Create and manage academic events

Use Event Management to tell a whole campus or one class about an academic activity. OCR for Higher Education uses the campus academic structure: Campus, Department, Programme, Class, and Academic Term.

There are two event scopes. An Academic event is class-wide and is created by the HOD for the selected academic group and term. A General event is campus-wide and is created by Campus Admin. Event Type settings determine which scope is available.

Before you begin

• Create the event type before scheduling the event, and check that its campus availability includes the intended campus.
• For a class-wide event, confirm the active class and Academic Term before sending invitations.

Schedule and follow up on an event

1. Set up the event type first

   An authorized administrator opens System Settings > Event Types and selects New Event Type. Enter a clear name, choose Academic or General, choose the matching Class-wide or Campus-wide scope, select the campuses where it can be used, and optionally set the default fee per student. Academic types must be class-wide; General types must be campus-wide. Leave the default fee blank if the creator should decide the fee for each event.

2. Open the event list

   An HOD opens Academic > Event Management. Campus Admin opens Event Management from the campus administration area. The page shows events that the signed-in role is allowed to manage.

3. Start a new event

   Select New Event. Choose the Campus first. For a class-wide Academic event, choose Department, then Programme, then Class, and select the Academic Term. The term options show their start and end dates in the institution’s date format. These selectors depend on one another, so choose each item in order. A campus-wide General event does not need the academic audience selectors.

4. Describe the event

   Select an Academic event type and enter the Event Name. Choose the start and end dates in the single date-range calendar field. Start and end times may both be left blank; if you provide one time, provide the other as well. Add the venue when known.

5. Set participation and fee details

   Set Attendance Mandatory and Carries Marks as applicable. If Carries Marks is enabled, enter the maximum marks. These attendance and marks values are event metadata in the current release; they do not open an attendance roster or marks-entry workflow. Review the per-student fee: a configured event-type default is used, otherwise enter the fee for this event. Enter zero for a free event.

6. Add details and supporting files

   Write the description in the rich-text editor. Attach relevant supporting documents if needed, then review the audience, dates, venue, and fee before saving.

7. Review the save result

   After the event is saved, the portal queues event invitations for the eligible students and their linked parents. If the fee is greater than zero, it also creates an individual charge/invoice for each eligible student and queues the invoice email. A queued email is not proof that it reached the recipient’s inbox.

8. Students review the event

   Students open My Tasks > My Events to read event details and view the fee/payment status. In OCR for Higher Education, the student can select Acknowledge. This clears the event’s unread badge; it does not record attendance, pay an invoice, or guarantee that the student accepted a calendar invitation.

9. Collect payment when the event has a fee

   The student or an authorized parent opens My Finances, reviews the event invoice, and uploads payment evidence. Finance reviews and verifies the evidence. Until it is verified, payment remains pending; after verification, the payment is confirmed and the receipt is available in My Finances.

10. Add post-event feedback

    After the event date, the HOD can open the event’s three-dot menu and choose Coordinator Feedback. Select a student, enter remarks with the rich-text and emoji controls, and optionally upload one picture for that student. Saving feedback queues an email notice to the student and linked parent.

Fees and taxes

An event type can provide a default per-student fee. If it has no default, the HOD or Campus Admin sets the amount while creating the event. A paid event creates a separate student invoice, so the event fee is not a single class-level total.

To apply tax, configure the campus-specific Event Fee fee type in System Settings > Taxes > Tax Applications. Select the relevant tax and fee type, and make sure its effective period covers the event charge date. The event form does not select a tax directly; the finance tax configuration determines the applicable tax for the campus and charge date.

Calendar invitations

Event emails include an iCalendar (.ics) file that recipients can open or import into a calendar. Gmail and Outlook may show different calendar controls and RSVP behavior. Adding a calendar entry is separate from Acknowledge in My Events, which only clears the portal unread badge.

If dates or times look different in a calendar, check the event’s campus timezone and the recipient calendar’s timezone settings. The event form displays dates using the institution’s configured date format.

Who receives the event?

• A class-wide event is matched to students in the selected campus, department, programme, class, and Academic Term.
• A campus-wide event is for the selected campus and does not ask the creator to select a class or programme.
• A linked parent can receive a copy of the student’s event or invoice email when the parent account is linked and an email address is available.

If an event is missing

• Confirm the student is active in the selected campus and class, and that the event’s Academic Term matches the student’s term enrollment.
• Check that the correct event type category and campus availability were configured, and that the event was saved successfully.
• For an invoice or payment question, check My Finances and ask the campus Finance team to review the charge or payment evidence.

Recommended next step

For event invoices, see Student Finances. For date display settings, see Institution date format.