Quick Start: 15-Minute Academic Term Setup

1. Overview & Business Value#

This comprehensive operational guide details the architecture, business workflows, configuration parameters, and execution steps for Quick Start: 15-Minute Academic Term Setup within SmartERP.

Step-by-step walkthrough of creating an academic year, configuring degree programs, enrolling a student, and recording semester grades.

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2. Prerequisites & Security Access Groups#

• Required Modules: smarterp_higher_education, smarterp_student_records
• Security Groups:
  • Admissions Officer (Technical ID: smarterp_higher_ed.group_admissions_user)
  • Registrar / Academic Dean (Technical ID: smarterp_higher_ed.group_registrar_manager)
  • Faculty Member / Instructor (Technical ID: smarterp_higher_ed.group_faculty_user)
• Master Data Dependencies: Faculties, departments, ECTS modular curricula, academic semesters (Ethiopian/Gregorian calendar), tuition fee schedules, and student master files.

3. Step-by-Step Configuration & Execution#

Step 1: Navigating to the Module Interface#

1. Log into your SmartERP instance at https://smarterp.et/odoo.
2. Open the main App Switcher (grid icon in the top-left corner).
3. Select the Higher Education app icon.
4. From the top navigation bar, open Higher Education → Academic Registry → Students / Admissions / Courses / Grading.

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Step 2: Creating and Parameterizing Records#

1. Click the New button in the top-left control panel.
2. Complete the mandatory fields in the record form:
   • Student ID Number (Mandatory): Unique institutional student registration identifier
   • Full Name & National ID (Mandatory): Legal name matching Ministry of Education (MoE) enrollment records
   • Academic Program & Faculty (Mandatory): Approved undergraduate or postgraduate modular program
   • Semester Term (Mandatory): Active academic term adhering to ETA curriculum guidelines
3. Configure optional operational parameters and localized tags as required:
   • Course Prerequisite Override (Optional): Authorized waiver for advanced module enrollment
   • Tuition Sponsorship (Optional): Cost-sharing agreement or private employer corporate sponsorship
   • Dormitory & Campus Facility (Optional): Assigned residential block and meal plan access
4. Click the Save icon in the control bar to commit the record.

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Step 3: Validating and Processing Transactions#

• State Transitions: Execute operational state progression (Applied → Admitted → Registered / Enrolled → Active Study → Grades Finalized → Graduated).
• Ledger & System Impact: Semester registration automatically generates student tuition invoices in Accounts Receivable; fee settlement via Telebirr/CBE Birr marks student financially cleared.
• Audit Verification: Automated recording of author ID, timestamp, and immutable revision history.

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Objective & Prerequisites#

This guide demonstrates setting up a collegiate semester from scratch in 15 minutes:

1. Create an Academic Year and Semester Term.
2. Define a Degree Program and Course with credit hours.
3. Admit a new student and enroll them into the course.
4. Record continuous assessment scores and compute the final letter grade.

Prerequisites: Administrative access with University Registrar and Academic Officer privileges.

Step 1: Create Academic Year and Semester (3 Minutes)#

1. Navigate to Higher Education > Configuration > Academic Calendar > Academic Years and click New.
2. Enter year details:
   • Academic Year Code: AY-2026/2027
   • Name: 2026/2027 Academic Year (2019 E.C.)
   • Start Date: 2026-09-15
   • End Date: 2027-07-10
3. In the Terms tab, click Add Term:
   • Term Name: Semester I (2026/2027)
   • Term Type: Semester
   • Start Date: 2026-09-20 | End Date: 2027-01-30
4. Click Save & Activate.

Step 2: Define Program and Course Catalog (4 Minutes)#

1. Open Higher Education > Curriculum > Programs and click New.
   • Program Code: BSC-CS
   • Program Name: Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
   • Faculty / College: College of Natural and Computational Sciences
   • Degree Level: Undergraduate (Bachelor)
   • Total Credit Hours Required: 138 Credit Hours (240 ECTS)
2. Switch to Higher Education > Curriculum > Courses and click New:
   • Course Code: COSC-2011
   • Course Title: Data Structures and Algorithms
   • Credit Hours: 3.0 (Lecture: 2 hrs, Lab: 3 hrs)
   • Grading Scale: Standard Higher Education Scale (4.00 Max)
3. Link COSC-2011 to BSC-CS under Year 2, Semester I curriculum.

Step 3: Admit Student & Register for Semester (4 Minutes)#

1. In Higher Education > Admissions > Students, click New.
   • Full Name: Dawit Bekele Wolde
   • Student ID: UGR/1842/19
   • Gender: Male | DOB: 2004-11-20
   • Admission Category: Regular MoE Placement
   • Enrolled Program: Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
2. Click Confirm Admission.
3. In the student record, click Register for Semester:
   • Select Semester I (2026/2027).
   • Click Auto-Populate Curriculum Courses. COSC-2011 is added to the registration list.
   • Click Approve Course Registration.

Step 4: Record Assessment Scores & Calculate Grade (4 Minutes)#

1. Navigate to Higher Education > Assessment > Grade Entry Sheet.
2. Select Course: COSC-2011 (Data Structures and Algorithms) and Section: Section A.
3. Locate Dawit Bekele Wolde and enter breakdown marks:
   • Assignment & Quizzes (20%): 18.0
   • Midterm Exam (30%): 27.0
   • Final Examination (50%): 44.0
   • Total Score: Auto-calculated to 89.0 / 100.0.
4. Click Compute Letter Grades.
   • Score 89.0 translates to Letter Grade A (Grade Point: 4.00).
5. Click Publish Verified Grades.
   • The grade posts immediately to the student's cumulative transcript, updating Semester GPA to 4.00.

4. Advanced Configuration Points#

• Automated Actions & Scheduled Tasks (Crons):
  • Education: Compute semester GPA and cumulative CGPA (smarterp_higher_ed.ir_cron_cgpa_calc): Runs at the end of each examination period to compute student academic standing
  • Finance: Generate semester tuition fee invoices (smarterp_higher_ed.ir_cron_tuition_invoices): Runs prior to semester registration deadline
• Custom Print Templates & Reports:
  • Official Student Academic Transcript (MoE & ETA Standards)
  • Semester Course Registration & Clearance Slip
  • Student ID Card with Cryptographic QR Verification
  • Examination Results & Faculty Grade Distribution Ledger
• Multi-Company Rules: Record-level security isolation under Company 1 (Ashewa Technology Solutions S.C.), preventing cross-company ledger leakage across parent and subsidiary legal entities.

5. Comprehensive Troubleshooting Matrix#