Tips - August 16, 2022 - 2 min

How to Update Accounts at the Start of the School Year

School Edition

Going back to school is as exciting for students as it is for educators. It is also a busy time for school administrators, who are in charge of organizing the new classes. Luckily, Typing Pal is here to make their lives easier with its admin interface!

If you have a School Administrator or Super Administrator account, you can update your students’ accounts in two ways.

Move Students

If you are an administrator of a smaller school, you can use the Move function to transfer several student accounts from one group to another. Select the account or accounts you want to move from the Students tab. If necessary, filter the list of students to make it easier to find the accounts you want to move. Then click the More menu and select the Move option.

To learn more about this function, consult our School Edition’s user guide.

This method has the advantage of being simple and visual, which is ideal for making a few changes. However, if you have hundreds of accounts to move, we recommend updating by import.

Account Update by Import

Account update by import is a practical management tool that allows you to bulk edit a large number of accounts at once. Instead of making changes in Typing Pal’s admin interface, you can edit the student roster directly in your Excel or CSV file.

The first step is to export the student roster:

  1. Click on the Students tab.
  2. Check the boxes next to the accounts you want to export.
  3. Click on the More menu and choose the Export option.
  4. Choose the file format (Excel or CSV).
  5. Click the Export button to download the file.

Next, identify all the differences between the file exported from Typing Pal and the file exported from your school’s administration system. For best results, make sure that both files contain one Student ID per account (like a permanent code).

Tip – There are many software applications designed to compare Excel documents for you. Here are some examples: Synkronizer, Excel Compare and DiffEngineX. Microsoft also offers several apps which can be added to Excel in AppSource.

Once all differences have been identified, make the changes in the document you exported from Typing Pal: delete accounts for students who have left the school (by entering “yes” in the “Delete?” column), update accounts for returning students and create accounts for new students. Consult our user guide for more information on how to make changes in the file.

When you have finished editing the Excel file, simply import the updated details, either using the Import tab or by selecting the Import option in the More menu under the Students tab. Select the file – the operations that will be carried out will appear in the file preview window. Click Process data to confirm the changes. A confirmation window will appear, indicating whether the importation was successful.

Tip – If you manage a school with lots of teachers or multiple schools, you can use the account update by import feature in the same way, but for teacher and school lists!

Wishing everyone a good start to the school year!

Original publication: August 8, 2018 - Last update: August 16, 2022

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