TOP OF HELP DOCUMENTATION

Last Updated 5/1/23

REPORTER Help Documentation

Instance Creation Quick Guide

In order for Participants to register for a course, the course must have at least one active instance available. Instances will contain specific information about the offering of that activity and they are what participants will be registering for. As a Course Admin, you are able to add Instances to the courses on which you are a Course Administrator.

For a more detailed guide on instance setup, please click here.

Creating an Instance

Instances are the specific sessions of a course that specify information such as the format, location, date/time, etc. When creating a new instance, Course Admins can start with a blank instance or they can copy another instance of the course.

To create a new instance, you will start by creating OR editing a course, then Click the option to Create a New Instance. This will open the Instance Setup Page where you enter the details about the course offering, starting with the Instance Title, which copies down from the Course setup.

Use the left side menu to move between sections of the setup, you will need to visit at least the Details, Schedule, and Communications Settings sections to complete the required fields.
The following fields will require attention in the “Details” section: Status (Must be ‘Active’ to accept registrations) Visibility

In the “Schedule Setup”, you need to start by indicating the Instance Format, once selected, the remaining required fields will display. Required information includes: Format Min Class Size & Max Class Size (Field requirements depend on Format) Registration Start Date (Automatically defaults to the current date time, can be adjusted as needed.) Registration End Date (If left empty, upon Save this field will automatically default to the latest possible end date given the instance format and dates.)


Depending on the Format Selected, you will also be required to provide schedule details.You must select the format first, then you will be be able to add schedule blocks with the required fields (For more information, see our detailed document) How do I add a schedule block?
Select the Add Schedule Block button Enter the start date/time and end date/time (if online, no times. Add dates, then save) Next you will see search fields, enter some identifying information about the location you want. Best results are achieved by including minimal information. For example, if you are using Administrative Build 2, just search on the building name ‘admin’. Once you have search results, click it to select it, it will be highlighted in red. Once you have a building highlighted, scroll down and click to select the room. If the room you need is not listed, click the button Add New Room to add the room. Once a building and room are selected, press the Save button at the bottom (you might need to scroll down further) (For more information, see our detailed document)

The following information is required in “Communication Settings”:
Under the ‘Contact Information’ tab, there are two sets of contact fields required, the first are Instance Contact fields and the second set are specific to ADA Accommodation requests.

Return to top

Instance Tips and Frequently Asked Questions

If you want users to see the times of instances in the catalog without any clicking: Typically, in the catalog you have to click an instance title to view the time details. To make this easier for users, you can include the time in the instance title to identify it. For example. “8am-10am Intro to REPORTER.”
If you have multiple instances for different audiences: You can use instance titles to indicate which instance is for which audience.
Be sure to select a cancellation policy in the Policies section: Policies are added to your department by a Course liaison. When you are creating an instance you can select from the policies through a dropdown. This field is not required but we recommend using it.

What if a location I need is incorrect or not listed?

When are instances Closed?

This is something done manually either by the Course Admin or an Instructor. You close an instance to indicate attendance has been completed and nothing further action is needed. This can be done by editing an instance, or if you are completing attendance, you have a Close Instance button.

If my instance is unpublished, will the deeplink work?

The Instance Deeplink will, yes. If your instance is unpublished the only way users can see it is through an Instance deeplink. Meaning, if you provide a course deeplink, the unpublished instance will not be listed. You can use instance publishing to further customize visibility in course deeplinks. If you want the instance to show in the course deeplink, make sure it is Published.

Can I change what the Certificate looks like?

No. You can upload a signature file, pick the text below the signature line, and customize the official title of the signature but you will not be able to change the overall appearance.

Return to top

For questions or additional information you can view our support site at support.reporter.ncsu.edu or you can contact us at reporter_support@ncsu.edu.