Introducing Focus Sessions! Focus Sessions will help new Populi users get training in small groups using virtual meetings with Populi Support. We plan to run these Zoom-based sessions on a rotating basis, cycling through a collection of topics germane to schools just getting going with Populi (or starting to use a new section of the tool).

To join a Focus Session, you’ll go to the Populi Knowledge Base, find an open session on a topic in which you want training, and register for the session. Our Account Managers will be directing new users there as part of the onboarding process, as well as anyone else contacting them for further training.

Focus Sessions will consist of a private Zoom meeting with someone from Populi Support together with a few other users. The goal is to keep the number of users per session low, so that each person has a chance to ask questions and interact with the trainer directly. The trainer will spend a little time at the top presenting some basic material, and then users will direct the flow of the rest of the session with their specific questions. Each training will go for about an hour.

We'll start by offering two sessions a week, the topics rotating from one session to the next and then starting back over as we work through the list. Initially, you can expect sessions focused on these topics:

• Introduction to Populi covers basics like logging in and handling various user admin tasks.
• Academics: Enrollment works through the setup necessary to enroll students, how to think about academic years and terms, and managing online self-enrollment.
• Academics: Degree Audit shows how to create course groups and add degree requirements for student Degree Audits.
• Admissions: Managing Leads introduces how leads work in Populi, what the different lead statuses mean, and how to use the Funnel Report.
• Financial: Student Billing leads you through creating the "ideal" Populi Billing setup, one which takes advantage of all of the automated billing processes in the software.
• Financial Aid: Disbursement shows the setup steps that let you package and disburse aid, as well as the basic process of creating awards and batching disbursements.
• Running Courses walks through the lifecycle of a course, including assignment setup, lessons, tests, various management tasks, and finalizing grades at the end of the term.

Focus Sessions should go a long way towards teaching you what Populi does and how to do it. Check here for open and upcoming Focus Sessions (or click the Follow button on that page to hear about it via email).