1. Copyright ® 2010 - University of Illinois Board of Trustees Information Technology and Communication Services ITCS Instructional Materials College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign EZ RECORDS STATE and AMERICAN DEGREE APPLICATIONS EZ RECORDS STATE and AMERICAN DEGREE APPLICATIONS An Introduction

2. The following presentation is designed to provide assistance for users completing the EZ Records State and American FFA Degree applications. Users should confirm that their record books are complete and accurate before completing the applications. The EZ Records application permits users to edit data at any time and update the applications. All data is stored with the record book. Printing the application may be accomplished using tool bar commands. Users have the option to print the entire application, or selected pages. This portion of the application does not provide for the supplementary pages associated with the degree selection process.

3. Note: To comply with the Do Not Modify the Application guideline, applicants planning to use the EZ Records State and American Degree function are limited to 6 entrepreneurial enterprises plus their placement enterprises. Page 2 of the applications only permits the entry of 6 enterprises using the EZ Records software.

4. Note the addition of links to the Record Book Main Page; they provide navigation to the applications.

5. The first step to complete the State or American Degree application is to complete the Extra Information page. Click the Extra Information link to open the page.

6. The record book does not collect enough data to complete the applications; therefore, we have added the Extra Information page to gather the additional information. After saving the Extra Information data the application will auto populate. Data in the Extra Information page may be edited at any time. Data is stored with the record book data.

7. Click the Edit Information button to edit the page.

8. Use the Tab key to navigate from cell to cell. The page is very long and will be displayed on the next few slides. The line that asks for a high school graduation date must be the date you plan to graduate or leave a zero (0) as a space holder. The Extra Information page is used for both the State and American FFA Degree so some questions may not apply to the state degree.

9. The application has limited space, and may not have the space to list every record book entry. To provide an option for users to select entries they want to appear in their application, the Extra Information page contains tables for the user to enter data from the record book. We suggest using the copy function for this task, or users may enter data using the keyboard. Select entries from the record book that best support the applicant. Users are also reminded to limit their supporting data to meet the minimum and maximum as defined in the directions.

10. Leadership Activities and School and Community Activities may be copied from the record book pages and pasted into the appropriate Extra Information tables. Users are able to enter the activities they consider to be important and to represent them best. Reminder: users must limit the number of entries to meet the minimum and maximum requirements defined in the application directions.

11. The Skills, Competencies, and Knowledge table cells have limited space, so we incorporated a character counter. The skills and supporting data transfer to the applications.

12. The efficiency factors are designed similarly to other tables. Reminder: Click the Save Information button before returning to the Record Book Main Page.

13. Enter as much data as space provides to describe your participation or accomplishment for each activity. Indicate your position for committees (chairperson) accomplishments (second high individual, first place dairy cattle state judging team), and year the activity was performed. We suggest using the copy/paste function for this task, or users may enter data using the keyboard.

14. Select entries from each record book and keep in mind the limited space within the application. Follow the application directions to select the correct number of entries and data that best promote the applicant.

15. The Save Information button is located at the bottom of the Extra Information page. Save often as you complete the Extra Information page. Reminder: Save information before leaving the page.

16. To set the record book year, click the Manage My Record Books link, located on the Record Book Main Page.

17. EZ Records software permits the users to name the record book without restrictions. This creates an issue transferring specific data from record books to the applications. The applications require data from a specified year in many of the data tables. A new feature will require the user to select a year for each record book that transfers to the application.

18. Selecting the year is accomplished with a pull-down menu.

19. Selecting the year associated with the record book is accomplished by highlighting the year. Followed by clicking the Set button. The blank space at the top of the pull-down menu de- selects the record book.

20. Only data from the selected record book appear in the application.

21. To open an application, click the application name located near the bottom left on the Record Book Main Page.

22. The information from the Extra Information page appears in the application.

23. The name that appears on the degree certificate comes from the Record Book Name. Users may need to edit their name if they desire a name that is different from the name in the record book.

24. To edit any of the data that appears in the application, the user needs to edit the source page (record book or Extra Information), followed by refreshing the application page (click the refresh symbol or enter the refresh command).

25. Users are limited to six (6) entrepreneurial enterprises per year. The electronic application will only permit 6 entries.

26. One of the required changes includes entering only one type of enterprise per set of agribusiness insert pages (blue pages) with the electronic record book. It is necessary to separate the hours for placement vs. entrepreneurship in business enterprises.

27. A pull-down menu, located on the Agribusiness table of contents pane, will be used to determine placement vs. entrepreneurship applications. Reminder: Click the Set button before opening the applications.

28. Selecting Placement permits the transfer of data from the record book to the Placement tables in the applications.

29. Inventories will transfer from the various enterprise and core locations (page 13A, B, C, & S, and the depreciation schedule).

30. Teachers will be required to use the depreciation schedule, Core page 3, for listing capital items.

31. All application values will be rounded to the nearest whole dollar.

32. The record book sub-categories should match the application tables.

33. Capital items will transfer from the depreciation schedule. Items may have a depreciation of zero (0) and still transfer with value.

34. Values will auto tabulate throughout the entire application.

35. The Income and Expense values transfer from the record book. It may be confusing to determine the source of data without a little searching.

36. When making changes in the record book, be sure to refresh the application to view the change.

37. The applications are designed to display only the student’s share. Users enter the student’s share for several of these tables on enterprise page 14A, B, C, or S. The various enterprise values total in the Core pages, which transfer to the applications.

38. Application values auto tabulate and auto transfer within the application.

39. Financial Statement data come from page 6-1 for assets.

40. Some values transfer from within the application.

41. Liabilities are sourced from Core page 6-2.

42. The calculations within the application are automatic.

43. A single entry from each record book, regarding Misc. Income and Non SAE Expenses, will be made in the applications tables. The space is too limited to make individual entries. Users with more than 5 years of records will have summary values lumped together.

44. Individual sources cannot be listed, so the generic term ‘Various’ will be used as the Source of the Income, and the From Whom column will be blank.

45. Page 11 values auto transfer and auto tabulate for the user.

46. Line 29 and 30 cannot be more than 10% different for consideration in the American Degree selection process.

47. Make selection from all record book leadership activities and enter the data in the Extra Information page.

48. Make selection from all record book school and community activities and enter the data in the Extra Information page. Be aware that there are minimums for this page.

49. The End Click on any of the following articles to get the story... Click on any of the following articles to get the story... Copyright ® 2009 - University of Illinois Board of Trustees By Dave Wilson Illinois FFA Information Technology and Communication Services ITCS Instructional Materials College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign