO MORE THAN THREE rows to represent all workload reassignments for a faculty member, and all workload reassignment activities must be approved by the department chair and college dean.
“Faculty Summary Report” chapter: Added procedures to follow if a faculty member has no Job Grd entry in the Faculty Summary Report. / Page 4
Pages 7-9
(Formerly Chapter 3)
Page 13
Page 21, 23
Page 30-31
Copyright ã 2003 by California State University, Northridge. All rights reserved.
Information in this book is subject to change without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose, without the express written permission of California State University, Northridge.
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Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Academic Planning Database (APDB) Processing in SOLAR 1
APDB Deadline 2
Prerequisites 2
Support and Resources 2
1. Prepare for APDB, Adjust Learning Mode and Course Attribute 3
2. Perform SOC Audit 11
3. Perform Faculty Status Audit 15
4. Review Workload Reassignment 21
5. Work with Faculty Summary Report 27
6. Verify Faculty Workload 39
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SOLAR Business Process Guide APDB
Introduction
“SOLAR” is the name for the student administration system used at California State University, Northridge (CSUN). The name is an acronym for Student On-Line Administrative Resources. The SOLAR system administers student and academic data and information for faculty, staff, administrators, and students.
The SOLAR system rollout is part of the California State University (CSU)-mandated Common Management System (CMS) implementation of an integrated information system at all 23 campuses.
SOLAR Academic Planning Database (APDB) functionality is integrated with the entire SOLAR system, which allows many offices to work together to serve our students, faculty, staff, and community. The SOLAR system enables us to centralize information used to maintain student and applicant records, the course catalog, schedule of classes, class enrollments, and grading information. It minimizes repetitive data entry; streamlines academic data; and provides up-to-date administrative information about students and applicants for faculty and advisors.
Academic Planning Database (APDB) Processing in SOLAR
Each California State University campus is required to report faculty workload and course data each Fall, Spring, and Summer YRO term to the Chancellor’s Office through a reporting system called the Academic Planning Database (APDB).
The APDB gathers two types of data as of census:
· Data on all Regular Session individuals with instruction-related responsibilities, and
· Data on all Regular Session courses offered.
The Chancellor’s Office and campus administrators use APDB data for budget planning and allocation as well as campus facilities planning. CSUN collects APDB data through SOLAR.
CSUN departments are required to meet one APDB processing deadline each semester by Census by verifying class section and faculty data in reports and adjusting data in SOLAR. APDB Processing relies upon staff members of CSUN departments to use SOLAR and other information to review and adjust data as needed to ensure that correct and complete information is reported to the Chancellor’s Office.
Verify and/or adjust information in the SOLAR SOC to meet APDB requirements by reviewing and working with the following SOLAR data and reports in the following order:
1. APDB Learning Mode and Course Attribute
2. SOC Audit report
3. Faculty Status Audit report
4. Request for Workload Reassignment report
5. Faculty Summary report
6. Faculty Workload report
APDB Deadline
Information in SOLAR must be adjusted for APDB processing and capture by the census date of the current term.
Prerequisites
The contents of this guide are designed for use by those who have a basic understanding of computers, how to use a Web browser, and how to schedule classes in SOLAR.
Support and Resources
After you complete your training, you may have additional questions. To obtain assistance:
· Review this document, the “SOLAR Business Process Guide: APDB,” which provides step-by-step instructions detailing the tasks and procedures related to using APDB functionality.
· Call SOLAR Support Services at extension 7267. SOLAR Support Services provides training, documentation, and related support service to CSUN faculty, staff, and administrators who use the SOLAR system to administer functions related to the SOC, Student Inquiry, Advisement, APDB, and Grading.
1. Prepare for APDB, Adjust Learning Mode and Course Attribute
This section lists information to gather before you begin APDB work and describes the process for adjusting the SOLAR APDB learning mode for class sections in your department that do not meet face-to-face as well as adjusting course attribute information for class sections that have a service learning component that is not formally included in the CSUN course catalog.
If the SOLAR APDB Mapping Values (Mtg) link is not used to enter a learning mode of synchronous or asynchronous for an online class section, SOLAR will automatically record a default value of face-to-face (F) for the online class section at census.
NOTE: Asynchronous class sections are online classes with no arranged hours, days, or room assisgments throughout an academic term. Synchronous class sections are either broadcast or online class sections that require student to participate in class-related activities during a prescribed set of hours and days throughout an academic term.
1. Before you begin your APDB work on SOLAR, gather the following items for the current academic term:
· A list of class sections in the department that are offered online (asynchronously or synchronously)
· A list of instructors in the department that have reassigned-time and/or reimbursed-time activities
· A list of instructors no longer teaching or working in your department and the reason(s) for the inactivity. (That is, instructor names and their status as terminated, on leave, on sabbatical, on FERP, retired, and so on.)
· Gather a list of classes with service learning components that ARE NOT officially designated in the course catalog. (If a course has a service learning component designated in the course catalog, do not include it on the list.)
2. For each class section that does not meet face-to face, adjust the APDB learning mode value. To do so:
a. Go to the Meetings page for an online class section.
b. Click the APDB Mapping Values (Mtg) link.
The Meeting APDB Attributes page displays.
c. Use the following table to enter Learning Mode field values:
Condition / Actions /If the class section is asynchronous... / Enter A (for asynchronous) in the Learning Mode field, press the <Tab> key, and click the OK button.
NOTE: Asynchronous class sections are online classes with no arranged hours, days, or room assisgments throughout an academic term.
If the class section is synchronous... / 1. Enter S (for synchronous) in the Learning Mode field, and press the <Tab> key.
NOTE: Synchronous class sections are either broadcast or online class sections that require student to participate in class-related activities during a prescribed set of hours and days throughout an academic term.
Additional Learning Mode field rows display on the Meeting APDB Attributes page.
2. In the second Learning Mode field row:
● Enter the letter O, and press the <Tab> key if the class section is broadcast to the Channel Islands campus.
OR
● Enter the numeral 1, and press the <Tab> key if the class section is broadcast to the CSUN campus.
3. Click the OK button.
NOTE: If the SOLAR APDB Mapping Values (Mtg) link is not used to enter a learning mode of synchronous or asynchronous for an online class section, SOLAR automatically records a default value of face-to-face (F) for the online class section at census.
d. Click the Save button on the Meetings page.
e. Repeat the procedures in step 2 for all online class sections.
3. For each class section that has a service learning component that is not officially designated in the course catalog, go to the Basic Data page and adjust the Course Attribute field and Course Attribute Value field as follows:
a. On the Basic Data page, if necessary, click the Add a New Row button in the Class Attributes portion of the Basic Data page.
b. Click the Lookup icon beside the Course Attribute field in an unused or new Class Attributes row.
The Lookup Course Attribute page displays.
c. Click the CSLI (Service Learning: Class Attrib) link. The system automatically enters the CSLI course attribute description into the Course Attribute field on the Basic Data page.
d. Click the Lookup icon beside the Course Attribute Value field in an unused or new Class Attributes row.
The Lookup Course Attribute Value page displays.
e. Click the Y (Service Learning Course) link. The system automatically enters the Y attribute description value into the Course Attribute Value field on the Basic Data page.
f. Click the Save button on the Basic Data page.
g. Repeat the procedures in step 3 for all class sections that have a service learning component that is not officially designated in the CSUN course catalog.
2. Perform SOC Audit
This section reviews how to verify and adjust class section information in the SOLAR Schedule of Classes in preparation for APDB census data capture and reporting.
1. Select CSUN SA>Schedule of Classes>Reports>NRSR0030—SOC Audit Report.
2. Navigate to the report parameter page for the SOC Audit Report.
3. Use the following table to enter report parameter values for the SOC Audit Report:
FIELD / INSTRUCTIONS /Term / Enter the four-digit academic term code for the current term or use the Lookup icon to select a term from a list of valid values.
Session / Enter the numeral 1 for Regular Academic Session.
Campus / DO NOT enter any characters in the field. Leave the field blank to ensure that both CSUN and CSUCI class sections are included in the report.
Acad Org / Enter the appropriate academic organization (department) code or use the Lookup icon to select the academic organization from a list of valid values.
Census Data / DO NOT select the Census Data checkbox.
4. Run the report, and print a copy of it.
5. Use the following table to review warning or error messages that display in the report and take action as needed:
NRSR0030 - SOC AUDIT REPORT /ERROR MESSAGE TEXT / ACTION /
TOTAL LOAD FACTOR NOT = 100 / On the Meetings page of the SOLAR Schedule Class, select the Workload tab. Verify and adjust the Load Factor field(s) as necessary so that the total load factor for the class section equals 100.
If there is only one instructor for the class section, enter a load factor of 100 in the Load Factor field. If the class section is team taught, adjust the load factors for the instructors accordingly so that the sum of the Load Factor fields for all instructors equals 100.
CLASS HAS NO FACULTY ASSIGNED / On the Class Meetings page for the class section, assign the appropriate instructor to the class section if the class has students enrolled.
CAUTION: If no instructor has been hired for the class section by the time of census or if no instructor can be assigned to a class section by the time of census, assign the department chair as the instructor in the Assignment portion of the Meetings page for a class section AND select Not Include from the Assign Type drop-down menu on the Workload portion of the Meetings page, and then click the Save button.
NOTE: NO ACTION IS REQUIRED if the message, CLASS HAS NO FACULTY ASSIGNED, and the message, CLASS HAS NO STUDENTS ENROLLED, both display for a class section.
CLASS LEVEL MISSING OR INCORRECT / Indicates that the class section is missing from the SOC or that an incorrect Class Level is assigned as its Class Attribute.
Contact your College SOC Coordinator to request that a Class Attribute be inserted or corrected on the Basic Data page of the SOLAR Schedule of Classes component for the class section.
CLASS MEETING INFO NOT ENTERED / Indicates that the class section has no or incomplete meeting pattern data entered for it.
Enter meeting pattern data on the Meetings page in the SOLAR SOC for the class section.
CLASS HAS NO STUDENTS ENROLLED / No action required.
CLASS CS# 36 NOT = COURSE CS# 02 / No action required.
CLASS HAS NO FACULTY ASSIGNED
CLASS HAS NO STUDENTS ENROLLED / No action required.