Good day! My name is Kevin. I am a fan of opensource software (Linux, Apache, etc)
I found GibbonEdu via Google. I really like GibbonEdu.
I have installed GibbonEdu for my friend’s Music School (around 30 - 50 students, about 5 instructors, and 4 small class rooms).
They do not really have a “School Year” or “Semester”
The classes are organized when there are enough student signed up for a class (anytime of the year)
The students attend classes 1 - 3 times a week.
Some classes last for 3 months whole others last for 6 months.
Example:
“Intro to Guitar” - From 2017 Feb - 2017 March - 2 times per week, (16 classes), 3 students
“Piano Grade 5” - From 2017 Jan - 2017Jun - 1 time per week, (24 classes), 5 students
“Intro to Piano” - From 2017 March - April - 2 times per week (10 classes), 6 students
I am wondering if you could give me some advice on how to setup the school year and classes in GibbonEdu for scenario above?
I would like to thank all the Gibbon team and community for this great software.
Thanks for your kind words and positive feedback! We are glad you are enjoying Gibbon thus far.
Our experience is mostly with traditional schools, which have fixed years and terms/semesters, and so I am not 100% sure how best to advise you. However, if I was in your shoes I would consider first making a very long school year (e.g. 10 years) and filling it with a single, equally long, term. Do you want to start there, then experiment, and come back with further questions?
Dear Ross,
Thank you so much for your valuable advice. My apology for late reply. I will use the suggested method and will experiment and share the result. I am really thankful to get a chance to use and learn from this software. It is really elegant and nicely designed. Thank you
Cynthia, I can’t see any issues with making one long year and term (and even extending it after it is created), if that best suits your situation. Gibbon was never designed for tutorial schools, but have a go, and knowing there are other community members in the same boat, I am sure they would love to hear more about your experiences via this forum. Thanks! Ross.
Hi Kevin and Ross!
I have a language school with a similar situation. We don’t have years, forms or courses, just classes of varied length. Usually the students are enrolled in one class only. (eg Spanish A1)
What advantage is there of making a 10-year long school year and term?
I was thinking of putting all the students in one year and form. However, some participate in group lessons, others have one-to-one tutoring. Do you foresee a problem with the billing?
I’d appreciate all the help and advice you can send my way!
Cynthia
Actually, I’m coming up against obstacles at every turn. For example, my next step was the timetable. We don’t have periods because our times are flexible. One class might start at 6 pm on Tuesday, but 6:30 on Wednesday. Gradually I’m getting the feeling that Gibbon isn’t the right product for me. Does anyone have another idea for me?
Cynthia, Gibbon was not designed for your situation, and although it was designed to be flexible, it is still designed with traditional school settings in mind. This would explain your frustration. It would be possible for you to have someone build an alternative timetable module to plug into the system, but there is cost involved of course. Otherwise, another system might be a better fit, but I cannot say what that system might be, as it is outside of my expertise. I hope this helps! Ross.
