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PAWS (Administration) Enter Student Exceptions
This article is in relation to entering student exceptions in PAWS.
Course Materials Overview
In this article you will learn how to do the following:
What is a Student Exception?
A student exception is the manipulation of a requirement or course for an individual student.
There are four primary types of student exceptions:
- Course Directive
- Requirement Change
- Requirement Waiver
- Course Substitution
The Course Directive allows you to either move a course into a specific requirement (“Substitute”) or move an existing course out of a specific requirement (“Exclude”). The exception is only applied to the specified requirement, not throughout the Degree Progress Report.
The Requirement Change allows you to alter a requirement’s parameters – e.g., reduce the number of required credits in a requirement from 10 to 8.
The Requirement Wavier allows you to exempt a student from a requirement. This exception should not be confused with simply waiving a specified number of credits from a requirement, which would require a Requirement Change.
The Course Substitution is a straight substitution of one course for another throughout the Degree Progress Report. You only use a Course Substitution when you want a course to take the place of another course in every applicable requirement on the Degree Progress Report.
Only select users have access to complete a Course Substitution; whenever possible, a Course Directive should be completed rather than a Course Substitution.
Course Directive
Overview: The Course Directive allows you to either move a course into a specific requirement (“Substitute”) or move an existing course out of a specific requirement (“Exclude”). The exception is only applied to the specified requirement, not throughout the Degree Progress Report.
Navigation: Main Menu > Academic Advisement > Student Advisement > Authorize Student Exceptions
Process:
Step 1: Click the “Add a New Value” tab or link
Step 2: Click the Add button
Step 3: Enter the following values on the “Authorize Student Exceptions” page
- Effective Date: leave as default (current date) or back-date, if necessary
- Description: enter an appropriate description for the exception
- Short Description: enter an appropriate short description for the exception
- Long Description: enter an appropriate long description for the exception
- Academic Institution: leave as default (“UWMIL”)
- Academic Career: enter “UGRD” (for “Undergraduate)
- Academic Program: enter appropriate program code for student or search using spyglass (optional)
- Academic Plan: enter appropriate plan code for student or search using spyglass (optional)
- Academic Sub-Plan: enter appropriate plan code for student or search using spyglass (optional)
- Selection Code: leave as default (“Student”)
- Selection Date: enter student’s Empl ID or search using spyglass
- Operation Code: select “Course Directive” from drop-down – the screen will refresh after this selection
NOTE: Academic Program, Academic Plan, and Academic Sub-Plan are optional fields. Using these fields is dependent upon where the requirement you are trying to change is written. For instance, if the requirement you are trying to change is written at the program level, you should enter the code into the Academic Program field. Likewise, if the requirement you are trying to change is written at the plan level, you should enter the appropriate code Academic Plan field.
Step 4: Click the “Create Exception” link
Step 5: Enter the following values:
- Requirement Group: enter appropriate Requirement Group number or search using spyglass
- Requirement: enter appropriate Requirement number or search using spyglass
- Line Nbr: enter appropriate Line number or search using spyglass
- Course Sequence: leave as default
- Directive Type: select appropriate from drop-down
- Substitute = moving course into selected requirement
- Exclude = moving course out of selected requirement
- Course Source: select appropriate from drop-down
- Course Offerings = all courses available at UWM
- Enrollment = all UWM courses on student’s enrollment record
- Other Credit = all Other Credit listings from student’s record
- Test Credit = all Test Credit listings from student’s record
- Transfer Courses = all Transfer Courses from student’s record
- Term: leave blank
- Directed Units: leave blank
- Min Grade Points/Unit: leave blank
- Directed Courses: leave blank
- Course Topic ID: leave blank
Step 7: Search for and select desired course by clicking the Check-Mark next to the course in the search list. The selected course will auto-populate into the Directed Courses box.
NOTE: There may be multiple lines listed for each course. This is because the course may have gone through numerous revisions over time. Since the Course ID is the same for each version, you can Select any of the lines of the course for the student exception to function properly.
Step 8: Click the OK button.
Step 9: Run a Degree Progress Report to make sure the course was directed properly in the Advisement Report with appropriate “Course (directed to/excluded from) this line” text and operator name.
Requirement Change
Overview: The Requirement Change allows you to alter a requirement’s parameters – e.g., reduce the number of required credits in a requirement from 10 to 8.Navigation: Main Menu > Academic Advisement> Student Advisement > Authorize Student Exceptions
Process:
Step 1: Click the “Add a New Value” tab or link Step 2: Click the Add button Step 3: Enter the following values
- Effective Date: leave as default (current date) or back-date, if necessary
- Description: enter an appropriate description for the exception
- Short Description: enter an appropriate short description for the exception
- Long Description: enter an appropriate long description for the exception
- Academic Institution: leave as default (“UWMIL”)
- Academic Career: enter “UGRD” (for “Undergraduate)
- Academic Program: enter appropriate program code for student or search using spyglass (optional)
- Academic Plan: enter appropriate plan code for student or search using spyglass (optional)
- Academic Sub-Plan: enter appropriate plan code for student or search using spyglass (optional)
- Selection Code: leave as default (“Student”)
- Selection Date: enter student’s Empl ID or search using spyglass
- Operation Code: select “Requirement Change” from drop-down – the screen will automatically refresh after this selection and the Level row will be added
- Level: enter appropriate or search using spyglass
- RG = Requirement Group
- RQ = Requirement
- LN = Line
NOTE: Academic Program, Academic Plan, and Academic Sub-Plan are optional fields. Using these fields is dependant upon where the requirement you are trying to change is written. For instance, if the requirement you are trying to change is written at the program level, you should enter the code into the Academic Program field. Likewise, if the requirement you are trying to change is written at the plan level, you should enter the appropriate code Academic Plan field.
NOTE: The Level is dependent upon where the requirement you are trying to change is written. For instance, if the requirement you are trying to change is written at the Line level, you should enter LN. Likewise, if the requirement you are trying to change is written at the requirement level, you should enter RQ.
Step 4: Click the “Create Exception” link
Step 5: Enter the following values
- Requirement Group: enter appropriate Requirement Group number or search using spyglass
- Requirement: enter appropriate Requirement number or search using spyglass (if applicable)
- Line Nbr: enter appropriate Line number or search using spyglass (if applicable)
Once the desired RG, RQ, or LN is selected, the default values will auto-populate in the New Values box.
NOTE: If nothing auto-populates in the New Values box, then there are no values for the selected RG, RQ, or LN. You should return to the previous screen by clicking the Cancel button in order to select a new Level for the exception.
Step 6: Change the values in the New Values box to the new values being allowed under the exception.
Step 7: Click the OK button.
Step 8: Run a Degree Progress Report to make sure the requirement was changed properly in the Advisement report with appropriate “(Value changed) Required changed from” text and operator name.
Requirement Waiver
Overview: The Requirement Wavier allows you to exempt a student from a requirement. This exception should not be confused with simply waiving a specified number of credits from a requirement, which would require a Requirement Change.Navigation: Main Menu > Academic Advisement > Student Advisement > Authorize Student Exceptions
Process:
Step 1: Click the “Add a New Value” tab or link
Step 2: Click the Add button
Step 3: Enter the following values
Step 7: Run a Degree Progress Report to make sure the requirement was waived properly in the Advisement report with appropriate “Exempted” text and operator name.
- Effective Date: leave as default (current date) or back-date, if necessary
- Description: enter an appropriate description for the exception
- Short Description: enter an appropriate short description for the exception
- Long Description: enter an appropriate long description for the exception
- Academic Institution: leave as default (“UWMIL”)
- Academic Career: enter “UGRD” (for “Undergraduate)
- Academic Program: enter appropriate program code for student or search using spyglass (optional)
- Academic Plan: enter appropriate plan code for student or search using spyglass (optional)
- Academic Sub-Plan: enter appropriate plan code for student or search using spyglass (optional)
- Selection Code: leave as default (“Student”)
- Selection Date: enter student’s Empl ID or search using spyglass
- Operation Code: select “Requirement Waiver” from drop-down – the screen will automatically refresh after this selection and the Level row will be added
- Level: enter appropriate or search using spyglass
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- RG = Requirement Group
- RQ = Requirement
- LN = Line
NOTE: Academic Program, Academic Plan, and Academic Sub-Plan are optional fields. Using these fields is dependent upon where the requirement you are trying to waive is written. For instance, if the requirement you are trying to waive is written at the program level, you should enter the code into the Academic Program field. Likewise, if the requirement you are trying to waive is written at the plan level, you should enter the appropriate code Academic Plan field.
NOTE: The Level is dependent upon where the requirement you are trying to waive is written. For instance, if the requirement you are trying to waive is written at the Line level, you should enter LN. Likewise, if the requirement you are trying to waive is written at the requirement level, you should enter RQ.
Step 4: Click the “Create Exception” link
Step 5: Enter the following values
- Requirement Group: enter appropriate Requirement Group number or search using spyglass
- Requirement: enter appropriate Requirement number or search using spyglass (if applicable)
- Line Nbr: enter appropriate Line number or search using spyglass (if applicable)
Step 7: Run a Degree Progress Report to make sure the requirement was waived properly in the Advisement report with appropriate “Exempted” text and operator name.
Altering Existing Exception
Overview: Certain instances exist when it is necessary or useful to alter an existing exception rather than creating a new exception. Some examples include:
- When a student has moved from intended major status to declared major status (e.g., HISTORYBA1 to HISTORYBA2). If an exception is entered for requirements created under the intended major plan code, the exception must be altered for the requirements created under the declared plan code.
- When a Course Directive is entered for the incorrect course. PAWS will not allow a new Course Directive to be entered for the same requirement line if a Course Directive already exists for that requirement line. The existing Course Directive needs to be entered.
Altering exceptions in each of the two examples are demonstrated below.
Scenario 1: A Requirement Change to reduce the number of required American History credits was entered for a student when she was a History – Intended major (HISTORYBA1). The student is now a History – Declared major (HISTORYBA2), and the exception is no longer appearing on the advisement report.
Navigation: Main Menu > Academic Advisement > Student Advisement > Authorize Student Exceptions
Process:
Step 1: Click on the “Find an Existing Value” tab.
Step 2: Enter the following values on the search page:
Step 3: Click the Search button.
- Advisement Override: leave blank
- Description: leave blank
- Selection Code: select “Student” from the drop-down
- Selection Data: enter the student’s EMPLID
- Override Operation Code: leave blank
- Academic Institution: leave blank
- Academic Career: leave blank
- Academic Program: leave blank
- Academic Plan: leave blank
- Academic Sub-Plan: leave blank
Check the “Correct History” check box.
Step 3: Click the Search button.
Step 4: Select the exception from the list that needs to be altered.
Step 5: Change the “Academic Plan” in the Override Details section to the student’s new plan code.
Step 6: Click on the “Create Exceptions” link to alter the requirement that is being changed.
Step 7: Override the Requirement Group, Requirement, and Line Nbr values by using the lookup (Magnifying Glass) button to select the values associated with the new plan code.Step 8: Alter the values in the New Values section to the desired level. NOTE: These values will revert to the default settings for the requirement after the Requirement Group, Requirement, and Line Nbr fields are altered.
Step 9: Click the OK button to save the changes.
Scenario 2: A Course Directive was entered prior to the completion of a course. The student did not earn a passing grade in the directed course. The student subsequently re-enrolled in the course. The existing Course Directive needs to be altered to direct the re-enrolled course into the requirement.
Navigation: Main Menu > Academic Advisement > Student Advisement > Authorize Student Exceptions
Process:
Step 1: Click on the “Find an Existing Value” tab.
Step 2: Enter the following values on the search page:
-
Advisement Override: leave blank
-
Description: leave blank
-
Selection Code: select “Student” from the drop-down
-
Selection Data: enter the student’s EMPLID
-
Override Operation Code: leave blank
-
Academic Institution: leave blank
-
Academic Career: leave blank
-
Academic Program: leave blank
-
Academic Plan: leave blank
-
Academic Sub-Plan: leave blank
Check the “Correct History” check box.
Step 3: Click the Search button.
Step 4: Select the exception from the list that needs to be altered.
Step 5: (if necessary) Change the Description fields to fit the re-enrolled course.
Step 6: Click on the “Create Exceptions” link.
Step 7: Select the appropriate Course Source for the re-enrolled course. If the student has already re-enrolled in the course, use “Enrollment.” If the student has not re-enrolled in the course, use “Course Offerings.” Click the Search button.
Step 8: Enter the Subject Heading for the re-enrolled course. Click the Search button.
Step 9: Click the Check-Mark button to select the appropriate course from the search list.
Step 10: Click the OK button to save the changes.
Course Substitution
Overview: The Course Substitution is a straight substitution of one course for another throughout the Degree Progress Report. You only use a Course Substitution when you want a course to take the place of another course in every requirement on the Degree Progress Report. Only select users have access to complete a Course Substitution. Whenever possible, a Course Directive should be completed rather than a Course Substitution.
Navigation: Main Menu > Academic Advisement > Student Advisement > Create Course Substitution\
NOTE: Substitutions also can be set up in advance of course completion. For example, transfer work in the summer session can be pre-approved so it is automatically calculated in the fall session. If the student never takes the course, the substitution is not processed. The course substitution panel is keyed off a student's ID making each substitution student-specific.
Substitutions affect a student's career. Each career can contain course substitutions. A student with multiple careers can have multiple course substitutions that are relevant to the specific career.
Process:
Step 1: Enter a student’s identifying information (preferably an ID) on the search page. If the student has multiple careers, select the career to which the substitution should apply.
Step 1: Enter a student’s identifying information (preferably an ID) on the search page. If the student has multiple careers, select the career to which the substitution should apply.
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If this is the first substitution for the student, use the blank row that appears.
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If the student has other substitutions, click the Plus button to add an additional row.
Step 2: Enter the following values
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Substitution Seq: leave as default
-
Course Source: select appropriate from drop-down
- Course Offerings = All available courses in UWM catalog
- Enrollment = All UWM courses student has enrolled in
- Other Credit, Test Credit, Transfer Credit = Credits and courses earned by the student from other sources than course offerings and enrollment
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Long Description: enter appropriate description for substitution
Step 3: Click the Search button next to the Select Course text.
Step 4: Search for course to be substituted.
Step 5: Select desired course from list by clicking on the Check-Mark button. You will be automatically returned to the Course Substitution page.
Step 6: Click the Search button next to the Substitute for text.
Step 7: Search for course to be substituted for.
Step 8: Select desired course from list by clicking on the Check-Mark button. You will be automatically returned to the Course Substitution page.
Step 9: Click Save
Step 10: Run a Degree Progress Report to make sure the course substituted properly throughout the Degree Progress Report with appropriate “Use in place of” text.