2. Manage Course Categories If your school has its own dedicated iLAP platform, the organization and categorization of courses can be configured by the school as needed using the "Course Categories" feature. Please refer to the following pages for instructions on how to do this. 2.1 Preface What are Course Categories? Course categories are a structure used by iLAP to organize and categorize courses. You can think of course categories as "folders," with the courses being the files within those folders. By creating different course categories, schools can manage all their courses in a more organized way, allowing teachers and students to quickly find the courses they belong to. Why should course categories be well planned? A well-structured course category system can provide the following benefits: Improved search efficiency: Users can quickly find the courses they need, reducing confusion and duplicate course creation. Easier permission management: Different management permissions can be set based on course categories, so that relevant teachers or administrators only manage their own courses. Easier future expansion: As the number of courses increases, a well-organized structure makes it easier to add or adjust courses. Enhanced overall user experience: Both students and teachers can teach and learn within a clear structure, increasing satisfaction. 2.2 Course Category Planning Recommendations Common Categorization Methods When planning course categories, it is recommended to classify based on the actual situation and future development of your school. Below are some common categorization methods: By Academic Year For example: 2024-2025 academic year, 2025-2026 academic year, etc. This is suitable for schools where course content differs significantly each year. By Subject or Discipline For example: Chinese, English, Mathematics, General Studies, Music, Physical Education, etc. This is suitable when there are multiple courses of the same subject across different grades. By Grade or Class For example: Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3, or Class 1A, Class 1B, etc. This is suitable for schools where each class has its own separate courses. Mixed Categorization For example: Categorize by academic year first, then create subject subcategories under each year; or categorize by subject first, then create grade-level subcategories. Examples of Course Category Planning Example 1: Categorized by Grade + Subject Primary 1 Chinese English Mathematics Primary 2 Chinese English Mathematics Example 2: Categorized by Subject + Grade Chinese Primary 1 Primary 2 English Mathematics General Studies Example 3: Categorized by Academic Year + Grade Year 2024-2025 Primary 1 Primary 2 Primary 3 Year 2025-2026 Primary 1 Things to Consider Before Planning School Size and Number of Courses: Take into account the total number of courses in the school to avoid having too many or too few categories, which may make management inconvenient. Future Expandability: Reserve space for adding new courses or grades in the future to avoid needing to overhaul the structure later on. Clear and Concise Naming: Category names should be simple and clear, making it easy for all users to understand. Permission Management Requirements: Consider whether different administrators or teachers need to be assigned to specific categories. 2.3 Basic Operations for Course Categories This chapter explains how to perform basic operations such as adding, editing, sorting, and deleting course categories on the "Manage Course Categories and Courses" page of the iLAP platform. 2.3.1 Accessing the Course Category Management Page After logging in to iLAP, go to the homepage and click "Site Administration" in the main menu at the top of the page. After entering "Site Administration" page, select the "Courses" tab, then click "Manage Courses and Categories." You will see a management interface as shown in the figure: on the left is the "Course Categories" tree structure, and on the right is the list of courses under the selected category. 2.3.2 Add a Course Category In the "Course Categories" section on the left, click the "Create New Category" button. When you first start using iLAP, there will only be one course category called "Default." You can edit or delete it as you wish. Fill in the Course Category Information: "Parent Category": Select the parent category for this category (the default is "Default," meaning it will be placed under Default, but you can also choose another existing category or "Top"). "Category Name": Enter the name of the new course category (e.g., "2024-2025 Academic Year" or "Mathematics"). Other optional fields can be filled in as needed. After completing the form, click the "Create Category" button. The newly added course category will be immediately displayed in the structure tree on the left. 2.4 Edit Course Category On the "Manage Course Categories and Courses" page (for instructions on how to access this page, please refer to 2.3.1), find the category you want to edit in the category list on the left. Click the "gear" icon (⚙️) next to it, then select "Edit" from the menu. After entering the edit page, you can change information such as the parent category and category name.  Once you have finished making changes, click "Save Changes" to update the information. 2.5 Sorting and Moving Course Categories If you have already manually sorted the course categories, using this function to change the order will prevent you from reverting to the original sequence. Please use with caution. For the number of course categories in a typical school, manual sorting is usually sufficient. On the "Manage Course Categories and Courses" page (for instructions on how to access this page, please refer to 2.3.1), you can use the sorting function at the bottom of the "Course Categories" section on the left. Select the categories you want to sort and sort them by category name, course name, or other criteria. To move a category, select the category you want to move, choose a new parent category from the "Move selected categories to" dropdown menu, and then click "Move." You can also adjust the order of categories at the same level by clicking the "arrow" icon under each course category.  To move courses, select the courses you want to move in the course list area on the right, choose a category from the "Move selected courses to" dropdown menu, and then click "Move." 2.6 Delete Course Category On the "Manage Course Categories and Courses" page (for instructions on how to access this page, please refer to 2.3.1), click the "gear" icon (⚙️) next to the category name on the left, then click the trash can icon (🗑️) labeled "Delete" in the menu. The system will display a delete confirmation screen, as shown in the image below. The screen will display: The category name A list of subcategories and courses contained in this category A "What to do" dropdown menu with two options: "Move contents to another category" (you can choose to move courses to another category to prevent data loss) "Delete all — cannot be undone" "Delete" and "Cancel" buttons The steps are as follows: Check the subcategories and courses contained in this category. If there are any courses that need to be kept, it is recommended to use the dropdown menu to move them to another category first. If you are sure you want to delete this category and all its contents, select "Delete all — cannot be undone," then click the "Delete" button. If you do not wish to delete, you can click "Cancel" to go back to the previous step. Note: Selecting "Delete all" will also delete all subcategories and courses under this category. Please proceed with caution. 2.7 Tips Course categories can be organized and structured according to the needs of the school, and can be single-level or multi-level, managed by the school itself. It is recommended that course category names be clear and concise, and avoid duplication. Before editing or deleting a course category, please check whether any courses under it need to be moved or preserved. You can use the sorting and moving functions to quickly organize a large number of courses or course categories, but if there are not many course categories, manual management is sufficient. If there are multiple administrators, it is advisable to coordinate with other colleagues/IT staff before making changes to avoid accidental deletions or mistakes.