Seating Charts

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The Seating Chart provides you with a graphical representation of your entire classroom. You can design multiple layouts to help you manage your classroom. Using these layouts, you can record attendance, or use the Random Student Selector to help you call on different students during class discussions. You can also combine different layouts in order to take attendance for different sections.

Seating chart layouts allow you to have multiple seating chart options, and provide you with tools to change student seats instantly, without rebuilding a new layout. Create new layouts from existing layouts from current or previous terms, or keep the current layout configuration but change student seat assignments. You can remove and add students individually to layouts, or populate a blank layout solely for the purpose of taking attendance using a seating chart.

The following controls are available:

Prepopulate a Blank Layout

If you have a default blank Seating Chart layout, when you access the Seating Chart you are given the option of prepopulating the layout with the student photos before you create a custom layout. This feature is useful if you do not want to create a custom layout, but would like to take attendance and use the Student Selector features of the Seating Chart.

1. On the start page, click the Seating Chart (grid and chair) icon next to the class for which you want to create a seating chart. A pop-up appears, asking if you would like to prepopulate the blank layout.
2. Do one of the following:
   • Click OK to populate the student photos in a standard grid layout. You can then leave the layout alone, or proceed to customize the layout as needed.
   • Click Cancel to customize the layout before populating the student photos.

Create a Layout

Design a Seating Chart by placing chairs and objects on the layout, then populate it with students. Note that when you add chairs and object to the layout, they are automatically highlighted, and you can move the object to any location on the layout.

1. On the start page, click the Seating Chart (grid and chair) icon next to the class for which you want to create a seating chart. If the prepopulate pop-up dialog appears, click Cancel. The Seating Chart page appears.
2. Click the Seating Chart Design tab. Controls for the Design mode of the Seating Chart appear.
3. Select New Layout from the Layout Selection pop-up menu. The Create a New Layout pop-up appears.
4. Enter a name and description for the new layout.
5. Select Create a new layout from scratch and then click Finish. A blank layout appears.
6. To add an individual chair, click +Chair. A single box appears representing a seat on the layout.
7. To add multiple chairs in a row configuration, click +Rows. On the Add Rows of Chairs dialog, select the number of rows and the number of students per row from the pop-up menus. A preview image of the row configuration appears on the seating chart and updates based on the options selected on the dialog. Click Add to add the row configuration to the seating chart.
8. To add multiple chairs in a table configuration, click +Tables. On the Add Chairs in a Table Format dialog, select the number of tables, the number of chairs per table, and the table orientation. A preview image of the table configuration appears on the seating chart and updates based on the options selected on the dialog. Click Add to add the table configuration to the seating chart.
9. To add additional objects, click the object button and the object appears on the seating chart.
   Note: The Text object can be used to represent anything that you want to place on the seating chart represented as a text box, such as fire extinguisher, sink, or a phone.
10. Select chairs and objects in order to move then to different locations on the layout. Click Undo to cancel the previous action.
11. Click OK. The newly created layout appears.

Access an Existing Layout

Saved seating chart layouts are available on the Seating Chart pop-up menu for the class in which it was created.

1. On the start page, click the Seating Chart (grid and chair) icon next to the class for which you want to access an existing seating chart layout.
2. Click the Seating Chart Design tab. Controls for the Design mode of the Seating Chart appear.
3. Select the applicable seating chart layout from the Layout Selection pop-up menu. The saved seating chart layout for the selected class appears.

Start from a Pre-Existing Layout

When creating a new layout, you can select an existing layout to use as a template. You can use layouts from a previous school year, and even keep returning students in the same seats in the new layout. You can also create a template with no students populated that can be used as a starting point for all of your layouts.

1. On the start page, click the Seating Chart (grid and chair) icon next to the class for which you want to access an existing seating chart layout.
2. Click the Seating Chart Design tab. Controls for the Design mode of the Seating Chart appear.
3. Select New Layout from the Layout Selection pop-up menu. The Create a New Layout pop-up appears.
4. Enter a name and description for the new layout.

5. Select Start from a pre-existing layout and then click Next. The Select the Seating Chart pop-up appears.

   Field	Description
   School Year	Select the applicable school year from the pop-up menu.
   Classes	The class name, reporting term, and seating chart layout name appear. Select the seating chart layout to use as a template.
   Keep any common students in the same seat	Select the checkbox to keep students who are in both classes in the same seat in the new layout.
   View	Click to view the selected layout in a pop-up window. To close the pop-up, click Close.

6. Click Finish. The selected existing seating chart layout appears. Modify the layout as needed.
7. Click Save. The new layout appears.

Save an Existing Layout as a New Layout

You can use the Save As New feature to create a new seating chart layout from an existing layout.

1. On the start page, click the Seating Chart (grid and chair) icon next to the class for which you want to access an existing seating chart layout.
2. Click the Seating Chart Design tab. Controls for the Design mode of the Seating Chart appear.
3. Select the applicable seating chart layout from the Layout Selection pop-up menu. The saved seating chart layout for the selected class appears.
4. Click Edit. The Edit Layout pop-up appears.
5. Enter a name and description for the new layout.
6. Click Save As New. A confirmation message appears.
7. Click Continue. The new layout appears.

Populate Students to a Seating Chart

Once you have added rows, tables, or chairs to the seating chart, you can populate the objects with the student photos from the Add Students bar.

1. On the start page, click the Seating Chart (grid and chair) icon next to the class for which you want to access an existing seating chart layout.
2. Click the Seating Chart Design tab. Controls for the Design mode of the Seating Chart appear.
3. Select the applicable layout from the Layout Selection pop-up menu.
4. On the Add Students bar, click Populate. The Add Students to Chairs pop-up appears.

5. Use the following table to select information from the fields provided:

   Field	Description
   Sort By	Select an available sorting option: Alphabetically: To populate the seating chart alphabetically by the student’s name. Alternate M/F: To populate the seating chart alternating male and female students. Random: To populate the seating chart in random order.
   Order	Select a sorting option from the pop-up menu: A-Z: To sort students in alphabetical order. Z-A: To sort students in reverse alphabetical order.
   Use	Select the way in which you want the student’s name to display on the seating chart from the pop-up menu: Last Name First Name
   Start	Select how you want to start the population of students on the seating chart from the pop-up menu: Top Left Bottom Left Top Right Bottom Right

6. Click Add. The students are moved from the Student Selection bar to the seating chart.
7. To remove the students from the seating chart, click Clear on the Student Selection bar. The student photos return to the Student Selection bar.
8. When you have added all student to chairs, click Save.

Add a Single Student to the Seating Chart

1. On the start page, click the Seating Chart (grid and chair) icon next to the class for which you want to access an existing seating chart layout.
2. Click the Seating Chart Design tab. Controls for the Design mode of the Seating Chart appear.
3. Select the applicable layout from the Seating Chart pop-up menu.
4. Do one of the following:
   • Click +Chair. A single box appears representing a seat on the layout. On the Add Student bar, click on a student and drag-and-drop the photo on to the chair.
   • On the Add Student bar, click on a student and drag-and-drop the photo on the layout. A chair is automatically created.
5. Repeat to add additional students to the layout.
6. Click Save.

Remove Students and Objects from a Layout

Once you have populated students to the layout, you may need to remove students individually, or remove objects such as desks and doors.

1. On the start page, click the Seating Chart (grid and chair) icon next to the class for which you want to access an existing seating chart layout.
2. Click the Seating Chart Design tab. Controls for the Design mode of the Seating Chart appear.
3. Select the applicable layout from the Layout Selection pop-up menu.
4. Click on an object, such as a desk or door, and click Remove. The object is removed from the layout.
5. To remove students, do one of the following:
   • Click the x in the upper left corner of the student photo. The student is returned to the Add Students bar, but the chair remains on the layout.
   • Click on a student photo, and then click Remove. The student is returned to the Add Students bar, and the chair is removed from the layout.
   • Click and drag the student photo to the Add Students bar. The student is returned to the Add Students bar, and the chair is removed from the layout.
   • Click and drag the cursor across a row or table group to select multiple student, or click on multiple student photos, and then click Remove. The student is returned to the Add Students bar, and the chair is removed from the layout.
   • Click Clear All to remove all student photos from the layout. The student photos are returned to the Add Students bar, but the chairs remain on the layout.
6. Click Save.

Switch Student Seats on a Layout

Once you have populated students to the layout, you may need to switch student seats.

1. On the start page, click the Seating Chart (grid and chair) icon next to the class for which you want to access an existing seating chart layout.
2. Click the Seating Chart Design tab. Controls for the Design mode of the Seating Chart appear.
3. Select the applicable layout from the Layout Selection pop-up menu.
4. Click the two students you want to switch seats. A double-arrow icon appears on both student photos.
5. Click the double-arrow icon on either student's photo. The student seats switch.
6. Repeat to switch additional student seats.
7. Click Save.

Combine Layouts

For multi-section classes, you can combine layouts in order to use the Seating Chart features on a single layout.

When creating a combined layout, you can either create a new layout with the combined sections, or combine the sections in an existing layout.

1. On the start page, click the Seating Chart (grid and chair) icon next to the class for which you want to access an existing seating chart layout.
2. Click the Seating Chart Design tab. Controls for the Design mode of the Seating Chart appear.
3. Select the applicable layout from the Layout Selection pop-up menu.
4. Click Edit. The Edit Layout pop-up appears.
5. Enter a name and description for the new layout.
6. Select a layout or multiple layouts to combine with the current layout from the available list.
7. Do one of the following:
   
   • To save the combined layout as a new layout, enter a name for the new layout in the Name field, enter a description, and Click Save As New.
   • To save the combined layout to the selected layout, click OK.

The Design mode appears with the combined layout.

• Make additional updates if needed.
• Click Submit.