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Managing Sessions

Sessions are the specific, schedulable instances of a course. While a course defines what you teach, a session defines when, where, and with whom it happens.

What Is a Session?​

A session ties together a course, an instructor, and optionally a location and schedule. Here's an example:

CourseSessionInstructorSchedule
Piano LessonsTuesday PianoMs. GarciaTuesdays 3:00 - 3:30 PM
Piano LessonsWednesday PianoMr. ChenWednesdays 4:00 - 4:30 PM
Piano LessonsThursday PianoMs. GarciaThursdays 2:00 - 2:30 PM
Group GuitarSaturday BeginnersMr. DavisSaturdays 10:00 - 11:00 AM

In this example, "Piano Lessons" is a single course with three sessions, each with its own instructor and time slot. Students enroll in a specific session, not the course as a whole.

Viewing Sessions​

Sessions are displayed on the course detail page. To view them:

  1. Navigate to Catalog in the sidebar.
  2. Click on a course to open its detail page.
  3. Scroll down to the Sessions section.

Each session shows:

  • Session name -- A descriptive name for the session.
  • Instructor -- Who teaches this session.
  • Date range -- The first and last session dates, derived from the recurrence.
  • Enrollment count -- How many students are currently enrolled.

Click on any session to navigate to its detail page (for group classes, this links to the calendar event).

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For group classes, you may also see a Past Sessions section below the active sessions, showing sessions that have already concluded.

How Sessions Are Created​

Sessions can be created in several ways depending on the course type:

For Private Lessons​

When you assign an instructor to a private lesson course, Conductly can automatically create a session for that instructor. This happens from either:

  • The Instructor detail page -- Assign courses to the instructor.
  • The Course detail page -- Assign instructors to the course.

Each instructor-course combination creates its own session that can be individually scheduled on the calendar.

For Group Classes​

Group class sessions are created and managed on the Calendar. When you schedule a group class event on the calendar, Conductly creates the corresponding session.

To schedule a group class:

  1. Go to the Calendar.
  2. Create a new event and associate it with your group class course.
  3. Assign an instructor and set the schedule.
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For group classes, the course detail page will direct you to the Calendar for scheduling. Look for the "Schedule class sessions on the Calendar" prompt.

For Programs​

Program sessions follow a similar pattern to group classes and are managed through the calendar and scheduling tools.

Session Details​

Each session has several key attributes:

Instructor​

The instructor assigned to teach this session. For private lessons, this is set when the instructor is assigned to the course. For group classes, this is set when the event is created on the calendar.

Enrollment Count​

The number of students currently enrolled in the session. For group classes, this is especially important for managing capacity.

Date Range​

Each session has a First Session Date and Last Session Date that define when the session runs. These are derived from the session's recurrence pattern — the first occurrence date is the first scheduled lesson, and the last occurrence date is the final scheduled lesson based on the recurrence end condition. This is particularly useful for:

  • Semester-based courses
  • Time-limited programs
  • Group classes with defined start and end dates

Sessions connect to your calendar. Clicking on a group class session takes you to its calendar event where you can view the full schedule, manage occurrences, and handle attendance.

Session Capacity (Group Classes)​

For group classes, session capacity determines how many students can enroll:

  • The capacity is set when configuring the class session.
  • When a session reaches capacity, Conductly prevents additional enrollments.
  • You can see the current enrollment count on the course detail page (e.g., "5 enrolled").
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Capacity limits apply to group classes only. Private lessons are inherently one-on-one and do not have a capacity setting.

Managing Session Instructors​

Private Lessons​

For private lessons, the session instructor is determined by the course-instructor assignment:

  1. Go to the course or instructor detail page.
  2. Manage the instructor assignment using the Instructors (or Courses) property.
  3. Sessions are created or updated accordingly.

Group Classes​

For group classes, instructor assignment happens on the calendar:

  1. Navigate to the Calendar.
  2. Find the group class event.
  3. Change or assign the instructor from the event details.
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Group classes can have different instructors for different occurrences. For example, a substitute instructor could cover one week while the regular instructor is out.

Sessions and Billing​

Sessions inherit the billing plan configured on their parent course. When a student enrolls in a session:

  • Pay in Full -- The student is billed the full course price.
  • Payment Plan -- A payment schedule is created based on the course's installment configuration.
  • Per Lesson -- The student is billed for each scheduled lesson at the configured rate.
  • Subscription -- A recurring charge is created based on the tuition configuration.

You can review billing details on the course detail page under the Billing Information panel.

Next Steps​