What Course Import Does
When you paste a syllabus URL, Mapademics:- Downloads the syllabus content
- Uses AI to extract course information
- Identifies the course title, code, instructor name, and section details
- Matches extracted data with existing courses and instructors
- Lets you review and edit the information before importing
- Optionally extracts skills immediately after import
When to Use Course Import
Course Import is ideal when you:- Have publicly accessible syllabus URLs
- Are adding courses individually or in small batches (1-20 courses)
- Want AI to extract course information automatically
- Don’t have pre-structured data in spreadsheets
- Want to quickly explore the platform’s capabilities
- Need to add courses on an ongoing basis
How Course Import Works
Step 1: Access Course Import
Navigate to Data Import > Course Import in Mapademics.Step 2: Paste Syllabus URLs
In the URL input field, paste one or more syllabus URLs. You can:- Paste a single URL and press Enter
- Paste multiple URLs separated by line breaks
- Paste URLs one at a time
You can paste multiple URLs at once - just separate them with line breaks
(press Enter between each URL).
Step 3: AI Extraction (Automatic)
When you add a URL, Mapademics automatically:- Downloads the content from the URL
- Analyzes the document using AI
- Extracts course information
Step 4: Review Extracted Information
After AI extraction completes, each entry shows: Course Information:- Course Title: Extracted course name
- Course Code: Extracted course code (e.g., “BIO 101”)
- Instructor: Extracted instructor name
- Section Name: Extracted section identifier (defaults to “Main Section” if not found)
- Course Description: Extracted course description
- Section Description: Extracted section-specific information
- Green checkmark: Matched with existing data in your database
- Blue badge: Matched with another URL in this import batch
- No indicator: Will create new entity during import
Step 5: Edit Information (If Needed)
Click on any field to edit it:- Course title
- Course code
- Instructor name
- Section name
- Descriptions
Course title and course code are required fields. You cannot import an entry
without these.
Step 6: Handle Duplicates
The system detects potential duplicates in two ways: Existing in Database: If a course section with the same name already exists for the matched course, you’ll see a warning indicator. You can choose to:- Override: Create a new section anyway
- Skip: Don’t import this entry (remove it from the list)
Step 7: Match With Existing Data
For each entry, you can manually select existing courses or instructors: Course Matching:- Click Select Existing Course to choose from existing courses
- This links the new section to an existing course instead of creating a new course
- Click Select Existing Instructor to choose from existing instructors
- This uses an existing instructor record instead of creating a new one
Auto-matching helps prevent duplicates. Review the matches and override if the
system matched incorrectly.
Step 8: Review Import Summary
At the top of the page, you’ll see a summary showing:- Total entries
- Ready to import (green checkmarks)
- Needs attention (errors or missing required fields)
- Duplicates that will be skipped
Step 9: Execute Import
Click the Import button to proceed. You’ll see a dialog with options: Extract Skills Immediately (checkbox):- When checked: Creates background jobs to extract skills from all imported syllabi immediately
- When unchecked: Imports the courses but doesn’t start skills extraction (you can do this later)
The import typically completes in a few seconds. If you chose to extract
skills, background jobs will continue processing for several minutes.
Step 10: View Results
After import completes, you’ll see a success summary showing:- Courses Created: Number of new courses added
- Instructors Created: Number of new instructor records added
- Sections Created: Number of course sections added
- Background Jobs Started: Number of skills extraction jobs (if requested)
- Click View Background Jobs to monitor skills extraction progress
- Click Start New Import to import more courses
- Click View Courses to see your imported courses
What Gets Detected
From Syllabus Content
The AI extraction identifies: Course Information:- Course title (e.g., “Introduction to Biology”)
- Course code (e.g., “BIO 101”)
- Course description
- Instructor full name
- Contact information (if present)
- Section identifier (e.g., “Fall 2024”, “Section A”, “Online”)
- Section-specific description
- Prerequisites (included in description)
- Course objectives and outcomes
Data Quality
High Confidence Extraction:- Course codes in standard formats (letters + numbers)
- Clearly labeled instructor names
- Explicit course titles
- Informal or non-standard course codes
- Multiple instructors listed
- Complex section naming
- Syllabi without clear structure
Always review the extracted information before importing. AI is accurate but
not perfect.
Matching Existing Data
How Matching Works
Course Matching: The system looks for existing courses with:- Exact same course title (case-insensitive)
- Exact same course code (case-insensitive)
- Exact same name (case-insensitive)
Match Indicators
Database Match (Green):- Data exists in your Mapademics database
- Will be linked to the existing record
- No new entity will be created
- Another URL in this import batch has the same information
- Both will be linked together upon import
- Only one entity will be created
- No matching data found
- Will create a new entity during import
Manual Selection
You can override auto-matching by manually selecting entities:- Click Select Existing Course or Select Existing Instructor
- Search for the correct entity in the dropdown
- Select the matching entity
- The entry will now link to your selected entity
- Click Clear Selection to let the system auto-match again
Batch Import
Importing Multiple Syllabi
You can paste multiple URLs at once:- Copy all syllabus URLs to your clipboard
- Paste them into the URL field (each URL on a new line)
- Press Enter or Tab
Managing Multiple Entries
For each entry in the list, you can:- Edit: Click any field to modify it
- Remove: Click the X button to delete the entry
- Reprocess: If extraction failed, you can re-enter the URL
There’s no limit to how many URLs you can import at once, but for large
batches (50+ courses), consider using Full Import instead.
Duplicate Detection
URL Duplicates
If you paste the same URL multiple times:- Only the first instance will be processed
- Subsequent instances are marked as duplicates
- Duplicate entries won’t be imported
Database Duplicates
If a course section already exists:- The entry shows a warning indicator
- You can choose to override and create anyway
- Or remove the entry to avoid duplicates
Local Duplicates (Same Batch)
If multiple URLs in your import batch extract to the same course:- They’re linked together with local matching
- Only one course will be created
- Multiple sections may be created if section names differ
Supported Formats
URL Types That Work
Direct PDF Links:- Canvas syllabus pages (if public)
- Blackboard syllabus pages (if public)
- Moodle syllabus pages (if public)
Syllabus Format Requirements
PDF Requirements:- Text-based PDFs (not scanned images)
- Well-formatted with clear sections
- Contains course code and title
- Instructor name clearly identified
- Standard academic syllabus format
- Clear section headings (Course Title, Instructor, Description, etc.)
- Consistent formatting
- No password protection or authentication required
Troubleshooting
URL Not Accessible
Error Message: “Failed to download content from URL” Possible Causes:- URL requires login or authentication
- File is password-protected
- URL is behind a firewall
- The file or page has been removed
- Test the URL in a private/incognito browser window
- Ensure the file is set to public access
- Contact your IT department if the content is behind a firewall
- Verify the URL is correct and the file still exists
AI Extraction Incomplete
Symptoms: Missing course title, code, or instructor after extraction Possible Causes:- Syllabus format is non-standard
- Information is in images or scanned text
- Course code is in an unusual format
- Multiple instructors or courses in one document
- Manually edit the fields to fill in missing information
- Check the original syllabus to verify the information
- Use a different syllabus file if available
- For complex syllabi, consider manual data entry via Full Import
Missing Required Fields
Error Message: Entry shows red error indicator Required Fields:- Course Title
- Course Code
- Click on the field and enter the missing information
- If the AI couldn’t extract it, look at the original syllabus and enter it manually
Duplicate Handling Issues
Multiple sections for the same course:- This is normal and expected
- Each syllabus URL typically represents a different section
- Ensure section names are different (e.g., “Fall 2024”, “Spring 2024”)
- Click Override to create a new entity
- Edit the course code or name to make it unique
- Manually select the correct existing course if the match was wrong
Location or Occupation Code Issues
These are primarily relevant for Job Import. Course Import focuses on academic data.Best Practices
Before You Import
- Test URLs - Verify all URLs are publicly accessible
- Organize syllabi - Group similar courses together
- Check existing data - Review what courses and instructors already exist to avoid duplicates
- Prepare for editing - Some AI extractions may need manual correction
During Import
- Review each extraction - Don’t assume AI is always perfect
- Check course codes - Ensure they follow your institution’s format
- Verify instructor names - Make sure names are complete and correctly formatted
- Use manual matching - Override auto-matching when you know the correct entity
- Remove duplicates - Delete any entries that match existing data if you don’t want to update
After Import
- Verify results - Check a few imported courses to ensure data is correct
- Monitor skills extraction - If you started background jobs, watch their progress
- Update incomplete data - Edit any courses that need additional information
- Save URLs - Keep a record of which URLs you’ve imported to avoid duplicates later
Skills Extraction Tips
When to extract immediately:- You need skills data right away for reports
- The syllabi contain clear learning outcomes
- You have fewer than 20 courses in the import
- You’re importing many courses (20+)
- You want to review course data first
- You plan to process syllabi in batches