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Before You Start

Course sections in Mapademics allow you to organize individual offerings of a course with specific instructors, syllabi, and skill sets. This section-based approach provides more granular control over your academic data compared to managing everything at the course level.
Course sections are where syllabi are uploaded and processed for skills extraction. Each section can have its own instructor, syllabus, and unique set of skills.

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Understanding Course Sections vs Courses

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Why Section-Based Management?

Traditional course management treats all instances of a course (like “Introduction to Biology”) as identical. However, in reality:
  • Different instructors may teach the same course with varying emphasis
  • Syllabi differ between semesters or sections
  • Skills coverage varies based on teaching approach
  • Students experience different learning outcomes in different sections

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How Sections Work in Mapademics

Course Level: Contains basic information like course name, code, and description Section Level: Contains specific details like:
  • Individual instructor assignments
  • Section-specific syllabi (PDFs)
  • Extracted skills from that section’s syllabus
  • Processing history and batch job results
Each course automatically has a “Main Section” created as the default. You can add additional sections as needed.

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Accessing Course Sections

1

Navigate to Courses

From the main navigation, click Academic Data > Courses to view your course list.
2

Select a Course

Click on any course name to open the course detail view.
3

Find the Course Sections Panel

Scroll to the Course Sections panel on the course detail page. This panel shows all sections for the current course.

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Creating New Course Sections

1

Open the Course Sections Panel

Navigate to a course detail page and locate the Course Sections panel.
2

Add a New Section

Click the Add Section button in the top-right of the sections panel.
A new section named “Untitled Section” will be created and automatically selected.
3

Configure the Section

With the new section selected, you can immediately start editing its properties:
  • Section name (required)
  • Description (optional)
  • Instructor assignment
  • Syllabus upload

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Editing Section Information

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Basic Information

1

Select the Section

Use the Selected Section dropdown to choose the section you want to edit.
2

Update Section Name

Click in the Section Name field and enter a descriptive name. Examples:
  • “Fall 2024 - Dr. Smith”
  • “Evening Section”
  • “Honors Track”
3

Add a Description

Use the Description field to provide context about this specific section. This might include:
  • Teaching approach or methodology
  • Target student population
  • Special requirements or focus areas
4

Save Changes

Click the Save Section button to persist your changes.
You’ll see a success message confirming your section has been saved.

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Instructor Assignment

1

Open the Instructor Dropdown

In the section details, click on the Instructor dropdown menu.
2

Select an Instructor

Choose from the list of instructors in your organization. If you don’t see the instructor you need:
Navigate to Academic Data > Instructors to add new instructors to your organization first.
3

Save the Assignment

Click Save Section to confirm the instructor assignment.

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Setting Default Sections

Each course must have one default section for program-level reporting and analytics.
1

Locate the Default Section Toggle

In the section details, find the Default section for reports switch.
2

Set as Default

Toggle the switch to make this section the default.
Only one section per course can be the default. Setting a new default will automatically remove the default status from the previous section.
The default section is used when generating program-level reports and analytics. Choose the section that best represents the typical student experience for this course.

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Syllabus Management

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Uploading Syllabi

1

Navigate to the Syllabus Section

In the section details, locate the Syllabus area in the right column.
2

Upload a PDF

If no syllabus is currently uploaded:
  1. Click Choose File to select a PDF from your computer
  2. Click Upload to begin the upload process
The system will process the upload and display a “View Syllabus” link when complete.
3

Verify Upload

Once uploaded, you can click View Syllabus to open the PDF in a new tab and confirm it uploaded correctly.

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Replacing Syllabi

1

Remove Current Syllabus

If a syllabus is already uploaded, click the Remove button next to the “View Syllabus” link.
2

Upload New Syllabus

Follow the upload process described above to add the replacement syllabus.
Removing a syllabus will not automatically remove skills that were previously extracted from it. You may need to manually review and update the section’s skills after removing a syllabus.

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Skills Processing

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Understanding Skills Processing

Once you upload a syllabus, Mapademics can automatically extract skills using AI analysis. This process:
  • Analyzes the syllabus PDF content
  • Identifies learning objectives and skills
  • Assigns confidence scores to extracted skills
  • Stores skills as structured data linked to the section

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Starting Skills Processing

1

Ensure Syllabus is Uploaded

Verify that your section has a syllabus PDF uploaded and accessible.
2

Access Skills Processing

In the section’s skills table area, look for processing options. You can either:
  • Use the Process Syllabus button for this specific section
  • Process multiple sections together from the main courses page
3

Monitor Processing Status

Processing happens in the background using batch jobs. You’ll see:
  • Real-time status updates via WebSocket connections
  • Progress indicators for batch processing
  • Completion notifications when processing finishes

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Batch Processing Multiple Sections

1

Navigate to Courses List

Go to Academic Data > Courses to see all your courses.
2

Select Courses for Processing

Use the checkboxes to select courses that contain sections with syllabi you want to process.
3

Start Batch Processing

Click Process Selected to open the batch processing modal.
4

Review Sections

The modal shows:
  • Ready to Process: Sections with syllabi that can be processed
  • Not Processing: Sections without syllabi or that are excluded
You can exclude specific sections by clicking the X button next to them.
5

Confirm Processing

Click Process [N] Sections to start the batch job.
You’ll see real-time progress updates as each section is processed.

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Reviewing Extracted Skills

After processing completes, you can review and manage the extracted skills:
1

View Section Skills

In the section details, scroll to the skills table at the bottom.
2

Review Skills Quality

Each skill shows:
  • Skill name: The extracted skill description
  • Confidence score: How confident the AI is about this skill
  • Categories: Skill classification (cognitive, technical, etc.)
3

Manage Skills

You can:
  • Add skills manually using the Add Skills button
  • Remove incorrect skills using the delete button
  • Edit skill descriptions if needed
Skills with lower confidence scores may need manual review. Focus on skills with confidence below 70% for quality assurance.

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Section Management Best Practices

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Naming Conventions

Use consistent naming patterns for your sections:
  • Semester-based: “Fall 2024”, “Spring 2025”
  • Instructor-based: “Dr. Smith Section”, “Prof. Johnson Evening”
  • Time-based: “Morning Section”, “Evening Section”
  • Track-based: “Honors Track”, “Accelerated Program”

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Default Section Strategy

Choose your default section thoughtfully:
  • Use the section with the most comprehensive syllabus
  • Select the section taught by the most experienced instructor
  • Choose the section that represents the majority student experience
  • Consider the section with the highest enrollment

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Syllabus Management

Keep syllabi current and comprehensive for best skills extraction results. Detailed syllabi with learning objectives produce better skills analysis.
  • Upload the most detailed syllabus available
  • Use the most recent version of course syllabi
  • Include syllabi that clearly state learning objectives
  • Remove outdated syllabi promptly

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Troubleshooting

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Section Won’t Save

If you encounter issues saving section changes:
  1. Check required fields: Ensure the section name is not empty
  2. Verify permissions: Confirm you have edit access to the course
  3. Refresh the page: Try reloading and making changes again
  4. Contact support: If problems persist, reach out for assistance

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Skills Processing Failures

If skills processing fails for a section:
  1. Verify syllabus: Ensure the PDF is readable and not corrupted
  2. Check file format: Only PDF files are supported for processing
  3. Review content: Syllabi with clear learning objectives process better
  4. Monitor batch jobs: Check the background jobs status for detailed error messages

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Missing Instructors

If you can’t find an instructor in the dropdown:
  1. Navigate to Instructors: Go to Academic Data > Instructors
  2. Add the instructor: Create a new instructor record
  3. Return to section: The instructor will now appear in the dropdown