To get the most out of your time at PCC, it is important to have a good academic plan. But what does that really mean? Check out this helpful guide designed to assist online learners in taking charge of their academic plan and prepare for registration.
Beginning of the term
Even though the term just started, it’s never too early to make sure you’re prepared to register for next term!
Important dates such as registration, term start, and finals week can all be found in the academic calendar. Typically the class schedule is available 8 weeks before the start of the next term, and registration opens a couple of weeks after that. At PCC, we use a quarterly system (Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer), so you may register up to 4 times throughout the year.
Panther Pro Tip: add the academic calendar to your Google Calendar so you always know important dates! Click on the Google Calendar button at the bottom of the academic calendar webpage.
One month before registration
Before you register for classes next term, you will need to put some thought into your course plan. In addition to these suggestions, you can also check out Get Ready to Register for more information about how to prepare for registration.
In your advising meeting, you can work with your advisor to create a multi-term plan. This will allow you to have a good idea of what classes you will need to register for throughout the academic year.
Be sure to also discuss your priorities about class type and credit load with your advisor. As online learners, we know your schedule is an important consideration for which classes you pick and how many credits you enroll in. You may also have preferences about online (asynchronous) vs. remote (synchronous) learning.
PCC has tools to help you identify the courses you need to take and make a plan to complete your program. GRAD Plan is an online tool that enables students and advisors to track progress towards completing degree requirements.
Your advisor may also help you set up a multi-term plan in the new online academic planner within EAB Navigate.
The class schedule for the upcoming term will be available a couple of weeks before registration opens.
Most instructors at PCC also add information about their class to the class details pages you can access via the class schedule. These pages may contain important course information to help you choose which section will be best for you. After searching for the course you are taking in the class schedule, click on the Class Details link in the “More Info” column.
Panther Pro Tip: Did you know the Online Learning team puts together the Planning Guide for Online Classes? The Planning Guide allows students to see which online courses will be offered during each term throughout the academic year. This can be especially helpful when creating a multi-term plan because some classes are not offered every term.
About two weeks before registration begins, you’ll get your priority registration group and date in your PCC email. You can also check your personal registration time through MyPCC and add it as an event in your planner or Google Calendar.
After talking with your advisor, you should have a list of classes for the next term. Be sure to look at the class schedule to see how many sections will be offered for each class. Select your top choice and a backup (if available) so you will be prepared if one of your preferred sections is filled before it is your turn to register.
Looking for a quicker way to register? Each class section at PCC has a unique 5-digit Course Reference Number (CRN). Make note of the CRNs for all the sections you are wanting to register for to help make your registration process easier. You can locate the CRN for any section you wish to register for in the first column of the class schedule.
Registration day
The time has come — registration day is here! In addition to these tips, check out How to Register for more class registration instructions.
Log in to MyPCC before your registration time opens. Locate the class list you made with your advisor and the corresponding CRNs.
If your schedule allows you to do so, we recommend registering as soon as your time slot is available. We know you’re busy and may not be able to register the moment your registration slot opens. Some classes fill quickly, though, so register as soon as you’re able!
Did you know you can register for all of your classes at once? Here is how you can use the 5-digit Course Registration Numbers (CRNs) to register for more than one class at a time.
Navigate to the MyPCC homepage and find the Term-to-Term Checklist
Click “Register for classes (add/drop classes)”
From the Registration page, click “Add or Drop Classes”
Select the term you plan to register for from the drop down menu and click “Submit”
Once on the “Add or Drop Classes” page, scroll to the bottom. You will see a section titled ‘Add Classes Worksheet’ that has several blank text boxes underneath. Within each text box you can type one of the 5-digit CRNs from your desired class list.
After you have put the CRNs for each class in their own text boxes, you are ready to confirm your registration! Click the “Submit Changes” button at the bottom of the screen.
The web page should refresh after clicking “Submit Changes”, and you will see a list of the classes you successfully registered for! Be sure to confirm that you are enrolled in the courses that you intended to register for before exiting your MyPCC account.
If there is enough student demand on a waitlist, the academic department may decide to open another section.
After registration
Registering for classes is only one step in the enrollment process. Here are some of the next steps to take to make sure you’re all set for the next term.
Payment is due two weeks before the term starts. If you don’t have a payment arrangement set up by the due date, your course registrations may be deleted. If that happens, you lose your seat in all your classes. You can refer to the academic calendar for specific payment due dates so you don’t get deleted for non-payment.
If you are ordering any materials that need to be shipped to you, be sure you place your orders with enough time for the materials to arrive for the first day of class.
You are able to use your financial aid refund to purchase books at the PCC Bookstore. Students interested in charging bookstore purchases to their financial aid can do so from two weeks before to the start of the term through the end of the first week. You can check your eligibility to charge in MyPCC in the “Paying for College” tab. Click on the Stoplight icon in the Financial Aid Dashboard. Here you will see “Bookstore Charge Authorization” with a green checkmark if you are authorized to charge to the bookstore.
On the first day of the term, students will be able to access full-term online classes in D2L Brightspace. Shorter term classes may have different start dates, so be sure to check your class schedule in MyPCC for specific class start dates.
It is important to log in to each of your online classes on the first day of class. Many instructors for fully online classes expect you to log in on the first day of the term and acknowledge that you intend to take the course by completing an activity or assignment. If you do not participate within the first few days of the term, you may be marked as a No Show (NS) by the instructor, which will automatically remove you from the course.
If you are unable to log in on the first day or run into any issues with the course during the first week, contact your instructor. If you are experiencing technical issues, you can also reach out to the Student Help Desk.
We hope these tips will be helpful as you make a course plan and prepare for registration each term! If you still have questions about registration, contact Enrollment Services or Academic Advising.
