Secure File Delivery Configuration

Knack's platform enables the dynamic allocation of tutoring resources to specific groups of students. The mechanism in place to do so is called a program. Programs enable a defined set of Users to receive subsidized tutoring services for a defined set of courses, depending on the requirements set by the institution. Programs can be configured in a variety of ways to meet the institution's objectives:

Allow all students at the institution to receive free tutoring for all courses
Allow only students that are members of supported programs to receive free tutoring
Allow only students that are enrolled in a specific set of courses to receive free tutoring
Allow only a specific set of tutors to provide tutoring that is funded by the institution
Many other permutations and configurations are possible

Depending on the desired scope, lists of courses, students, and/or tutors will need to be delivered to Knack on a periodic basis to enable this functionality. There may be multiple programs running on Knack at the institution and each one may need to deliver different sets of data to support the configuration of their programs.

The desired mechanism for delivering university data to Knack is SFTP. Our SFTP server provides a secure, encrypted mechanism to transfer data to Knack. Data is encrypted both in transit and at rest. While this is the preferred file delivery method, files can be shared securely through our file-sharing interface, which will be discussed in this article.

Setup Process

Our Partner Operations Lead, Luke Stevens (luke@joinknack.com), will initiate communication to begin the setup process. It will be helpful for us to know who will be delivering lists, so we can understand who we should be communicating with
Knack configures the Secure File Delivery account and sends connection information to the list delivery contact
The individual delivering the lists will be able to login to the Secure File Delivery Interface and deliver files securely to Knack

File Specifications

Multiple types of lists will need to be provided depending on the scope of engagement and the number of programs involved at the institution.

File name: Specific names to use will be provided by Knack’s Partner Operations Lead.
Format: All files must be .csv files. Additionally, we ask that you escape all .csv cells. The basic rule is if the cell value contains a comma, then the string value should be properly escaped. If a comma could be included in the cell value, the entire value should be surrounded by double quotes. Not escaping fields properly, could cause rows to be rejected by our system, which would result in a failure to properly deliver the data. If you are manually collecting this data, we recommend referring to this article for additional guidance.
Headers: Include the defined headers in each file
Server directory: Files should be placed in the inbox directory on the Secure File Delivery server. Upon connection, inbox and outbox directories should be accessible. All files can be placed directly in the inbox directory and do not need any sub-directory organization within the inbox
Delivery cadence: Review with the Knack contact you are working with, since there can be variations by the program. Generally speaking, these files need to be received at the start of each semester in order to grant the appropriate access to users. Knack will process and handle changes to files as they are delivered (e.g., after drop-add deadlines).

Course Catalog

Full course catalog for the institution. This should include all courses offered across any term. This will be the first file you deliver, which will allow for validation.

Columns

"Course Number" - full course code or number
"Course Name" - full name of the course

Example file

school-x_catalog.csv

Course Number	Course Name
MATH 100	College Algebra
BIOL 100	Introduction to Biology
CHEM 100	Fundamentals of Chemistry
ENGL 100	English Literature
SPAN 100	Spanish I
PHYS 100	Introduction to Physics
PHIL 100	Introduction to Philosophy

Student List

List of eligible students for a single program. The scoping for this list will be sent via email after program details have been finalized.

Columns

"Student ID" - institution's unique ID for the student
"First Name"
"Last Name"
"Email"

Example file

school-x_program-y_students.csv

Student ID	First Name	Last Name	Email
12345678	Vincent	Chase	vchase@knack.edu
12345679	Johnny	Chase	jchase@knack.edu
12345680	Lloyd	Lee	llee@knack.edu
12345681	Sloan	McQuewick	smcquewick@knack.edu
12345682	Barbara	Miller	bmiller@knack.edu
12345683	Dana	Gordon	dgordon@knack.edu
12345684	Adam	Davies	adavies@knack.edu
12345685	Jamie-Lynn	Sigler	jsigler@knack.edu

Tutor List

List of potential tutors to invite to tutor on the platform or eligible tutors for a single program. The scoping for this list will be sent via email after program details have been finalized.

Columns

"Student ID" - institution's unique ID for the student
"First Name"
"Last Name"
"Email"

Example file

school-x_program-y_tutors.csv

Student ID	First Name	Last Name	Email
12345678	Vincent	Chase	vchase@knack.edu
12345679	Johnny	Chase	jchase@knack.edu
12345680	Lloyd	Lee	llee@knack.edu
12345681	Sloan	McQuewick	smcquewick@knack.edu
12345682	Barbara	Miller	bmiller@knack.edu
12345683	Dana	Gordon	dgordon@knack.edu
12345684	Adam	Davies	adavies@knack.edu
12345685	Jamie-Lynn	Sigler	jsigler@knack.edu

Course List

Specific courses for configuring a single program. The scoping for this list will be sent via email after program details have been finalized.

Columns

"Course Number" - full course code or number
"Course Name" - full name of the course

Example file

school-x_program-y_courses.csv

Course Number	Course Name
MATH 100	College Algebra
BIOL 100	Introduction to Biology
CHEM 100	Fundamentals of Chemistry
ENGL 100	English Literature
SPAN 100	Spanish I
PHYS 100	Introduction to Physics
PHIL 100	Introduction to Philosophy

Please click here for common FAQs about Secure File Delivery