For schools looking for a Scheduling module, QuickSchools actually offers 2 such modules. The first, called “Simplified Scheduling” has been included with our Athena Plan since our early years, and can also be added as an app for non-Athena subscribers. The second, called the “Master Scheduler”, is a more recent addition, and caters to more complex situations. Both offer a drag-and-drop interface, conflict tracking and personalized scheduled in PDF format for students and teachers. But their applications vary quite significantly.
Here is a rundown of the key differences between the two modules:
| Simplified Schedule | Master Scheduler |
| Mainly used for Elementary Schools where students know what subjects they’ll be taking. | Mainly for High Schools where students will be requesting the subjects to take. |
| Consists of ONE new screen, where you can easily drag-and-drop subjects (or rather sections) based on existing subject offering. | Consists of SEVERAL new screens, where you can drag-and-drop courses based on future course offerings, as well as assign sections to students based on course requests and available sections. |
| No additional modules needed. | In addition to sections, supports courses, departments, subject areas and rooms. |
| Students cannot request courses. The school admin will simply enroll students directly into subjects. | Supports ability to bulk create / assign Course Requests (Course Packets), as well as the ability for students to submit Course Requests via the Student Portal. |
| Essentially, a single process for assigning subjects to periods (students are assigned subjects by the school admin). | A 6-step process for creating a schedule, with one step dedicated to setting up sections, and an additional step to assign students to sections based on their course requests. |
| Simple algorithm for assigning subjects to available slots. Most schools simply use the drag-and-drop function to build the schedule. | Flexible algorithms for assigning sections based on Singletons, Doubletons, and Block Sections / Courses. Can also use drag-and-drop function to assign courses to teachers and periods, or use the built-in algorithm. |
| 10-step undo capability while schedule is being edited. Undo resets every time you reopen a schedule. | Can create multiple save-points which can be accessed any time. |
| Supports multiple period structures, but each grade level can only have ONE period structure. | Supports multiple alternate bell schedules, as well as calendar-based bell schedules. |
If you’re looking for a scheduling module, please chat in with us. We’d be happy to discuss both options with you, and recommend the better module based on your specific scenario.
[…] is equipped with a simple interactive scheduler that helps you automatically schedule lessons without conflicts. This simplified scheduler is […]