Classter is a comprehensive Student Information & Learning Management System that streamlines administrative and academic operations for educational institutions. It offers a flexible and highly configurable environment, making it suitable for K-12, Higher Education, Vocational Training Institutions and Private Language Schools. This document provides an intuitive overview of Classter’s main entities, functionalities, and structuring principles.
Institutional Structure (Educational Programs)
Classter allows institutions to define their structure hierarchically, ensuring seamless organization and management. The key components include:
Location (Required)
Represents the primary physical or organizational division within the institution (e.g., campuses, schools, cities, faculties, study areas or it can be the main categorization of the grades/programs, like BSc, MSc). Institutions with multiple facilities should define each location separately for accurate data management and reporting.
- Example: A university with multiple campuses in different cities can define each campus as a separate location.
- Note: If your institution does not have multiple locations, this field can be set as ‘Institute’ with your institution’s title.
Sub-location (Optional)
It further divides a location (e.g. departments, buildings, or academic centers). Helps track administrative or academic units within a broader location.
- Can be used in admission applications to filter out Grades/Programs.
Grade Level (Optional)
Defines the educational stage of a Grade/program (e.g., primary, secondary, tertiary education, BSc, MSc). Helps categorize and filter Grades/Programs in admission applications.
- Can be renamed for alternative categorizations such as Study Mode or Fields of Study if other classification fields are used.
Grade (Required)
Defines the exact academic year, grade, or program a student is enrolled in. Essential for structuring academic progression and planning enrollments.
Represents:
- K-12 Schools: Grades as Years or Levels (e.g., Grade 10, Year 3, IB 1).
- Language Centers: Language levels (e.g., French Intermediate, French Advanced).
- Higher Education: Programs, Certificates, Diplomas (e.g., MBA, BSc Accounting).
Grade Type (Optional)
Can be used as an additional categorization of the Grades/Programs. If we already have used the previous ones. Differentiates grading systems or educational methodologies within an institution.
- Example: Online, Hybrid, Business, Informatics
Stream (Required)
Represents specialized pathways within a grade (e.g., Science, Humanities, Technical Streams). Serves as an identifier in the educational program of a student. If there is no pathway, we use one option as ‘Main’ in all Grades.
In Higher Education, streams define academic paths within a program, like Years – Semesters (e.g., Year 1, Semester 2, Quarter 3).
Educational Program Category/Specialization (Optional, Recommended for Higher Education)
Categorizes programs into broader classifications such as Undergraduate, Postgraduate, Vocational Training, or Diplomas. Enhances clarity in academic reporting and program structuring.
Academic Structure
Classter supports a well-defined academic structure that enhances curriculum management and learning administration. The primary academic entities include:
Subject
Represents individual subjects/courses or modules within a program (e.g., Mathematics, Biology, Business Studies).
- Includes assessments, credits, and academic resources.
Group
Defines collections of students (and teachers) assigned to a specific group/class or academic cohort.
- Essential for scheduling, timetabling, and resource allocation.
Curriculum (Required for Higher Education)
A structured set of subjects and learning outcomes that define a particular academic program. Institutions can create multiple curricula to accommodate yearly changes while preserving historical data.
Key Components:
- Graduation Eligibility: Defines credits, mandatory subjects, attendance, and academic performance requirements.
- Enrollment Structure: Determines required and optional courses per academic year or semester.
- Curriculum Transition Handling: Allows seamless transitions for new students while preserving historical curriculum records.
We can have multiple Curricula per grade/program and based on the time of entry, each student can automatically take the correct curriculum, based on the current default curriculum we can define in each grade/program.
Academic Periods
Serve as the foundation for all institutional processes. Most of the data are organized per Academic period. Active students, subjects, groups/classes, assignments are tied to specific academic periods. Sometimes financial arrangements as well. In K-12 all academic data of students are organized per academic period, but in Higher Education, academic data are organized per curriculum (multiple academic periods).
- Must be created each semester, or year to ensure accurate scheduling and reporting.
Student Services & Institutional Support
In addition to academic management, Classter offers a range of services that enhance student experience and institutional efficiency.
All Types of Services can also include financial arrangements and financial management (invoicing).
Examples:
Financial Services
Manages additional fees, such as administrative fees, admission/application fees, Any additional fees to the main tuition fees that need to be enrolled and charged separately.
- Supports multiple pricing models, including per-credit and per-course billing.
Extracurricular Activities
Manages student participation in clubs, sports, and extracurricular programs (e.g. afternoon activities like lunch, football, and extracurricular activities like seminars).
- Tracks attendance, performance, and engagement in non-academic activities.
Transportation Management
Organizes and tracks student transportation services, including bus routes and schedules. Allows for route optimization and student safety.
Library Management
Oversees library resources, lending services, digital book repositories, and inventory tracking. Integrates with student accounts for seamless borrowing and returning of books.
Accommodation Services
Facilitates student housing management, including room assignments and maintenance requests.
- Supports residency applications, payment tracking, and housing policies.
Online Enrollment Services
Enables digital services self-registration with automated approval processes. Configures enrollment rules based on prerequisites, credits, and student status and can lead to direct payment of the service.
Reporting & Analytics
Provides insights into academic performance, financial transactions, and enrollment trends. Generates detailed reports to enhance decision-making and track student progress.
User Role Management & Security
Classter also enforces institution-level data segmentation, ensuring staff access only the student records relevant to their roles. Administrators can set permissions for financial, academic, and personal data, maintaining strict access control.
The flexible role-based system assigns specific access levels to students, teachers, staff, and parents, reducing security risks. Secure authentication, access logs, and compliance measures further protect sensitive information and prevent unauthorized access.
User Experience & Interface
Classter provides an optimized interface tailored for different user roles:
- Students: Dashboards for course enrollment, grades, financial details, and academic progress.
- Faculty: Tools for coursework management, student assessments, and attendance tracking.
- Administrators: Centralized control of student records, academic operations, and institutional policies.
- User Roles & Permissions: Flexible user role management allowing institutions to define access rights for each user type (students, teachers, staff, and parents).
Quick Start Guide
- Set Up Institutional Hierarchies: Define locations, programs, and academic structures.
- Configure User Roles & Permissions: Assign access rights to administrators, faculty, and students.
- Import Academic Data: Load student records, course offerings, and financial details.
- Enable Online Enrollment & Workflows: Configure course selection criteria, approvals, and prerequisite rules.
- Leverage Reporting Tools: Generate analytics reports for institutional performance tracking.
Conclusion
Classter provides a powerful and flexible platform for educational institutions, offering structured management of academic and administrative entities. By leveraging its hierarchical model, automation capabilities, and customization options, institutions can significantly enhance their efficiency and student experience.
