📚 Help & Documentation

Complete guide to using the Faculty Course Loading Management System

🚀 Getting Started

Welcome! This comprehensive guide will help you master the Faculty Course Loading Management System. The system is completely free and runs directly in your browser with no registration required.

📋 System Overview

The Faculty Course Loading Management System is designed specifically for Conestoga College Animation Programs to streamline faculty course assignments, monitor workload distribution, and ensure compliance with employment regulations.

👥

Professor Management

Manage faculty profiles, specializations, and employment types with intelligent workload tracking.

📚

Course Assignment

Visual assignment interface with real-time validation and conflict detection.

📊

Analytics & Reports

Comprehensive reporting with export capabilities for data analysis.

⚡ First Time Setup

Follow these steps to get your system up and running:

1

Launch the Application

Click "Launch Application" from the main page or navigate directly to /app/

2

Set Academic Year

Go to Settings → Academic Year and select your current academic year (e.g., 2025-2026)

3

Import Programs

Use the Program Import tool to automatically extract course data from college websites

4

Add Professors

Navigate to the Professor Management page and add your faculty members

5

Start Assigning

Begin assigning courses to professors using the Course Assignment interface

🏠 Dashboard Overview

The dashboard provides a quick overview of your system status:

  • Statistics Cards: Total professors, assigned courses, unassigned courses, and weekly hours
  • Quick Actions: Direct links to key functions like managing professors and assigning courses
  • Program Overview: Status of active programs and their assignment completion rates
  • Recent Activity: Latest assignments and system changes
  • Alerts: Important notifications about workload violations or conflicts
💡 Pro Tip: The dashboard updates in real-time as you make changes throughout the system. Use it as your central command center to monitor overall system health.

👥 Professor Management

The Professor Management system allows you to maintain detailed faculty profiles, track specializations, and monitor workload compliance across different employment types.

➕ Adding Professors

To add a new professor to the system:

1

Navigate to Professors

Click "Professors" in the main navigation sidebar

2

Click "Add Professor"

Use the blue "Add Professor" button at the top of the page

3

Fill Required Information

Enter first name, last name, email, and select employment type

4

Set Specializations

Select relevant specializations from the available options

5

Configure Workload

Set maximum weekly hours based on employment type and individual agreements

🏷️ Employment Types & Workload Limits

The system automatically manages workload compliance based on employment classifications:

Employment Type Weekly Hour Limit Description Color Code
Part-time ≤ 6 hours Limited teaching load, typically 1-2 courses 🔘 Gray
Partial Load 7-12 hours Moderate teaching load with some benefits 🟠 Orange
Sessional > 12 hours Higher teaching load, closer to full-time 🔴 Red

🎯 Specializations

Available specializations for Animation program faculty:

  • Traditional Animation: Hand-drawn, cel animation techniques
  • Digital Animation: Computer-based animation software
  • 3D Modeling & Animation: Three-dimensional character and environment creation
  • Visual Effects: Compositing, digital effects, post-production
  • Storyboarding: Visual storytelling and pre-production planning
  • Character Design: Character development and design principles
  • Concept Art: Visual development and artistic conceptualization
  • Motion Graphics: Graphic design in motion, title sequences
  • Game Design: Interactive media and game development
  • Foundation Art: Basic drawing, color theory, composition
  • Life Drawing: Figure drawing and anatomical studies
  • Art History: Historical context and artistic movements

⚙️ Professor Actions

Available actions for each professor:

  • Edit Profile: Modify professor information, specializations, and limits
  • View Courses: See all courses currently assigned to the professor
  • Assign Courses: Direct access to course assignment interface
  • Generate Report: Create individual workload report
  • Deactivate: Temporarily remove professor from active assignments
⚠️ Important: Deactivating a professor will not remove their existing course assignments. You must manually reassign their courses before deactivating them.

📚 Course Assignment

The Course Assignment system provides an intuitive interface for matching professors with courses while ensuring workload compliance and detecting potential conflicts.

🎯 Assignment Interface

The course assignment page offers multiple views:

  • Table View: Traditional tabular layout with sorting and filtering
  • Grid View: Card-based layout for visual course management
  • Assignment View: Specialized interface for bulk assignments

✅ Making Assignments

To assign a course to a professor:

1

Select Course

Choose an unassigned course from the list

2

Choose Professor

Select from available professors (system shows compatibility)

3

Review Validation

Check for workload warnings, conflicts, and qualification matches

4

Confirm Assignment

Save the assignment if all validations pass

⚖️ Workload Monitoring

The system continuously monitors workload compliance:

🚨

Overload Alerts

Automatic warnings when professors exceed their maximum weekly hours

⏰

Conflict Detection

Identifies schedule conflicts and overlapping course times

🎯

Qualification Matching

Suggests professors based on specializations and course requirements

🔍 Assignment Status

Courses are categorized by their assignment status:

  • Assigned (Green): Course has a professor assigned with no conflicts
  • Unassigned (Gray): Course needs to be assigned to a professor
  • Pending (Yellow): Assignment is temporary or under review
  • Conflict (Red): Assignment has scheduling or workload conflicts

🎛️ Bulk Operations

Efficient tools for managing multiple assignments:

  • Bulk Assignment: Assign multiple courses to one professor
  • Copy Assignments: Replicate assignments from previous terms
  • Unassign All: Remove all assignments for a specific professor
  • Auto-Suggest: Let the system suggest optimal assignments
💡 Smart Assignment: The system considers professor specializations, current workload, and schedule availability when suggesting assignments.

🎓 Program Management

Program Management allows you to visualize and manage the structure of academic programs, including course flow, prerequisites, and program completion tracking.

📋 Supported Programs

The system currently supports Conestoga College Animation Programs:

  • Bachelor of Animation: 3-year program with 7 levels
  • Animation Diploma: 2-year program with 4 levels
  • Custom Programs: Import additional programs using the Program Import tool

📥 Program Import Tool

Automatically extract course data from college websites:

1

Find Program URLs

Locate the program information page and courses/curriculum page on the college website

2

Generate AI Prompt

Paste the URLs into the Program Import tool to create a custom AI prompt

3

Process with AI

Use ChatGPT or Claude to extract course data and return structured JSON

4

Import JSON

Paste the AI-generated JSON back into the system for processing

5

Review and Save

Validate the imported data and save the new program

🗺️ Program Visualization

The Program View provides several visualization options:

  • Level View: Courses organized by academic level/year
  • Semester View: Courses arranged by fall, winter, and spring terms
  • Prerequisites: Visual connections showing course dependencies
  • Assignment Status: Color-coded indicators for course assignment status

👻 Ghosted Sections

Manage course sections that are not running in the current term:

  • Toggle Ghosting: Hide/show courses not offered this term
  • Bulk Ghosting: Ghost entire levels or semesters
  • Semester Planning: Plan which courses to offer in future terms
  • Resource Allocation: Optimize professor assignments based on active courses
💡 Planning Tip: Use ghosted sections to plan future terms while keeping historical course data intact.

📊 Reports & Analytics

The reporting system provides comprehensive analytics and export capabilities for workload analysis, compliance monitoring, and administrative reporting.

📋 Available Reports

👥

Professor Workload

Individual and summary workload reports with employment type compliance

📚

Course Assignments

Complete course assignment listings with professor details and status

🎓

Program Overview

Program-level statistics and assignment completion rates

📈

Utilization Analysis

Resource utilization metrics and efficiency analysis

💾 Data Export Options

Export data in multiple formats for further analysis:

Format Use Case Features
CSV Spreadsheet analysis Compatible with Excel, Google Sheets
JSON System backup Complete data preservation
PDF Professional reports Print-ready formatting

📊 Key Metrics

Important metrics tracked by the system:

  • Total Teaching Hours: Sum of all weekly hours across faculty
  • Average Hours per Professor: Mean workload distribution
  • Employment Type Distribution: Breakdown by Part-time, Partial Load, Sessional
  • Assignment Completion Rate: Percentage of courses with assigned professors
  • Utilization Rate: Faculty capacity usage across programs
  • Compliance Rate: Percentage of assignments within workload limits

🚨 Alert System

Automated alerts for policy compliance:

  • Overload Warnings: Professors exceeding maximum weekly hours
  • Underutilization Alerts: Faculty with low assignment rates
  • Conflict Notifications: Schedule overlaps and conflicts
  • Qualification Mismatches: Assignments outside professor specializations
  • Unassigned Course Alerts: Courses without assigned professors
✨ Report Generation: All reports can be filtered by academic year, semester, program, or employment type for targeted analysis.

⚙️ Settings & Configuration

The Settings area provides system configuration options, data management tools, and administrative controls.

📅 Academic Year Management

Configure academic calendar and term dates:

  • Academic Year Selection: Choose current academic year (2023-2030 range)
  • Term Configuration: Set Fall, Winter, and Spring semester dates
  • Active Programs: Enable/disable programs for the current year
  • Calendar Integration: Sync with institutional academic calendar

🎓 Program Settings

Manage active programs and course offerings:

1

Program Selection

Choose which programs are active for the current academic year

2

Course Import

Use the AI-powered Program Import tool to add new programs

3

Customization

Modify course details, prerequisites, and scheduling information

💾 Data Management

Backup, restore, and manage system data:

  • Export All Data: Complete system backup in JSON format
  • Import Data: Restore from previous backup or migrate data
  • Clear Data: Reset system to fresh state
  • Partial Export: Export specific data types (professors, courses, assignments)

🔍 Search & Filtering

Advanced search and filtering capabilities:

🔍

Global Search

Search across professors, courses, and programs with real-time results

🏷️

Employment Type Filters

Filter professors by Part-time, Partial Load, or Sessional status

📋

Assignment Status

View assigned, unassigned, or conflicted courses

🎯

Specialization Filters

Find professors by their specializations and expertise areas

🎨 User Interface Settings

Customize the application appearance and behavior:

  • Theme Selection: Light/dark mode preferences
  • Default Views: Set preferred layouts for different pages
  • Notification Settings: Configure alert preferences
  • Export Defaults: Set default export formats and options
🔧 System Reset: Use the "Clear Application Cache" option carefully as it will remove all data and cannot be undone without a backup.

🔧 Troubleshooting

Common issues and their solutions to help you resolve problems quickly.

🚨 Common Issues

Data Not Saving

Symptoms: Changes disappear after page refresh, assignments don't persist

Solutions:

  • Check if browser's local storage is enabled
  • Clear browser cache and reload the application
  • Try using an incognito/private browsing window
  • Ensure you have sufficient disk space
  • Check browser console for JavaScript errors

Professor Assignments Not Appearing

Symptoms: Courses show as unassigned despite being assigned

Solutions:

  • Verify the assignment was saved successfully
  • Check if the professor is marked as active
  • Ensure you're viewing the correct academic year/semester
  • Clear any active filters that might hide the assignment
  • Refresh the page to reload data

Program Import Failing

Symptoms: JSON import shows errors, courses not importing correctly

Solutions:

  • Validate JSON format using a JSON validator
  • Check that all required fields are present
  • Ensure course codes follow the expected format (e.g., ANIM1234)
  • Verify semester and level values are valid
  • Try importing a smaller subset of courses first

Workload Calculations Incorrect

Symptoms: Professor workloads don't match expected values

Solutions:

  • Verify course weekly hours are set correctly
  • Check professor employment type and max hours
  • Ensure assignments are for the correct semester
  • Look for duplicate course assignments
  • Review any custom workload limits set for individual professors

🔍 Performance Issues

Application Loading Slowly

Possible Causes & Solutions:

  • Large Dataset: Consider archiving old data or splitting by academic year
  • Browser Memory: Close other tabs and restart browser
  • Network Issues: Check internet connection stability
  • Cache Problems: Clear browser cache and cookies

Unresponsive Interface

Recovery Steps:

  1. Wait for any ongoing operations to complete
  2. Try refreshing the page (Ctrl+F5 or Cmd+Shift+R)
  3. Close and reopen the browser tab
  4. Restart the browser entirely
  5. Try using a different browser

📱 Mobile/Responsive Issues

The application is designed to work on all devices:

  • Small Screens: Use landscape orientation for better table viewing
  • Touch Navigation: All buttons and links are touch-friendly
  • Scrolling Issues: Use two-finger scrolling on touch devices
  • Text Size: Use browser zoom settings if text is too small
💡 Emergency Recovery: If all else fails, use Settings → Data Management → "Clear Application Cache" to reset the system. Make sure you have a backup first!

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

📋 General Questions

Q: Is this system free to use?

A: Yes, completely free. No licensing fees, registration, or hidden costs. The system runs entirely in your browser.

Q: Do I need to install anything?

A: No installation required. The system works in any modern web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge).

Q: Where is my data stored?

A: All data is stored locally in your browser's local storage. Nothing is sent to external servers.

Q: Can multiple people use the same system?

A: Each browser/device maintains its own data. For shared access, you can export data and share backup files.

👥 Professor Management

Q: Can I change a professor's employment type after assignments are made?

A: Yes, but the system will recalculate workload limits and may flag violations if the new limits are exceeded.

Q: What happens if I delete a professor who has course assignments?

A: The system will warn you and suggest reassigning courses first. Deleting will remove the professor and unassign their courses.

Q: Can professors have multiple specializations?

A: Yes, you can select multiple specializations for each professor to match their expertise areas.

📚 Course Assignments

Q: Can one course be assigned to multiple professors?

A: No, each course can only have one primary instructor. For team-taught courses, assign to the primary instructor.

Q: How does workload calculation work?

A: Workload is calculated by summing the weekly hours of all assigned courses for each professor.

Q: What constitutes a workload violation?

A: When a professor's total assigned hours exceed their employment type limits or custom maximum.

🎓 Programs & Data

Q: Can I add programs beyond Animation?

A: Yes, use the Program Import tool to add any program. The system is designed to be flexible for different academic programs.

Q: How often should I backup my data?

A: Backup regularly, especially before major changes like academic year transitions or bulk operations.

Q: Can I use data from previous years?

A: Yes, change the academic year in settings to view historical data. You can copy assignments between years.

📊 Reports & Export

Q: What's the difference between CSV and JSON export?

A: CSV is for spreadsheet analysis, JSON preserves complete data structure for system backups.

Q: Can I modify exported data and re-import it?

A: Yes for JSON exports. Be careful with data structure and validation when modifying.

🔧 Technical Support

Q: Which browsers are supported?

A: Modern browsers including Chrome 80+, Firefox 75+, Safari 13+, and Edge 80+.

Q: What if I find a bug or need a feature?

A: Contact your system administrator or IT support. The system is open to customization and improvements.

Q: Is there mobile app version?

A: No separate app needed. The web application is responsive and works well on mobile devices.

🔗 Need More Help? If your question isn't answered here, try the troubleshooting section or contact your local system administrator for assistance.
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