G. Naming
Using common ID conventions by all ICON administrators prevents confusion and conflict.
1. User ID Format
There are two main types of ICON user IDs. The most common is the HawkID, assigned to all faculty, staff, and students at the University of Iowa. The other is the service ID. This ID, distinguished by an underscore character (_), grants access only to the ICON system.
The service ID format is defined below.
- Admin Service ID
- These IDs are for elevated access within ICON, follows the naming conventions of the serviceID hawkID service.
- Service accounts: <service_ID>_username
- These IDs are associated with a particular service or integration, and <service_ID> identifies the service.
2. Course ID Format
There are two types of course sites for which IDs are created: academic and non-academic. Academic course sites can be session-based, non-session, or development.
Non-academic course sites can be tested/training or other.
Academic course site IDs
- Session-based course sites: These are course sites related to specified sessions that are known to the registrar. The format for the course site ID is: d_c_s_yS
- d: The full department code for the course. This can vary in length as defined by the Registrar (e.g., RELG).
- c: The full course code.
- s: The full section code.
- y: The four-digit year in which the course is being offered.
- S: The session identifier for the course.
- Non-session course sites: These are course sites that are offered by The University of Iowa but have no definite session identifier. An example of this type of course site would be a Guided Independent Study course site. The format for these course site ID is: d_c_s_#
- d: The full department code for the course. This can vary in length as defined by the Registrar (e.g., RELG).
- c: The full course code.
- s: The full section code
- #: An alpha-numeric value that makes the course site ID unique within ICON.
- Development course sites: These are course sites created to allow instructor-designers to prepare content for an academic course prior to the creation of a session-based course site for that instructor. The format for the course site ID is: d_username_# d:
- The letter d, indicating a development course,
- username: The HawkID of the instructor-designer requesting the course,
- #: An alphanumeric value to create a unique course site ID.
Non-academic course site ID
Test/Training course sites: these are course sites created for ICON testing or training. The format for the course site ID is: t_username
- The user name can correspond to the user’s ICON ID.
- This course is not intended to provide staff training on specific topics unrelated to ICON but only for testing and training on the ICON system itself.
Other course sites: these are course sites created for specific service units engaged in faculty/staff training or other activities. One example would be staff training courses offered by UIHC. The format for the course site ID is: <service_unit_ID>###.
- The service unit ID is a string identifying the service unit for whom the course was created.
- The ### is a 3-digit value that uniquely identifies the ICON course.
Technical Gap Statement: The above conventions do not apply when ICON course sites require enrollment integration with other UI services. For those course sites, the following course site ID format is used: o_dc_S
- o: The Canvas Sub-account code into which the course offering and course template will be placed. For example, DOE (Division of Online Education) or RELG (Religion).
- d: The full department code for the course. This code is typically defined by the Registrar and can vary in length from 2-4 characters—for example, 037 or RELG.
- c: The full course code, which may be followed by a character (a, b, c, etc.) to ensure a unique course site ID.
- S: The session ID code, as defined within ICON. This indicates where the course will be placed within ICON’s hierarchy. For example, 20053 (Fall 2005) or ONGOING (for courses that are not based on a particular session).
Note that the course site ID is divided into three groups delimited by underscores (_). This allows ICON to correctly parse the course site ID and create the correct mapping between a particular ICON course site and the appropriate UI course.
3. Course Title Format
The course title identifies an ICON Course Site and provides information about the course content. The title typically appears at the top of the home page for the course site and in the list of courses that a user can access from the My ICON view. Users who change this content should ensure the new course title uniquely identifies the course site.
Academic Course Site Titles
- Session-based course sites. The elements of these course site titles are: d:c:s <Session> <descriptive title>
- d: The full department code for the course (e.g., 032 or RELG).
- c: The full course identifier.
- s: The full section identifier.
- <Session>: A string of characters that describe the session in which the course is being taught (e.g., Spr 04). The session name is abbreviated to keep the title length to a minimum. Recommended session strings are Smr, Fall, Wntr, and Spr.
- <descriptive title>: The name of the course is listed in The University of Iowa course catalog.
- Non-session-based course sites. The elements of these course site titles are d:c:s <descriptive title> (<instructor>) d: The full department code for the course (e.g., 032 or RELG).
- c: The full course identifier.
- s: The full section identifier.
- <descriptive title>: The name of the course is listed in The University of Iowa course catalog.
- o <instructor>: The name of the primary instructor teaching the course. Because these courses are not session based, this may be useful in distinguishing between courses.
- Development course sites. The elements of these course site titles are: <descriptive title> (For Development Purposes Only)
- <descriptive title>: Any string of relevant and useful characters to the instructor.
- (For Development Purposes Only): This string of characters reminds the instructor that this course is just a place to develop content and should not be activated for student use.
Non-academic Course Site Titles
- Test/Training courses. The elements of these course site titles are [Test|Training] [#|<description>] (<instructor name>).
- [Test|Training]: Either “Test” or “Training.”
- [#|<description>]: Text to distinguish the course site from all other test/training course sites.
- <instructor name>: The name of the person with instructor-designer rights to the course.
- Other course sites. The elements of these course site titles are <course site ID> <descriptive title> (<instructor name>).
While a particular course title is not required to be unique, it is often helpful to other ICON users.