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Video Tutorial - How to Add a Session

How to Add a Session

Step 1 - Course Sessions Tile

Sessions can be added only after a course is approved and the Add a Session button will be disabled during this time.  Once the course has been approved by a CES Administrator, this will enable the Add a Session button and allow sessions to be added to the course.

Once you have at least three sessions created, the Course Sessions tile will list three sessions in the order of the session start date for a Live course or the session code for an On-Demand Course. 

9)      Course Sessions – The Course Sessions Tile is located on the Course Profile Page.  Sessions are instances of a course.  To add a session, click on the Add a Session button.

This will launch the Session at a Glance modal.  The asterisk (*) indicates all fields required for this information to be saved.  

A.      Session Code – This field will auto-generate in sequential order, starting at "1" (if this course has existing sessions, the CES Dashboard will number the newly created sessions in subsequent order).  

B.      Description – This information is required.  The description will automatically populate from the information in the Course Description.  You can make any updates here that pertain to this particular session.    

C.      Session Access – Public sessions are available for anyone and will be displayed in the course catalog, course calendar, and other places accessible to the general public.  Private sessions are only available to a specific audience (CES Administrators and Provider points of contact) and will not be displayed in the catalog or anywhere publicly accessible.  The choice of private or public access can be selected through radio buttons.  

D.      Session Delivery Type – Session Delivery types may vary and are reflective of the course delivery type.  [Basic Providers are only eligible to offer in-person sessions.]

For Live courses, their sessions can be in-person or online. 

• In-person courses are traditional classroom courses or other learning events where the learners and instructors/facilitators are in the same room or location at the same time.  
• Online courses are learning events where the learners and instructors/facilitators meet at the same time, but not necessarily in the same location. Webinars, virtual classrooms, and streamed events are examples of online Live courses.

For On-demand courses, their sessions can be e-learning or print.

• E-learning courses are on-demand learning events available online through computers, tablets, mobile devices, or other means.
• Print/Other courses are on-demand learning events available through publications (print or online) with their learning units determined according to the AIA CES word count formula.

In-person courses will have the option to include location.

Select a Country and enter the remaining address in the Address Line 1, Address Line 2, City, State/Province, and/or Zip/Postal Code fields.  

For On-Demand sessions, select whether this session is offered through E-learning or Print/Other.  The Session URL may be a link to the learning event itself or a page with additional information about the event.  This field is optional.  If you choose to complete this field, enter the full URL by following the placeholder URL format: http://www.example.com.  If the full URL is not entered, it will be considered invalid. 

Note: The Session URL is separate from the Registration URL listed in step 1J. 

Select the Session Delivery Type and the related details.  

E.    Date and Time ­–  These fields are required.  Date and Time defines the date and time in which the session will take place.  

The Start Date is the calendar date on which the learning event begins.  The End Date is the calendar date on which the learning event ends. The End Date must occur after the course approval date and Start Date.  To enter a Start Date and End Date, click on the calendar and select a date. If manually entered, follow the placeholder date format of "MM/DD/YYYY."

The Start Time is the local time the learning event is scheduled to begin on the session Start Date.  The End Time is the local time the learning event is scheduled to end on the session End Date.  The Start Time and End Time can be entered using the format: HH:MM AM/PM.  The time zones will only show for U.S. locations.

Scroll down to view and/or update more information.

F.     Session Capacity – ­The session capacity is the number of individuals this session and/or session location can accommodate.  Enter a number.

G.     Special Instructions – Enter any special instructions related to this session (directions, things for learners to be aware of, environmental conditions, etc.).

H.    Price – This is optional.  If applicable, enter a price for each category: Architect Member, Associate Member and Non-Member.  

I.    Session Contact – If there is a specific point of contact for the session (firm representative, local sales representative, customer service contact, etc.), enter this information.

J.     Registration - The Registration URL directs learners to the registration page.  Enter the full URL using the placeholder URL format: http://www.example.com.  If the full URL is not entered, it will be considered invalid.

Once all information has been entered, click Save.

Step 2 - Session Profile Page

The Session Profile Page will allow a view of the session details as well as the ability to manage and report attendance.  CES administrator approval is not required to add a session.

1)      The Session at a Glance tile lists all details of this instance of the course, including: description, session access, session delivery type, date and time, session capacity, special instructions, price, and session contact.  

2)      The Session Header tile ­displays the Session Name and Session Code. 

3)      The Delete Session tile allows providers to delete a session. This is only possible when no attendance has been reported to the session.

4)      The Manage and Report Attendance tile allows providers to report and manage attendance for a session.  Single attendance can be reported through this tile.  

Step 3 - Session at a Glance Tile

1)      Session at a Glance – The Session at a Glance tile is located on the Session Profile Page.  This tile lists all details of this instance of the course.    To update the details of the session, click on Edit in the lower right-hand corner.

This will launch the Session at a Glance modal to appear.  Please see Steps 1A-J.  

Session Header Tile

2)      Session Header Tile ­– The Session Header tile is located on the Session Profile Page.  It displays the Session Name and Session Code.  The Session Name and Session Code will both auto-populate in the creation of a session.

How to Delete a Session

Delete Session Tile

Sessions without any reported attendance can be deleted from the system.  While the session has no reported attendance, the Delete Session tile will be enabled on the page. Once attendance has been reported for the session, the tile will be disabled. 

3)     Delete Session Tile - The Delete Session tile is located on the Sessions Profile Page.  To delete a session, click on the Delete Session Tile.

This will launch the Delete Session modal to appear.  The modal will prompt you to confirm the session deletion.

If you select yes, the session will be deleted from the database.  The modal will close, and you will be directed back to the Course Profile page.

If you select no, the deletion request will be cancelled.  The modal will close, and you will be directed back to the Session Profile page.

Manage and Report Attendance Tile

4)     Manage and Report Attendance Tile - The Manage and Report Attendance tile is located on the Session Profile Page.  Single Attendance is reported through this tile.

[You may also bulk upload attendance through the Report Attendance tile on the CES Provider Profile Page.]

If the start date is set in the future for the session, the tile will prompt you to update the session date in order to report attendance.   You can update the session date by clicking on "Click here to add/update the date(s)" within the tile, or updating the session date through clicking Edit on the Session at a Glance tile.  

Both options will launch the Session at a Glance modal for updates.

Once the session date has been completed and saved, the tile will enable you to report attendance upon two conditions:

• When the session is that of a live course delivery type, and the session end date is on or before the current date, or
• When the session is that of an On-Demand course delivery type. 

*You cannot report attendance for sessions in the future. 

The tile will then prompt you to report your attendance in 10 business days of the session end date or course completion.  By clicking on "Click here to report," it will lead you to the report attendance page.  

More details on Single Attendance reporting can be seen in the Attendance Management: Detailed Guide, Option 1.

How to View Sessions: Session Index

You can view the full list of offered sessions in the Session Index.  You can access the Session Index by clicking on View All Sessions. If your course has numerous sessions, you may need to select the View more sessions item at the bottom of the screen to reveal all available sessions.

The Session Index will appear and have session information listed with the Date and Time, Sessions and Session Location, and Session Delivery Type.  This information can be sorted, one column at a time.  Sessions can be filtered by the date fields at the top.  The default view lists the most recent sessions at the top. To view and/or submit attendance, click on View Attendees under the Attendance column.  To View the Session Profile Page, click on the hyperlinked Session Code under the Sessions and Session Location column.