Linked Timetable Subjects

Admin > Edit Subjects allows us to set Linked Timetable Subjects. The purpose of this feature is to make a connection between the subject offered by the school and the specific teaching groups for the subject (i.e. to tell 4Matrix that '9-1 Biology' is taught in the subject called 'Biology' or 'Science' on the timetable) enabling linked classes to become available for selection by default when filtering analysis tools. 

There are effectively 3 pieces of information that form the link - the Subject, the Linked Timetable Subject, and the Subject Class Tag. To link qualifications to specialist teaching groups, we first choose a subject by clicking it from the subjects list on the left. Subject-related data will now populate the windows.  Next, we select which classes will be linked to this subject by checking the relevant boxes in the Linked Timetable Subjects field, in both the current and 'other' series section. The Timetable Subjects shown in here are populated by the Subject Tags shown in Edit Groups > Classes > Subjects. These subject tags would have been imported from your MIS, or via a ‘classes’ spreadsheet, along with the associated data series. 

This is an important housekeeping task for the administrator to manage if 4Matrix is going to be of maximum value as a research tool to subject teachers. If we do this for every subject, then, when we use the Subject Profile tool for example and choose to show the classes, only the specific classes tagged as specialist subject groups will show. It also automatically adds classes rows for the subject into Subject Overview. This is important for analysing the differences between teaching groups. If we don't do this then teaching groups for all subjects will show - although users can still filter them manually using the groups control at this stage.

Users that have changed MIS may find that when they bring their subjects in the first time after migration, the linked subjects no longer appear to work.  This is because the MIS Tag will now be different.  To relink these subjects follow the steps below:

• Open Admin > Edit Subjects in a series that has been imported after your MIS migration.
• Click on the first subject and click on the 'linked subject' drop down
• in 'Current' series tick the timetabled subject that has pulled through from your new MIS
• in 'Other' series, make sure there is still a tick in any relevant timetabled subject in previous series, this is to make sure that the classes still link in older series pre-migration