Course management timeline
There are important tasks to take care of before, during and after each term. The following is a general timeline of responsibilities for both online students and instructors. You can add this Google calendar with important events.
Looking for exact dates? Please review the academic calendar.
| Student Timeline | Instructor Tasks |
|---|---|
| Before registration begins | |
| Students taking their first online class at PCC must complete the Start Guide for Online Learners before they can register for an online class. | Fill out your Class Details so students know what to expect before they register for your class. It is important to include any on-campus requirements, additional software/hardware requirements, or other costs to students.
Copy content to your new course(s)and update access and due dates for content and discussions and assignments. If you teach more than one section of the same course, you can request that the sections be crosslisted in a single course offering. |
| Before classes begin | |
| Students access D2L Brightspace: One week before classes begin all online students receive a welcome email from Online Learning and have access to Desire2Learn and the Online Student Resource Center to get oriented.Waitlists: Students will be added automatically from the waitlist until the day before your class begins. | Respond to student email requests for course information and copies of the syllabus.Students from previous terms may request access to your course materials.Review PCC grading guidelines and request access for your incomplete students. |
| Week 1 | |
| Course access: Students get access to your course at midnight the night before the first day of the term unless you have modified your course access dates.Last day for students to drop: Friday (in-person) or Saturday (online) of week one is the last day for students to drop and receive a tuition refund.Late adds: Students can still add classes during the first week with the instructors permission. | Be sure to engage your students in at least 1 assignment or significant course activity during the first week. Students only have 1 week to assess if your course is appropriate for them. After this point they cannot drop without penalties and they cannot add other courses to maintain a full schedule and eligibility for financial aid.Use the User Progress tool to check student activity.Respond to student requests for late adds and submit the appropriate registration overrides.Identify which students are no-shows and have them removed from the class.Remove students who have dropped the class. |
| Week 2 | |
| Last day to add: Tuesday of week 2 is the last day that students can add 8-12 week classes. Short-term classes have less time and must add within two days after the course drop deadline.Attendance: Students must demonstrate their participation in the class. | Respond to student requests for late adds and submit the appropriate registration overrides.Proctoring arrangements: If you are requiring proctored exams for your course, be sure to make arrangements with students who cannot come to a PCC location for testing well in advance. |
| Mid-term(ish) | |
| Course Progress Notifications: Students on ASAP probation or suspension are encouraged to connect with their instructors starting in the 6th week to request CPNs.
Midterm listserv email: Students receive a listserv email from Online Learning reminding them of upcoming deadlines and relevant support services.Midterm exams |
Respond to student requests for Course Progress Notifications (CPN). Be sure to check in with your students before the midterm exam. Remind them about support services that are available (tutoring, office hours) and make sure they understand their current standing in the class. This is a good time to offer a formative evaluation so you can address any issues before finals and official course evaluations. |
| Late term | |
| Last day to withdraw: For a standard 8 to 10 week class students must withdraw during the first 80% of the class meetings. (Week 8 for a 10 week class.)
Last day to change grading option: Students can change their grading option from a letter grade to a Pass/No Pass within the first 80% of the course. |
Respond to student questions, return graded assignments, and offer feedback. Students need to know how they are doing in the class at this point to inform their decisions about withdraws and grading options. |
| End of the term | |
| Course Evaluations: Evaluations will be available for all full-term classes at 8am on Monday of week 10 of fall term, week 9 of winter, spring, and summer terms. Course evaluation reports will be available to faculty the Friday after final grades are due.
Course access ends: At 11:59pm on the date listed as the course end date in the class schedule, but PCC extends that access date until 11:59pm on the Wednesday after final grades are due. This allows students to see final grade info and feedback in Brightspace. |
Encourage your students to fill out their course evaluations. They are accessible from the MyPCC My Courses tab via the Course Evaluations link.
Change your course end date: If you intend for your students to have extended access to your class beyond the official end of term date, you will need to adjust access dates in your D2L course. PCC automatically extends the access date until the Wednesday after grades are due.
Submit grades on time: Grades are due 1 day after the end of the term. Students are dependent on their final grades being complete and accurate for many reasons (transfer schools, prerequisites, employment opportunities, financial aid, veterans’ benefits, etc).
Backup your course content for safe-keeping. |
Department course management practices
Please review our course access guidelines and data retention and archival practices.