Copying an Existing Schedule of Events

On February 8, 2021 we updated the way csv files for draft event imports should be used. If your Elentra installation uses ME 1.20, 1.19, or 1.18 and is up-to-date, please use the revised instructions listed in the 1.20 documentation.

Elentra allows you to copy an existing schedule of events and roll it forward to be added as a new schedule in the same or a different course. This can save significant amounts of time as you can also copy forward event resources, curriculum tags, etc.

Copying Forward Events

  • Navigate to Admin > Manage Events.

  • Click 'Manage My Drafts'.

  • Click 'Create New Draft'.

  • Provide a logical draft name and an optional description.

  • Click on the greyed-out words Copy Forward Existing Learning Events.

  • Complete the required information noting the following: Copying Learning Resources: Decide which resources should be included in the new draft events. Courses Included: Select the course where the scheduled events are and the course to which your new scheduled events will belong. In most cases, this will be same course. Note that you can add multiple destination courses if required (to delete an unwanted destination course click 'Remove' beside the course name). Copy Start and Finish: These dates define the start and end dates of the existing events in your source course and should match when the course happened (usually people select the most recent version of the course). New Start Date: Select the date on which you'd like the copied events to start. Elentra will respect the spacing and timing of all events to be copied.

  • Note that if you have included resources to copy forward, you can decide on this screen whether to set all resources to draft mode when the newly scheduled events are published. If you use draft mode you will need to publish the resources to make them accessible to learners on each event.

  • Assign Curriculum Period: Optionally get Elentra to assign a curriculum period to all events copied forward.

As of ME 1.18 you will no longer see the option to copy attached quizzes. If your organization still uses quizzes you get the copy quiz option back but you will need to speak to a developer.

  • Review events as needed.

    • If you copy forward recurring events that have the parent-child id feature enabled these links will be maintained in the copied events. Note that the recurring event and parent-child information will not display in the user interface when previewing events, but it will be there when the events are published.

  • Set the source and destination courses (i.e., which course schedule to copy and which course to create the new events in).

  • Set the required dates.

    • Copy Start and Finish refer to the events you wish to copy (e.g., Sept. 5, 2019 - Dec. 15, 2019)

    • New Start Date is the date the copied events should begin (e.g. Sept. 6, 2020)

      • Elentra will use the new start date to help maintain the appropriate timing of all new events.

  • Click 'Create Draft'.

  • If there are no changes you wish to make to the schedule, you can publish the draft now. If you wish to change information about the events, see further instructions below.

Updating Events Copied Forward

On February 8, 2021 we updated the way csv files for draft event imports should be used. If your Elentra installation uses ME 1.20, 1.19, or 1.18 and is up-to-date, please use the revised instructions listed in the 1.20 documentation.

You can update events manually through the user interface (click on an event and update the required information). You can also export the list of events, edit the CSV and reimport it.

Note that there are some columns exported which you cannot re-import. These columns can be deleted before uploading data or left for your own reference.

  • Draft Event* (this is automatically generated by Elentra)

  • Original Event* (this is the event you intend to copy)

  • Parent Event

  • Parent ID (this field will not be relevant on any subsequent draft event import)

  • Recurring Event

  • Term

  • Course Code*

  • Course Name

  • Date*

  • Start Time*

  • Total Duration

  • Event Type Durations*

  • Event Types*

  • Event Title*

  • Event Description

  • Location (Elentra will look for a building ID in the draft event. If there is one, Building-Room will be in the CSV. If not, the Location (Other) a user typed in will be provided (if applicable).)

  • Audience (Cohorts)

  • Audience (Groups)

  • Audience (Students)

  • Audience (Faculty)

  • Teacher Numbers

  • Teacher Names

  • Objectives Release Date

*= required on import

  • When you export the events you'll be prompted to select which fields to include in the export; consider the fields you may need to edit or review to help you decide what to include in the exported file.

  • After you've exported a file you can edit it in your preferred spreadsheet tool.

  • You must update the original event id column with the draft event id before re-importing your csv.

  • If you assign events to specific buildings and rooms stored in Elentra's Locations tool, please make sure to update the Location column to Location (Rooms). (Elentra uses the same export column for locations manually typed in or those set via site-building-room.)

  • If you assign small group audiences to events, make sure to update the small group name to the name for the appropriate curriculum period.

  • Tips for adjusting the schedule include using the find and replace function if there are consistent changes across the schedule (e.g. all audience group 2020-1 will become 2021-1, or one tutor is replacing another across multiple events). When you upload your revised CSV, the system will register the changes in the CSV and apply them to the draft schedule.

  • After preparing your spreadsheet, click 'Import CSV'. You will be prompted to match the column headings from your CSV with the available import fields. The system will try to match this for you as much as possible but you may need to manually move some. To do so, drag and drop the appropriate field name with the column heading from your file.

Publishing a Draft Event Schedule

  • Click the checkbox beside draft you wish to publish and click 'Publish Draft'.

  • Click 'Confirm'.

  • Within about an hour the scheduled events will be live in your system.

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