1. Major features

1.1. Self paced delivery

Flexible delivery classes can now be defined. This is useful for online classes where students might have a maximum time to complete the class (say 6 months) but there is no start or end date. These classes can be assigned to virtual sites, but do not have a timetable i.e. no fixed meeting pattern.

Instead, the start date is taken as the time of enrolment and the end date is start date plus time to complete. These classes also display on the website available for online enrolment in a slightly different format, showing the words 'self paced' and the approximate hours of duration. These classes can also be assigned to the new 'virtual sites' which are sites without a physical location. You could define multiple virtual sites like online, Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) or correspondence to assign classes to.

For more information about self paced delivery, refer to the updated Classes documentation

1.2. Training plans

The addition of training plans at the class level allows onCourse VET program managers to schedule the delivery of the embedded course units over the delivery period of the class. This allows outcome based reporting to funding bodies which shows accurate commencement and completion dates for each unit of competency, and improved AQTF evidence collection showing which trainers/assessors are responsible for the delivery of which units across a clustered unit or whole qualification class.

In the class timetable, for each session, each unit of competency that is applied from the parent course can be checked or unchecked for delivery. The mapping of the tutors and units for each session can be printed in a comprehensive Training Plan report that can be provided to class participants, employers and teaching staff to ensure all stakeholders have access to detailed information about their scheduled class sessions.

For AVETMISS reporting purposes, the start and end date for each student’s outcome will be inherited from the training plan rather than just the start and end date of the class period.

For more information about Training Plans, refer to the updated RTO Guide documentation

1.3. Java 7, OSX 10.8 and Windows 8

We have now certified these platforms for general use. The client and server applications are now cryptographically signed for both OSX (Gatekeeper) and Windows, removing some warning dialogs that used to appear. We’ve also done some work to ensure Java 7 behaves itself and onCourse looks good in Windows 8. Well, as good as it is ever going to look given that Microsoft has achieved new levels of ugly for all the bits outside our onCourse windows. :-)

1.4. Performance

We’ve tweaked knobs and introduced new threads (internal parallel processes) to make the whole application more responsive. This is especially noticeable if you have several millions records in your database or are running over slow links between the client and server. More improvements will be coming in future releases, but this release has improved things in quite a number of areas.

2. Reports and scripts

  • Print preview. All reports open first in preview mode using your PDF reader. If you are on Windows, make sure you have Acrobat Reader installed. OSX users already have a PDF viewer as part of their operating system. Once the PDF opens you have the choice of printing to a printer, sending by email, uploading, and more. Plus you get more control over printing: colour, black and white, double sided, resizing, etc.

  • Reporting printing windows have been updated to an improved layout. Each report now includes a descriptive summary of the reports purpose and content, visible in the window when you have clicked on the report name in the print dialog.

  • New liability report available from the enrolments menu, showing the breakdown of the outstanding liability held on each enrolment (enrolment fee component not yet posted to the defined income account), grouped by class and sorted by start date.

  • Class start and end date added to 'Budget Summary by Class' report

  • Reports listed within print dialogue box of a given window now display in alphabetical order.

  • Banking report now includes payments out in addition to the payment in data

  • Fix to the layout of the class sign report to allow for very long class names and printing of absolute dates instead of relative dates

3. Minor features

3.1. Certificate and VET record management improvements

  • Improve Certificate editing rules, so unprinted certificates can be edited e.g. units added or removed, while printed certificates are immutable.

  • Display revoked Certificates in a light grey font, like cancelled classes

  • Added a 'Create Certificates' option to the enrolment window to create certificate records based on the outcomes linked to a particular enrolment

  • Improve display of Qualification and Module data by showing additional Name/Code data from the record when using clairvoyance searching

  • Make all columns in outcomes list sortable

3.2. AVETMISS improvements

  • Changed the way the NAT00120 commencing course identifier is calculated. Now, enrolments will only be set as commencing (3) if the course they are linked to is flagged as a full qualification. All other enrolments will be set as module only (8). Previously, commencing enrolments were set on any course linked to a qualification record. For most clients, this will result in reporting less commencing students and improve subsequent completion rates.

  • Altered the AVETMISS standard export to include the NSW outcome of 66 Did Not Start, instead of converting it to a nationally valid 40 Withdrawn. This change is specifically for Community Colleges reporting though OLiV.

  • Improved the export of the NAT00130 data to ensure that record end dates exported to not exceed the exporting period (if set)

3.3. Finance improvements

  • Major change to the layout of the contact Financial tab. All invoices and payments are now shown in a single panel, fixed into date order and showing a running balance total in the final column. This improves clarity of the debtors balance outstanding and also prevents any failed transactions being added into the contact totals.

  • Use a credit note to contra pay another outstanding invoice for the same contact via the invoice cog wheel function. This will balance a credit note against an outstanding invoice to reduce the balance outstanding

  • Display credit card payer name in the payment in window

  • New CSV export option for class budgets from the classes table

  • Allow tutor wage rate to be set to $0.00

  • Allow payable time to be set to greater than the session duration

  • Sort payslip window records by created date by default, so the newest records show at the top of the list

  • Improvement to the invoice CSV export file to include additional fields and more useful data for manual reporting options

  • Add Business Number field to company contacts

3.4. Waiting list improvements

  • Enrol students on waiting list directly into the next available class using the cogwheel function. This also removes them from the waiting list.

  • New CSV export option from wait list table

3.5. Discount improvements

  • Added active and inactive filters to discount window to automatically hide discounts which have expired

  • Improvement to the wording in the concession window to differentiate between concession types available for self service online, and those that are only visible online to students whose records already have the concession details populated

  • Add function to allow discounts to be accessed via the website or only via enrolments processed through the office

  • Add ability to suppress the display of discount fees in the online advertising to hide 'internal' discounts like staff pricing

  • Add core filters for active and inactive to membership products

  • Added validation to discounts so all discounts must be linked to 1 or more classes

  • Added display information to discounts with expiry dates, to display expiry date in hover on website

For more information about Discounts, refer to the updated Discounts documentation and the updated Concessions and Memberships documentation

3.6. Other improvements

  • Allow course lookup in class by code or name

  • Added link to onCourse EULA from splash screen (About onCourse)

  • Allow attachments to be set as public, private or students. Public attachments appear in the marketing content of the website, student attachments will only appear via the student portal (to be implemented) and private attachments never are visible on the web.

  • Show disabled courses in list view in light grey font, enabled but not visible on web in mid grey font, and enabled and visible online in normal black font

  • Improved filters in enrolment window to now show under core filters, current, cancelled, completed and other enrolments

  • Moved the File > Preferences > General Preferences > Export tab list to it’s own window, like reports, now available via File > Preferences > Exports

  • Allow keyboard arrow keys to be used to scroll between list items e.g. timetable sessions

  • Improvement to the re-send email process for enrolment confirmations and invoices to notify the user when the email sending fails because the contact does not have a valid email address on file

  • When a class or enrolment is cancelled, a template email and SMS message is generated and opened in a new window for the list of affected students, to notify them that their class is not proceeding as scheduled. You can modify the message contents or remove people from the list before proceeding to send it.

  • Unsubscribe option for emails sent using the mailing list feature. If the contact clicks the unsubscribe link in the bottom of the email, they will have the mailing list tag removed from their contact record.

  • Improved error message for course deletion which is not allowed due to related records (classes or waiting lists)

  • Ability to edit the CMS has been added as a checkbox within the User edit view of onCourse. This will mean that Colleges are no longer reliant on ish to grant CMS access to staff, as they can now manage this themselves. Login credentials for CMS and onCourse will be the same.

  • Automatic detection of mismatched onCourse client and server versions with a prompt to download the correct client version automatically.

  • Added 'VET Course' query option to class advanced query list

4. Fixes

  • Fix for Assessment Outcome Report to prevent duplicate columns printing for each unit code

  • Improved validation for the manual addition of units of competency to an outcome

  • Fixed student details report to show the concession type and concession number details

  • Improved user interface messages for AVETMISS exporting exceptions

  • Ensure XML and brochure exports round GST amounts to the nearest 5 cents

  • Merge note fields from both records in the 'merge contacts' process

  • 'Is offered' option in the unit of competency and qualification had been disabled for selection. These fields are now enabled again for users to restrict onCourse to their scope of qualifications and units.

  • Improve the user interface in the private booking option to auto-create the next available class code and to calculate class fees either GST inclusive or exclusive

  • Enforce unique names for tags with a tag group

  • Improvements to timetable resource collision detection performance to confirm new allocation availability before record is saved. This has improved the speed of opening the class page and adding new sessions.

  • xls and docx file extensions were not being recognised for attachments added to onCourse for download on the web. This is now fixed along with many other file extensions.

  • Fixed issue whereby fixed income budget line item would initially reset to show per enrolment calculation if you adjusted the projected and maximum enrolment numbers within the budget tab of the Class. Fixed income budget line item now remains as entered when you adjust enrolment numbers.

  • Closed loophole whereby you could record a payment in entry despite initial payment attempt being 'in_transaction'. System now prevents operator from recording a payment in entry until the 'in_transaction' status is resolved.

  • Adjustment made to which date is shown for CC payment within the context of a Payment Out refund via Credit Card. Whereas previously the system would display the originating CC payment date as the date of settlement, this has now been adjusted to show date paid.

  • Improved validation in Qualification Certificate record, so any certificate marked as a Qualification has to be linked to a nationally recognised qualification to save, where a Statement of Attainment can be optionally linked to a nationally recognised qualification

  • Improved validation for deleting or removing mandatory tags from records and show better user messages when a tag has been set as mandatory

  • Fix to the onCourse preferences set print logo setting which was not allowing some images to be assigned

  • Prevent non-enrolment process failed payment attempts from creating an automatic credit note to reverse the invoice