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Keywords: Portico, module enrolments, student records system, SITS, automatic, overnight, access, recommended
Portico Mappings were deactivated in Moodle on 14th November 2022. To find more, please visit M06g - Portico Mappings Deactivated guide.
If your course matches a module in Portico then Moodle can read the enrolments from Portico overnight, and update enrolments
on your course to match students for that module in Portico. Changes to Portico mappings are not immediate but will take place
during the night following any changes that are made. Using Portico enrolments will automatically unenrol as well as enrol students
from Moodle courses, as the class lists change in Portico, and Moodle attempts to match these.
As well as the facility to map Portico modules to Moodle courses the block will allow the mapping of departments, routes, programmes
or even entire faculties to a Moodle course. Portico enrolments automate enrolments and keep the list of students matched to who is
enrolled on a module in Portico. It means you don't have to manually upload students, either via csv file, or one by one using the manual
Moodle enrolment feature.
This enrolment method is controlled via a Moodle block called Portico enrolments that can be seen by tutors and course administrators
when editing is turned on. The block is invisible to students.
Enrolment methods
Please note, portico mappings are not added thorough the course Enrolment methods. If you do not see portico listed within the course enrolment method, you will need to add/activate the mapping first and the following day, portico will appear within the enrolment methods.
For Portico enrolments to work, the 'Portico identifier' field in your course settings must not be blank.
Newly created shell courses which have a 1-1 mapping with a given AMP module code, will already have a unique portico identifier
and you shouldn’t need to change this.
Courses migrated from legacy Moodle may not have a portico identifier but one must be present and must be unique if you want to
use portico enrolments.
If you have Moodle course(s) that are supplementary to an existing Moodle course that already has a module identifier a sensible
convention would be to extend the existing identifier to make it unique e.g the first course might be ECON0001 and the
supplementary course ECON0001_a (and b,c,d etc for further associated courses)
1.1 From the Administration block within your Moodle course select Course Administration>Edit settings
1.2 If required, enter a unique code/text in the Portico identifier field, then click Save and display
Use of the following characters is not recommended: colons: semi-colons; single quotes' double quotes" forward
and back slashes/ \
2.1 Select Turn editing on to access the Portico enrolment block for the course.
2.2 Select Edit Portico enrolments from within the Portico enrolment block
2.3 Current mappings for the course are displayed on the page. Select + add new mapping to add a new mapping.
2.4 Enter the module, programme, route or departmental code you wish to use for enrolments, or search using free text,
then click Search.
*Please note if the 'Activate mappings' is not enabled, please click 'Save mappings' and continue to the next step.
2.5 Click the SELECT box for the item(s) you wish to map. Please ensure the mapping you would like to select has the correct academic year.
You should only tick group import if these groups and genuine CMIS tutorial groups. Before attempting
to use CMIS group imports it's important to read this additional information
NOTE: While Moodle is supported by the Digital Education team, queries relating to the set up of groups in CMIS
should be directed to: cmis-support@ucl.ac.uk.
2.6 Click Save mappings
The mapping will now be activated and changes to the enrolled users on the course will happen over-night, based on
the information contained within Portico.
2.7 Activate the mapping by selecting the check the box alongside Activate mappings and press Save mappings.
A warning message will appear to alert you to the fact that any students who were previously enrolled via Portico, but no longer match your set criteria will be removed if you activate the mapping.
2.8 The page will refresh itself. Going back to the main course page, the Portico Enrolment block will now display a green Mapping active header with the mapping listed below.
It’s important to be aware that when a mapping is deleted that this action will remove all portico enrolled students associated
with the mapping and their associated data including assignment grades/feedback, forum postings etc.
If you do delete a mapping in error you can immediately recreate it. but this must be done on the same day – if left overnight
the deletion will take effect.
3.1 Select the DELETE option alongside the mapping(s) you wish to remove. Uncheck the Mapping is active box.
3.2 Then select Save mappings to confirm the change. The page will refresh itself and there should be no option in the Edit current mappings page.
3.3 Going back to the main course page, the Portico Enrolment block will now display a red Mapping not active header with no mapping listed below.
If you delete a mapping, then the following day all the students enrolled via that mapping will have been un-enrolled from the course.
Portico enrolments will automatically un-enrol as well as enrol students in Moodle courses. If you want to 'preserve' the set
of enrolled students on a course and stop any further enrolment or un-enrolment from the course, you can un-tick the
'Mapping is active' checkbox.
Re-activating Portico enrolments will remove any existing students on the Moodle course who are no longer in the Portico
list for that course. It is for this reason we advise you only turn the mappings on after you have reset the course.
Further help
There is no guidance available on moodledocs, since the Portico enrolments plugin is a custom feature of UCL Moodle.
If you find any inaccurate or missing information on this page you can update this yourself (it's a communal wiki).
If you have a specific question about Portico enrolments, please contact the Digital Education tam.
Portico enrolments are typically deactivated six weeks from the start of each term. Notice will be given via the UCL Moodle Home page and the Digital Education team blog.
How will this impact students on my course?
Students who are already enrolled on a Moodle course WILL continue to have access to their course (s) and WILL NOT be unenrolled.
Why deactivate Portico enrolments?
When Portico enrolments are active on a Moodle course, student enrolments on the course are automatically updated overnight to mirror the Portico student list for the associated module. Consequently, students who change courses, or withdraw from their studies permanently or temporarily, are automatically un-enrolled from their Moodle courses. Usually, this is desirable when students change/drop modules within the first few weeks of term. However, if Portico un-enrols students after they have been awarded any grades, these grades become inaccessible, which can be very problematic.
The ‘inaccessible’ grades, submissions and logged activity are not deleted, and can be accessed again if the student is re-enrolled manually. But, when a student is no longer enrolled on a course, there is just no way to view their content.
Portico enrolments are de-activated globally in Moodle, usually six weeks from the start of each term, to reduce the likelihood of this particular ‘inaccessible/missing grades’ problem occurring.
Can I re-activate Portico enrolments on my course(s)?
Yes. However, please assess whether you risk losing access to some students’ grades before you do this.
Note: Portico enrolments can be ‘deactivated’ within the course at any time by anyone with Course Administrator or Tutor access, thereby stopping any updates to the list of enrolled users on the Moodle course.
The table below outlines each Portico status code and what happens in Moodle overnight when a student's status has changed.
STA_CODE | Short Name (STA_SNAM) | Name (STA_NAME) | Action taken |
CE | CLOSED ENROLMNT | Closed Enrolment Record | unenrol |
CI | CLOSED INTRPTN | Closed Interruption Record | ENROL |
E | ENROLLED | Enrolled | ENROL |
ED | ENROLLED DEBTOR | Enrolled - In Debt | ENROL |
ES | ENROL-SANCTIONS | Enrolled with sanctions | ENROL |
ET | TIME LTD ENROLD | Time limited enrolled - pending payment | ENROL |
EQ | ? | Enrolled Pending Eligibility Check | ENROL |
I | OUT OF ATTENDNC | Temporary Leaver - Not In Attendance | ENROL |
ID | INTRPT - DEBT | Not In Attendance - In Debt | unenrol |
IR | RESITTING | Interrupting – Resitting | ENROL |
IRF | RESIT FINAL YR | Interrupting - Resitting (Final Year) | ENROL |
IS | SUSPENDED-DEBT | Suspended (now not enrolled) due to unpaid fees | unenrol |
L | LEFT | Permanent leaver | unenrol |
LE | LEFT | Permanent leaver - was enrolled | unenrol |
LRF | LEFT- RESITTING | Left - resitting finalist | ENROL |
PE | PRE-ENROLLED | Completed pre-enrolment | ENROL |
XC | OUTSTDG CONDS | Can't enrol - outstanding entry conditions | unenrol |
XD | DEBT - NO ENROL | In Debt - Cannot Enrol | unenrol |
XE | YET TO ENROL | Expected to Enrol | ENROL |
XF | DIDN'T RE-ENROL | Failed to re-enrol (continuing student) | unenrol |
XN | DID NOT ARRIVE | Did not Arrive (Fresher) | unenrol |
XQ | UG - REFER FAC | UG UCAS fresher - refer to faculty | unenrol |
XU | UNCERTAIN PROG | Not Enrolled - progress uncertain | unenrol |