Setting up prescribed lists

Preparing your book lists for the new year is quick and easy using prescribed lists in Engage.

As the end of the year approaches, we know time is limited. That’s why we’ve made the purchasing process simple for educators, students and parents. By compiling next year’s prescribed lists in Engage now, you’re already one step ahead.

With Snapplify’s prescribed lists, you can create lists of required textbooks and any other resources, and then share these with students. Not only will this save everyone time, with no need to search for each title individually, but with all the correct titles in one place, there’s no risk of anyone buying the wrong book.

Before you get started

Engage users can have multiple permission types, and only users with 'Teacher' or 'Bookseller' permissions can set up prescribed lists. Talk to your school's ‘Admin’ (administrator) to give you this permission type if you do not already have it.

Creating your prescribed list

To create a prescribed list:

1. In Engage, navigate to 'Prescribed' in the toolbar on the left-hand side of your screen.
2. Next, click on 'New' (the green button at the top of your screen).
3. Enter the name of your prescribed list, add the owner (if you are the owner, click on the 'Make me the owner' button), then click 'Save'. The list name should be specific to ease discoverability and navigation, such as 'Grade 12 Core Subjects' or 'Grade 12 Maths Supplementary'. 
4. Once your prescribed list has been created, you will find it listed under the 'Prescribed' section.
   
   

Adding books to your prescribed list via the Prescribed section

To assign books to prescribed lists in Engage via the Prescribed section:

1. Navigate to 'Prescribed' and click on the title of your specific prescribed list.
2. On your prescribed list page, you can set the curriculum and grade in the 'Filter' block (optional). This feature helps you sift through the catalogue faster.
   
   Note: If you are adding literature books, we advise adding these titles first, before adding your curriculum and grade.
   
3. Then click the 'Add Titles' button to view a filtered list of curated titles.
   
   
4. Browse the list of titles and add titles to the prescribed list by selecting the green + symbol next to each book and clicking 'Yes' when asked if you want to add the selected title. Note: If your institution has enabled hardcopy purchasing, you will also be able to see here if a hardcopy edition is available. If you want to give students the option to purchase the hardcopy, you will need to select this format from the specific prescribed list page (details below).
   
5. When you're finished adding titles to your prescribed list, navigate back to your prescribed list page by clicking the title of your list at the top left-hand corner of your screen, or clicking the 'Back' button in your browser. Alternatively, navigate to 'Prescribed' and click on the title of your specific prescribed list.
6. On your prescribed list page, you will now be able to see all the titles you have added. If you have added titles that are available in both digital or hardcopy, you will be able to indicate here whether you want students to be limited to one of these formats, or if they can choose between the two. If you want to be able to give students/parents the option to select digital or hardcopy, you can leave both editions selected on this page. If you want to stipulate that all users buy the same format, be sure that only your preferred edition is selected. 
   

Adding books to your prescribed list via the Engage store

This option is only available to users with the Teacher role, as Booksellers do not have access to the store in Engage. To assign books to prescribed lists in Engage via the store:

1. Alternatively, you can navigate to the ‘Store’ when logged in to Engage. Search for various titles or ISBNs using the search bar. To refine your search, or to find more search options, click 'Advanced'. Once you've typed in your search details (e.g. Grade: 8, Curriculum: CAPS, Subject: Life Orientation), click 'Search’. 

2. Browse the selection to find what you need.

3. When you’ve found the right book, click the three vertical black dots below the book cover and select ‘Add to Prescribed’ option from the pop-up menu. Select the name of your prescribed list and click 'Save' to add the book to the prescribed list.

4. To review the titles on your prescribed list and see whether you have the option of selecting the hardcopy edition (if your institution has enabled hardcopy purchasing), you will need to navigate back to your prescribed list. First, navigate to 'Prescribed' then click on the title of your specific prescribed list.
5. On your prescribed list page, you will now be able to see all the titles you have added. If you have added titles that are available in both digital or hardcopy, you will be able to indicate here whether you want students to be limited to one of these formats, or if they can choose between the two. If you want to be able to give students/parents the option to select digital or hardcopy, you can leave both editions selected on this page. If you want to stipulate that all users buy the same format, be sure that only your preferred edition is selected.