Program rules define one or more conditions that must be met to satisfy a requirement for a part of a degree, major, minor, or concentration.  Program rules are building blocks for program versions and templates and may be re-used across multiple programs.  A set of many different rules may define a single program version.

 

Program rules may be imported directly from a degree audit system or managed manually within Astra Schedule.

Rule Elements

Individual rules can be comprised of various different elements that define the conditions to satisfy the rule.  There are currently three different types of elements that can be added to a rule.  They are:

 

•Sub-Rules

•Courses

•Course ranges

 

(Student Attributes and Test Codes are to be added in a future release)

 

The parent rule and any sub-rules are displayed as parent nodes in the rule hierarchy.  The parent rule and sub-rules can be assigned courses, course ranges, student attributes, or test codes as conditions to satisfy the rule.

 

Each type of rule element has its own settings available.  When adding an element to a rule, the element selection will determine what settings are possible.  Each element and its settings are described below.

Sub-rules

Sub-rules typically represent options within a rule.  For example, a student may be able to satisfy the overall parent rule by satisfying one of two sub-rules - "follow this path" or "follow that path".

 

A sub-rule element consists of the following data elements:

 

•Name

 

•Display Name

 

•A numeric value to represent the number of conditions that must be met to satisfy the sub-rule

 

NOTE:  Rules are typically defined as "satisfy x of y conditions".  X is the value specified by a user.  Y is defined by the number of elements added.  Whether or not the rule is "take all" or "take some" is defined by the value in relation to the number of choices.  The type of conditions and the way in which they can be satisfied are defined by the other elements and their configurations.

 

•Min Grade
 
This option defines the minimum grade, if applicable, required to satisfy the sub-rule.

 

NOTE: Minimum grades may be specified at both the Rule level and at the Program Version level.  The minimum grade attribute is evaluated from the top down, and can only become MORE restrictive.  For example, if the Program Version has a minimum grade attribute of "B", but it contains Rules that have a minimum grade attribute of "C", then "B" is the minimum grade requirement.  However, if there is a Rule within the Program Version with a minimum grade attribute of "A", then the Rule would be restricted to "A".
 

•Year Rule
 
This option defines the maximum number of years old a course completion can be and still count toward the sub-rule.

 

•Min GPA
 
This option defines the minimum GPA required to satisfy the sub-rule.
 

•Reuse and Course Reuse settings.
 
These options define whether or not the sub-rule, and/or courses that satisfy the sub-rule, may be used to satisfy other rules or sub-rules with the same requirements.
 
Options are:

 

In
Out
Both
None

 

•WithInIndicator
 
This option defines whether or not a course may be used within a given rule's sub-rules more than once.

 

•CountInGPA
 
This option defines whether or not the course, if applicable, should count against the GPA calculations.
 

•SplitCourseIndicator
 
This option defines whether or not a course may have its credit hours split up and used to satisfy two different requirements for the same course.

 

•Is Elective
 
This option indicates that the rule is an elective rule and used to satisfy remaining credit requirements to complete a degree.  This option also informs Program Analysis not to calculate any probabilities for the rule.

Courses

Courses requirements may be added to a rule or sub-rules.

 

A course element may include the following additional settings:

 

•Min Grade
 
This option defines the minimum letter grade required in order for the course to satisfy the rule.
 

•Year Rule
 
This option defines the maximum number of years old a course completion can be and still count toward the sub-rule.

 

•Min GPA
 
This option defines the minimum GPA required to satisfy the rule or sub-rule.

 

NOTE: If a course is removed from a rule that has program templates associated, that course will also be removed from the templates as well.

Course Ranges

Similar to courses, a course range may be specified as a requirement for a rule or sub-rule.  A course range defines a range of course numbers that can be taken to satisfy a rule.  A course range may consist of a single subject, a subject plus a course low and/or high number value, a course number range, a course attribute (any course with attribute x), or any combination of these.

 

NOTE:  The only one of the course range options that cannot be selected by itself is Course High.  It must be used in combination with Course Low.

 

The course number range, course low, and course high options are all text fields that support "x" as a wild card.  For example, a course number of "49x" may be entered to specify that any course number in the 490's will satisfy the rule.  ONLY the course number value should be entered into these fields.

 

Like courses, course range elements may include the following additional settings:

 

•Min Grade
 
This option defines the minimum letter grade required in order for the course to satisfy the rule.

 

•Year Rule
 
This option defines the maximum number of years old a course completion can be and still count toward the sub-rule.

 

•Min GPA
 
This option defines the minimum GPA required to satisfy the rule or sub-rule.

Student Attributes (future)

The student attribute element allows a rule to be defined that may be satisfied by a student with a given attribute.  For example, a physical education requirement may require that a student either take a specific series of courses OR have a specific age attribute on their student record.

Test Codes (future)

The test code element allows a rule to be defined that may be satisfied by a student with a given test code associated with their record.  For example, a written English proficiency requirement may be satisfied by either taking a specific course OR by passing the WEPT test.

 

The test code element is a text field that must match valid student test codes on the institution's student records.
 
Test codes may also optionally include minimum and/or maximum scores.

Rule Specifications and Restrictions

Specifications and restrictions are additional requirements or limits that may be placed on rule/sub-rule, course, and course range elements (student attributes and test codes do not have specifications and restrictions) within a rule's definition.  Once added to a rule, each of these elements may be edited individually.

Rule Specifications

Specifications define the specific criteria that must be matched to satisfy a condition.

 

Specification choices include the following types:

 

•Required Per Condition

•Max Per Condition

•Required

•Institution

•Max

•Transfer

•Min Per Course  (if selected, only "credit hours" may be entered)

•Max Per Course (if selected, only credit hours may be entered)

 

For each type (except "Min Per Course" and "Max Per Course") the number of courses, credit hours, and a logic indicator must be selected.  For "Min Per Course" and "Max Per Course" only credit hours may be entered.

 

Not all Specifications apply to every rule element.  The following combinations are possible:

 

•Rules/Sub-rules may have Conditions, Required, Total Max Courses, Max Credits/Courses, Institution Credits, and Transfer Credits.

•Courses may have Max Credits per Course and Transfer Credits

•Course Ranges may have Required, Total Max Courses, Max Credits/Courses, and Transfer Credits

Rule Restrictions

Restrictions define exceptions to the rule.  For example, a course range may be specified for a rule, with a restriction that removes a 100-level course from the range.

 

Restrictions may only be configured for rules/sub-rules and course ranges.

 

The following restriction choices are possible:

 

•Effective Date
 
Value:  Date
 

•Subject
 
Value:  Subject from list
 

•Course Low
 
Value:  Text course number with x wild card
 

•Course High
 
Value:  Text course number with x wild card
 

•Course Attribute
 
Value:  Course attribute from list
 

•Student Attribute
 
Value:  Student attribute from list
 

•From Term Date
 
Value:  Date
 

•To Term Date
 
Value:  Date
 

•Max Credits
 
Value:  Number of credits
 

•Max Courses
 
Value:  Number of courses
 

•Max Logic Operator
 
Value:  And/Or/Any (for credits/courses entry)
 

•Campus
 
Value:  Campus from list
 

•College
 
Value:  Text field
 

•Department
 
Value:  Department from list

 

NOTE:  A Restriction must have values in either subject, subject/course, subject/course high, course low/course high, course attribute, or student attribute per restriction.  Any of the other Restriction settings may be added in addition to these.

The Program Rule List

The list of all program rules that have been either imported or created in Astra Schedule is accessible from the Academics tab.

 

To view the list, click the Program Rules option from Admin section of the Academics landing page.  The list of program rules is displayed.  This list can be filtered using various data elements provided in the filter panel on the left.