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Last modified on 11/14/2017 2:21 PM by User.

Tags:
mobile-app, abstract, administrator, session, import, calendar, session-scheduler

Session Scheduling - Guide

The Session Scheduling tool allows you to create a conference schedule or program using the data collected in the Abstract Submission Tool, and/or by adding non-abstract related sessions (i.e. keynotes) manually. The tool allows you to: Add and import sessions, Define session logistics (i.e. presentation days/times, session types, location, etc.), Assign accepted abstracts to sessions, Check for schedule conflicts, and Export session information for external use (i.e. an online or printed conference program).

In this document you will find instructions on how to:

  1. Use the Session List Admin Dashboard
  2. Initial Setup of a New Session
  3. Create a New Session
  4. Import Sessions from a Spreadsheet
  5. Check for Conflicts
  6. Export Session Lists
  7. View Sessions in Calendar

     

1: Session List Admin Dashboard

  • To Display Session List Columns go to Tools -> Abstracts -> Session List
  • To display a Session List column in the data grid, use the Show Columns drop-down menu on the right.  For example: To add a Session List column displaying Chair information, click on Chair in the drop-down

  • To hide a Session List column in the data grid click on the X beside the Session List column name. For example: To hide the Search Term 2 column click on the x:




Alphabetically Sort Session List Information

To alphabetically sort information displayed under a Session List column, click on the
Session List Title.

  • Place the cursor over the Session List Title to activate it and then click.
  • Session List Title information now displays in descending alphabetical order (A-Z).
  • Click on the Session List Title again to alphabetically display in ascending order(Z-A).

View Session ID Details

  • To view Session ID Details, click on the Session ID hyperlink for a corresponding Session Title.


Search for Session Information

  • Enter a term in the Search field and press Enter on your keyboard.
  • The system will search the Session ID and Search Term fields and display results that match the Search Term entered.
  • Click Clear Search to end the search and return to the Session List screen.

 

 


2: Add Session - Initial Setup

There are a number of requirements that should be considered prior to scheduling a session. Click the Add Session link from your session dashboard.

Required Setup - All

  1. Are all Submissions currently in their final Acceptance State. (i.e., Accepted with a Presentation Format set, Assigned to the correct Keyword/Theme)
  2. If I am using Custom Questions to filter/group Submissions together, were the 'Included in Session Filter' boxes checked
  3. If I am using Tracks to schedule sessions, have I set them up in Tracks

Required Setup - If you are scheduling Non-Abstract related items

  1. I have set up my Presenter Types and Session Types
  2. If I am scheduling non-Abstract related activities (like keynotes or other non-Abstract sessions) have I set them up in Scheduled Items

 


3: Create a New Session

Details Section

 

  1. On the new session form, begin filling out the Session Details starting with Session ID. Note: Session ID field is required, and cannot be changed once the session has been saved.
  2. Note that if you are using Tracks you can use the pull-down menu to choose them now
  3. You are able to add additional Search Terms for this session by clicking the blue link beside the field

Note: If this session is a Multi-Day Poster session (session is available on more than one day), please read Scheduling Multi-Day Poster Sessions

Participants Section

  1. Define the people who are taking part in this sessions
  2. If you have more than one Sponsor to recognize, you can click the blue link beside the field to add more

Logistics Section

  1. Enter your Session Type and Description
  2. Choose the Start time and End time of your session, keep in mind that the system will use this window to divide the number of Abstracts you add evenly in increments of minutes.
  3. Enter the duration of the presentations, note that this number is Informational Only and is not used by the system to calculate presentation time slots
  4. Enter any additional information in the fields that you require here

Assign Abstracts & Scheduled Items

You will see two sections for assignment. The left pane assigns Abstracts and the right pane assigns non-Abstract related Scheduled Items

  1. On the left pane, you will currently see All possible abstracts to choose from
  2. Choose your Filters, depending on if you want to assign Abstracts based on Keyword/Theme or Presentation format or Custom Questions
  3. You can select/deselect items by using regular keyboard hot-keys like Shift+select and Ctrl+select
  4. Once the list is appropriate, click Assign Presentation (NOTE: Assigned Presentations will now show below instead of to the right)
  5. On the right pane, you will see the available scheduled items, which you can sort using the drop-down depending on which type you want to see
  6. Once you have the scheduled item you wish to assign, click the Assign Scheduled Item button

Left Pane - Assign Abstracts                                                                   Right Pane - Assign Scheduled Items


Set Presentation Times

Once you have all of your items for the session Assigned, it is time to set the Presentation Times. You can either let the system do this automatically or you can assign each time slot manually.

  1. To assign the Presentation Times automatically, ensure you have set your Start Time and End Time in the Logistics Section
  2. Click the Set Presentation Time button to see the time slots automatically fill.
  3. The system will divide the Abstracts into equal time slots based on the overall length of your window of time. For example: If I have a 1 hour window from 08:00-09:00 and I know that each presentation will be 20 minutes, I will have to assign three Abstracts to this session.
  4. I can Reset everything by using the Reset Presentation Times button and start again
  5. I can also set my times manually by using the drop-down arrows beside each number
  6. Move the Sessions up or down using the arrows at the end of the row. Note: If you MOVE an item using the arrows, you will need to hit the Set Presentation Times button again

    NOTE: tool does not validate timings on this Form. ie: if you have set your End time before your Start time

Set Poster Numbers

If you are scheduling a Poster session and would like to create Poster numbers for each item, you can do so after you assign the presentation times. You can either Set All Poster Numbers or Set Selected Poster Numbers for greater individual control.

  1. Choose your Mask for the numbering scheme you will be using. This could be a Name or a combination of Letters that will appear for all posters and prefaces the Poster Number. This mask is used as a prefix.
  2. Choose your Start number this will tell the system to begin numbering here
  3. If you wish to apply this numbering scheme to all of the posters, click the Set All Poster Numbers button

     
  4. If you wish to apply this numbering scheme to only selected posters in the list, use the checkboxes beside each item in the list to select the presentation you wish to apply the numbering scheme to and click the Set Selected Poster Numbers button

NOTE: If you make a mistake, simply adjust the Mask and Start Number and hit the Set Poster numbers again.

Important Final Step: Always remember to hit the SAVE CHANGES button at the bottom of the form when you have completed your Session Setup**
 

 

4: Import Sessions from a Spreadsheet

Use the Import Session tool to import Session data from a spreadsheet into Conference Manager. Note: Import Session should only be used if you have more than 50 sessions.

  1. Go to Tools>Abstracts>Session List
  2. Click on the Import Sessions hyperlink to navigate to the Import Session tool.

     
  3. Follow the steps on the Import Sessions screen.
  4. Download the template by clicking on the hyperlink. The template is an Excel file spreadsheet (XLS).

     
  5. Save the template to a location on your hard drive (e.g., Desktop.)

     
  6. Cut and paste your existing Session data into the new template.
  7. Once you have the spreadsheet populated with your data, you are ready to do the Import

 

 

5: Check for Conflicts

The final step of Session Scheduling is to check for conflicts. This will ensure that you haven't double-booked any presentations or presenters.

  • In the session dashboard, click on the blue Check Conflict link
  • You will be shown a Conflict list with any conflicting presentations shown in RED. Below, you will find details about exactly what is in conflict
  • You can then click the blue link to the session details with the conflict and correct whatever is conflicting in that session
  • Once you have corrected the issues, you can go back and click Check Conflict again

Note for Conflicts on Poster sessions: You may have an Author in a poster session running all afternoon and also have that author giving a 15 minute oral presentation during the afternoon poster session. The system will tell you that you have a conflict because the Author is booked into both timeslots. Please be aware that this is not necessarily a conflict and treat is as an informational warning only.


 

 

6: Export Session Data to a Spreadsheet

If you would like to work with your Session data in a spreadsheet, you have two options for exporting:

  1. Go to Tools -> Abstracts -> Session List
  2. Scroll to the bottom of the list and choose your report
  3. The report will give you a spreadsheet with the following columns:
    ASSOC NUM
    ASSOC NUM1
    ASSOC NUM2
    CHAIR
    COMMENTS
    DESCRIPTION
    END TIME
    ID
    IMAGE
    LOCATION
    NOTE
    ORGANIZER
    SEARCH TERM1
    SEARCH TERM2
    SEARCH TERM3
    SESSION DATE
    SESSION ID
    SESSION TYPE
    SPONSER    SPONSER1
    SPONSER2
    START TIME
    TITLE ENGLISH
    TITLE FRENCH

     
  4. The report will give you a spreadsheet with the following columns:
    01_SESSION_ID
    02_SESSION_NAME
    03_SESSION_NAME_FRENCH
    04_SESSION_ORGANIZER
    05_SESSION_ORG_AFFILIATION
    06_SESSION_CHAIR
    07_SESSION_CHAIR_AFFILIATION
    08_SESSION_DISCUSSANT
    09_SESSION_DISCUSSANT_AFFILIATION
    10_SESSION_RESPONDANT
    11_SESSION_RESPONDANT_AFFILIATION
    12_SESSION_DATE
    13_SESSION_START_TIME
    14_SESSION_END_TIME
    15_SEARCH_TERM1
    16_SEARCH_TERM2
    17_SEARCH_TERM3
    18_ASSOCIATION_ACRONYM
    19_NOTE    20_COMMENTS
    ABS_1_ID
    ABS_1_TITLE
    ABS_1_AUTHORS
    ABS_1_START_TIME
    ABS_1_END_TIME
     
  5. You are now able to manipulate the data in Excel as needed.

 

7: View Sessions in Calendar

If you would like to see your session schedule in a more graphical view, you can download the session information into an .ics file which can then be opened in your own Calendar. You will need to download the latest .ics file each time you make updates to the schedule.

  1.  Go to Tools -> Abstracts -> Session List
  2. At the bottom of the session list you will see the 'Calendar' export. Click the button to download the file

     
  3. Click the .ics file when it has finished downloading. On a PC, the calendar will automatically be added. On a MAC, you will need to choose the 'New Calendar' drop-down to open it separately from your own calendar items.

     
  4. You can now modify your calendar views to 'Weekly' to see the overview of the entire conference. If your calendar program allows colour categories, you can set them by clicking on the item and applying the desired colour. This will change all similar session types to the same colour. Your views will be retained the next time you download the .ics file.