If you are sending sections in the Course Section file that currently have no instructors assigned, you may use a dummy value in the PrimaryInstrUnivId field to satisfy the instructor requirement. Please note that as long as a section is associated with a dummy value, Helio strongly suggest that you should not be filling in data or publishing sections. It is Helio’s expectation that the dummy value will be replaced with the expected instructor once assigned in your SIS.
The dummy value also needs to be added to the Faculty file according to the Faculty file specifications and requirements.
Another piece to consider is the term activation feature which allows for section data from a previous term to be auto-populated into the next term. Typically, clients set this feature to occur if the same instructor is assigned to the same section, resulting in reduced manual efforts. However, when using a dummy value, this can result in data being overwritten by pre-populated data unless the section is published. To avoid previous data associated to the dummy value being hard deleted and pre-populated from a previous section, we suggest that no data is submitted or sections with dummy instructors are not published.
FAQ
-
In what cases would a dummy value be needed? The Course Section file requires that either PrimaryInstrUnivId or SecondaryInstrUnivId field be populated. Depending on when these records are being sent, instructors may not be assigned (more common during implementation). Dummy values allow you to send records in the Course Section file without having to wait for instructors to be assigned.
-
What happens when a dummy value is updated to the expected instructor? The PrimaryInstrUnivId field updates nightly with the data files. If this field is updated from the dummy value to the expected instructor, that change will show in the site once the data files are processed.
-
What role will a dummy value be assigned? A dummy value sent in the PrimaryInstrUnivId will be assigned the Course Section Director role.
-
What happens if a dummy value is in the instructor field and students complete a survey? If a dummy value is sent in the instructor field and students complete a survey, data from instructor questions will be lost once the expected instructor is assigned.
-
What risks should I consider? The largest risk is regarding term activiation. If a dummy value is present, and data is added to the site, once the expected instructor gets assigned, all previous data will be hard deleted and pre-populated data from a previous section with that faculty will be applied.
-
How can I avoid this risk? You should not be filling in data or publishing sections that have a dummy value. A dummy value is a way to get sections loaded prior to instructors being assigned with the expectation that by the time the section starts, the expected instructor is updated.
-
What if there are sections that will never have an instructor but we want in the site? If you are sending a section with a dummy value that will never be updated then there is no risk of losing data as the instructor fields will not change.