Note: This article's focus is on the next-generation Service Learning Module (SLM), released by Galaxy Digital in late 2017/early 2018. For information on the old version (Legacy SLM), click here. The SLM is an add-on module and is not part of a standard Connect platform. SLM features are only available to clients who have purchased the module.

Site managers, agency managers, and course instructors (with permission) can add needs to courses. This article goes over the "why" and "how" of adding needs to courses as a site manager. For more information on managing courses in your site's SLM, see the Related Articles list at the bottom of this page.

Note: A course is a special type of user group, as explained in this article. This article uses the terms "course" and "user group" interchangeably, but it uses the default "user group" when referring to buttons, tables, and other items as they appear on the default screen.

Why Add a Need to a Course?

A need must be added to a course in order for the course instructor (SLM Leader) to manage the need in your site's SLM. Once the need has been added, it becomes available in the SLM Leader Portal, and students can easily access it using a handy link in the My User Groups area of their profile.

Note: It is not necessary to assign an agency to a course in order to add one of that agency's needs to the course. You only need to add an agency to a course if the course's instructor will be creating new needs on behalf of the agency. Click here to learn more.

Adding a Need to a Course

Both site managers and agency managers can add a need to a course. This article is geared toward site managers, but it covers the agency manager role as well. A separate article, listed in Related Articles below, is also available specifically for agency managers.

Adding a Need to a Course: Site Manager Perspective

As a site manager, you can add a need to a course in either the need-management area (individually or in bulk) or the user-group management area.

Need-Management Area: Adding a Need Individually to a Course

To add a need from the need-management area:

Go to Volunteerism > Needs and click on the title of the need to add.
Scroll down to the User Groups area of the Update Need form.
From the dropdown to the left of the Add User Group button, select a user group (course).
Click Add User Group.

The need has been added to the course. To remove it from the course, click the X in the row of the user group, and then click Yes to confirm.

Need-Management Area: Adding Needs to a Course in Bulk

To add multiple needs to a user group:

Go to Volunteerism > Needs and mark the check boxes next to the needs to add.
From the Actions for Selected Needs dropdown, select Assign or Remove User Group.
From the new dropdowns that appear, select Assign to the following user group and select a user group.
Click Update User Groups.

The user groups (courses) will appear in the User Groups column of the table of user groups.

Note: You can also remove a user group from multiple needs at once. To do so, follow the above instructions, but select the Remove from the following user group option. You can also opt to make needs private at the same time you assign them to a user group. See the article Assigning Needs to User Groups to learn more.

User Group-Management Area

To add a need from the user group-management area:

Go to Volunteerism > User Groups and select a user group.
Scroll down to User Group Needs area of the Update User Group form.
Begin typing the need title into the text box to the left of the Add New Need button. If the need is active on your site and not expired, it will appear and you can select it.
After selecting the need, click Add New Need.

Now that the need has been added to the user group (course), the user group members (both students and professors) can access it.

If you need to remove the need from the course, return to the User Group Needs area, click the X in the row of the need, and then click Yes to confirm.

Note: Unless the need is private, it will be visible on the site to all users, even if they don't belong to the course to which you've added it.

Adding a Need to a Course: Agency Manager Perspective

Note: An agency manager can add any of its needs to any course at any time, regardless of whether the agency itself has been added to the course. You only need to add an agency to a course if the course's instructor will be creating new needs on behalf of the agency. Click here to learn more.

To add a need to a course as an agency manager:

Go to the Needs section of your agency management area and click on the need to open it.
Scroll down to the User Groups area at the bottom of the Update Need form.
Select a user group from the dropdown to the left of the Add User Group button.
Click Add User Group.

Now that the need has been added to the user group (course), the user group members (both students and professors) can access it.

Note: Unless the need is private, it will be visible on the site to all users, even if they don't belong to the course to which you've added it.

Check out these articles on managing course management in your site's SLM:

For an overview of the Service Learning Module, see Service Learning on Your Connect Platform.

Adding a Need to a Course (2.12)