How to Set Up Drops

Prerequisites for Drop Functionality

Before students and faculty can use the Drop feature, several configuration items must be set up:

1. Term-Level Drop Dates: Each academic term must have DROP START and DROP END dates defined. Click here to learn how to set drop dates for a term.
2. Local Options: System configuration settings that control Drop behavior
3. Drop/Withdraw Workflow: A workflow that processes student drop requests

Section-Level Drop Dates (Optional)

If you need different drop periods for specific course sections:

1. Navigate to the Courses tab
2. Select the course containing the section
3. Click on Course Sections from the right-hand menu
4. Select the section to edit
5. Look for the Action Dates section and click ADD
6. Enter "DROP" as the action name
7. Set section-specific DROP START and DROP END dates
8. Click CREATE to save the dates

Section-level drop dates override term-level dates when both are present.

Local Options for Drop/Withdraw Configuration

The DualEnroll system provides granular control over drop and withdraw workflows through a series of toggle options in the Institution Profile settings. These options include:

Initiator Controls

• No student initiated drop/withdraw: Prevents students from initiating drops or withdrawals (hides this option from students)
• No high school initiated drop/withdraw: Prevents high school staff from initiating drops or withdrawals

Approval Workflow Options

• Include high school approval step in drop workflow: Requires high school approval when a student attempts to drop a course
• Include instructor approval step in drop workflow: Requires instructor approval with fallback to high school if needed
• Include district approval step in drop workflow: Adds district-level approval to the workflow
• Include parent approval step in drop workflow: Requires parent/guardian approval for drops
• Include college approval step in drop workflow: Requires college staff approval for drops

Similar approval options exist separately for the withdraw workflow, allowing institutions to configure different approval processes for drops versus withdrawals.

Integration Options

• Include XML data integration step: Enables drop/withdraw workflows to use XML files via FTP to synchronize with the Student Information System (SIS)
• Include Colleague/Banner/Ethos/PeopleSoft API data integration: Enables integration with specific SIS platforms to automatically send drop/withdraw requests

Additional Settings

• Allow un-drop and un-withdraw: Permits college users to reverse drop or withdraw actions (note: changes status only in DualEnroll, not in the SIS)
• Turn off parent notifications: Disables automatic notifications to parents during drop/withdraw processes
• Turn off high school notifications: Disables automatic notifications to high school staff during drop/withdraw processes

Drop/Withdraw Workflow

The Drop/Withdraw workflow defines the steps that occur when a student drops a course. This workflow is typically configured by DualEnroll during implementation but can be modified:

1. Navigate to the Admin tab
2. Select Workflow Definitions from the menu
3. Look for the Drop/Withdraw workflow
4. Click VIEW to see the workflow steps
5. Modify notifications or step content as needed using the EDIT or NOTIFICATION buttons

How Students Drop Courses

When properly configured, students can drop courses:

1. The student logs into their DualEnroll account
2. Navigates to their current registrations
3. Selects the ellipsis (three dots) next to the course they wish to drop
4. Chooses "Drop" from the menu options
5. Completes any required fields (such as reason for dropping)
6. Submits the drop request

How Administrators Process Drops

To process or review drops as an administrator:

1. Navigate to the Registrations tab
2. Use the filters to show dropped registrations if needed
3. Look for registrations with status related to drops
4. Click on the highlighted step if action is required
5. Complete the necessary approval or review process

Forced Drops (Administrative Override)

Administrators can force-drop students even outside the normal drop period:

1. Navigate to the Registrations tab
2. Find the student's registration
3. Click the ellipsis (three dots) next to the registration
4. Select Force Drop from the menu
5. Complete the required fields
6. Submit the force drop

Best Practices for Managing Drops

• Clearly communicate drop dates to students and counselors
• Use consistent drop periods across terms when possible
• Consider setting up email notifications for key stakeholders when drops occur
• Regularly review dropped courses for patterns that might indicate issues
• Create clear policies about refunds related to drops and communicate them to students

Reporting on Drops

To generate reports on dropped courses:

1. Navigate to the Reports tab
2. Look for reports like "Dropped Registrations with Payments" or filter registration reports
3. Select the relevant term(s) and high school(s)
4. Run the report to view drop data
5. Download as CSV for further analysis

By properly configuring these settings, you'll ensure students and staff can effectively manage course drops within your policies and deadlines.