Time Periods

This page will provide you with an overview, key concepts, and workflows related to managing Time Periods in Paradigm

Overview

Paradigm records a variety of time periods which gives meaning to specific dates or date ranges in your business or institution. It also allows you to configure the time periods to meet the business requirements of your institution, and at the same time comply with government reporting. This article provides detailed workflows on how you can Search, Edit and Create Time Periods in Paradigm.

Time Periods

A variety of time periods may be recorded in Paradigm allowing the system to associate meaning with specific dates or date ranges. This information is used across the system including government reporting, student course and unit enrolment, and scheduling units.

The following are some of the integral time periods in Paradigm that relate to a lot of records in the system to function as intended:

Academic Term - A generic record to define the start and end date of the following: terms, semesters, trimesters or time period
Academic Year - A record to define the start and end date of an Academic Year, which may or may not align with a calendar year
Census Period - The last day to withdraw without incurring a FEE-HELP debt
Dates used to populate default date ranges for reports - Some reports require date parameters for the population
Enrolment Period - The Dates between enrolments will be accepted
Examination Period - The dates between when exams will be conducted
Teaching Period - The dates from commencement to the end of the teaching period
Timetable Period - The dates from commencement to the end of the teaching period. This parameter also controls what report information/student/course statistics are displayed on the staff dashboard reports.

Configuration Periods

Paradigm contains a number of special time periods, called configuration periods, that control specific areas of system functionality for example the course outline screen for online unit enrolments. Some of these configuration periods are also used in various system-generated reports to limit the contents of a report when a user does not declare a specific date parameter such as a unit enrolment start date or a census date.

The Student load on the student summary information specifically the Part/Full time displayed in the “Classic records loaded” is derived by Paradigm based on the true EFTSL enrolment of the student in question by summing up the EFTSL on the scheduled units that sit within the dates specified in the time period called “SEMESTER_LOAD_PERIOD”.

UNIT_ENROLMENT - It controls the Scheduled Units the students can enrol in the Course Plan. The Scheduled Units' start and end dates that you want to show in the Course Plan should be within the dates of this configuration period.
ENROLMENT_PERIOD - Period that opens or closes the Course Plan to students [opens and closes online enrolments for students].
APPLICATION_PERIOD - It controls the date (timeframe) when an applicant is allowed to apply to any of your course offerings, see Online Applicant Portal.
TIMETABLE - A set of dates that controls which scheduled units are showing on the Student and staff View Timetable screens. It controls the session start and end dates imported from Rapla. The start date of a student’s unit enrolment must equal or sit within the beginning of the specified time period - ‘TIMETABLE’.
SCHEDULED_UNIT_DATES - The default start and end date for Scheduled Units.
SEARCH_SCHD_UNT_DATE - Default dates used on scheduled unit search fields across the site when the user does not specify a date. It should be changed every year to the current year.
SESSION_EDIT - Controls what is editable via the Student Units Sessions screen, see Edit Session Enrolment. When today’s date is outside of this time period range, students will see the availability status showing ‘Closed to Changes’
SESSION_EDIT_PERIOD - Controls when Students can use the Student Units Sessions screen, see Edit Session Enrolment. When the session period is outside of this time period range, students can access the session screen but they will see the availability status showing ‘Not Accepting Changes’.
MOODLE_EXPORT - Dates for what data is synced via integration to a Moodle or other external site
INVOICING - It is used for the invoice time period when creating invoices - If a Student’s Unit Enrolment sits within the window of the Invoicing date range defined in the system. This applies to both bulk invoices and manually raising the invoices.
INVOICING_DUE_DATE - An override can be used on the invoice to put on invoices.
Statement Of Fees - It controls what unit enrolment to put on the Statement Of Fees report that is printed for Students. It is commonly called a Proforma Invoice.
CAN_CENSUS_PERIOD - It is used to control the units put on a CAN Notice when running the CAN report and send it to Students.

Implications

Incorrectly setting configuration periods may adversely affect the following system functions:

Invoice generation;
Student and Contact user personal timetable views;
Unit Enrolments that are performed via the Course Plan; and
Controlling access for students to make unit enrolment changes via the Course Plan.

Please be advised of the following:

By default Time Period Editing is only available to users with full admin permissions. Time periods contain critical information within the system and should not be changed by users who have lower permission levels.
When dates and periods are set incorrectly this will cause issues, incorrect data will have a flow-on effect on other periods, dates and settings.
Please ensure that new dates and periods are created in advance to allow for future functions e.g. Scheduling, enrolling (Academic Years, census etc).
Ensure that old dates are set to "Hidden" for the convenience of other users.
Please note there are different types of time periods. Some are created multiple times and once created (unless there has been a mistake) never altered (except to archive). e.g. Academic Year, Academic Term, Census date, census period.
Others are configuration periods e.g. Invoicing period, CAN census period, Application Portal etc. These are set up in consultation with the institution when the system is initially set up. These time periods only have one per system and are updated (rather than created) to reflect the new time period.

Workflow

(A)Add a New Academic Year

You can add a new Academic Year in Paradigm in two ways: Follow WORKFLOW 1 if you have existing Academic Year records in the system. However, if you want to add a new Academic Year from scratch [if you don’t have any existing records yet], follow WORKFLOW 2.

WORKFLOW 1: Add New Academic Year with Existing Records

Choose System > Edit Time Period > Set Type: Academic Year and click the SEARCH TIME PERIODS button.

Select the previous Academic Year record from the list of academic records that are being displayed after clicking the SEARCH TIME PERIODS button. You can also filter the record by typing the year in the Filter Box, this will display the Academic Year records of the year that you specified.

Click the EDIT button on the right of the Academic Year record that you’ve chosen to start editing.

The TIME PERIOD DETAILS section will appear, showing all the fields to be edited. Change all the fields that have the previous year's data to the new Academic Year that you want to add. In the sample screenshot below, the year 2022 should be changed to 2023 to create a new Academic year for 2023

Click the SAVE TIME PERIOD button to create the record. In the example above, after clicking the SAVE TIME PERIOD button, a new Academic Year for 2023 has been created.

WORKFLOW 2: Add New Academic Year without Existing Records

Choose System > Edit Time Period > Click the ADD TIME PERIOD button.
After clicking the ADD TIME PERIOD button, a TIME PERIOD DETAILS section will appear below, showing all the fields to be filled out to add a new Academic Year. Follow the guide below in filling out the fields.
Fields with * are marked as required.
- Time Period Id * – It is highly recommended in this field to use the acronym AY for Academic Year followed by an underscore, and then the year of the Academic Year that you want to add. The format to be followed should be like this: AY_YEAR. In the example below, since the user is trying to create a new Academic Year for 2023, the field is being filled out as AY_2023.
- Parent – Leave this field blank, as the newly created Academic Year will serve as the Parent period.
- Organisation – Select your organisation/institution from the drop-down list.
- Type * – Select the Academic Year from the drop-down list.
- Number – Set this field to 1.
- Name * – Copy the data from the Time Period Id field to the Name field. In the example below, AY_2023 from the Time Period Id field is being copied to the Name field.
- Label * – You can set the label to this format: Academic Year YEAR. In the example below, it’s set to Academic Year 2023.
- From: * AND the To: * – Enter here the Start Date and the End Date of the Academic Year that you want to create.
- Visibility * – Set this field to Visible if you want your newly created Academic Year to be available and ready to use.

Click the SAVE TIME PERIOD button, to create the Academic Year record. In the example above, after clicking the SAVE TIME PERIOD button, a new Academic Year for 2023 has been created.

(B)Add a New Academic Term

You can add a new Academic Term in Paradigm in two ways: Follow WORKFLOW 1 if you have an existing Academic Year with Academic Terms recorded in the system. However, if you want to add a new Academic Term from scratch, given that you already created a new Academic Year with the instructions above follow WORKFLOW 2.

WORKFLOW 1: Add New Academic Term with Existing Records

Choose System > Edit Time Period > Set Type: Academic Term and click the SEARCH TIME PERIODS button.

Select the previous Academic Term record from the list after clicking the SEARCH TIME PERIODS button. You can also filter the record by typing the year in the Filter Box, this will display all the Academic Terms records of that year that you specified.

Click the EDIT button on the right of the Academic Term record that you want to edit.

In the example above, the academic term to be edited is 2022_SEM_2. It would be best if you choose the same Academic Term/Semester period from your existing records for the new one that you are planning to add. An example would be choosing AY_2022_SEM_2 if you plan to create a new Academic Semester 2 for Academic Year 2023.

After clicking the EDIT button, a TIME PERIOD DETAILS Form will appear below, showing all the fields to be edited. Change all the fields that have the previous year and term/semester data to the new Academic Term/Semester and Year that you want to add.
Note the changes in the data fields from the chosen Academic Term/Semester record to the newly created one:
- Time Period Id format: Refer to your institution’s naming convention. The suggested format would be AY_YEAR_SEM/TERM/etc. NUMBER. In the example below, it is set to AY_2023_SEM_2 as this will be created as a new second semester for the Academic Year 2023.
- The Parent field should be changed to the same year as your newly created Academic Year that you want this term/semester to be in. The dropdown list is grouped by year in descending order based on the date field "From", with the contents of each group sorted based on the contents of the field "Label".
- Visibility should be set to Visible if you want your newly created Academic Term to be available and ready to use.

Click the SAVE TIME PERIOD button to create the record. In the example above, after clicking the SAVE TIME PERIOD button, an Academic Semester 2 has been created under the newly created Academic Year for 2023.

WORKFLOW 2: Add a New Academic Term without Existing Records

Choose System > Edit Time Period > Click the ADD TIME PERIOD button.
After clicking the ADD TIME PERIOD button, a TIME PERIOD DETAILS Form will appear below, showing all the fields to be filled out. Follow the guide below in filling out the fields.
Fields with * are marked as required.
- Time Period Id * – Refer to your institution’s naming convention. The suggested format would be AY_YEAR_SEM/TERM/etc. NUMBER [e.g. Semester 1 = 1, Term 2 = 2, Semester 2 = 3, Term 4 = 4, Summer School = 5]. There should be no spaces in between, use the underscore instead. In the example below it is set to AY_2023_SEM_2 as this will be created as a new second-semester record for Academic Year 2023.
- Parent * – Set this field to the newly created Academic Year that you want this term/semester to be under. In the example below, it is set to AY_2023. The dropdown list is grouped by year in descending order based on the date field "From", with the contents of each group sorted based on the contents of the field "Label".
- Organisation – Select your organisation/institution from the drop-down list.
- Type * – Select the Academic Term from the drop-down list.
- Number – Set this into the Period Number field. e.g. Semester 1 = 1, Term 2 = 2, Semester 2 = 3, Term 4 = 4, Summer School = 5.
- Name * – Set this field in an easily readable format (this is what will appear on the screen for you to select) e.g. 2023 Semester 2
- Label * – You can set the label the same as the Name field.
- From: * AND the To: * – Enter here the Start Date and the End Date of the Academic Term/Semester that you want to create.
- Visibility * – Set this field to Visible if you want your newly created Academic Term to be available and ready to use.

Click the SAVE TIME PERIOD button, to create the Academic Term record. In the example above, after clicking the SAVE TIME PERIOD button, a new Academic Semester 2 for 2023 has been created.

(C)Add a Census Date

Choose System > Edit Time Period > Set Type: Census Period and click the SEARCH TIME PERIODS button.

NOTE:

If this is the first time that you’re adding a Census Period [meaning you don’t have any existing Census Period records yet in the system], just click the ADD TIME PERIOD button and proceed to CENSUS PERIOD FIELDS below for guidance in filling out the required fields.

Select an existing Census Period record from the list that is being displayed after clicking the SEARCH TIME PERIODS button. You can also filter the record by typing the year in the Filter Box, this will display all the Census Period records of that year that you specified.
Click the EDIT button on the right of the Census Period record to start editing.

In the example above, the search is filtered to 2022, it then displays all the Census Period records for that year. It would be best if you choose the same Census Period record from your existing records for the new one that you are planning to add. An example would be choosing AY_2022_CEN_2 if you plan to create a new Census Period record for the Academic Year 2023.

After clicking the EDIT button, a TIME PERIOD DETAILS Form will appear below, showing all the fields to be edited. Change all the fields that have the previous year and term/semester data to the new Census Period year and semester that you want to add.

Click the SAVE TIME PERIOD button to create the record. In the example above, after clicking the SAVE TIME PERIOD button, a Census Period for Semester 2 has been created in Academic Year 2023.

Census Period Fields

This section will give you guidance on how to fill out the fields to create a new Census Period. Fields with * are marked as required.

Time Period Id * – Refer to your institution’s naming convention. The suggested format would be: AY_YEAR_CEN_NUMBER [e.g. Semester 1 = 1, Term 2 = 2, Semester 2 = 3, Term 4 = 4, Summer School = 5]. There should be no spaces in between, use the underscore instead. In the example below it is set to AY_2023_CEN_2 as this will be created as a new second semester Census Period record for the Academic Year 2023.
Parent – Set this field to the Academic Year that you want the Census Period to be under. In the example below, it is set to AY_2021. The dropdown list is grouped by year in descending order based on the date field "From", with the contents of each group sorted based on the contents of the field "Label".
Organisation – Select your organisation/institution from the drop-down list.
Type * – Select the Census Period from the drop-down list.
Number – Set this into the Period Number field. i.e. Census 1 = 1, Census 2 = 2.
Name * – Set this field in an easily readable format (this is what will appear on the screen for you to select)e.g. 2018 - C1, or 2018 S1 Census
Label * – You can set the label the same as the Name field.
From: * AND the To: * – Enter here the Actual Census Date. NOTE: You can open the census date up to a 1-2 weeks period, as long as the To: Date is the actual census date
Visibility * – Set this field to Visible if you want your newly created Census Period to be available and ready to use.

Edit Census Periods

Refer to the instructions on Edit the Census Period.

(D) Edit Configuration Periods

The Configuration Periods with their descriptions above will guide you on how and when to edit each Configuration Period.

NOTE:

You may find that some of the Configuration ID labels in your business or institution are different from the lists above, or some are missing from your list (depending on how your Paradigm is being designed and configured), check with your Paradigm Administrator, or contact our Support Team for verification.

An example below will guide you on how you can edit an Enrolment Period Configuration Period in Paradigm. An Enrolment Period is a Configuration Period. These are already set up in the system for you and these only need to be updated for each new period.

Choose System > Edit Time Period > Set Type: Configuration Period and click the SEARCH TIME PERIODS button.

A list of all Configuration Period records in your system will be displayed below the screen. You can also use the Filter Box menu, and limit the result to your previous Academic Year.

Select the ENROLMENT_PERIOD Id under the Time Period Id Column, as in this example, we are going to edit the enrolment period. Click the EDIT button on the right, to start editing the fields.

A TIME PERIOD DETAILS Form will appear below. Make sure the Parent field is set to the current Academic Year where the enrolment period would apply. The dropdown list is grouped by year in descending order based on the date field "From", with the contents of each group sorted based on the contents of the field "Label".

The Number field needs also to be checked depending on which time period it applies.

Edit the From and To fields, this will set the Start and End Date of your enrolment period.

Click the SAVE TIME PERIOD button to create the new enrolment period configuration. In the example above, after clicking the SAVE TIME PERIOD button, a new Enrolment Period – Configuration Period has been created for the 1st Semester of the Academic Year 2023.

When Editing a Time Periods' Start and End Dates

WARNING:

Editing a Time Period’s Start and End Dates is not recommended especially if there are already enrolments involved. Changing the dates will only reflect on the new records to be created right after you’ve made the changes. All existing records' start and end dates will retain the old dates. Changing the dates would also have implications for your other records in the system.

If a need arises for a Time Period date to be edited, we would recommend that you seek advice from us before taking any action.

Choose System > Edit Time Period > Set the type of the time period that you want to change the dates, e.g. “Academic Term”. Click the SEARCH TIME PERIODS button.

Search the exact time period that you want to change the start and end dates after clicking the SEARCH TIME PERIODS button. You can also filter the record by typing the year in the Filter Box, this will display the Time Period records based on the year that you specified.

Click the EDIT button on the right of the Academic Term record that you want to edit.

After clicking the EDIT button, a TIME PERIOD DETAILS Form will appear below, showing all the fields to be edited. Only change the From and To fields to change the date.