Overview

Once you've logged into the YSC Portal, you'll be greeted by a comprehensive dashboard designed to help you manage all aspects of your regional STEM fair. This article will guide you through the main sections of the portal interface and explain how to navigate between different features.

The Dashboard Layout

The YSC Portal uses a sidebar navigation system with clearly organized sections. When you first log in, you'll see:

1. Main Navigation Sidebar - Located on the left side of the screen
2. Content Area - The main section where you'll view and interact with information
3. User Profile - Located at the top-right corner of the screen

Main Navigation Menu

The sidebar navigation menu is organized into several key sections:

Current Year Affiliation

This section relates to your region's affiliation with Youth Science Canada for the current year:

• Regional Information - Basic details about your regional fair
• Regional Fair - Where you'll find portal setup options and event configuration
• Committee - Information about your regional fair committee
• Statistics - Historical data and reporting for your region

Your Regional Fair Event

Once you've created your event for the current year, a new section will appear in the sidebar with your fair's name. This section includes several subsections:

• Judging - All judging-related functions:

  • Judges
  • Project Groups
  • Judging Teams
  • Judging Schedule
  • Judging Results

• Projects - List of all projects registered for your fair

• Awards - Manage awards and sponsors (if using this feature)

• Categories - Configure grade categories for your fair

• Challenges - Set up scientific categories/challenges for your fair

• Surveys - Create and manage custom questions for participants

• Project Types - Configure the types of projects accepted at your fair

Assets

The Assets section contains resources and information you'll use throughout the fair management process:

• Events Manager - View and manage all your events
• Projects - See all projects registered in your region
• Users - View and manage all users registered in your system
• Schools - Access the database of schools in your region

Accounting

This section helps you manage the financial aspects of your regional fair:

• Invoices - View and manage invoices from YSC
• Payments - Track payments made to YSC

Support Center

Access help resources and documentation:

• Help Center - View articles and guides about using the YSC Portal

My Profile

Manage your personal account information and settings.

Navigating Between Sections

To move between different sections of the portal:

1. Click on the main section name in the sidebar to expand it (if it's not already expanded)
2. Click on the specific subsection you want to access
3. The content area will update to display the information and options for that section

Common Navigation Tasks

Accessing Your Regional Fair Setup

1. Click on "Regional Fair" under the current year section
2. Select the "Portal/ProjectBoard" tab
3. Check the box to use the YSC Portal and click Submit
4. Click "Create Event" to set up your fair

Finding Registration Links

1. Go to "Assets" in the sidebar
2. Click on "Events Manager"
3. Find your current event and click the "View" (eye) icon
4. Scroll down to find the registration links for students and judges

Reviewing Registered Projects

1. Click on your fair's name in the sidebar
2. Select "Projects" to see all accepted projects
3. Alternatively, go to "Assets" → "Projects" to see all submitted projects, including those not yet accepted

Managing Judging

1. Click on your fair's name in the sidebar
2. Select the appropriate option under the "Judging" section
3. Use the filters at the top of the page to narrow down your view by category, challenge, or other criteria

Working with Tables and Data

Many sections of the portal display information in tables. Here are some common actions you can take:

• Sort - Click on column headers to sort the data by that column
• Filter - Use the filter icon to narrow down the displayed information
• Select - Use checkboxes to select one or more items
• Actions - Use the "Choose an Option" dropdown to perform actions on selected items
• Edit - Click the pencil icon to edit an item
• View - Click the eye icon to view detailed information
• Export - Use the "Choose an Option" dropdown to export data to spreadsheets
  

Often the table is wider than your screen so you will need to use the horizontal scrollbar to see the extra columns and access the View & Edit icons.

Setting Your Preferences

You can customize how certain pages display information:

1. Adjust how many items appear per page using the dropdown at the bottom of tables
2. Save your preferences to maintain these settings for future sessions

Next Steps

Now that you understand the basic navigation of the YSC Portal, you can proceed to set up your regional STEM fair event. See the article "Creating a Regional STEM Fair Event" for detailed instructions on this process.

If you have trouble finding specific features or need additional guidance, please refer to the other articles in the Help Center or contact Youth Science Canada at support@youthscience.ca.