How to Create and Use Student Segments for Penji Pathways

Overview The Segments feature in Penji Pathways allows administrators to easily manage and organize student groups, making it simpler to target specific segments when creating Pathways posts. With the new dedicated Segments tab, you can view, edit, rename, delete, and create student segments in a streamlined and intuitive way. This enhancement not only saves time but also reduces errors and confusion, ensuring a smoother Pathways experience.

Why Use Segments? Segments help you:

• Target specific student groups with relevant Pathways posts.

• Maintain organized and easily editable student categories.

• Reduce errors and improve clarity when managing student data.

With Segments, you can create more effective and personalized posts, enhancing the overall student experience.

Where to Find and Manage Segments

You can access and manage segments directly in the admin panel:

1. Log into the Admin Panel.

2. Navigate to Students > Segments.

3. In the Segments tab, you can:

   • View existing segments to check details and definitions.

   • Edit segments to update student group criteria.

   • Rename segments for better clarity and organization.

   • Delete segments that are no longer needed.

   • Create new segments by clicking "Add New Segment" at the top of the list.

How to Create a Segment

On the Segments Tab, select "Create Student Segment"

You will then be taken to the Segment creation screen where you can set up your segment by filtering by course, student metadata, or both.

Filtering by Course

Select Specific Courses:

On the segment creation screen, you will find options to filter students by their course enrollments.

• "And" Filter: This option allows you to filter students who are enrolled in all of the specified courses. For example, if you select Course A and Course B, only students enrolled in both Course A and Course B will be included in the segment.
• "Or" Filter: This option allows you to filter students who are enrolled in any of the specified courses. For example, if you select Course A or Course B, students enrolled in either Course A or Course B will be included in the segment.

Filtering by Metadata

You can filter by various metadata fields.

1. Select Metadata. Choose the metadata field you want to use for filtering from the list of available options.
2. Write the Name. Enter the exact name of the metadata field. Note that the "Name" field in the filter corresponds to the name of the metadata field and is case-sensitive. Make sure the exact name used in your metadata fields is used here (e.g., "Location" not "location").
   
   Metadata Field on Admin Panel
   
   Metadata name on Student Segments

3. Select Data Type. Specify whether the value you are looking for is a text or a number.
   
   
   
4. Specify the Value. Enter the value you are looking for. The value field is not case-sensitive. For example, if you are looking for "NYC," it will match "NYC" or "nyc."
5. Add Additional Conditions:
   • If necessary, add more conditions to refine your filter further. You can combine multiple metadata fields to create a more specific segment.
     
     Sample additional filters
6. Preview Student Count. Once you are done creating your segment, you can select “Preview Student Count” on the top middle of the screen to double-check if you have the right number of students.
   
   
7. Click “Create”.
8. You can now use this segment to send your new and future posts. 

Alternatively, you can create student segments directly when creating a post.

How to Create a Student Segment Directly when Creating a Post

1. Navigate to Posts:

In your admin panel, go to the Posts tab.

When creating a post, you will be asked for basic information about the post such as title, kind, send date, due date, mode of communication, and specifying recipients.

You have two options to set up recipients:

• Upload a CSV
• Create a Student Segment

2. Click on "Student Segment":

You will be given the option to send posts to an existing segment you already created, or to create a new one by selecting "Add New Segment."

3. Segment Creation Screen:

On this screen, you can set up your segment by filtering by course, student metadata, or both.