SIS - Updating Combined Sections

For descriptions of the four types of combined sections, see: Combined Sections - Types and Definitions

General Notes

Combined Sections ID Numbers & Links

Combined Section Detail Page: Updating Enrollment & Wait List Caps  (Curricular & Enrollment Reps) 

Updating Meeting Pattern, Instructors, Facility ID (Curricular Reps only) 

Cross-list (XL) Sync

General Notes

• The combined Enrollment Capacity term rolls from the previous like semester.

• The primary department is responsible for updating combined Enrollment & Wait List Capacity. Failing to monitor this field can result in enrollment problems for students.

• Each member of the combined section is responsible for updating the Enrollment Cap, Wait List Cap, and adding any Honors designations

• The Combined Section link provides information about class sections that are cross-listed and/or meets with. To view which departments are members of a cross-listing in the course catalog, use this menu path:

  • > Curriculum Management > Course Catalog > Course Catalog, Catalog Data page, Course Offerings box.

• When canceling combined sections, all subject member listings must have zero enrollment.
  • Canceling cross-listed (XL) courses: only the primary department will need to cancel their sections. Canceling the primary section will cancel the secondary members when the next cross-list (XL) sync is ran. 
  • For section-level meets-with (SL) and meets-with (MW) combinations, each section will need to be canceled separately.  

Combined Sections ID Numbers

• Bound sections are identified each term by a unique Combined Sections ID.

• For scheduling and enrollment purposes, one subject is designated as primary for each combination each term. The primary subject is listed in the description that displays to the right of the Combined Sections ID on the Combined Section Detail page; see: Combined Sections: Types and Definitions

• As detailed below, links to the Combined Section Detail page can be found on several SIS pages. These links will not display if a section is not combined.

Where to Find Combined Section Links

• Update Sections of a Class - Class Enrollment Limits tab

• Maintain Schedule of Classes - Meetings tab (shown below) and the similar Schedule Class Meetings page - Meetings tab (not shown)

• Maintain Schedule of Classes - Enrollment Control tab

Combined Section Detail Page: Editing Combined Enroll Caps and Wait List Caps

The combined Enrollment Capacity term rolls from the previous like semester. The enrollment capacity set on the Combined Section Detail Page is what the enrollment system uses for the section's overall enrollment capacity. Each class in the combination can set their own individual section enrollment caps.

You can view:

• Primary and secondary members of a combined sections course
  • The combined section description displays next to the combined sections ID number. The description specifies the following:
    • Combined Sections type (XL, MW, SL, or XM)
    • Primary subject
    • Catalog number (primary for SL)
    • Session code
    • Section number (primary for SL)
• Requested room capacity for the combined sections
• Enrollment and wait list totals for the course and for each member of the group

You can edit: 

• Combined enrollment
• Wait list capacity

Primary Enrollment Representative: You must enter the combined Enrollment Capacity and combined Wait List Capacity here; this is the only place where this can be changed.

Note: Remember to update your individual class sections' Enrl Cap & Wait Cap on Update Sections of a Class and advise secondary subject(s) to do the same whenever you update combined enrollment capacities. Similarly, be sure to adjust combined capacities whenever individual section capacities are updated.

Updating Meeting Patterns, Instructors, Facility IDs on a Combined Section (Curricular Reps only)

Use Schedule Class Meetings page to:

• Update Instructors
• Update Meeting Pattern
• Update Facility ID
• Note that these fields will be grayed out on the Maintain Schedule of Classes page after a combined section is scheduled. Updates to these fields for combined sections can only be made on the Schedule Class Meetings page to ensure that the information matches across all of the sections that are combined.

Step 1

From Home, select: Curric & Enroll Rep WorkCenter, Schedule Class Meetings. The Find page will display.

Tip: Menu navigation: > Curriculum Management > Schedule of Classes > Schedule Class Meetings.

Step 2

Search using term, 3-digit subject number, and 3-digit catalog number. You can also search by section number, or 5-digit class number. 

Step 3

If you do not search for a specific class, the search results will display all sections of a course. Select the section you need to edit. The search results will likely display a portion of the available sections, so click the link to View All to see everything. By default, the results will sort on the Class Nbr column.

Step 4

Edit any of the necessary fields: facility ID, meeting times and/or days, instructor(s), room characteristics. (UW-Madison does not use Academic Shift.)

Cross-list (XL) Sync

The Cross-list (XL) Sync is a process that is scheduled to run nightly (Monday through Friday) for any published terms, current and future. It is also run several times during the build process as needed by Curricular Services staff.

During the XL Sync, class information from the primary subject is synchronized with the secondary subject members of cross-listed courses. This includes:

• New section additions/deletions
• Changes to class association, including credits, honors designations, and requisites
• Class attributes
• Requested room characteristics

Note:  Any updates of this information made on a secondary subject listing will be undone and replaced by the information listed on the primary subject once the XL Sync is run. 

What is not synced by the XL Sync?

• Meeting pattern information (day/time, facility, instructors). However, this is synchronized across subjects in real time in SIS. Any subject member of the cross-listed course can edit the meeting pattern using the Schedule Class Meetings page in SIS.
• Enrollment and Waitlist caps
• Class notes

When a new cross-listed course is scheduled, either as a brand-new course or adding it to a term using Schedule New Course, the subject who creates the section will be designated as the primary subject. If multiple subjects add the same cross-listed course to a term, Curricular Services will look at a historical precedent to determine who is primary. Any changes to the primary subject should be sent to the Curricular Services team member who manages combined sections.