Unit Planner

Schoolbox lets you use the Unit Planner to view and plan learning activities for each unit in a course. 

The Unit Planner gives you an insight into the entire course on a single page and helps you as a school staff to quickly review what each unit of a course covers and how it will be assessed.

This guide will help you understand how to: 

• Access the Unit Planner (for school staff)
• Add text boxes in the Unit Planner (for Superusers)
• Create/edit a text box within the Unit Planner (for school staff)
• Create an activity within the Unit Planner (for school staff)
• Manage learning activities within the Unit Planner (for school staff)
• Sort units in the Unit Planner (for school staff)
• Sort Learning Activities in the Unit Planner (for school staff)
• Manage Curriculum in the Unit Planner (for school staff)
• Use the 3-dot menu icon from the Unit Planner (for school staff)

As a school staff, you can access the Unit Planner to see the plans outlined for each unit in a course. 

To do this:

1. On your Schoolbox homepage, select the Courses icon .
   Alternatively, you can also add /course/list to your URL.
   The Course List page appears.
    
2. In Course List, select the 3-dot menu iconfor one of the courses.
    
3. Then, select Unit Planner.
   This opens the Unit Planner page and displays five tabs:
   1. All - lists all columns from the planner:
      • Unit - displays the Unit’s name with hyperlinks to the Unit page and lists additional text boxes (added beyond the homepage template).
      • Textbox - displays the text box with details such as an overview, key concepts, or approaches to learning about the unit. 
        The Superuser creates the templates for the text boxes. See Add text boxes in the Unit Planner.
      • Activities - displays the list of activities in each unit. You can select the 3-dot menu iconfor each activity and then select View Status to view the status in a new tab.  
      • Rubrics Capabilities - displays the rubrics capabilities and indicators for the unit.
      • Curriculum Overview - displays the curriculum code, title, and description.
   2. Overview - displays the text boxes with details such as an overview, key concepts, or approaches to learning about the unit.
       
   3. Activities - displays the learning activities built within the Course Builder component on a Unit Page such as:
      • Due work
      • Task
      • Quiz
      • Project
      • Lesson plan
      • 3rd party assessments
        You can select the 3-dot menu iconfor each activity and then select View Status to view the status in a new tab.
         
   4. Rubrics Capabilities - displays the rubrics capabilities and indicators for the unit.
       
   5. Curriculum Overview - displays the curriculum code, title, and description.

Note - You can also access the Unit Planner page in two more ways:

1. Go to Courses and select a course. In Modify Course, select the 3-dot menu icon and then select Unit Planner.  
2. Go to Courses and select a course. Select the icon to expand the course. This displays a list of units within it. Next, select a unit within the course and then select the 3-dot menu iconto select Unit Planner. 
   
   You’ve now accessed the Unit Planner page for your course.

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The columns within the Unit Planner show information provided within text boxes on a Unit Page. These text boxes can be used to represent the different documentation structures across your school’s Junior, Middle, and Senior years.

As a Superuser, you can create and modify text boxes on a Unit page homepage template, which will reflect within the Unit Planner.

Within a homepage template for a Unit, you can select to add, remove, or update a Text Box component, which will be reflected within the Unit Planner. 

To create and manage text boxes for the Unit Planner (as a Superuser): 

1. In Schoolbox, go to Administration > Personalisation > Homepage Templates. 
    
2. In Homepage Templates, select the appropriate unit page template from the drop-down list.
    
3. Next, select Text Box to create a text box for the Unit Planner. 
   For example, create ‘Success Criteria’ as a text box. 
    
4. To do this:
   • In Text Box, select the settings cog icon
      
5. In Heading, enter a heading for the text box. 
   For example, Success Criteria.
    
6. In Empty State Message, enter a description for the text box.
    
7. When done, select Update.
    

This creates a new text box for the Unit Planner and it will display as a new column in the Unit Planner for all school staff.

You’ve now created a new text box for the Unit Planner.

The text box columns in the Unit Planner will now reflect content added to the text box on the unit pages when their headers are the same as the unit template.

Note - You can use the grab handle icon to drag and change the order when you have multiple text boxes. This determines the column order in the Unit Planner. To delete a text box, use the cross icon
 

Notes - 

• When you update a learning activity, it gets updated in the Unit Planner.
• If you delete a learning activity, it deletes itself from the Unit Planner.
• When you move a learning activity to another unit, the changes reflect in the Unit Planner. 
• When you save learning activities from the class page into the course, it also reflects this in the Unit Planner. 
• You can manage the Rubric capabilities and Indicators for the Unit Planner.
• If you need to manage permissions for school staff, see Service Permissions. Also see, Understanding User Details.

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As a school staff, you can create content as well as edit/update content in the text boxes within the Unit Planner.

To create content within the Unit Planner text box:

1. On your Schoolbox homepage, select the Courses icon .
   Alternatively, you can also add /course/list to your URL.
   The Course List page appears.
    
2. In Course List, select the 3-dot menu iconfor one of the courses.
    
3. Then, select Unit Planner.
   This opens the Unit Planner page.
    
4. Select Create Text box.
   This opens the rich text editor.
    
5. Add content in the rich text editor for the text box.
    
6. When done, select Save.
   This creates the text box.
   
   You’ve now created content within the Unit Planner text box.

To edit/update content within the Unit Planner text box:

1. On your Schoolbox homepage, select the Courses icon .
   Alternatively, you can also add /course/list to your URL.
   The Course List page appears.
    
2. In Course List, select the 3-dot menu iconfor one of the courses.
    
3. Then, select Unit Planner.
   This opens the Unit Planner page.
    
4. Select Modify.
   This opens the rich text editor.
    
5. Edit/update content in the rich text editor for the text box.
    
6. When done, select Save.
   This updates the text box.
   
   You’ve now edited/updated content within the Unit Planner text box.

Notes - 

• When you create or update a new text box on the Unit Planner, it will also appear on the corresponding Unit page.
• In the Unit Planner, you can select the View More icon to see all the column contents. 
• A school staff with read-access can only see the Unit Planner and will not be able to edit it.

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As a school staff, you can create a new activity in the course within the Unit Planner.

To do this:

1. On your Schoolbox homepage, select the Courses icon .
   Alternatively, you can also add /course/list to your URL.
   The Course List page appears.
    
2. In Course List, select the 3-dot menu iconfor one of the courses.
    
3. Then, select Unit Planner.
   This opens the Unit Planner page.
    
4. In the Learning Activities column, select the Create Activity menu icon to create an activity in the course within the Unit Planner.
   A list of options appears for you to select from.
    

5. Select from the list to create the activity:

   • Project
   • Due work 
   • Quiz
   • Task 
   • Lesson Plan
   • 3rd Party Assessment

   This opens the create activity page for the type you selected. 
   For example, when you select Due work, it opens the Create Due Work page for you to create the activity.
    

6. Create the activity.
    

7. When done, select Create.
   This creates a new activity in the course and reflects it in the Unit Planner.

   You’ve now created a new activity in the course within the Unit Planner.
    

Notes - 

• The new activity that you created within the Unit Planner will also appear on the:
  • ‘Modify Course’ page of Courses
  • corresponding Unit page
• In the Unit Planner, you can select the View More icon to see all the column contents.
   
• If you've made changes to the course framework and unit templates, you can bulk apply those changes to merge them into your existing course and unit pages in the Unit Planner. To do this:
  1. In the Unit Planner, select the 3-dot menu iconand then select Modify Course.
  2. In Modify Course, select the 3-dot menu iconand then select Re-apply Framework.
  3. Select Yes, Re-apply to confirm.
     This can affect how your content appears on the Unit Planner when it adds any missing components to your unit pages.

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As a school staff, you can manage the learning activities from within the Unit Planner. 

You can:

• Export to classes,
• Edit activities, or 
• Delete activities.

To do this, first go to the Unit Planner:

1. On your Schoolbox homepage, select the Courses icon .
   Alternatively, you can also add /course/list to your URL.
   The Course List page appears. 
    
2. In Course List, select the 3-dot menu iconfor one of the courses.
    
3. Then, select Unit Planner.
   This opens the Unit Planner page, which has a list of activities created for each Unit in the Learning Activities column.
    

Next, you can manage learning activities from within the Unit Planner when you want to:

1. Export an activity from within the Unit Planner to classes:
   1. In the Learning Activities column, select the 3-dot menu icon for the activity that you want to export to one or more classes.
   2. Select Export to Classes.
      This opens the page to help you import this activity into classes. 
   3. Then, select one or more classes.
   4. Next, select the publish and due dates.
   5. When done, select Import to selected classes.
      This exports the activity to one or more classes for you.
      
      You’ve now exported the activity from within the Unit Planner to classes.
      
      Note - If you select to re-export an activity that already exists in a class, this will overwrite/delete the existing class activity.
       
2. Edit an activity from within the Unit Planner:
   1. In the Learning Activities column, select the 3-dot menu icon for the activity that you want to edit.
   2. Select Modify.
      This opens the page for you to update the activity.
   3. When done, select Update. 
      This updates the activity in the Unit for you.
      
      You’ve now edited an activity in the Unit Planner.
       
3. Delete an activity from within the Unit Planner:
   1. In the Learning Activities column, select the 3-dot menu icon for the activity that you want to delete.
   2. Select Delete.
   3. Select Yes, permanently delete to confirm.
      This deletes the activity permanently and will not allow you to import this activity into classes.
      
      You’ve now deleted an activity from the Unit Planner.
      
      Note - When you delete a learning activity from within the Unit Planner, it permanently deletes this activity from the Unit, including from the Courses page and the corresponding Unit page. 
       

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As a school staff, you can sort units within the Unit Planner in a sequential order of your choice.

To sort the units of a course within the Unit Planner:

1. On your Schoolbox homepage, select the Courses icon .
   Alternatively, you can also add /course/list to your URL.
   The Course List page appears.
    
2. In Course List, select the 3-dot menu iconfor one of the courses.
    
3. Then, select Unit Planner.
   This opens the Unit Planner page.
    
4. In the Unit column, select and hold the grab handle iconof the unit you want to sort.
    

5. Next, drag and drop the selected unit to the desired position in the Unit column.
   This re-arranges the sequence of a course's units within the Unit Planner.

   You’ve now sorted the units of a course within the Unit Planner.

Notes - 

• The course units that you sort/re-arrange within the Unit Planner will also appear in the new sequence on the ‘Modify Course’ page of Courses.
• In the Unit Planner, you can select the View More icon to see all the column contents.

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As a school staff, you can sort Learning Activities for a Unit from within the Unit Planner.

To do this:

1. On your Schoolbox homepage, select the Courses icon .
   Alternatively, you can also add /course/list to your URL.
   The Course List page appears.
    
2. In Course List, select the 3-dot menu iconfor one of the courses.
    
3. Then, select Unit Planner.
   This opens the Unit Planner page, which has a list of activities created for each Unit in the Learning Activities column.
    
4. In the Learning Activities column, select the grab handle menu icon to sort the learning activities for a Unit within the Unit Planner.
    

5. Next, drag and drop the selected learning activity to the desired position in the list.
   This re-arranges the sequence of the learning activities within the Unit Planner.

   You’ve now sorted the learning activities for a Unit within the Unit Planner.
    

Notes - 

• The learning activities that you sort/re-arrange for a Unit within the Unit Planner will also appear in the new sequence on the:
  • ‘Modify Course’ page of Courses
  • corresponding Unit page
• In the Unit Planner, you can select the View More icon to see all the column contents.

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As a school staff, you can create, edit, or delete a Curriculum in the Curriculum Overview column of the Unit Planner. You can add more than one curriculum for a class, and they will appear as separate columns in the Unit Planner.

Note - Any updates made in the Curriculum Overview column of the Unit Planner will reflect in the Curriculum Overview of the Unit page. Similarly, any updates made to a Curriculum on the Unit page will also reflect in the Unit Planner. 

To create a Curriculum from within the Unit Planner:

1. On your Schoolbox homepage, select the Courses icon .
   Alternatively, you can also add /course/list to your URL.
   The Course List page appears. 
2. In Course List, select the 3-dot menu iconfor one of the courses.
    
3. Then, select Unit Planner.
   This opens the Unit Planner page.
    
4. For the unit that you want to create a curriculum, go to the Curriculum Overview column in the Unit Planner.
    
5. Next, select Create Curriculum.
   The Browse Curriculum window appears.
    
6. In Browse Curriculum, select what you want to add to the Curriculum.
    
7. When done, select Select.
   This creates a Curriculum for you.
   
   You’ve now created a Curriculum from the Unit Planner. 
   This will also add a Curriculum Overview component on your course’s Unit page. 
    

To edit a Curriculum from within the Unit Planner:

1. On your Schoolbox homepage, select the Courses icon .
   Alternatively, you can also add /course/list to your URL.
   The Course List page appears. 
2. In Course List, select the 3-dot menu iconfor one of the courses.
    
3. Then, select Unit Planner.
   This opens the Unit Planner page.
    
4. For the unit that you want to edit a curriculum, go to the Curriculum Overview column in the Unit Planner.
    
5. Next, select Modify Curriculum.
   The Browse Curriculum window appears.
    
6. In Browse Curriculum, select what you want to edit in the Curriculum.
    
7. When done, select Modify.
   This edits a Curriculum for you.
   
   You’ve now edited a Curriculum from the Unit Planner. 
   This also updates the Curriculum Overview on the course’s Unit page.
    

To delete a Curriculum node from within the Unit Planner:

1. On your Schoolbox homepage, select the Courses icon .
   Alternatively, you can also add /course/list to your URL.
   The Course List page appears. 
2. In Course List, select the 3-dot menu iconfor one of the courses.
    
3. Then, select Unit Planner.
   This opens the Unit Planner page.
    
4. For the unit that you want to delete a curriculum node, go to the Curriculum Overview column in the Unit Planner.
    
5. Next, select the delete icon .
    
6. Select Yes to confirm.
   This deletes a Curriculum node for you.
   
   You’ve now deleted a Curriculum node from the Unit Planner. 
   This also updates the Curriculum Overview on the course’s Unit page.

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As a school staff, you can use the 3-dot menu iconfrom the Unit Planner to:

• Edit a course,
• View the course homepage,
• Access the Course Markbook,
• Access the Assessment Calendar, or
• Print the Unit Planner.
   

To do this, first, go to the Unit Planner:

1. On your Schoolbox homepage, select the Courses icon .
   Alternatively, you can also add /course/list to your URL.
   The Course List page appears. 
2. In Course List, select the 3-dot menu iconfor one of the courses.
    
3. Then, select Unit Planner.
   This opens the Unit Planner page.

Next, use the 3-dot menu iconfrom the Unit Planner when you want to:

Edit a course from the Unit Planner:

1. First, go to the 3-dot menu iconof the Unit Planner page.
   A list of options appears. 
2. Next, select Modify Course.
   The Modify Course page appears.
3. Edit the course. For example, edit a course's unit name or add a new unit. See Modify a Course or Units.

4. When done, select Save Course.
   This edits the course and then redirects you to the Unit Planner page.
   
   You’ve now edited a course from the Unit Planner.

    

View a course's homepage from the Unit Planner:

1. First, go to the 3-dot menu iconof the Unit Planner page.
   A list of options appears.
2. Next, select View Homepage.
   The course homepage appears. 
   
   You’ve now viewed a course's homepage from the Unit Planner.  
    

Access a Course Markbook from the Unit Planner:

1. First, go to the 3-dot menu iconof the Unit Planner page.
   A list of options appears.

2. Then, select Course Markbook.
   This opens the course markbook.
   
   Note - If the course you selected needs to be imported into any classes or groups, select Import this course. See Importing a Course to a Class Page.
   
   You’ve now accessed a Course Markbook from the Unit Planner.
   Note - To know more, see Course Markbook.

    

Access the Assessment Calendar from the Unit Planner:

1. First, go to the 3-dot menu iconof the Unit Planner page.
   A list of options appears.
2. Then, select Assessment Calendar.
   This opens the assessment calendar for the course.
   
   You’ve now accessed the Assessment Calendar from the Unit Planner.
   Note - To know more, see Assessment Calendar.
    

Print the Unit Planner:

1. First, go to the 3-dot menu iconof the Unit Planner page.
   A list of options appears.
    
2. Then, select Print Unit Planner.
   The print setup page appears.
   Note - You can also select the keyboard shortcut Control P to go to the print setup page. To print using the system dialogue, select the keyboard shortcut Control Shift P.
    
3. On the print setup page, select the suitable print settings: 
   • In Destination, use the drop-down arrow iconto select your desired print output format. For example, if you select Save as PDF, it saves the unit planner as a PDF for you to use.
   • In Pages, use the drop-down arrow iconto select the pages you want to print.
     Note - You can select Custom when you want to print only a specific page or a range of pages. For example, you can enter 1 to print only the first page of the Unit Planner.
   • In Layout, use the drop-down arrow iconto select a portrait or a landscape layout. For example, when you select:
     • Portrait - it has a vertical orientation and fits in an A4 size. The preview will show each unit’s content with a page break between each new unit. 
     • Landscape - it has a horizontal orientation and fits sizes larger than portrait. The preview will show the unit planner content in a wider tabular view. 
       Note - For landscape, you can select and adjust the Scale in More Settings. This allows you to stretch or shrink the unit planner to fit a specified area. When done, you can select Save. 
   • In Color, use the drop-down arrow iconto select ‘Black and white’ or ‘Color’.
   • In More Settings, use the drop-down arrow iconto select:
     • Paper size - select a suitable paper size from the drop-down list.
     • Pages per sheet - select how many pages you want to print in a sheet.
     • Margins - select a suitable page margin from the drop-down list. 
       Note - If you select Custom, you can resize your margins in the preview.
     • Scale - select Default, or you can select Custom to select a scale you want to fit the content in.
     • Options - select if you want to include the headers and footers, the background graphics (if any), or both.
       Note - Each time you select any settings, you can see an instant preview of the page, and see what a printout will look like before you print it.

4. When done, select Print.
   This prints the Unit Planner for you.

   You’ve now printed out the Unit Planner.