Submissions
The Submissions page is where department chairs and administrators review course drafts that teachers have submitted for approval.
How a course enters submissions
When a teacher finishes editing and clicks Submit for Review in the course editor, the course enters the review queue. It shows an Approval Pending badge on the Courses list and appears in the Submissions table.
The Submissions table
The table shows each submitted course along with:
- Course name. Click or use the edit icon to open the course in review mode.
- Teacher(s). The faculty assigned to the course.
- Status. A two-circle indicator where the first circle is department approval and the second is admin approval. Colors show waiting (grey), approved (green), or changes requested (yellow).
Use the search/filter bar to narrow the list.
Review mode (inside a course)
Opening a submission from the Submissions list puts the course editor into review mode. In this mode:
- Tabs show a diff view with the published (live) content on the left and the draft changes on the right, so reviewers can see exactly what changed.
- The Lesson Plans tab is hidden because lesson plans are not part of the submission review.
- The Comments panel shows submission-specific comments that are separate from the ongoing general comments on the course, so reviewers and the teacher can communicate directly about this draft.
- The footer shows the review action buttons instead of the save and submit buttons.
Approval actions
Department chair and admin each have their own approval slot:
| Button | Who can use it | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Approve | Dept chair or Admin | Records that role's approval. The course publishes when both slots are approved. |
| Approve All | Admin only | Sets both department and admin approval in one step. Useful when a single admin handles the full review. |
| Request Changes | Dept chair or Admin | Marks that approval as "changes requested" and sends an email notification to the course's assigned teacher(s). The teacher can then revise and resubmit. |
When both approvals are set, the draft is published. The live course content and all public-facing views (course map, alignment) update to reflect the approved draft.
Approve All Submissions (list action)
Administrators see an Approve All Submissions button at the top of the Submissions list. This processes every pending submission in the queue at once. Use it with care on large sites as it may take time to complete.
Dismissing a submission
A submission can be removed from the queue (dismissed) without approving it. This unlinks the submission from the course so the teacher can re-edit and resubmit from scratch. Use this when a submission was opened in error or you want to reset the workflow.
If you have any issues or concerns, contact your Elevate school administrator.