Managing Courses

All Courses

What are Courses?

A course is a training catalog template that defines the curriculum, requirements, and settings for a type of training. Once you create a course, you can schedule it multiple times as different class sessions with specific dates, times, and locations.

Course vs Class: What's the Difference?

Course Class
The curriculum template A scheduled instance
Defines what will be taught Defines when and where it's taught
Created once, used many times Created for each specific session
Example: "Database Fundamentals" Example: "Database Fundamentals on Jan 15, 2:00 PM in Room 301"
Has description, prerequisites, certification info Has date, time, instructor, location, enrollment

Viewing All Courses

To view all courses in your client:

  1. Navigate to Course Management → Courses in the sidebar menu
  2. You'll see the All Courses page with a searchable table
  3. Controls at the top of the page allow you to change the number of entries displayed and search for specific titles, clients, etc.
    1. Entries per page – Change the number of entries that display on the page (10 (default), 25, 50, 100)
    2. Search - Use to quickly find courses across all columns 

Understanding the Courses Table

The courses table displays:

  1. Actions - View and Edit buttons for each course
  2. Course ID - Unique identifier assigned by the system
  3. Course Title - The name of the course
  4. Lockouts - Any demographic restrictions (if applicable)
  5. Client - Which organizational client owns this course
  6. Audience - Target audience (Global or specific groups)
  7. Prerequisites - Required prior courses (NA if none)
  8. Status - Active, Inactive, or Deprecated
All Courses

Sorting the Courses Table

Sort Button

 

To sort the table by a specific column, click the column header sort button:

  1. To sort in ascending order, click the TOP of the button.
  2. To sort in descending order, click the BOTTOM of the button.
Columns with sort buttons

Creating a New Course

Add a new course button

 

To create a new course:

  1. Navigate to Course Management → Courses
  2. Click the Add New button at the top of the page
  3. Complete all required fields across the seven sections
  4. Click Add New Course at the bottom to save

Section 1: Overview, Client, and Title

Add Course Title
Add Course title detail

On the Courses Overview page, the first section you will see contains the Client and Title fields.

  • *System Client - From the dropdown list, select which organizational client owns this course. This determines who can see and schedule classes for this course.
  • Course Title - Type the name of the course. Be descriptive and consistent with your naming conventions.

*Field entry is required

Section 2: SysAdmin Administration

Add new course sysadmin screen
Add new course sysadmin screen detail

This section contains the Course Prerequisites and PPR Cert ID. These options have restricted access and require contacting the TMaRS System Administrator via a Service Desk Ticket.

  • Course Prerequisites - Displays by course ID what courses must be completed before someone can take this course.
  • PPR Cert ID

Section 3: Description

Add new course description section
Add new course description section detail

Detailed description of what the course covers.

  • Course Description - The description is viewable to users browsing the course listing. It should be clear and comprehenive - explain what topics are covered, what skills will be learned, and what the course includes.

Section 4: Delivery and Display

Add new course delivery and display screen
  • Course Delivery Type – Select how the training will be delivered: In-Person, In-Person and Webinar, Webinar, LMS (Canvas), Online.
  • Presentation Length – Specify the total time for the training session.
  • Display this course on ITS/eLearning/etc. portals - Check if this course should appear on external training portals.
  • Display this course on the Educational Resources Guide Website - Check if this course should appear in the university's educational resources guide.
  • This course is Requestable - Check if users can request this training to be scheduled (even if no classes are currently offered).
  • Course Evaluation URL – Enter a link to external evaluation/survey for course feedback.

Section 5: Course Interlocks

add new course interlocks section
add new course interlocks section detail

Check any that apply: 

  • Course Status - Select the course status
  • New courses:
  • Active - Course can be scheduled and users can enroll
  • Existing courses:
  • Deprecated - Course is being phased out but existing classes can continue
  • Retired – Course has been phased out and will no longer be offered
  • This is a Safety Training course - Check if this is safety-related training (used for EH&S reporting)
  • This course is presented as a series - Check if this course is part of a multi-course sequence.

Section 6: Audience

Add new course audience section
Add new course audience detail
  • Who Should Attend? - Describe the target audience and who would benefit from this training. 
    • Examples: "IT staff and data analysts needing database skills" or “MSU Faculty, Administrators, Staff”
  • Certification Validation Period – If applicable, select the period for how long the certification is valid before renewal is required. 

Section 7: Demographic Lockouts

Add new course demographic lockouts section
Add new course demographic lockouts section detail

Demographic lockouts restrict who can enroll in the course based on their university role or status.

Check any that apply:

  • Lock out Employees - Prevent employees from enrolling
  • Lock out Undergrad Students - Prevent undergraduate students from enrolling
  • Lock out Grad Students - Prevent graduate students from enrolling
  • Lock out Affiliates - Prevent affiliates from enrolling
  • Lock out Non-Paid Grad Students

Section 8: Submit

add new course button section
add new course button section detail

Click the Add New Course button to submit your new course and make it available within the TMaRS System for your specific client.

Editing Courses

Viewing a Course

view course row

 

To view course details without editing:

  1. Navigate to Course Management → Courses
  2. Locate the course in the table using Search if needed.
  3. Click the View button in the Actions column

Editing a Course

 

Update course button

 

To edit an existing course while viewing the course details:

  1. Click the Edit [course name] button at the top of the page.
  2. Make changes to any of the seven sections.
  3. Click the Update Course button at the bottom to save all changes.

 

view course row

 

To edit an existing course from the course table:

  1. Navigate to Course Management → Courses.
  2. Locate the course in the table using Search if needed.
  3. Click the Edit button in the Actions column.
  4. Make changes to any of the seven sections.
  5. Click Update Course at the bottom to save all changes.

Tip: if needed, click the Reset button to return to the prior settings before saving new changes.

Page view of a course