Course Descriptions

Owned by David Schmidt
Last updated: Jan 24, 2018
5 min read



User Front-End Overview

Course descriptions is a database that lists all offered classes and their descriptions for the semesters in which they were offered.

The front-end of these descriptions can be found by users at http://www.sandiego.edu/law/academics/curriculum/course-descriptions.php.

The image to the right depicts the front-end.





Parse List by First Letter

Click one of the letters at the top of the page to parse the list down to only entries that begin with the selected letter.





View by Semester

By default, the current semester's courses will display.

To change the semester, click any of the semester links on the right. This option is especially helpful to alumni who wish to view the description during the semester they completed the course.







Management Back-End

To add or edit entries to the course description database, go to http://www.sandiego.edu/manage/law/course-descriptions/.

Login using your USDOne user name and password.

Select Which Option to Edit

There are five main options that can be edited from this manage page.

  • Manage Semesters - Allows you to add, delete, or edit available semester options.

  • Manage Classes - Allows you to add, delete, or edit available classes and their descriptions. This is the primary database.

  • Manage Courses - Allows you to add, delete, or edit available course options.

  • Manage Concentrations - Allows you to add, delete, or edit available concentration options.

  • Add a Class Designation (Category) - Allows you to add, delete, or edit available category options.







Manage Semesters

The three icons to the right of an entry allow for editing, copying, or deleting the corresponding semester option entry.

Click the Add Another Semester button to create a new semester.

Semesters have two options:

  • Current - Sets the selected semester to be the default entry.

  • Active - Allows for the semester to be displayed or hidden.

Click the Submit button to save and publish changes, or the Cancel button to discard your edits.

Clicking the duplicate button copies a semester's classes to a newly added semester. Note that it will copy all of the class's fields except for the faculty field.





Manage Classes

This is the main manage system for course descriptions.

Search for a semester by selecting one from the dropdown list and clicking the Submit button.

The list of class descriptions for that semester will display.

The three icons to the right of an entry allow for editing, copying, or deleting the corresponding class description entry.

Clicking the duplicate button copies a class to a newly added class. Note that it will copy all of the class's fields except for the faculty field. A class can be copied from one semester to another.

Click on Add Another Class to add a new class, copy one of the existing classes, then edit all the necessary fields.

Class descriptions have the following fields:

  • Course - Sets the course code and number for the class. This can be edited by using the Manage Courses link on the Course Management Page.

  • Designation - Sets the designation for the class. This can be edited by using the Manage Designations link on the Course Management Page.

  • Requirements - Click the box to checkmark any necessary requirements for the class.

  • Class Title - Enter the title for the class.

  • Credits - Enter the total number of credits for the class.

  • Grading - Enter the grading rubric for the class. Options include:

    • Letter - Traditional letter grade of A - D and F.

    • PF - Pass or fail.

    • HPLF - High Pass, Pass, Low Pass, Fail.

  • Description - Enter the text for the class's description.

  • Note - Enter any notes that may be necessary for users to see. These are not internal notes.

  • Prerequisites - Add in prerequisites.

  • Corequisites - Add in corequisites.

  • Recommended - Add in any necessary recommendations.

  • Additional Information - Add in any additional information.

  • Instructor(s) - Select the instructor or instructors from the dropdown list. Click the green Plus icon to add additional instructors. The options in this dropdown are populated with only active faculty and is pulled from HR's system.

  • Concentrations - Check the boxes for all applicable concentrations relevant to the class.

Click the Submit button to save and publish changes, or the Cancel button to discard your edits.







Manage Courses

The two icons to the right of an entry allow for editing or deleting the corresponding course option entry.

Click the Add Another Course button to create a new course.

Courses have two options:

  • Subject - Sets the selected course's title.

  • Number - Sets the selected course's number, such as Chemistry 101.

Click the Submit button to save and publish changes, or the Cancel button to discard your edits.





Manage Concentrations

The two icons to the right of an entry allow for editing or deleting the corresponding concentration option entry.

Click the Add Another Concentration button to create a new course.

Concentrations have three options:

  • Concentration - Sets the selected concentration's name.

  • Type of Concentration - Sets the selected concentration's type. Options are:

    • JD

    • LLMB

    • LLMC

    • LLMT

    • LLMG

    • LLMI

    • MSLS

  • Active - Allows for the concentration to be shown or hidden.

Click the Submit button to save and publish changes, or the Cancel button to discard your edits.





Manage Designations

Add a designation by entering the name for the new designation and clicking the Submit button.

Click the Cancel button to discard your edits.

NOTE:  At this time you are only able to create a designation.  If you need to edit or remove a designation, please submit a request at http://www.sandiego.edu/web-requests/.