LINKING COURSES

Banner has a function called ‘Linking’ that requires co-registration into specific identified sections. If a student does not choose the correct Course Registration Numbers (CRN) of a linked pair, they cannot register.

Please note: 'Linking' courses is not the same as 'crosslisting' a course. For more information on 'crosslisting,' please see our guide.

Linking Facts

Linking only work between courses of the exact same Subject and Course Number
Linked sections must have different Schedule Types ( L-Lecture, B- Lab)
Linking is entered at the section level.
- It does roll from one academic year to the next
- Newly created sections will need linking information added each time
The lecture of a linked section will retain the catalog title. The lab section will need a standard lab title (e.g. “Lab for HUM 162”)
Linking between lecture and labs can be reciprocal or one-sided.
Linked Sections have two components
- Link Identifier: Two character code that identifies the section as being a requirement for another section or sections
- Link Connector: Identifies which two character code is needed to meet linked requirements.
Linked lectures and labs should have consecutive course numbers so they will display together in the schedule of classes.

Linking Details in Course Section Maintenance (CSM) Form

Choose a section number so that it will show sequentially with its linked counterparts. The title field will default to the lecture title. The lecture title is predetermined and should not be edited.

This is the section of the CSM form that lists the term, subject, Course Number, Section, and Title. For this example, the title "Race & Social Justice" as the default title and it has a red asterisk to denote that this information is required. Banner populates the title, so it should not be edited.

Choose the correct schedule type and credit amount from the drop down menus.

This is the section of the CSM form that lists Campus Code, Schedule Type, Credits, Intructional Method, and Grade Mode, with a drop-down menu for each. In this example the credit menu has multiple options.

Enter information on which sections this course should be linked to.

The Link Information section of Banner asks you to click in yes or no circles to show if course is linked. It gives two ways to include the links: 1) the option to add the CRN manually or look it up, or 2) include the Subject, Course Number, and Section.

Student View of Linked Courses

When students view the courses in Banweb, the sections will display together:

This is a view of what students see in Banner. The lecture course is at the top and the lab sections are below it. Students are able to add both course and lab from this menu.

As they will have the same course number, the search feature should be more straightforward (e.g. students will not need to search CS 162 and CS 162L separately).

To register, students will need to select the main session as well as one of the linked co-requisites at the same time:

In this Banweb view, the lecture course is at the top and the lab sections are below it. Below the list of courses, there is a summary box showing what it looks like when students add the main session and the linked co-requisite section.

If students attempt to register for just one of the two, they will receive the following error:

The error message is highlighted in blue and states: To register for this course, you must also register for its linked co-requisite. If the linked co-requisite is full, look for an alternate time or check to see if there is a waitlist.

If they are registered for both, and they attempt to drop one portion, they will receive the following error:

The error message is highlighted in red and states: You must drop all connected courses in the same transaction.

This cannot be overridden by instructors via the “Faculty Registration Override” or SFASRPO, but can be overridden (if needed) for individual students by the Registrar’s Office.

If space is available or a capacity override for the new section is received, students may switch sections by dropping one lab and adding another in the same transaction:

This is a summary of student registered in a course and two sections of the linked lab. The first lab has pending in the Status and registered in the Action column, which shows the section the student wants to change to. The second lab has registered in the Status column and Drop/Delete in the Action column, which shows the section to be dropped.

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