manualsFrequently asked questions
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If your question isn't answered here, please email netupdate@ucas.ac.uk outlining the nature of the difficulties you are experiencing. Please let us know which browser you are using (name and version number), which machine (PC, Mac or UNIX) and how you gain access to the internet, so that we can assist you further.
Q1. How do I get started with Web-link (net.update)?
Web-Link (net.update) allows you to check and update your courses information directly, by giving you direct access to the UCAS database. This information is used for the application system, publications, course statistics and the UCAS website. UCAS provides a User Guide, training and support to all users of Web-link (net.update).
For more information, please contact:
Glenys Harrison (Policy and Communication department)
Tel: 01242 544991
Email: netupdate@ucas.ac.uk
Jenny James (Policy and Communication department)
Tel: 01242 544799
Email: netupdate@ucas.ac.uk
who are both in the Policy and Communication department at UCAS.
Q2. How do I get a copy of the User Guide?
The user guide is available once you have logged into Web-link (net.update) and is located on the bottom of the Welcome page. As the manual is in pdf format, your PC must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on it.
Get a copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Q3. How do I get to the Web-Link (net.update) website?
To access Web-Link (net.update) you can either click onto the following link:
https://update.ucas.co.uk/netupdate2/Welcome.htm
Or access the UCAS home page (www.ucas.com), click on HE staff and click on ucas-link. You should now see the Web-Link information page and a URL to click on to access the system.
Q4. Can I use the training version of the Web-Link (net.update) website?
If you have any queries regarding net.update please contact either Glenys Harrison (01242 544991) or Jenny James (01242 544799) in UCAS's Policy and Communication department.
Q5. Can you tell me if I have registered for Web-Link (net.update)?
To register for Web-Link (net.update), the administrator (normally the UCAS correspondent) should have completed a registration form and returned this to Ros Fenney at UCAS. Ros will then contact them with the administrator log-on details.
You have access to the administrator suite to enable you to register new users, view all users and edit details for existing users. To view your institution data you need to click onto 'register a new user' and register yourself as a user with either 'approver', 'editor' or 'read only' access.
Q7. When I click on the Web-Link (net.update) link, why can't I get to the next page?
The net.update service runs on a secure web server (using https protocol rather than http). If you cannot access the service, this may be due to one of the following reasons:
1. Your Internet Explorer browser has not been configured to display secure web pages. If you are using Internet Explorer:
Choose:
tools
internet options
advanced
scroll down to security
ensure SSL 2 and SSL 3 are both checked.
2. If you have a firewall or proxy server that does not permit the SSL traffic to pass through it on port 443 then this could also be the problem. The startup page is also on our secure web server.
If you can view the following page:
https://update.ucas.co.uk/netupdate2/Welcome.htm, this should rule out this as the cause of the problem. If you cannot access this page, please report the problem to your Internet Service Provider (ISP) or computing support manager.
3. Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) is not resolving the correct IP address for "update.ucas.co.uk". If you are using a PC running Microsoft Windows, you can test this out by clicking on the Start button, then Programs, followed by the Command (or MS-DOS) prompt. Enter the following command into the new window which opens up:
ping update.ucas.co.uk
If you can successfully gain access to this box, you should see the following response:
|
Pinging update.ucas.co.uk [62.189.0.201] with 32 bytes of data: |
Any other response, such as "Bad IP address" or "Request timed out.", indicates that there is a problem resolving the IP address. This needs to be reported to your Internet Service Provider (ISP).
Q8. Why isn't Web-Link (net.update) accepting my username and password?
Usernames and passwords are case sensitive. Make sure that you do not have caps lock on.
If you have five failed login attempts in one day, your account will be locked. Your net.update administrator is able to unlock it for you.
When your administrator adds you to the system as a user, an email containing a confirmation code is automatically generated and sent to you. The email is also copied to the administrator. If you have not received a confirmation code email please check with your administrator in the first instance. If they are unable to locate the code, please ring Glenys Harrison (01242 544991) or Jenny James (01242 544799).
Q10. I have logged in to net.update but I cannot make the links work.
What's wrong?
You need to choose a year of entry from the main menu first before you are able to access the links.
Q11. The link to Clearing does not work. Why not?
The Clearing section of net.update is only available in the summer, in the run-up to, and during Clearing.
This information is for potential students and is published in the Datafile section of the Big Guide and on the UCAS Checklist. On the Main Menu, click on 'Institution & Site Details'. On the Institution Menu, click on 'Student numbers'. On the 'Student Numbers' screen, you may enter details about all or any of the following:
1. Student numbers by type of student
Total number of all students; this is to give an idea of the size of the institution, so include all students, including postgraduate, undergraduate, part-time, full-time, sandwich and international students.
Number of students on placement or study period abroad
Total full-time/sandwich undergraduates
Percentage of those who are:
on sandwich courses
mature students
international students
Male/female percentage split
each of these is split into three award types:
degree
HND/HNC/FD
other
2. Student numbers by subject area
Numbers of students in each of 12 subject areas. Include full-time and sandwich students only (HESA Mode of Study codes 01, 23, 24 or 25), using full time equivalence figures.
In each of these areas, numbers are split into three award types:
degree
HND/HNC/FD
other.
Subject areas:
Art & Design and Performing Arts (JACS W & E codes)
Built Environment (JACS K codes)
Business and Management (JACS N codes)
Combined (JACS Y codes and other combined codes with balanced combinations)
Education (JACS X codes)
Engineering and Technology (JACS H & J codes)
Humanities and Languages (JACS Q, R, T & V codes)
Mathematical Sciences, IT & Computing (JACS G codes)
Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Science and Agriculture (JACS A & D codes)
Science (JACS C & F codes)
Social Sciences (JACS L, M & P codes)
Subjects allied to Medicine (JACS B codes)
Amend details as required. Click on either of the 'Update' buttons to save the changes.
This information is from the net.update User Guide (section 7.7).
If you have no institution-managed accommodation and all of the fields in Accommodation are zero (or blank), then the following statement will be published. "There is no institution-managed accommodation. Students are advised to contact the institution for information about local accommodation options."
Q14. How do I delete a campus?
There is no facility to delete a campus via net.update. This is to protect the integrity of historical data. If there are no longer any courses offered at a particular campus, you must ensure that none of its former courses are recorded as running. Setting an end-date on the campus to the year the campus stopped offering courses, prevents the campus being listed in various areas of net.update, and lists the expired campuses separately on the campus listing screen.
Q15. I've added a new course. What happens next?
The course record will be held with a status of 'Unreleased', until it has been checked by UCAS. If you did not allocate a JACS code, a temporary numeric code will have been allocated automatically instead. In this case, UCAS will allocate a JACS code and inform you by email when the record is ready. Once UCAS staff have checked the record, its status will be changed to 'Running' and we will notify you by email. If you have any queries about the course information at this stage, please contact Lin Goodwin (01242 544865).
Q16. How do I add a new option to a course?
On the Main Menu, select year and click on 'Course Details'. On the Course Menu, click on 'Single course'. Enter details on the 'Find a Course' screen and click on 'Find'. If the search finds more than one course matching your search criteria, it will present them in alphabetical order. The number of courses found is shown alongside the 'First', 'Previous', 'Next' and 'Last' buttons, which you can use to move through the search results.
On the 'Course Details' screen for your selected course, click on 'Options'. The 'Add Option' screen allows you to add an option to your selected course, whether or not there are any existing options attached. The addition of an option will create a new course record, using the same JACS code as the "main course".
On the 'Add Option' screen,
enter 'Subject of Option' (this will appear against 'primary subject' on the new course record) and add a 'Code for application form'.
Refer to section 8.2.7 of the User Guide for details.
UCAS checks course titles, so that we can maintain a consistent approach on course search, particularly for combined courses. This helps to avoid confusing the applicants. We review the use of 'and', 'with' and '&', when they are used to link subjects together. 'And' is used for balanced combinations, e.g. 'Mathematics and Physics'. 'With' is used for major/minor combinations, e.g. 'Mathematics with Physics'. We recommend avoiding the ampersand ('&') symbol unless it used to join two subjects that are both taken as a single part of a combination, e.g. 'Mathematics and Physics & Applied Physics'.
Q18. How do I add a new footnote?
On the Main Menu, select year and click on 'Course Details'. On the Course Menu, click on 'Notes'.
On the 'Create or Edit Notes' screen, create a new note by clicking on the link to the right of "To create a new note". On the 'Add note' screen, the note number is automatically allocated by the system. Select 'Note Type' from the drop-down list and enter the 'Note Text' as required. Click on 'Save note'.
To attach the new note to a course or a group of courses, you will need to switch to "view by course".
Please note: No UCAS Directory will be published for 2008 entry. Footnotes will only appear in the 'Course information' section of course search. The use of footnotes will still be of great benefit when displayed in the e-proof as they will enable you to view course data in a concise and flexible format for checking purposes.
Refer to section 8.4 of the User Guide for details.
A generic note is a piece of text that appears as a note in the Directory entry, which is generated automatically when you indicate a particular response to one of a range of 'Yes/No' question in net.update. For instance, if you indicate that the course is a 'top-up' from HND to a full degree, a note will be generated as follows: 'Top-up course. Applicants must have studies at higher education level before applying for this course.' This information will then appear in the 'Course information' section of course search.
The following generic notes are used:
Top-up courses
Foundation year included
Extended courses
QTS
Professional Accreditation
Medicine/Dentistry/Veterinary Science courses
Q20. How do I move courses out of 'group not set'?
Courses can be arranged into groups for editing purposes. Course search entries are not displayed in groups and therefore these groups will not be published. The main use for arranging courses into groups is to allow for an effective way of copying information from one course to a number of courses.
You treat the special group 'group not set' as if it was any other type of group.
On the Main Menu, click on 'Publications'. On the Publications Menu, click on 'Course Groups'. On the 'Course Groups' screen, make a note of the donor and destination group numbers and click on the link "Move Courses between Groups".
On the 'Move Courses between Groups' screen choose 'group not set' from the drop-down list. The page will reload with the courses currently in this group displayed. Highlight one or more courses from the list and select a destination group on the right before clicking the 'Move to group>>' button. Repeat as necessary until all courses are moved to an appropriate group.
Click on 'Course Groups' at top right of screen. The numbers of courses shown against the donor group (this will be 0) and destination groups reflect the change you have made.
Refer to section 10.1 of the User Guide for details.
Q21. How do I move a course into another group?
Courses can be arranged into groups for editing purposes. Course search entries are not displayed in groups and therefore these groups will not be published. The main use for arranging courses into groups is to allow for an effective way of copying information from one course to a number of courses.
This can be undertaken at either Course level, or Course Group level.
Course level
On the Main Menu, select year and click on 'Course Details'. On the Course Menu, click on 'Single course'. Enter details on the 'Find a Course' screen and click on 'Find'. If the search finds more than one course matching your search criteria, it will present them in alphabetical order. The number of courses found is shown alongside the 'First', 'Previous', 'Next' and 'Last' buttons, which you can use to move through the search results.
On the 'Course Details' screen for your selected course, click on 'Course Groups'. The 'Move course to new group' screen tells you to which group the course is currently attached and allows you to select an alternative group from a drop-down list. Select the new group required and click on 'Move'.
The drop-down list shows an extract from the group title, but there is a 'see all groups' link just below the course title. Clicking on this link will open a new window, showing the full headings of all groups.
If you want to move the course into a brand new group heading, you must first create the group heading via the Publications menu.
Course Group level
On the Main Menu, click on 'Publications'. On the Publications Menu, click on 'Course Groups. On the 'Course Groups' screen, make a note of the donor and destination group numbers and click on the link "Move Courses between Groups".
On the 'Move Courses between Groups' screen choose the group that the course you wish to move is currently in, from the drop-down list. The page will reload displaying all courses currently in this group. Highlight the course you wish to move and select a destination group on the right before clicking the 'Move to group>>' button.
Refer to section 8.2.6 of the User Guide for details.
Q22. How do I set up a new group?
Courses can be arranged into groups for editing purposes. Course search entries are not displayed in groups and therefore these groups will not be published. The main use for arranging courses into groups is to allow for an effective way of copying information from one course to a number of courses.
On the Main Menu, click on 'Publications'. On the Publications Menu, click on 'Course Groups. On the 'Course Groups' screen, click on the link to the right of "To add a new group".
On the 'Add Course Groups' screen, the new group number is automatically allocated by the system. Insert details as required and click on 'Save new group'.
Refer to section 10.1.1 of the User Guide for details.
Once the deadline is passed, you are unable to amend the tables contained in the Big Guide, which is published in May each year. You still have access to the succeeding year.
Q24. What are keywords and what are they used for?
Keywords are topics or subjects used for search purposes in Course Search and for grouping of courses in a "student-friendly" fashion.
Keywords can be 'main' or 'suggested'. The 'main' keywords appear on Course Search in a master list from which users pick search terms. 'Main' keywords may have associated 'suggested' keywords, which will appear once the user has chosen the 'main' keyword.
Q25. How do I add or change keywords allocated to a course?
On the Main Menu, click on 'Course search keywords'. On the 'Course/Keywords List' screen, select a course from the list. At this point the screen splits into two windows: left side is the 'Course search keywords' screen, and right is the 'Valid keyword List'. To add keywords, enter the keyword's name or code in the 'Changes' box; you can highlight the keyword name and then use drag and drop, if desired. Remember to click on 'Update Changes' to save the results.
To delete a keyword from a course, click in the 'Del' box and then click on 'Update Changes'.
Q26. I want to re-arrange the whole entry in the Big Guide. What do I do?
Please contact our editorial team (Stephanie Holliday on 01242 544700), who will be able to advise you.
Q27. What Browser settings are recommended?
Because Web-Link (net.update) pages are dynamically generated, they should never be cached, as old pages will be out of date. The browser should be set to check for new pages on every visit to the page.
For Internet Explorer, this is set on the Internet Explorer tools menu, on the Settings button on the General tab. Set 'Check for newer versions of stored pages' to 'every visit to the page'.
For Netscape use Edit Preferences, Advanced, Cache, 'Document in cache is compared to document on network' - set to 'every time'
When in net.update the back button should not be used at any time, as this will take you out of Web-Link (net.update). Use the menu links provided to navigate you through the screens.
Q29. I keep getting a 'page not found' error. What does this mean?
If new pages are not checked for each visit, the system can fail to display the next page, giving the message 'page not found'.
Check that you are using the recommended browser settings.
Q30. I get a message saying the service has 'timed out'. What does this mean?
For security reasons, the application times out after 1 hour of inactivity. In this instance, you will need to restart the application by returning to the main page.
If you are receiving a 'timed out' message immediately after commencing, this suggests that you are receiving a cached copy of this page, rather than one sent from our server. To test this, call up the login page again and check that the date and time is displaying the current date and time (GMT). If it is not and you are using an IE browser, hold down the Control key and click on Refresh browser button. (If you are using Netscape, you need to hold down the Shift key and click on the Reload browser button). This forces your browser to get the page from our server. Once you have done this, try logging in again.
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