http://www.aarweb.org/meetings/annual_meeting/Current_Meeting/Session_Entry/instructions.asp
Session Entry Instructions
The Session Entry database is where you will create and organize your unit's program sessions. If your unit accepted submissions via OP3, Session Entry can import session data from OP3, preventing the need for rekeying proposals. However, it is a separate system from OP3.
Changes can be made to any and all sessions until April 1, 2011.
Due to the different methods of entering data (manually or through OP3), complete instructions for both methods have been written. Below is a shortcut menu to guide you to the answers to your questions as soon as possible.
| Creating a New Session |
| Entering a Session Manually |
| Importing a Pre-Arranged Session from OP3 |
| Adding/Editing Session Participants |
| Reviewing a Session and Finishing Up |
Creating a New Session
After logging in, you will be sent to the Session List page. This page contains a table displaying your unit's sessions, including space for the "extra" conditional sessions.
To create a new session
- Select Edit/Import. This will take you to the Session Description page
- Select Papers if this session is comprised of individual participants and their papers in a session developed by your unit from the submissions. You will be able to import a participant's data from OP3 or manually enter a participant's data.
- Select Panel if this session is comprised of panelists speaking on a chosen topic - no papers will be presented. You will be able to import a participant's data from OP3 or manually enter a participant's data.
- Select Import a Pre-Arranged Session from OP3 if a pre-arranged papers or panel session was submitted to your unit. Many of the fields will be automatically populated with the data from the submission to OP3. This is only for pre-arranged session proposals, not individual proposals submitted through OP3. To add one of those, choose the either Papers or Panel and go to View/Add Participants. You will be able to import a participant's data from OP3 or manually enter a participant's data.
Things to remember:
If you are cosponsoring a session with another unit, please use the field specified on the Session List for that purpose and follow the instructions on that page. If your unit wishes to cosponsor more than one session with another unit, please contact the Director of Meetings.
Entering a Session Manually
You select whether this will be a Papers or Panel session on the next screen. You may change this information at a later point.
Session Description - Papers or Panel
The Session Description screen contains the scheduling information needed for the session. On this screen you will enter:
- The Order you wish this session to be scheduled. Select the order number from the drop down menu provided.
- The AAR Co-sponsoring Unit, if any.
- The Theme for the session
- Other Sessions to Avoid in Scheduling. Please keep these requests to a maximum of two and list them in priority order. Please be as specific as possible (i.e., Buddhism's session "Buddhism in Georgia" rather than "anything about Buddhism").
- Any Day and Time Preferences using the dropdown menu.
- The Room Style.
- If this session includes a Business Meeting or not. If it does, enter whether you want the business meeting to be at the day/time preference or with this specific session.
- The Abstract of 150 words or less describing the entire Papers session is optional. This will be published along with the other abstracts in the online program book. If you do not have an abstract to enter, please write "no abstract" in the field. Otherwise you will receive an error message.
- Any Diacritical Marks.
- Any Other Comments about This Session. Please include the names of any people co-presenting a paper in this space.
Go to Adding/Editing Session Participants for the next step on how to enter your unit's session information.
Importing a Pre-Arranged Session from OP3
If you choose to Import a Session from OP3, you will be taken to the OP3 Import Menu - Pre-Arranged Sessions page where all of the pre-arranged sessions submitted to your unit are listed. It will only show pre-arranged sessions that have either been accepted or no decision made in OP3. If you do not see the pre-arranged session you wish to enter on this screen, check the Chairs Menu in OP3 to make sure that you have not rejected the proposal.
You may preview the session by selecting the View option. This displays the entire proposal, including separate participant information. You cannot make any changes to the session data on this page.
Choosing Import from the OP3 Import Menu will take you to the Session Description page. The Session Description page will be pre-populated with data from OP3. Listed in blue at the top of the page are items you must check or enter to complete the Session Entry process. Please remember that you must still:
- Enter the Co-Sponsoring Program Unit, if any.
- Identify Other Sessions to Avoid in Scheduling, if any.
- Select your Day and Time Preference, if any.
- Identify the Room Style, Estimated Attendance, any other settings associated with Room Style.
- Note if the Business Meeting is associated with this session
- Check the Order and Name as It Appears in the Program Book on the Adding/Editing Session Participants page.
Adding/Editing Session Participants
Upon completing this information, choose the View/Edit/Remove Participants in This Session option. You will be sent to the Session Participants page. If you are re-editing the session or if you imported the session from OP3, a list of participants will appear at the top of the screen in the order of appearance in the session. If you are entering session data for the first time you must select one of the options listed below.
Manually Adding Participants
You may manually add a participant by selecting the appropriate option for the person's role in the session. If you chose to have a business meeting with this session on the previous screen an option for adding a business meeting presider will appear. After choosing one of these options, you will be taken to the Participant Search in Membership Directory. Please enter the person's last name (family name) into the search field.
If the person you are adding is an AAR member, the name will appear on the search results page. After finding the correct person on the results page, you will be sent to the Add Participant page which lists the participants contact information. The database has made its best guess as to how the name should be in the Names as It Is to Appear in Program Book field. Please check this information.
To enter a nonmember as a participant, please attempt to find them first in the member search. On the search results page, scroll down to the Individual Not Found as an AAR Member link. You will have to complete a form detailing the person's complete information. Please remember that all participants in the program must be current AAR members by June 15 or they will be dropped from the program. Special waivers can be granted to participants who are either from developing nations or to people with no affiliation with the field and who would not be attending the meeting otherwise. Please contact the Annual Meeting Team for more information.
The next screen is where you will enter the information about this person's role in the session. Presider, Panelist, and Respondent forms require only the order the person will appear in the session (presiders must be listed first), whether there are any scheduling requirements specific to this person, and in the case of Panelists, if there are any A/V needs. Paper Presenter forms require the order of the participant in the session, the title of the paper, A/V and scheduling needs, and the individual's abstract. If there is no abstract, please write "no abstract" in the Abstract field.
Importing Participants from OP3
Even if you are manually creating a session, you may enter individual proposals your unit received through the OP3 system. To do this, choose the type of participant you wish to add from the list below Automatic Additions (from OP3). If the session you are creating is a panel session, a list of all OP3 proposals for individual panelists will be shown. If the session is a papers session, a list of paper proposals submitted to OP3 will be listed.
Note: The system will only show proposals that have not been rejected by the program unit. If you do not find the proposal you are looking for, enter the OP3 system on your chair menu and make sure that the proposal has not been marked rejected. If it has, please follow the directions in OP3 on how to change the status of a proposal.
You may select to Review the participant's information or you can Import the participant to the session from the next screen. Please be aware that you will need to select the order for a participant imported from OP3.
After adding all participants to the session, click the Done - Return to Session Description button at the bottom of the page.
Finalizing a Session
You can "back up" your session data while working on it by pressing Save and Continue on This Page. This is highly recommended to do several times during your session to make sure that no data gets lost.
Once you have completed entering information, press Save and Return to Session List. If you have left any blanks or have missed a step, an error screen will appear. If you do not wish to address the problems during this session, you can click the Return to Session List button. A statement will appear in red in the session box reminding you that there are still missing details that you need to address before the April 1 deadline.
If the session is complete and all areas have been correctly filled out, a message will appear in green letting you know that the session is now in finalized form.
If for any reason you need to completely delete a session and start over, you may use the Delete button on the Session List page.
Reviewing a Session & Finishing Up
From the Session List page, you can select to Review a session. This will take you to a printer-friendly page displaying the session in its entirety. You cannot make changes to the session on this page.
If there are any messages below a session in red, it means that there are still omissions or errors that need to be corrected before April 1. If a message appears in green, the session can be considered finalized and nothing more needs to be done with it.
Select Exit from Session Entry to leave the Session Entry database. You will still be logged in as an AAR member when you exit.
The Session Entry database will no longer be accessible for edits or changes after April 1, 2011. You will still be able to enter the system and review your unit's sessions after this date. You do not need to formally "submit" your session information. The information will be downloaded after April 1 as is.
If you have any questions, please contact the Director of Meetings
