This tutorial explains how DojoExpert can help you manage belt promotions. You can:
- set belt requirements
- find out who is eligible for belt testing
- send exam invitations via email to all or selected members
- set grading parameters per belt
- promote multiple members with one click
- set milestones
Setting belt requirements
To set belt requirements, go to "belts" and then "belt system" in the main menu. For each belt, you can specify:
- required months - how many months must pass since the last promotion to be eligible for testing
- required attendance - how many classes a student must attend to be eligible for testing
- required age - the minimum age for a particular belt (in years)
- other requirements - if you have any other requirements you can write them down here
Students can view these requirements in the student login area, through either the mobile app or the website module. Enable this in settings:
Basic requirements will be shown as a table and custom requirements as text (last screenshot on this page).
Who is eligible for the next belt exam?
Based on the requirements you set, DojoExpert shows which students are eligible for promotion. Descriptive "other requirements" are not included in this calculation. In the main menu, select "Belts" -> "Promotions", then the "Next promotion" tab. Click "load" to display the student table, which also shows how close each student is to meeting the requirements.
In the screenshot above, two students hold a white belt, and one is eligible for a yellow belt. Kevin Berry meets every requirement except attendance: he has attended 60 classes, while the minimum is 70, shown as 60/70 in the table. Other ratios work the same way: the first number is the student's current achievement, and the second is the requirement. You can promote a student at any time, regardless of the calculated eligibility.
Calculating requirements
By default, attendance and time requirements are calculated from the last promotion date. For example, if an orange belt requires 10 classes, the system counts classes attended since the previous promotion, such as to yellow belt. A student who has attended at least 10 classes meets the requirement. The count resets after each promotion. To count from a different date, override the date used for this calculation in the "Att.date" field on the "promotions" page:
Send exam invitations via email
In the previous screenshot, you can select rows and use the "with selected" menu below the table for bulk actions. Choose "email" and click "go" to open the email page with those students already selected. Write and send your invitation. Codes such as "{nextbelt}" insert each member's details from the database. To require online registration for the exam, create a registration form and include its link in the email. You can also collect an exam fee through PayPal. Each registration form supports only one fee, which may be limiting if fees vary by belt. We are working on a solution.
Setting grading parameters
Before an exam, you can print a list of participating students with fields for grading. Instead of recording only "pass" or "failed", you can grade techniques, stances, strength, performance, and other criteria. These are called "exam grade parameters" in DojoExpert and can apply to all belts or selected belts. Go to "belts" --> "belt system" and find "add new parameter" below the belt table. Like custom fields, parameters can contain numbers (such as grades from 1 to 5), text comments, or list options (such as "good" and "bad"). Here is an example:
Leave "applies to belt" empty to apply a parameter to all belts. To print an exam list, go to "Belts" -> "Promotions" in the main menu, open "next promotion", and click "load". Select one belt in the "next belt" filter, then click "filter". Filter one belt at a time because grading parameters may differ. The "print exam list" link appears below the table only when one next belt is selected. Click it to prepare the list for printing:
Promoting members
After the exam, enter the grades and promote the members who passed. Open "next promotion", load the list, and select the members to promote. Choose "promote" from the "with selected" menu and click "go". Enter the exam date, location, and examiner's name when prompted. To record grades, open "past promotions", filter by exam date, and click "grades" for each student:
You can also promote students individually on the "promote" tab by searching for their name. Alternatively, open a student's profile and add a new belt under "belts". Choose whichever method works best for you.
Milestones
Milestones, steps, requirements, and badges describe what students need to achieve before a belt exam. In DojoExpert, you can create milestones for each belt, track student progress, record completed milestones, and display progress in the student login app. Create as many milestones as you need.
Create milestones in your belt system by clicking the number in the table (initially zero):
A pop-up window opens where you can add milestones for the selected belt. Enter a descriptive name and click "Add":
After defining milestones, record each student's achievements. Go to "promotions", open the "milestones" tab, select a belt and member, and click "Load":
Enter the date a milestone was achieved. To remove an achievement, clear the date and click "save".
Monitor student progress in the "next promotion" table:
Click an orange dot to update milestones for that member. You can also update milestones from the attendance list by clicking the flag icon:
The flag icon appears only if the correct martial art is selected in the group settings. Hold CTRL to select multiple arts:
Enable "show next belt in student login" in "settings", under the "modules" tab, to let students view their progress in the student login app. Example:
Milestones are one type of belt requirement. You can also set requirements for months of training, class attendance, and age.