Creating Student Node Type

Before you can run surveys or build networks in SNA Toolbox, you need to define the entities at the centre of your study. In a school context, that starts with creating a Student node type — the structure that represents each student in your project and determines what information is stored about them.

Navigation

Open a Project → Select a Panel → Click Nodes

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What You Will Set Up

In this tutorial you will create a Student node type for Maplewood Primary School. This includes:

• Defining the Basic Information for the node type (title, description, icon).
• Setting the Respondent Mode so students can self-report through surveys.
• Adding Fields to store key student attributes such as year level, classroom, and wellbeing indicators.

Once the node type is created, you will be ready to add your student nodes — covered in the next tutorial.

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Step 1: Open the Create Node Type Form

1. Open your school project and select the relevant Panel from the left sidebar.
2. Click Nodes in the left sidebar.
3. Click Configure Node Types.
4. Click Create Type in the top-right corner.

The Create Node Type form opens, showing the Basic Information section and an empty Fields section.

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Step 2: Enter Basic Information

1. Enter the following details:
   • Title — Enter Student.
   • Description — Enter a short description, for example: Represents a student enrolled at Maplewood Primary School.
   • Icon & Colour — Select an icon and colour to visually represent the Student node type across the platform.

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Step 3: Set the Respondent Mode

The Respondent Mode determines how survey responses are collected for this node type. Since students will complete surveys themselves, set this to self-report.

1. Click the Respondent Mode dropdown.
2. Select Self-report (this node).

note

When Self-report (this node) is selected, the Email Required and Mobile Required toggles appear. Enable Email Required if students will receive survey invitations by email.

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Step 4: Add Fields

Fields define the data stored for each student node. Click Add Field to add each field below. For each field, enter the Key, Title, Data Type, and whether it is Mandatory.

note

The Key is a unique internal identifier used by the system. Use lowercase letters and underscores only (e.g., year_level). The Title is the display name shown in the platform.

Add the following 10 fields:

Full Name

Property	Value
Key	title
Title	Full Name
Data Type	String
Is Mandatory	Yes

The student's full name. This is the primary display label for the node across the platform.

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Category

Property	Value
Key	category
Title	Category
Data Type	String
Is Mandatory	No
Options	student, staff, other

Classifies the node within the broader project. For this node type, the value will be student.

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Year Level

Property	Value
Key	year_level
Title	Year Level
Data Type	String
Is Mandatory	Yes

The year or grade level the student is enrolled in (e.g., 9, 10).

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Classroom

Property	Value
Key	classroom
Title	Classroom
Data Type	String
Is Mandatory	No

The student's assigned classroom or class group (e.g., 7A, 7C). Used to filter and segment network views by class.

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Achievement Score

Property	Value
Key	achievement_score
Title	Achievement Score
Data Type	Number
Is Mandatory	No

An overall academic achievement score for the student. This can be used as a node attribute in network visualisations and reports.

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K6 Overall Score

Property	Value
Key	k6_overall
Title	K6 Overall Score
Data Type	Number
Is Mandatory	No

The student's overall score from the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6), used to assess general psychological distress levels. Higher scores indicate greater distress.

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PWI Wellbeing Score

Property	Value
Key	pwi_wellbeing
Title	PWI Wellbeing Score
Data Type	Number
Is Mandatory	No

The student's Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI) score, reflecting their overall subjective wellbeing across life domains.

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Growth Mindset

Property	Value
Key	growth_mindset
Title	Growth Mindset
Data Type	Number
Is Mandatory	No

A numeric indicator of the student's growth mindset orientation, typically derived from survey responses. Used to compare engagement and resilience patterns across the network.

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Bullying Indicator

Property	Value
Key	bullying
Title	Bullying Indicator
Data Type	Number
Is Mandatory	No

Indicates whether the student has reported or been associated with bullying behaviour (0 = no, 1 = yes). Used by school wellbeing staff to identify students who may need support.

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Isolation Indicator

Property	Value
Key	isolated
Title	Isolation Indicator
Data Type	Number
Is Mandatory	No

Indicates whether the student appears socially isolated based on network analysis (0 = not isolated, 1 = isolated). This field is particularly valuable when reviewed alongside network visualisations to identify students at risk of disconnection.

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Step 5: Save the Node Type

Once all fields have been added, click Create Type at the bottom of the form to save the Student node type.

note

You can add, edit, or remove fields after the node type has been created by returning to Configure Node Types and selecting the Student type. However, changing field keys after nodes have been imported may affect existing data.

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What's Next

With the Student node type created, you are ready to add your student nodes. There are two ways to do this in the Nodes module:

• Add students manually — Select the Student tab on the Nodes page and click Add Student to enter each student's details one at a time. This is suitable for small cohorts or for adding individual students after an initial import.
• Import students in bulk — Click Import Students to upload a .csv file containing your student list. This is the recommended approach for setting up a full cohort. The next tutorial walks through preparing and importing the CSV file.

The table below summarises the 10 fields configured in this tutorial for reference when adding or importing students.

Field Key	Display Title	Data Type	Mandatory
title	Full Name	String	Yes
category	Category	String	No
year_level	Year Level	String	Yes
classroom	Classroom	String	No
achievement_score	Achievement Score	Number	No
k6_overall	K6 Overall Score	Number	No
pwi_wellbeing	PWI Wellbeing Score	Number	No
growth_mindset	Growth Mindset	Number	No
bullying	Bullying Indicator	Number	No
isolated	Isolation Indicator	Number	No

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SNA User Manual Reference

For full technical detail on the topics covered in this tutorial, refer to the following sections of the SNA User Manual:

• Nodes — Overview of the Nodes module and its role in the platform.
• Node Type Management — Full reference for creating, editing, and deleting node types and fields.
• Nodes Management — How to add, import, update, and delete individual nodes.