Modifying a Published Course

Modifying a Published Course

1. Overview

iSIMS allows authorized users to modify courses that have already been published. This functionality is available through the Migration module and is intended to allow authorized users to make corrections or updates to course information after the course has been published.

A published course may have associated student registrations, grades, academic records and other information. Therefore, modifications should be made with extreme care.

? Important Warning

It is not recommended to modify a published course that already has student grades attached to it. Changes to course information, particularly the course code, credits or assessment weighting, may affect existing academic records and how information is processed or reported.

Use of this functionality is at your own risk. Before making changes to a published course with existing student records or grades, ensure that the proposed changes have been properly reviewed and approved by the appropriate institutional authority.


2. Accessing Modify Published Courses

To modify a published course:

  1. Log in to iSIMS using your authorized account.

  2. From the main menu, select:

    Migration → Modify Published Courses

  3. The Modify Published Courses page will be displayed.

  4. Search for or select the published course that you want to modify.


3. Selecting the Course

Locate the course you want to modify using the available search or filtering options.

Review the course information carefully before selecting it for modification.

Once the appropriate course has been identified, open the course record to display its editable information.


4. Modifying Course Information

The Modify Published Courses function allows authorized users to update the fields associated with the published course.

Depending on the course configuration, this may include information such as:

  • Course Code

  • Course Name/Title

  • Course Description

  • Credits

  • Course Level

  • Course Type

  • Assessment/Grade Weighting

  • Other course-related configuration fields

Review each field carefully before saving any changes.

Course Code

The Course Code identifies the course within iSIMS.

Changing a course code on a published course should be done with particular caution, especially where the course has already been used for:

  • Student registration

  • Course enrollment

  • Grade entry

  • Transcripts

  • Academic progression

  • Programme completion

  • Reports

Credits

The Credits field determines the credit value associated with the course.

Changing the credit value of a published course may affect academic calculations and reports. This should therefore only be changed when the institution has confirmed that the new credit value is correct.

Assessment Weighting

The assessment weighting determines how the different assessment components contribute to the student's final course grade.

For example, a course may have different weightings for:

  • Coursework

  • Assignments

  • Midterm examinations

  • Final examinations

  • Practical assessments

  • Other assessment components

Changes to assessment weighting should be made with particular caution where grades have already been entered.


5. Reviewing Changes

Before saving the modification:

  1. Review all fields that have been changed.

  2. Confirm that the information is correct.

  3. Verify that the change has been authorized by the appropriate institutional personnel.

  4. Consider whether the course has existing student registrations or grades.

  5. Confirm that changing the course will not negatively affect existing academic records.

Where the course already has student grades attached, it is strongly recommended that the change be reviewed by the institution's academic/examinations personnel before proceeding.


6. Saving the Changes

After confirming that all changes are correct:

  1. Save or submit the updated course information using the appropriate Save/Update option on the page.

  2. Confirm that iSIMS indicates that the update was successful.

  3. Reopen or review the course record to verify that the updated information has been saved correctly.


7. Important Considerations

Published courses with existing grades

Do not routinely modify published courses that already have grades attached.

A course that has already been used for student academic activity may be linked to historical records. Changing information such as the course code, credits or assessment weighting can potentially affect how the course and its associated academic information are interpreted or processed.

Where a correction is required for a course with existing grades:

  1. Confirm the reason for the change.

  2. Obtain the appropriate institutional approval.

  3. Review the potential impact on existing student records.

  4. Ensure that relevant academic/examinations personnel are aware of the change.

  5. Make the change only after the institution is satisfied that it is appropriate to do so.

Recommended practice

Where a new course structure is required for future students or future academic periods, it may be preferable to create/configure the appropriate course rather than modifying a published course that already contains historical academic records.


8. Summary

The Modify Published Courses function provides authorized users with the ability to update information associated with courses that have already been published.

Navigation:

Migration → Modify Published Courses

The function can be used to modify course information including course code, credits, weighting and other available course fields.

? Use With Caution

Modifying a published course that has existing student registrations or grades can have implications for academic records. Users should ensure that all changes are properly reviewed and authorized before proceeding.

The use of the Modify Published Courses functionality is at the user's/institution's own risk.

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