What kinds of data should I gather for importing?

Looking for training on the topics in this article? Check out our asynchronous, on-demand course on Coursetune's Data Importing Services at the Coursetune Community Learning Center!

"You all take the information, and you're willing to load it in for us. Now, that was a massive bonus for us because we are going to ask faculty to edit and do that work. But as you all at Coursetune said, you can give it to us on a Cocktail Napkin, or a PDF, or a Google Doc. You were able to make it work. Again that was tremendous for us."

-David Long, Assistant Head of School for Academics, The Galloway School

This article answers the following questions:

• Does data need to be complete or in a special format before I start in Coursetune?
• What kinds of data should I gather for importing?
• Where can I find this data?
• Where should I send it when I'm ready?

Importing data can feel like a daunting task at first, but we have simplified it to just four steps. If at the end of this article you feel you need more direction, please chat Support a request to calendar a strategic call to plan your project and data importing needs.

1. First, let's dispel the myth above: "Does data need to be complete?" No, your data does not need to be complete or in a special format before we import it into Coursetune. In fact, capturing a "current state" of where your data is now can be incredibly helpful in the following ways:

• To identify and prioritize areas for improvement
• To capture a "before" status to compare against your Coursetune progress mid or end of year

2. Next, let's identify the kinds of data that you can bring into Coursetune. You can find the list of data to gather in a google doc called "[Institution] Coursetune Glossary Guide" (see example below). If you do not have this document, chat or email [e-mail] requesting access. It is important that everyone from the institution keep notes on their organizational structure in the same shared document. This will help us better serve you when you need support and will help your institution maintain consistency, which will provide more accurate reports.

3. Once you have used the Glossary Guide to identify what data you want to import, the next task is figuring out where it lives in your institution. This varies, but generally it is found in Syllabi, LMS, and course or program mapping spreadsheets. The files you send over will most likely be a combination of Word docs, spreadsheets, and PDFs. Remember—it doesn't have to be perfect. If locating a specific piece is feeling like a needle in a haystack, we can absolutely skip it and add that element later. 

4. Ready to hand off files to support? It's easy. If you have access to a Coursetune google drive folder for your institution, you can put the files there (especially large files). Be sure to chat Support a head's up when they are uploaded. You can also email the data files directly to Support at [e-mail]. 

As always, please chat any questions that come up with Coursetune Support as you gather these materials.