Setting Up Sections

Instructors set up the recitation sections for a class, which includes entering the following information:

• The number of sections and the maximum number of students per section
• Whether or not students can choose or switch sections
• The teaching staff for each section
• The meeting time and location for each section

Directions to Create a Section:

1. Click the 'Membership' tab on the navigation bar, then click the 'Manage Sections' tab or click 'Manage Sections' in the 'Website Settings' page.

   

   OR

   

2. The Manage Sections page is displayed. Click the 'Add/Edit Sections' button. Setting up a section is a 4-step process:

   1. Step 1: Specify recitation parameters

      • Number of Recitation Sections: Enter the total number of sections you want to create.
      • Maximum Number of Students: Enter the maximum number of students per section. Note that this number will be overridden by pre-reg section data or batch section assignments.
        Suggestion: Include a few extra slots in each section so that the last student to sign up is not stuck with a time slot that does not work.
      • Allow Students to Switch: Check this option to allow students to both choose a section or switch from one section to another.
        Tip: If you check this option, also advise students to read the help topic "Choosing or Switching Sections."
      • Last Day for Switching: Enter the last date on which students can choose or switch sections. Select a date using the calendar or the dropdown lists.
      • When finished, click the 'Next' button.

        

        
        

   2. Step 2: Enter section names and teaching staff:

      Tip: Any time you want to save what you have done so far and exit the setup, click the Save and Exit Setup button.
      • Recitation Section Name: (Optional) Edit the default section name (r01, r02, etc.). Although changing the section name is not required, descriptive names are more helpful to class members. The section name will appear in the class navigation bar, on the section's Homepage, and in the breadcrumbs.
      • Leader's User Name: Enter the section's leader's MIT email
      • Assistant's User Name: Enter the emails of the leader's assistants, if applicable. For more than one assistant, separate user names with a comma.
      • Click the 'Next' button.

        

        
        

   3. Step 3: Specify Schedule and Location

      • Enter each section's meeting time and location:

        

        • Section meeting times and location can be imported from pre-registration MITSIS data at the beginning of the semester.
        • Changes in section meeting times or location must be entered manually by the admin, instructor, or TA of the site.
      • Click the 'Next' button.
        
        

   4. Step 4: Review

      • Review the setup. If necessary, click the Back button to return to an earlier page and make changes.

        

      • Click the Save and Exit Setup button to save the sections. (It may take a minute or so for Stellar to set up the sections.)
        Once the setup is complete, Stellar lists the sections on the navigation bar.
        Tip: You may control which sections are listed on the navigation bar on the Manage Sections page. See Editing Section Capacity for details.
        

        You may also Automatically Assign Students to Sections based on Pre-Registration Data.

Directions to Remove or Reassign a Student to a Section

1. Click Membership on the main class navigation bar.

   To remove or reassign a large number of students, one may use the Batch Edit function described in Assign Multiple Students to Sections

2. Click the 'Change' link for the student you want to remove or reassign.

   

3. Choose one of the following:

   

   • Select the Unassigned option to remove the student without reassigning the student to another section.
   • Select a different section to both remove the student from the current section and reassign the student to the selected section.
4. Click the 'Next' button
5. On the 'Verify Recitation Section' page, confirm that the displayed information is correct.
6. Click the Save and Exit Setup button.

Directions to Edit Section Capacity

1. From a class page, click 'Membership' on the navigation bar
2. Click the 'Manage Sections' tab
3. The 'Manage Sections' page is displayed. A check in the Active column indicates whether the section is displayed on the navigation bar (i.e., whether students can access the section).

   

4. Check any sections you want displayed on the navigation bar; remove the check from any sections you do not want displayed.
5. Next:
   • If you are finished editing the section, click the 'Save and Exit Setup' button
   • To further edit or add sections, click the 'Add or Edit Sections' button and refer to Setting Up Sections.

A Gradebook should be added to the master site first and sections should be created before adding the section Gradebook left navigation bar links. About the section Gradebook:

• The section Gradebook is accessed through the section subsite(s).
• It displays only the participants in a particular section.
• This does not prevent Graders or TAs from viewing the whole class gradebook or sections other than their own, it will merely allow them to focus in on the section to which they've been assigned.
• Assignments are global - there are no section-specific assignments or exams.
• Calculations and histograms display section-based data in the section-filtered gradebook and site-wide data in the master site gradebook.

  Permissions in sections depend on permissions for the main site gradebook. In order to see a section, TAs and Graders must have access to the master gradebook.

Directions to Add the Section Filter in the Gradebook:

1. Choose a section from the left-hand navigation bar.
2. Click 'Website Settings' on the bottom the left-hand navigation bar.

   

3. Click 'Edit the Navigation Bar' at the top of the screen.
4. Check the box next to 'Section Gradebook'
5. Click 'Submit'. If 'Section Gradebook' does not appear:
   • Click 'Advanced Mode'.

     

   • Type 'Section Gradebook' in a blank field.
   • In the adjacent field type 'gradebook/' and check the corresponding checkbox
   • Click 'Submit'

     This process must be repeated for each section that you wish to add the section Gradebook to.