Platform Introduction
Lernmark is an academic evaluation platform for institutions that need structured, anonymous student feedback on teaching quality, course delivery, and learning experience. It replaces scattered paper forms, informal surveys, and disconnected spreadsheets with one guided evaluation workflow.
The platform is used by administrators, teachers, and students. Administrators configure the academic structure, open evaluation sessions, monitor completion, and review reports. Teachers view feedback and analytics for their assigned courses. Students complete evaluations for the courses available to them in the active evaluation session.
Your institution is assigned automatically from your administrator account. School-wide administrators should not look for a school selector during normal setup. Created academic units, courses, sessions, teachers, students, and reports are filtered to the institution attached to your account.
How the Platform Works
- Institution setup: administrators confirm their account scope and create the academic units, optional programs, levels, class sections, teachers, and course definitions their institution type uses.
- Evaluation design: administrators create semesters, matrix categories, questions, answer options, and evaluation templates.
- Session launch: administrators create and activate an Evaluation Session, then activate eligible courses into that session.
- Student access: administrators upload the Student Registry for the active session so students are matched to the correct academic unit, program, level, and class section when used.
- Student evaluation: students sign in, see eligible courses, and submit one evaluation per eligible course during the submission window.
- Analytics: administrators and teachers review aggregate participation, ratings, trends, and comments after submissions are available.
Institution scope -> Academic units and academic levels -> Programs or options, if used -> Teachers and course catalog -> Semester, questions, and evaluation template -> Active Evaluation Session -> Course activation and teacher assignment -> Student Registry upload -> Student submissions -> Dashboard, reports, and teacher insights
Real-World Examples
| Institution Type | Recommended Setup | Example |
|---|---|---|
| University faculty | Departments, options, levels, course bundles by semester. | Faculty of Science creates Computer Science and Mathematics departments, Level 200, and Semester 1 bundles. |
| Professional institute | Departments and academic levels, with options only when tracks exist. | Business School creates Management, Accounting, and Marketing departments with Year 1 and Year 2 levels. |
| Secondary school | Use optional tracks/streams such as Grammar, Commercial, or Technical Education, then define levels and class sections. | Grammar Education creates Form 1 and Form 1A/Form 1B, while a school without tracks can work directly from level and section. |
Complete setup with a small pilot first: one academic unit when used, one level, one class section if needed, a few teachers, a short evaluation template, one active session, and a limited registry upload. Confirm course visibility before launching institution-wide.
Portal Access Links
Keep these official Lernmark portal links in onboarding material, launch emails, and internal support notes so administrators, teachers, and students can reach the correct login page from the deployed domain.
| Portal | Login path | Primary users | Use it for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Admin Portal | /1aa/auth/login.php | Institution, director, department, and super admins. | School setup, Course Manager, evaluation sessions, reporting, and support tickets. |
| Teacher Portal | /2ta/auth/login.php | Teachers and instructors. | Aggregate feedback, assigned-course analytics, performance summaries, and comments. |
| Student Portal | /3sa/auth/login.php | Registered or invited students. | Student registration, eligible course evaluations, submission history, and support contact. |
Institutional Scope and Roles
Lernmark is institution-focused. Once an administrator signs in, the platform shows the records and workflows available for that administrator account. This keeps each school workspace clear and reduces the risk of configuring data in the wrong place.
School administrators cannot select a school during workflows where the platform already scopes data from their account.
Administrator Roles
| Role | What They Can Manage | Visibility | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Institution Administrator | Institution-wide setup, administrators, academic structure, evaluation launch, reports. | Records for the assigned institution. | Primary platform owner inside a school. |
| Director Administrator | School-wide academic setup, academic units, teachers, courses, sessions, registry, analytics. | Institution-wide records for their assigned school. | Dean, director, quality assurance lead, registrar. |
| Department Administrator | Academic-unit-owned teachers, options when enabled, courses, assignments, and reporting workflows. | Records related to their assigned department, track, or stream. | Head of department, stream coordinator, or department coordinator. |
What Administrators Can and Cannot Access
- Director Administrators can manage school-wide configuration for their assigned institution.
- Department Administrators work inside their assigned department, track, or stream and should only see relevant records.
- Courses, academic units, sessions, students, teachers, and reports are filtered according to the administrator account.
- Students and teachers use separate portals and do not manage institutional setup.
Platform Setup Hierarchy
The platform setup order matters because later workflows depend on earlier academic records. Skipping a required dependency usually causes empty dropdowns, rejected imports, hidden courses, incomplete analytics, or blocked session launch.
| Setup Item | Required Before | Why It Exists | What Breaks If Skipped | Required? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Institution account scope | All setup | Determines which workspace and records administrators can see. | Administrators may not see expected records or workflows. | Mandatory |
| Academic units | Programs/options when enabled, teachers, courses, registry rows, department admins. | Defines academic ownership for departments, tracks, or streams. | Scoped records cannot be grouped, and registry rows may be rejected when the unit is required. | Profile-dependent |
| Options or programs | Program-specific courses and registry rows. | Represents specializations inside an academic unit. | Program-level courses may not appear to students. | Optional and hidden for secondary profiles |
| Academic Levels | Courses, registry rows, student eligibility. | Controls level-based course visibility. | Students may not see courses for the session. | Mandatory when level-based |
| Semester | Evaluation Session. | Gives the session an academic period. | Sessions cannot be configured correctly. | Mandatory |
| Questions and options | Evaluation Template. | Defines what students answer and how results are grouped. | Templates may be unusable or analytics may be incomplete. | Mandatory |
| Evaluation Template | Evaluation Session. | Defines the evaluation form for a session. | Session creation or activation may be blocked. | Mandatory |
| Active Evaluation Session | Registry upload, student access, course activation context. | Defines the current cycle. | Registry import and student evaluation access may be unavailable. | Mandatory for launch |
| Teachers | Teacher assignment. | Connects feedback to instructors. | Students may see no eligible instructor, and teacher analytics may be empty. | Mandatory |
| Course Catalog | Bundles, activation, assignments, student visibility. | Defines reusable course records. | Courses cannot be activated or assigned. | Mandatory |
| Student Registry | Student registration and evaluation access. | Verifies student identity and academic placement for the session. | Students may be unable to register or may not see expected courses. | Mandatory when registry verification is used |
Uploading the registry before the active session exists, creating courses without levels, assigning teachers after launch without reviewing visibility, and using slightly different academic-unit names in the registry file.
Getting Started Setup Guide
Follow this sequence for a first production launch. Each step lists the purpose, where to find it, required permissions, dependencies, and recommended conventions.
| Step | Where | Purpose | Dependencies | Field Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Review institution scope | Admin Portal dashboard | Confirm you are in the correct institution workspace. | Administrator account | Institution name, role label |
| 2. Create administrator users | People > Administrators | Delegate setup to institution and academic-unit staff. | Academic units for department roles | Jane Mbah, Director Administrator |
| 3. Create academic units | Academic Setup > Departments | Represent faculties, departments, tracks, streams, or sections such as Grammar Education. | Institution scope | Computer Science, Nursing, Grammar Education |
| 4. Create options | Academic Setup > Options | Represent tertiary specializations or programs when enabled. | Academic units | Software Engineering, Public Health |
| 5. Configure levels | Academic Setup > Academic Levels | Define academic progression. | Institution scope | Level 100, Year 2, Master 1 |
| 6. Create semesters | Evaluation > Semesters | Define the academic period. | Institution scope | 2026 Semester 1 |
| 7. Create matrices | Evaluation > Questions | Group questions into reporting categories. | Evaluation plan | Teaching Clarity, Assessment, Engagement |
| 8. Create questions | Evaluation > Questions | Build the question bank. | Matrices recommended | The teacher explains concepts clearly. |
| 9. Configure options | Evaluation > Questions | Set rating or choice values. | Questions | 1 to 5 rating scale |
| 10. Create template | Evaluation > Evaluation Templates | Assemble questions into a form. | Questions | End of Semester Teacher Evaluation |
| 11. Create session | Evaluation > Evaluation Sessions | Set the evaluation cycle and dates. | Semester, template | 2026 S1 Course Evaluation |
| 12. Add teachers | People > Teachers | Create instructor records. | Academic units when used | Dr. A. Nfor, Computer Science |
| 13. Create Course Catalog | Academic Setup > Course Manager | Create reusable course definitions. | Academic units when used, levels, options when enabled | CSC201 - Data Structures |
| 14. Create Course Bundles | Course Manager > Bundle Builder | Group repeatable course sets. | Course Catalog | CS Level 200 Semester 1 |
| 15. Assign teachers | Course Manager > Teacher Assignment | Connect teachers to courses globally or by class section. | Teachers, courses, active session for class-specific assignment | CSC201 -> Dr. A. Nfor, or CSC201 + Form 1A -> Dr. A. Nfor |
| 16. Activate courses | Course Manager > Bulk Activation | Add eligible courses to the active session. | Active session, course catalog | Activate selected |
| 17. Upload registry | People > Student Registry | Verify students and academic placement. | Active session, levels, class sections, academic units when used | REG001, Grammar Education, Form 1, Form 1A |
| 18. Launch evaluations | Evaluation Sessions and Student Portal | Open student submissions. | Template, active session, courses, teachers, registry | Submission window: May 1 to May 15 |
| 19. Review analytics | Dashboard, Reports, Teacher Portal | Monitor completion and evaluate results. | Student submissions | Completion rate, average rating, comments |
Recommended Naming Conventions
- Evaluation Session: Academic Year + Semester + Purpose, for example 2026 Semester 1 Teacher Evaluation.
- Course Bundle: Academic Unit or Program + Level + Semester, for example Nursing Level 300 Semester 2.
- Course Catalog: Official course code + official title, for example ACC210 - Financial Accounting II.
- Template: Evaluation type + audience, for example End of Semester Course Evaluation.
Course Manager Deep Dive
Course Manager is the academic operations workspace for reusable course definitions, bundles, session activation, and teacher assignment. It exists so institutions can prepare courses once, reuse them each session, and control exactly which courses become visible for evaluation.
Only courses within your institution are displayed. Department Administrators see course records relevant to their assigned academic unit. If a course is missing from Course Manager, first check academic unit, program/option, level, status, and active filters.
Course Manager Views
| View | Purpose | Use When | Key Actions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catalog Browser | Search, filter, inspect, edit, and delete reusable course definitions. | You are reviewing or maintaining the master course list. | Search, filter, edit, delete, select rows. |
| Bulk Activation | Activate selected course definitions into an Evaluation Session. | You are preparing a session for student evaluations. | Activate selected, load bundle, choose target session. |
| Bundle Builder | Create and maintain reusable groups of course definitions. | You repeat the same course groups each term. | Create bundle, update loaded bundle, load bundle, activate bundle. |
| Teacher Assignment | Assign instructors to selected course definitions. | You need teacher analytics and student evaluation attribution to work correctly. | Assign instructor, choose a target session, optionally choose a class section, update assignment. |
Tables, Filters, and Controls
| Element | What It Shows | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Course column | Course code and title. | Use it to confirm the official course identity before assigning or activating. |
| Academic Context column | Academic unit, option or program when enabled, level, and scope label. | Controls which students can see the course. |
| Status badge | Active, inactive, or archived. | Inactive or archived courses should not be used for new launch work. |
| Offerings column | How often the definition has been activated into sessions. | Helps identify reused courses and older records. |
| Instructor column | Global assignment summary and any class-specific assignments. | Unassigned or partially assigned courses cannot produce complete teacher analytics. |
| Latest Session column | Most recent session where the course appeared. | Confirms whether a course has been used recently. |
| Search | Course code, name, institution, academic unit, or program. | Fastest way to find a course in a large catalog. |
| Academic unit filter | Departments, tracks, or streams available to your account. | Narrows the catalog to one academic unit. |
| Program / Option filter | Specializations inside academic units. | Use when course visibility depends on program mapping. Hidden when the institution profile does not use programs. |
| Level filter | Academic levels. | Use before activating a level-specific bundle or course group. |
| Scope filter | School-wide, academic-unit-wide, or program-wide. | Explains how broadly a course applies. |
| Session filter | Available Evaluation Sessions. | Shows courses related to a specific session context. |
| Rows selector | Number of rows per page. | Use larger values for bulk review; use smaller values for careful cleanup. |
Course Bundles
A Course Bundle is a reusable set of course definitions. Bundles are useful for large institutions that repeat the same course groups each semester. For example, "Computer Science Level 200 - Semester 1" can contain every Level 200 Computer Science course expected in that term.
Bundles do not replace course definitions. They help administrators load, update, and activate multiple course definitions as a group.
Teacher Assignment
Teacher Assignment connects a teacher to a course definition. This connection is essential because student submissions must be attributed to the correct instructor for teacher-facing analytics and reports.
- Assign teachers before inviting students to evaluate.
- Review "Unassigned" courses before launch.
- Use a global assignment when one instructor owns the course for all classes in the session.
- Use a class section assignment when one session offering is split across sections such as Form 1A and Form 1B.
- When a course has multiple instructors, do not duplicate the course definition unless the academic context is genuinely different.
Course Activation and Evaluation Eligibility
Activating a course into an Evaluation Session makes it part of that session. Students still only see the course when their registry placement matches the course academic context and the session accepts submissions.
Incorrect course setup affects:
- Student visibility: students may not see the course if the academic unit, program/option, level, or class section does not match their registry placement.
- Teacher analytics: reports may be empty if no teacher is assigned before submissions.
- Evaluation eligibility: inactive, archived, or unactivated courses should not appear for evaluation.
- Registry imports: registry rows must use academic labels that match configured units, programs/options, levels, and class sections.
- Reporting accuracy: duplicate course definitions can split results across records.
Bulk Actions
| Action | What It Does | When to Use | Reversible? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Activate into session | Adds selected course definitions to a target Evaluation Session. | Before student launch. | Usually reversible by removing from the target session before submissions. |
| Create bundle | Saves selected course definitions as a reusable bundle. | When course groups repeat across terms. | Yes, by updating or replacing the bundle. |
| Update loaded bundle | Changes the currently loaded bundle contents. | When a bundle needs course additions or removals. | Yes, by editing again. |
| Assign instructor | Connects selected courses to a teacher. | Before students submit evaluations. | Yes, by changing the assignment. |
| Update status | Changes selected courses to active, inactive, or archived. | During catalog maintenance. | Usually yes, unless institutional policy treats archive as final. |
| Remove from target session | Removes selected assigned courses from the selected session. | Before submissions when a course was activated by mistake. | Use carefully after launch; removal can affect visibility and reporting. |
For large institutions, filter by academic unit, program/option, and level before selecting across filtered results. This reduces accidental activation of courses outside the intended academic group.
Course Manager Troubleshooting
| Issue | Likely Cause | What to Check |
|---|---|---|
| Course not showing for students | Course not activated, mismatched level, wrong program/option, inactive session, or closed window. | Session status, course activation, course academic context, registry placement. |
| Teacher analytics empty | No global or class-specific teacher assigned before submissions, or no submissions yet. | Instructor column, target session assignment summary, Reports, Student completion status. |
| Bundle activation includes wrong courses | Bundle contents are outdated. | Load bundle, inspect selected course definitions, update loaded bundle. |
| Registry rows rejected | Imported academic unit, program/option, level, or class section does not match configured records. | Spelling, naming conventions, active session, optional program column, and class sections defined under Academic Levels. |
| Duplicate report entries | Duplicate course definitions or inconsistent course naming. | Catalog Browser search, course codes, archive old duplicates after review. |
Evaluation Design and Session Setup
Evaluation design controls what students answer. Session setup controls when and where those questions appear. A session requires a semester and an evaluation template. A template requires assigned questions. Questions should be mapped to matrix categories when the institution wants clearer reporting groups.
Question Bank, Rating Scales, and Matrices
- Matrix Category: a reporting dimension such as Teaching Clarity or Classroom Engagement.
- Question: a prompt students answer during an evaluation.
- Question Options: rating or choice values used to submit a response.
- Rating Scale: the numeric scale used for scoring, commonly 1 to 5.
Evaluation Template
An Evaluation Template is the reusable form attached to an Evaluation Session. Create one focused template for the first launch, then clone or revise templates for future cycles when your institution has reviewed the reporting needs.
Student Registry
The Student Registry is the verified list of students allowed to register and participate in the active Evaluation Session. It connects each student identifier to the correct academic unit when used, option if applicable, academic level, and optional named class section.
Registry uploads require an active Evaluation Session because student eligibility is session-specific. Use the columns shown in Student Registry: tertiary schools usually use reg_no, department, program, level, optional class_section, and optional status; secondary schools can use reg_no, level, class_section, and status, with track or stream only when configured.
- Define class sections under Academic Levels before importing registry rows that reference them.
- When class_section is blank, Lernmark uses the explicitly defined default section for that level, such as Level 200 Default.
- When class_section is provided, it must match an existing section under the student's academic level, for example Form 1A.
- Students evaluate the teacher assigned to their class section first, then fall back to the session's global teacher assignment if no class-specific assignment exists.
Students cannot reliably evaluate courses until their registry placement, the active session, course activation, and teacher assignment all align.
Analytics and Reporting
Analytics become meaningful after students submit evaluations. Administrators use Dashboard and Reports to review participation, average ratings, course performance, session progress, and comments where enabled. Teachers use the Teacher Portal to review feedback related to their assigned courses.
Teacher Portal
The Teacher Portal gives teachers access to scoped feedback and performance summaries. If a teacher sees no analytics, check whether the teacher was assigned to the evaluated course and whether students have submitted responses.
Glossary
- Academic Level
- A year, level, or stage used to match students with eligible courses.
- Active Session
- The current Evaluation Session used for registry, student access, and evaluation submissions.
- Course Catalog
- The reusable list of official course definitions before they are activated into a session.
- Course Bundle
- A saved group of course definitions used for repeatable activation.
- Dashboard Metrics
- Summary numbers such as completion, participation, course counts, and recent activity.
- Department / Track / Stream
- An academic unit that can group teachers, courses, registry rows, and reports. Secondary schools may use it for Grammar, Commercial, or Technical Education, or skip it and organize directly by level and class section.
- Evaluation Analytics
- Aggregate feedback insights for administrators and teachers.
- Evaluation Progress
- How many eligible evaluations have been completed compared with what remains pending.
- Evaluation Session
- The evaluation cycle with a template, semester, dates, status, and eligible courses.
- Evaluation Status
- The state of an evaluation workflow, such as active, closed, or scheduled.
- Evaluation Template
- The reusable form containing the questions students answer.
- Matrix Category
- A reporting group for related questions.
- Option
- A program or specialization inside an academic unit. It is hidden for institution profiles that do not use programs.
- Question Options
- The rating or multiple-choice values students can select.
- Rating Scale
- The scoring range used for evaluation responses.
- Registry
- The verified list of student identifiers and academic placement for the active session.
- Semester
- The academic period attached to an Evaluation Session.
- Student Registry
- The administrator-managed list that controls student verification, session eligibility, and optional class section placement.
- Submission Window
- The date range when students can submit evaluations.
- Teacher Assignment
- The connection between a teacher and a course definition for evaluation and analytics, either globally for all classes or scoped to one class section.
- Class Section
- A school and level specific group such as Form 1A that can receive its own teacher assignment inside a session.
Troubleshooting Center
| Problem | Common Cause | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Student cannot register | Student identifier is missing from the active session registry. | Check Student Registry, active session, and identifier spelling. |
| Student cannot see a course | Course is not active for the session or does not match the student's academic unit, program/option, level, or class section placement. | Review Course Manager activation, teacher assignment summary, and registry placement. |
| No active session message | No Evaluation Session is active for the institution. | Activate the intended session after template and semester setup. |
| Teacher reports are empty | No submissions, no teacher assignment, or wrong course assignment. | Check assigned instructor and completion status. |
| Registry import rejects rows | Imported academic unit, program/option, level, or class section names do not match setup records. | Correct names and re-import. |
| Course appears twice | Duplicate course definitions were created. | Keep the correct record active and archive old duplicates after review. |
| Archived session is read-only | Historical records are protected for reporting consistency. | Create or activate a new session for new evaluations. |
Administrator FAQ
Why do I not see a school selector?
Your institution is automatically assigned based on your administrator account. Most school administrators do not need to choose a school while working.
Why must I create a session before uploading the registry?
The registry is tied to the current evaluation cycle so each student receives the correct academic placement for that session.
Why are students missing courses?
Course visibility depends on the active session, course activation, teacher assignment, course status, and the student's registry placement, including class section when used.
Can I use Course Bundles without options?
Yes. Bundles can be created for academic units, levels, or any repeatable course group, even when the institution does not use programs or specializations.