Workflow template

Semester Study Board for Nextcloud Deck as a normal Nextcloud Deck board.

A semester board for students with stacks for courses, this week's reading, assignments, exams, and done work. Every deadline goes on the board in the first week.

Last verified

Board preview

Semester Plan

Courses1

Put every deadline on the board in week one

Every syllabus arrives at the start. The clashes are visible then, not in week ten.

  • Copy each assignment deadline from the syllabus
  • Add exam dates as soon as they are published
  • Mark the weeks where two deadlines collide
  • Note the weighting of each piece of work
Assignment

This Week1

Read before the lecture, not after

An hour of reading beforehand makes the lecture worth attending.

Readingdue in 7 days

Assignments2

Start in the week it is set

One hour early in the window is worth five the night before it is due.

Assignmentdue in 3 days

Agree who does what in group work

Write the split down on the card. Unwritten assumptions are what group projects fail on.

Group Work

Exams1

Revise by answering past questions

Rereading notes feels productive and tests nothing. Answering under time does both.

  • Find past papers or practice questions
  • Answer one under exam conditions, timed
  • Mark it against the criteria, honestly
  • Revise only the topics you actually got wrong
Examdue in 21 days

Done1

Read the feedback, not just the grade

The comments tell you what to change. The number does not.

Assignment
ReadingAssignmentExamGroup Work
View the portable v1 template JSON
{
  "schema": "deckloud-template-v1",
  "schemaVersion": 1,
  "slug": "semester-study-plan-nextcloud-deck",
  "locale": "en",
  "title": "Semester Study Board for Nextcloud Deck",
  "description": "A semester board for deadlines, weekly reading, assignments, group work, and revision that uses past questions.",
  "category": "home-learning",
  "tags": [
    "study",
    "university",
    "semester"
  ],
  "quickCreateStackKey": "courses",
  "compatibility": {
    "requiresBoardCreate": true,
    "includesAttachments": false,
    "includesComments": false
  },
  "board": {
    "title": "Semester Plan",
    "color": "0891B2"
  },
  "labels": [
    {
      "key": "reading",
      "title": "Reading",
      "color": "3B82F6"
    },
    {
      "key": "assignment",
      "title": "Assignment",
      "color": "F59E0B"
    },
    {
      "key": "exam",
      "title": "Exam",
      "color": "EF4444"
    },
    {
      "key": "group-work",
      "title": "Group Work",
      "color": "8B5CF6"
    }
  ],
  "stacks": [
    {
      "key": "courses",
      "title": "Courses",
      "order": 1
    },
    {
      "key": "this-week",
      "title": "This Week",
      "order": 2
    },
    {
      "key": "assignments",
      "title": "Assignments",
      "order": 3
    },
    {
      "key": "exams",
      "title": "Exams",
      "order": 4
    },
    {
      "key": "done",
      "title": "Done",
      "order": 5
    }
  ],
  "cards": [
    {
      "stack": "courses",
      "title": "Put every deadline on the board in week one",
      "description": "Every syllabus arrives at the start. The clashes are visible then, not in week ten.\n\n- [ ] Copy each assignment deadline from the syllabus\n- [ ] Add exam dates as soon as they are published\n- [ ] Mark the weeks where two deadlines collide\n- [ ] Note the weighting of each piece of work",
      "labels": [
        "assignment"
      ]
    },
    {
      "stack": "this-week",
      "title": "Read before the lecture, not after",
      "description": "An hour of reading beforehand makes the lecture worth attending.",
      "labels": [
        "reading"
      ],
      "dueOffsetDays": 7
    },
    {
      "stack": "assignments",
      "title": "Start in the week it is set",
      "description": "One hour early in the window is worth five the night before it is due.",
      "labels": [
        "assignment"
      ],
      "dueOffsetDays": 3
    },
    {
      "stack": "assignments",
      "title": "Agree who does what in group work",
      "description": "Write the split down on the card. Unwritten assumptions are what group projects fail on.",
      "labels": [
        "group-work"
      ]
    },
    {
      "stack": "exams",
      "title": "Revise by answering past questions",
      "description": "Rereading notes feels productive and tests nothing. Answering under time does both.\n\n- [ ] Find past papers or practice questions\n- [ ] Answer one under exam conditions, timed\n- [ ] Mark it against the criteria, honestly\n- [ ] Revise only the topics you actually got wrong",
      "labels": [
        "exam"
      ],
      "dueOffsetDays": 21
    },
    {
      "stack": "done",
      "title": "Read the feedback, not just the grade",
      "description": "The comments tell you what to change. The number does not.",
      "labels": [
        "assignment"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

01

When to use this board

For students planning a term rather than reacting to it. Every deadline goes on the board in week one so the collisions are visible early, reading is scheduled before the lecture rather than after, and revision is built around answering past questions under time.

02

How to run this board

  • Add every deadline in week one.

    Copy each syllabus date into Courses so clashes show up while there is still time.

  • Plan the week every Sunday.

    Move reading and assignment work into This Week, and start each assignment in the week it is set.

  • Revise with past questions.

    Answer past exam questions under time, and read the feedback on returned work before archiving it.

03

What this creates

5 stacks, 4 board labels, and 6 starter cards carrying 8 checklist steps. Attachments and comments are intentionally omitted so the template stays portable.

04

Why it fits Deckloud

The template is just a recipe for standard Deck objects. No hosted workflow account, no relay backend, and no Deckloud-only object model.

05

Safe import rules

IDs are not stored. Stack and label keys are remapped at creation time, due dates use relative offsets instead of stale fixed dates, and checklists are written into the card description as ordinary Markdown task lists.

FAQ

Practical questions

Does this change my Nextcloud server schema?

No. It creates ordinary boards, stacks, labels, and cards through the normal Deck model.

Does the template include comments or attachments?

No. V1 templates are text-only because comments imply authorship and attachments vary by server/version.

Can I edit the board after creating it?

Yes. After creation it is just a normal Nextcloud Deck board.

Why put every deadline on the board in week one?

Syllabi all arrive at the start. The weeks where two large deadlines collide are visible then, while you can still start early.

Why revise with past questions instead of notes?

Rereading notes feels productive and tests nothing. Answering a timed question shows you what you cannot yet do.

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