Help with Courses

About Updating Course Information in ASSIST

Updating Course Information

Adding New Courses to Your Course List

Validating and Saving Course Information

Bookmarks

Printing Course Information

About the View Future Changes Report

About Updating Course Information in ASSIST

Course List Elements

About Updating Course Information in ASSIST

The course information presented in the ASSIST Curriculum Update System is the most recent information the ASSIST Coordination Site has about courses for your institution. Each institution is responsible for entering and updating information about their own courses and appears in ASSIST reports exactly as it was entered. The reports affected by the information you enter are CSU Baccalaureate, IGETC, CSU-GE, and articulation with four year institutions. It is very important that your course list is reviewed for accuracy before updating it in the Curriculum Update System.

The steps involved in updating existing or adding new course information are shown below. Course information is updated for one prefix at a time.

Steps

1. Update existing courses on the “Update Courses” page.
2. Run the validation report to check for errors.
3. Correct any errors in the updated course prefix information.
4. Enter new courses on the “Add New Courses” page.
5. Run the validation report to check for errors.
6. Correct any errors in the new course information.
7. Click Validate/Save to save your updates.

If you need help identifying appropriate entries for any of the entry boxes, there is a help topic for each entry box on the entry pages. Refer the help topic for the entry with which you need help.

Course List Elements

The course prefix and number are separated into four elements to accommodate all types of entries.
 

1. Prefix - The prefix is an abbreviated representation of a course discipline.

2. Number Prefix - Some course numbers require a preceding character. This character is typically a letter, such as an H to identify the course as an honors course. Leading zeros may not be used as or in a number prefix.

There is also some information included in the existing course list information that you do not enter and you cannot change. This information included for reference is listed below.

• IGETC
• CSU-GE Breadth

If you notice that any of this information is incorrect, notify the ASSIST Coordination Site.

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Updating Course Information

Course Prefix

Course Number

Updating a Course Number Prefix

Updating a Course Number

Updating a Course Number Suffix

Course Title

Course Units

CSU Baccalaureate Status

Same As Courses

Deleting a Course

Updating Course Information

Course Prefix

Course prefixes are updated and added using the “Update Course Prefix” and “Add New Course Prefixes” pages of the ASSIST Curriculum Update System. Once your course prefixes have been entered and saved, the new information appears under the Prefix heading on the “Update Courses” and “Add New Courses” pages.

You can update courses for one prefix at a time. If you try to switch to another prefix without clicking on the Validate/Save button to check for errors and save the data, the course information will be automatically checked for errors. If there are no errors, a message is displayed indicating that there were no errors and the course information was saved. If errors are found, an error report is displayed.

Example: You have terminated the prefix ACCT (Accounting) and want to assign the courses that were under the ACCT prefix to the prefix BUS (Business).

Steps

1. Courses assigned to a terminated prefix have TRMD at the left of the course information to indicate that the course should be terminated. Since you don’t want to terminate the course, click the blank space in the pull-down menu. When the pull-down menu closes, nothing should be selected in the menu.
   
   
2. Click in the Prefix entry box and highlight the entry.

3. Press [Delete] or [Backspace] to clear the box.

4. Type the new prefix in the entry box. For example, if the prefix for the course is changing from ACCT to BUS, type the prefix BUS in the box directly below ACCT (the old prefix). The course will now be displayed under the BUS prefix on printouts from the ASSIST Curriculum Update System and in ASSIST reports.

When you change a prefix in the ASSIST Curriculum Update System, the previous prefix for the course remains in the course information displayed above the entry boxes. If the new prefix causes the course to have the same name as an existing course, an error message is displayed indicating that the course already exists. You must first change the existing course number or change the number of this new course so the courses do not have the same name (prefix and number) before you can save the new information.

Course Number

The course number information is separated into three elements: 1) number prefix 2) number 3) number suffix.

Updating a Course Number Prefix

Example: Change ART 15 to ART V15.

Steps

1. Click once in the Num Prefix entry box to place the cursor in the box.

2. Type the new course number prefix in the entry box.

Updating a Course Number

Example: Change ART 11 to ART 2.

Steps

1. Highlight the existing number entry in the Number entry box.

2. Press [Delete] or [Backspace] to clear the box.

3. Type the new number in the Number entry box.

Updating a Course Number Suffix

Example: Change ART 4 to ART 4A.

Steps

1. Click once in the Num Suffix entry box to place the cursor in the box.

2. Type the new course number suffix in the entry box.

Course Title

A course title is required for each course. Course titles must be entered in upper- and lower-case letters, that is use capitalized letters where appropriate, except when the course title requires use of an acronym, such as UNIX. A course title can not include a backslash ( \ ) or an equal sign ( = ). If you abbreviate course titles, make sure they are understandable to the user.

If the course title is too long to be displayed in the space provided, the text scrolls to the left so that you can enter the entire course title. The entire title will be saved.

Example: Change the title “Introduction to Accounting” to “Principles of Financial Accounting.”

Steps

1. Highlight the existing course title in the Title entry box.

2. Press [Delete] or [Backspace] to clear the box.

3. Type the new course title in the entry box.

Course Units

Example: Math 10 changes from a 3-unit course to a 5-unit course.

Steps

1. Highlight the existing course title in the Title entry box.

2. Press [Delete] or [Backspace] to clear the box.

3. Type the new course title in the entry box.

CSU Baccalaureate Status

Example: The course AUTOTECH 1 is no longer approved as a CSU Baccalaureate-level course.

Steps

1. Click once in the CSU BACC entry box to place the cursor in that box.

2. If there is an existing entry in the box, highlight that entry and press [Delete] or [Backspace] to clear the box.

3. Type a Y in the CSU BACC entry box to indicate that this course is CSU Baccalaureate level. Type an N in the CSU BACC entry box to indicate that this course is not CSU Baccalaureate level. You can enter either upper- or lower-case letters. The system will change lower-case entries to upper-case when the course information is saved.

Note
All University of California campuses should enter a Y (Yes) in the CSU BACC entry box since all UC courses are accepted as CSU Baccalaureate-level courses.

Same As Courses

To update the same-as courses, type the new course name (course prefix and number) in the Same As entry boxes provided. If the course information requires more space than is provided by the entry box, the text scrolls to the left as you type to allow you to enter the complete entry. Although you may not see all of the entry displayed in the box, the entire entry will be saved. You can have up to five same-as courses. Be sure to use the correct prefix and number. Updated prefixes will be changed in the same-as entries automatically, but the course number information is not updated automatically. You must keep track of course number changes and enter them by hand in the Same As entry boxes.

Example: BLACK ST 101 changed to AFRO AM ST 101. Since BLACK ST 101 is the same course as HIST 101, the Same As entry for the course HIST 101 needs to be changed from BLACK ST 101 to AFRO AM ST 101.

Steps

1. Highlight the existing course, or part of the course, in the Same As entry box that you want to change.

2. Press [Delete] or [Backspace] to clear the entry.

3. Type the new course information in the entry box.

4. Repeat steps 1 through 3 for additional same-as courses.

Terminating a Course

Terminate a course when the course will no longer be taught at your institution. Do not terminate a course that is not being taught for a term but will be offered again in a future term. If the course you are terminating is cross listed as a same-as course, you must remove it by hand from the Same As entry box(es). Also, if the course has a same-as counterpart, check to see if that course should also be terminated. It is possible that the Same As course should remain active. For example, if you terminate the course Math 230 and it is the same course as Statistics 230, the statistics course may continue to be an active course for another department. If the course and it's Same As course(s) are no longer active, remember to terminate all affected courses.

make sure that you terminate the math course under the MATH prefix and the Statistics course under the STATS prefix.

Example: The course ART 30 will no longer be taught at your institution.

Steps

1. Click once in the entry box to the left of the course under the heading Terminate?.

2. Select TRMD from the drop-down menu to indicate that you want to terminate this course.

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Adding New Courses to Your Course List

Course Prefix

Course Number Information

Entering a Course Number Prefix

Entering a Course Number

Entering a Course Number Suffix

Course Title for a New Course

Units for a New Course

CSU Baccalaureate Status for a New Course

Same As Courses

Other Common Course Update Scenarios

Course Split

Courses Combine into an Existing Course Number

Adding New Courses to Your Course List

To add a new course to your course list, click once on the Add New button at the top of the “Update Courses” page. The “Add New Courses” page is displayed with several entry boxes for each course. Enter the new course data in all relevant boxes. For help with entering new course data, refer to the online help topics for each type of data.

Note
If a course is missing from your course list for previous terms, submit the course to the ASSIST Coordination Site using the “Curriculum Corrections and Late Additions” form on the Database page of ASSIST Information Center under the “ASSIST Curriculum Update System” heading.

Course Prefix

Steps

1. Click anywhere in the Prefix entry box to open the drop-down menu of prefixes for your institution.

2. Click on the prefix for which you would like to add a new course. The drop-down menu closes and the prefix you selected is displayed in the entry box.

Course Number Information

The course number information is separated into three elements: 1) number prefix 2) number 3) number suffix.

Entering a Course Number Prefix

Steps

1. Click once in the Num Prefix entry box to place the cursor in the box.

2. Type the number prefix for the new course in the entry box.

Entering a Course Number

Steps

1. Click once in the Number entry box to place the cursor in the box.

2. Type the number for the new course in the entry box.

Entering a Course Number Suffix

To enter a course that has no course number, such as Math A, enter the “A” in the Course Number Suffix box.

Steps

1. Click once in the box below the Num Suffix heading to place the cursor in the box.

2. Type the new course number suffix in the entry box.

Course Title for a New Course

Steps

1. Click once in the box below the Title heading to place the cursor in the box.

2. Type the new course title in the entry box. If the title requires more space than is provided by the entry box, the text scrolls to the left as you type to allow you to enter the complete entry. Although you may not see all of the entry displayed in the box, the entire title will be saved.

Units for a New Course

Steps

1. Click once in the entry box below the heading Min Units to place the cursor in the entry box.

2. Type the minimum number of units that can be earned in the entry box. An entry is required.

3. Click once in the entry box below the heading Max Units to place the cursor in the entry box.

4. Type the maximum number of units earned in the entry box. An entry is required.

CSU Baccalaureate Status for a New Course

Steps

1. Click once in the entry box below the CSU Bacc heading to place the cursor in the box.

2. Type a Y in the box to indicate that this course is a CSU Baccalaureate-level course. Type an N in the box to indicate that this course is not CSU Baccalaureate level. You can enter either upper- or lower-case letters. The system will change the entry to an upper-case letter when you save your course information.

Note
All University of California campuses should enter a Y (Yes) in the CSU BACC entry box since all UC courses are accepted as CSU Baccalaureate-level courses.

Same As Courses

You can have up to five same-as courses. You must keep track of course number changes and enter them by hand in the Same As entry boxes.

Steps

1. Click once in the entry box below the Same As heading to place the cursor in the box.

2. Type the course name (course prefix and number) in the Same As entry boxes provided. If the course information requires more space than is provided by the entry box, the text scrolls to the left as you type to allow you to enter the complete entry. Although you may not see all of the entry displayed in the box, the entire entry will be saved. Be sure to use the correct prefix and number.

Other Common Course Update Scenarios

Course Split

The steps below describe how to split the one course into two as required in the example, above.

Steps

Update the Existing Course, BIOSCI 1.

1. On the “Update Courses” page, click anywhere in the drop-down menu located above the entry boxes and below the heading “Select a prefix and click the Continue button.” A list of all of the prefixes for your institution is displayed.

2. Select the prefix BIOSCI from the list. All of the courses for the BIOSCI prefix are displayed.

3. Locate the course BIOSCI 1.

4. In the Units entry box, highlight the entry 5 and press [Backspace] or [Delete] to clear the entry.

5. Type the new unit value, 4, in the Units entry box for the BIOSCI 1 course.

6. Click Validate/Save to check your course data for errors and save your entries. If there are errors in your data, you must correct them before the data will be saved.

Add the new course, BIOSCI 1L.

7. Click Add New at the top of the “Update Courses” page to go to the “Add New Courses” page.

8. On the “Add New Courses” page, select the BIOSCI prefix from the drop-down menu located at the left of each row where you can add a course. A list of all of the prefixes for your institution is displayed.

9. Select the prefix BIOSCI from the list.

10. In the Number entry box, type the course number, 1.

11. In the Num Suffix entry box, type the letter L, since the course number includes an “L” as a suffix to indicate that this is a lab course.

12. In the Title entry box, type the title for the new course. The title for this Biology course is LAB.

13. In the Min Units entry box, type 1, since this is a one unit course.

14. In the Max Units entry box, type 1, since the minimum and maximum units are the same.

15. In the CSU BACC entry box, type Y to indicate that this course is a CSU Baccalaureate-level course.

16. In the Same As entry boxes, type the course prefix and number of the course that is the same course as BIOSCI 1L under a different name.

Courses Combine into an Existing Course Number

The steps below describe how to combine the courses described in the example, above. PHYS 2 and 3 are to be combined into one course, PHYS 1.

Steps

1. On the “Update Courses” page, open the Prefixes drop-down menu. Click anywhere in the drop-down menu to display all of the prefixes for your institution.

2. Click once on the prefix PHYS to select it. The menu closes and PHYS is displayed in the box. Also, all of the courses for the PHYS prefix are displayed on the page.

3. Locate the course PHYS 3 in the list of courses.

4. Select TRMD from the pull-down box next to the course and under the heading Terminate? to indicate that this course is to be deleted.

5. Locate the course PHYS 2 in the list of courses.

6. In the Number entry box, highlight the existing entry and press [Backspace] or [Delete] to clear the entry box.

7. Type the new course number, 1, in the Number entry box.

8. In the Units entry box, highlight the existing entry and press [Backspace] or [Delete] to clear the entry box.

9. Type the new units value, 4, in the Units entry box. Since PHYS 2 was a three-unit course and PHYS 3 was a one-unit course, and the courses are now combined, the unit value of the two courses is added together to get the new unit value, 4, for the course.

In this example, only the course number and unit value changed. If the course title, same as, or other values change, that new information would have to be entered as well.

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Validating and Saving Course Information

Steps for Correcting Errors in Courses Data

Types of Errors in Your Courses

Validating and Saving Course Information

To check the data you have entered for errors, click once on the Validate/Save button at the top of the page that contains your entries. Validate/Save only checks for errors on the page that is displayed. If you are updating courses, Validate/Save only checks for errors in the information for the prefix that is selected. If errors are found, they appear in a report in a separate browser window. When no errors are found, your entries are automatically saved. If you try to go to a new prefix without checking for errors in the course information you have entered in the current prefix, the validation report runs automatically and descriptions of any errors are displayed. If no errors are found, a message is displayed to let you know that there are no errors and the information was saved to the temporary maintenance database.

Validate/save your work when you cannot finish entering all of your course information during one session. Saved data is stored in a file so you can return at a later time and continue working. When you return to your saved work, the changes you made during previous sessions are displayed in the entry boxes. The data shown over the entry boxes for the previous term, however, remains unchanged.  

If you cannot finish entering all of the data in one session, it is important to make a note where you stop entering changes on a paper copy of the course data since there is no way for the ASSIST Curriculum Update System to keep track of your progress.

It is recommended that you Validate/Save your work periodically so you don’t lose it because of unforeseen problems with your Internet connection, browser, or computer. Remember that if you turn off your computer without validating and saving your entries, any entries that were not saved will be lost.

Steps for Correcting Errors in Course Data

Steps

1. Click once on the Validate/Save button at the top of the page. The Curriculum Update System checks for errors in the courses you have entered.

2. If there are errors in the courses, the errors are displayed in a red box in the browser window. Correct all errors identified by the report.

3. Click once again on the Validate/Save button to make sure that all of the information is accurate. When no errors are found, the course information is saved.
   

Types of Errors in Your Courses

Error Messages

1. The course number prefix cannot have numbers in it.
   The prefix of a course number cannot include numbers. Prefixes to course numbers can be letters or symbols only. For example, an “H” is sometimes used, preceding a course number, to indicate that a course is an honors course, as in the course Biology H150.

2. The course number can only include numbers.
   Non-numeric characters should be entered in the number prefix and number suffix fields. Course numbers must consist of numbers only. No other characters may be entered in the Number entry box.

3. There is no course number information for the course.
   A course must include at least one course number prefix, course number, or course suffix.

4. The course already exists for the update term.
   All course names must be unique for the new term. The course identified already exists in the database.

5. The course does not have a title specified.
   Course information must include a title for the course.

6. The course has a non-numeric minimum units value.
   A number must be entered to represent the minimum units. The number of minimum units entered must be less than or equal to the maximum number of units (if maximum units exist).

7. The course has a minimum units value that is greater than the maximum units value.
   The number of minimum units entered must be less than or equal to the maximum number of units (if maximum units exist).

8. The course has a non-numeric maximum units value.
   The maximum number of units must be represented as a number and the maximum number of units must be greater than or equal to the minimum number of units (if minimum units exist).

9. The course has a maximum units value that is less than the minimum units value.
   The maximum number of units must be greater than or equal to the minimum number of units (if minimum units exist).

10. The course does not have any units specified.
    Course unit values should be entered for both the minimum and maximum number of units. A course with a single unit value should have the same unit value entered for both the minimum and maximum units. Variable unit courses (i.e. a course with a unit value that ranges from 1 to 4 units) require that the lesser value be entered as the minimum number of units and the greater value be entered as the maximum number of units.

11. New courses must have a course prefix entered.
    All courses must include a course prefix in the Prefix entry box.

12. You must enter a title for the new course.
    Course information must include a title for the course.

13. The new course has a non-numeric minimum units value.
    A number must be entered to represent the minimum number of units earned for successfully completing the course.

14. The new course has a minimum units value that is greater than the maximum units value.
    The number of minimum units entered must be less than or equal to the maximum number of units (if maximum units exist).

15. The new course has a non-numeric maximum units value.
    The maximum number of units must be represented as a number and the maximum number of units must be greater than or equal to the minimum number of units (if minimum units exist).

16. The new course has a maximum units value that is less than the minimum units value.
    The maximum number of units must be greater than or equal to the minimum number of units (if minimum units exist).

17. The course prefix is not a valid prefix in the update term.
    Your prefixes were entered on the “Update Prefixes” and “Add New Prefixes” pages. The prefix entered on the “Update Courses” and “Add New Courses” pages must be one of the prefixes you entered on prefixes pages. You cannot update or add new prefixes on the “Update Courses” and “Add New Courses” pages.
    
18. The CSU BACC entry must be capital Y or N.
    Enter a Y (Yes) or an N (No) in this box to indicate to indicate whether the course is accepted as CSU Baccalaureate level. Any other entry produces an error on the error report.

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Bookmarks (Netscape) and Favorites (Internet Explorer)

Setting a Bookmark (Netscape) or Favorite (Internet Explorer) for the pages of the ASSIST Curriculum Update System will not work because you must log on each time you want to use the system.

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Printing Course Information

Printing course information from the ASSIST Curriculum Update System requires software called Acrobat Reader (available free over the Internet from Adobe Systems Incorporated). Acrobat Reader paginates and formats the course information correctly for printing.

Steps

1. Click on the Print All Courses button on the “Update” or “Add New” pages. The information is converted to Adobe’s Portable Document Format (PDF).

2. The information is displayed in Adobe Acrobat Reader. To print the information, click on the printer icon in the Acrobat Reader window.

Adobe Reader

The ASSIST Curriculum Update System requires the Adobe Reader for printing course information. Adobe Reader runs inside your browser's window as a plug-in, and allows you to print identical documents on all major computing platforms. Your browser's print function will not produce properly formatted reports or course lists. Click the button below if you don't already have Adobe Reader. This takes you to Adobe's web site, where you can download the free software. You must make a note of the location of the file on your disk when it is downloaded. The file you download must then be executed (Windows) or decompressed (Mac) before it can be installed. Follow the easy installation instructions on Adobe's site or ask your local technical support for help.

Click the Adobe ® Reader® icon below to go to the site where you can download Adobe® Reader®.

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About the View Future Changes Report

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