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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 (shown for group classes only).
  • Enrollment count -- How many students are currently enrolled.

Click on a group class session to open its Group page -- the roster group that mirrors the class's enrollment.

info

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.
tip

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​

Group class sessions show 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 meeting, and the last occurrence date is the final scheduled meeting 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

Link to the Group Page​

Clicking a group class session takes you to its Group page -- the roster group whose membership mirrors the class's enrollment. From there you can email or text the class, download a roster PDF, or export the member list. To view or change the class's schedule and occurrences, use the Calendar.

Session Capacity (Group Classes)​

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

  • The capacity is set on the class event when you schedule it on the calendar (the "Enter capacity (optional)" field) -- not on the course.
  • When a session reaches capacity, Conductly blocks additional enrollments made by staff (from the student page or calendar).
  • You can see the current enrollment count on the course detail page (e.g., "5 enrolled").
warning

The online store displays capacity ("Open," "Full," or "N spots remaining"), but this is display-only -- storefront checkout does not enforce the capacity limit. Keep an eye on enrollment counts for classes sold through your store.

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 type configured on their parent course. Enrolling a student records pending charges -- it never creates an invoice immediately. Invoices are generated separately from the Invoices screen, and the pending charges determine what appears on them:

  • Pay in Full -- A single pending charge for the full course price.
  • Payment Plan -- Installment charges based on the course's payment schedule.
  • Per Meeting -- Charges for each scheduled meeting at the configured rate.
  • Subscription -- A recurring tuition charge at the configured frequency.

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

Next Steps​