The generation of the Subject Outline PDF in the Curriculum Information System (CIS) will automatically make the PDF available in your UTSOnline subject site.

 

Generate your Subject Outline via the Curriculum Information System (CIS) *

Log into CIS to generate your Subject Outline at: http://so.uts.edu.au.

For instructions on generating your Subject Outline, please refer to the CIS help page.

 

From CIS to UTSOnline *

Once you have generated your Subject Outline in CIS and have opted to make it available in UTSOnline, the Subject Outline will be accessible in your UTSOnline subject site via a content item link located under a UTSOnline subject site menu item titled: “Subject Outline”. This Subject Outline menu item and link are automatically available when your UTSOnline subject site is provisioned for an upcoming session.

Please note: where you have created a subject outline in another attendance mode or location, the link to the subject outline will become available in UTSOnline overnight.

Before we go into detail regarding the Subject Outline menu item and link in a UTSOnline subject site, lets briefly explain what happens to your subject in UTSOnline before a session commences. On a targeted date prior to the start of a session, a new UTSOnline subject site is created for your subject. If your subject already existed as a UTSOnline subject site from an earlier session, the new UTSOnline subject site will be a copy of the earlier session UTSOnline subject site. If your subject has never existed in UTSOnline prior to the current session, it will be copied from a template. You can read more about this process on the Automated UTSOnline Subject Creation and Enrolment UTSOnline help page.

Because there are two main mechanisms for provisioning a UTSOnline subject site for an upcoming session, there are two methods for creating the Subject Outline menu item and link in a UTSOnline subject site:

Method 1: This is the first session my subject is available in UTSOnline *

When your subject is created in UTSOnline for the first time, the Subject Outline menu item will be created at the top of the menu in your UTSOnline subject site (see image below). The content page for this menu item will display a link to a location in CIS that contains or will contain your Subject Outline.

 

Method 2: My subject is a copy of an earlier UTSOnline subject site *

If your UTSOnline subject site was created as a copy from a previous UTSOnline subject site, the Subject Outline menu item should already exist. In this case, the only change that will occur to the Subject Outline menu item for the new UTSOnline subject site is that it will be repositioned at the top of the menu (if it was moved). Inside this menu item will contain a link to a location in CIS that contains or will contain your Subject Outline for the current session. Any existing link from the previous session under the Subject Outline menu will be removed via a nightly process. This is to ensure that only the relevant Subject Outline is available for current students.

Once you have generated the Subject Outline in CIS and have opted to make it available in UTSOnline, the above Subject Outline links in your UTSOnline subject site will update and point to the generated Subject Outline in CIS. At this point, any student who clicks on the link inside the Subject Outline menu item will now be able to view and download the Subject Outline.

 

Multiple attendance modes *

If your subject has one or more attendance modes (standard, block, distance, and mixed), you may have to generate multiple Subject Outlines in CIS. If your UTSOnline subject site is accepting enrolment for all students in your subject regardless of a student’s attendance mode, your UTSOnline subject site may have multiple Subject Outline links depending on whether the Subject Outline has been made available for UTSOnline in CIS (see image below):

Please note: where you have created a subject outline in another attendance mode or location, the link to the subject outline will become available in UTSOnline overnight.

 

When to make your Subject Outline available in UTSOnline *

Subject outlines, including those for distance mode and block subjects, should be available in UTSOnline prior to the start of Orientation and Preparation weeks for the main teaching sessions in the Main Calendar and Calendar B. For the minor sessions, Subject Outlines should be available one week prior to the start of teaching.

 

What happens in my UTSOnline subject site if I have not generated a Subject Outline in CIS? *

If you have not generated a Subject Outline in CIS but your UTSOnline subject site is available to students, students who attempt to access the Subject Outline link in UTSOnline will encounter the following message:

"This subject outline is not yet available. Please check back soon, or contact the subject coordinator."

The above message will appear in your UTSOnline subject site until you generate your Subject Outline in CIS and have made it available in UTSOnline.

 

Withdrawing your Subject Outline *

When you withdraw your Subject Outline in CIS so that you can update it, the following message will appear to students who click on the Subject Outline link in your UTSOnline subject site:

"This subject outline is being revised. Please check back soon, or contact the subject coordinator."

Once you have generated the updated Subject Outline in CIS and made it available in UTSOnline, the Subject Outline link in your UTSOnline subject site will be updated. Please note: where you have created a subject outline in another attendance mode or location, the link to the subject outline will become available in UTSOnline overnight.

It is recommended that you post an Announcement (with the Email Announcement option ticked) in your UTSOnline subject site to notify students that a new version of the Subject Outline is available. This is to ensure that all students are given the opportunity to access the latest version, including those who have already downloaded the previous version.

 

Confirming student access *

You can confirm which students have not accessed your UTSOnline subject site and therefore potentially have not read the Subject Outlines. For information on how to identify and contact students who have not accessed your UTSOnline subject site, please refer to the Student Activity Centre help page.

 

What if I am having trouble viewing the PDF in CIS and or UTSOnline? *

If you see the following screen when opening the Subject Outline link in your UTSOnline subject site:

Check that Edit Mode is turned OFF (see image below):

The Edit Mode switch is only available to Subject Coordinators and Instructors so changing the Edit Mode switch will not have an impact on students enrolled in your UTSOnline subject site.

If you are having further issues viewing the Subject Outline PDFs in CIS and or UTSOnline:

1. Upgrade your web browser or try using a different web browser.
2. Install or upgrade the PDF reader at https://get.adobe.com/reader/. NOTE:  On the Adobe Acrobat Reader Download page, untick the checkboxes in the Optional Offers section before installing.

 

Support *

If you need assistance at any stage, please contact your faculty support. Alternatively, you may log a service request via the IT Support Centre.

 

Related help pages *

Downloading a Subject Outline in UTSOnline: A help page for students describing how to access the Subject Outlines in their UTSOnline subject site.