On Mon, 13 May 2002 12:29:51 -0400, Bill Verity <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >I'm curious about what other sites do with lists for classes. At the University of Notre Dame, course-related lists are created upon receipt of a request from the assigned faculty member or the department. Most requests are submitted via a web form that is automatically sent to our problem tracking system and dispatched to a special queue, however, we occasionally receive requests via email or phone. We have discussed the possibility of creating a list for every section of every course, but have not yet worked out all of the logistics. If/when we take this step, the number of course-related lists will jump from approximately 600 each semester to approximately 4,000 each semester. At present, a nightly job processes a data file from the registration system, and generates template list header files and update jobs for all sections of all courses. When a faculty member requests a list, the template header file and the update job are used to create and populate the list. Existing course-related lists for the current semester are updated nightly to reflect drop/add changes. The listname for a course-related list is based on the course name, section number, and term. The course name consists of a 2-4 character department code and a 3-4 character course number. For example, a list for MATH 101, section 01, for the Fall 2002 semester would be named MATH101-01-FA02. We use superlists for cross-listed courses, and for instructors who want to combine multiple sections of a course in a single list. When we create a superlist, the instructor's initial are used in place of the section number in the listname. For example, if John Q. Doe requested lists for MATH 101, sections 1-4, for the Fall 2002 semester, we would create a list for each section, plus a superlist. The superlist would be named MATH101-JQD-FA02. We leave course-related systems in place for at least 18 months after the end of the semester for which they were created. -- Paul Russell Senior System Administrator University of Notre Dame