Register as a Group: Linking Course Sections for Combined Registration

Overview

The "Register as a Group" feature allows you to link multiple course sections together so that when a student registers for one section, they are automatically registered for all linked sections. This is commonly used for courses that have multiple components that must be taken together, such as:

Lecture + Lab combinations (e.g., BIOL 101 Lecture and BIOL 101 Lab)
Course + Discussion section pairings
Linked course sequences that must be taken concurrently
Co-requisite courses that require simultaneous enrollment

When properly configured, students see and select the primary section, and the system automatically creates enrollments for all associated sections in the group.

How It Works

The grouping functionality consists of two key components:

Primary Section: The main course section that students see and register for. This section has the "Launch Course Section Group as Registrations" option enabled.
Linked Sections: Additional course sections that reference the primary section. These sections point to the primary section using identification fields and are automatically added when the student registers for the primary section.

Step-by-Step Configuration

Step 1: Identify Your Course Sections

Before configuring, identify:

Which section will be the primary section (the one students will select)
Which sections will be linked sections (added automatically)

Example Scenario:

CHEM 110 Section 001 (Lecture) — Primary
CHEM 110L Section 001 (Lab) — Linked

Step 2: Configure the Primary Section

Navigate to College Admin → Courses
Find and select the course containing your primary section
Click on the primary course section to edit it
Locate the "Register as a Group" settings section
Enable the checkbox: "Launch Course Section Group as Registrations"
Save the course section

Note: The primary section should be the section that students will see in the course finder and select during registration.

Step 3: Configure the Linked Section(s)

For each section that should be automatically added when registering for the primary section:

Navigate to the linked course section and click to edit
Find the "Course Section Group" fields
Enter the identifying information for the primary section:

Field	Description	Example
Course Number	The course number of the primary section	`CHEM 110`
Term Name	The term name where the primary section exists	`Fall 2025`
Course Section Number	The section number of the primary section	`001`
Course Section Alt Number	The alternate section number (CRN/unique ID) of the primary section	`12345`

Save the linked course section
Repeat for any additional sections that should be linked to the same primary section

Configuration Summary

Primary Section Settings

Setting	Value
Launch Course Section Group as Registrations	✅ Enabled

Linked Section Settings

Setting	Value
Course Section Group → Course Number	[Primary section's course number]
Course Section Group → Term Name	[Primary section's term]
Course Section Group → Course Section Number	[Primary section's number]
Course Section Group → Course Section Alt Number	[Primary section's alt-number/CRN]

Important Considerations

Visibility

Primary sections should have "Allow Registration" enabled and be visible in the course finder
Linked sections can optionally be hidden from the course finder while still being eligible for group registration (consult with your DualEnroll representative about using the wish_list flag or other visibility options)

Capacity Checking

If capacity checking is enabled, the system will verify available seats in all sections of the group before allowing registration
If any section in the group is full, the entire registration may be blocked

High School Restrictions

If any sections have high school restrictions configured (allow_high_schools), ensure all sections in the group have compatible restrictions
Students must be eligible for all sections in the group

Instructor Assignment

Each section in the group maintains its own instructor assignment
Linked sections can have different instructors than the primary section

Common Use Cases

Example 1: Science Course with Lab

Scenario: Biology 101 requires students to enroll in both a lecture and lab section simultaneously.

Configuration:

BIOL 101 Section 01 (Lecture) — Primary Section
- "Launch Course Section Group as Registrations" = ✅ Enabled
BIOL 101L Section 01 (Lab) — Linked Section
- Course Section Group → Course Number: BIOL 101
- Course Section Group → Term Name: Spring 2025
- Course Section Group → Course Section Number: 01
- Course Section Group → Course Section Alt Number: ABC123

Result: When a student registers for BIOL 101 Section 01, they are automatically enrolled in BIOL 101L Section 01.

Example 2: Course with Multiple Required Components

Scenario: A speech course requires lecture attendance plus a separate practice session.

Configuration:

SPCH 100 Section 001 (Main Lecture) — Primary Section
- "Launch Course Section Group as Registrations" = ✅ Enabled
SPCH 100 Section 001P (Practice) — Linked Section
- Course Section Group points to SPCH 100 Section 001

Result: Registration for the lecture automatically includes the practice section.

Troubleshooting

Linked sections not being added during registration

Check the following:

Is "Launch Course Section Group as Registrations" enabled on the primary section?
Do all four Course Section Group fields on the linked section exactly match the primary section?
Are the sections in the same term?
Does the linked section have "Allow Registration" enabled?

Students seeing linked sections in the course finder

If you want linked sections hidden from browsing:

Consider using the wish_list flag on linked sections
Or configure allow_high_schools restrictions appropriately
Contact DualEnroll support for college-specific configuration options

Capacity issues

If registrations are being blocked due to capacity:

Check capacity settings on all sections in the group
Ensure check_capacity is configured consistently across sections
Verify available seats in each section

XML Import Configuration

If importing courses via XML, the course section group can be configured using the following elements within a <course-section>:

<course-section>
    <number>001L</number>
    <alt-number>LAB-12345</alt-number>
    <instructor-type>College Faculty</instructor-type>
    <delivery-format>Lab</delivery-format>
    <location>College Campus</location>
    <!-- Course Section Group Configuration -->
    <course-section-group>
        <course-number>BIOL 101</course-number>
        <term-name>Fall 2025</term-name>
        <course-section-number>001</course-section-number>
        <course-section-alt-number>LEC-12345</course-section-alt-number>
    </course-section-group>
</course-section>

For the primary section, include:

<launch-course-section-group-as-registrations>true</launch-course-section-group-as-registrations>

Need Help?

If you encounter issues configuring course section groups or have questions about specific use cases, please contact DualEnroll support with:

The course and section numbers involved
Your college name
A description of the desired behavior

Our team is happy to assist with configuration and troubleshooting.