REPLY
We managed to get a file in only a day late and have had it
accepted. In general the software worked better than before.
We too have had a long running problem with a 16 month Part time
PGCE course which starts in March and runs over conventional
academic year boundaries. The LEA's are for ever muddling it up
with other PGCE programmes and muddling the years and paying
the wrong fees. It also involved setting up artificial terms which end
on Thursday and start on the following day!!
Another problem was associated with a change of title of a UCAS
course so that years 2 and 3 are on one title and incoming year 1
on the other despite no change in UCAS Code. Attempting to
import a previously exported file in which I had doctored the titles
for each year, SLC's suggestion, has no effect (not surprisingly
since course data is held in a separate database). So I was left
with having to create another course of this code for the first years
which could not then be ascribed to UCAS. It gets past the
checks but I dread to think what LEA will make of it when it comes
up with some 5 digit SLC code rather than the UCAS code. I tried
things like adding an alphabetic marker to the code but of course
UCAS codes are restricted to 4 characters and so no joy. The
only way you can get away with the same code for two courses is
to set up a Dummy Campus for the second one and that was
asking for trouble in my book.
I have also, from the past, got a course which exists three times in
the database with three different SLC codes. I point this out and
ask the SLC to check whether the two upstarts are populated and
condense them. But you can only talk to the animal by addressing
the LEA!!!
I feel great sympathy with some of you in rather larger instututions
than this one.
Dr Brian G Odell
Deputy Registrar
College of Ripon and York St John
Lord Mayors Walk
YORK
YO31 7EX
Telephone 01904-716856
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