Students Using Screen Readers
Enable Screen Reader Mode option at the ctcLink login page does not automatically activate throughout the different pillars in ctcLink (Campus Solutions, Financials, and Human Capital Management). We have been working with Oracle, our software vendor, and it’s been confirmed this is related to our current configuration. We are looking into various options to resolve the issue long-term.
Until we have a permanent fix in place, faculty, staff and students that use screen readers in ctcLink will need to adjust their individual preferences manually to enable the screen reader mode. Once they make the change, it will remain active until the user decides to turn the feature off.
Screen Reader Mode
Purpose: Use this document as a resource for how to enable Screen Reader mode within ctcLink.
Audience: All Staff, Faculty and Studetns
Instructions for Screen Reader Users
- To turn Screen Reader Mode on, select the Action menu button on the banner.
- Press the Enter key.
- Use the down arrow and choose the "My Preferences" submenu.
- When the My Preferences page opens, in the main content area General Settings section, select the Accessibility Layout combo box.
- Use the Enter key to expand the combo box and then choose the Screen Reader Mode ON option.
- Select the Save button in the main content area of the page.
- Use the Enter key to save the page.
- Select the Action menu button on the banner.
- Press the Enter key.
- Use the down arrow key and choose the Sign Out submenu to Sign Out
- We recommend that you clear your browser cache to ensure that the new display settings take effect.
- Sign In again. This will ensure that screen reader mode is on.
ctcLink Screen Reader Resource Guide
Updated: January 10th, 2020
1.1 Signing in Using Screen Reader Mode
1.5 Announcements Content Area
3.0 Viewing and Editing your Personal Details
7.0 Managing your Financial Account
1.0 Introduction
This guide is designed to orient you to the ctcLink environment and provide you with step-by-step instructions with tips and tricks for mastering all the functions and settings in the system. While this guide is comprehensive, you may encounter small differences based on the version of ctcLink as well as the screen reader version that you are currently using. However, you will find that the instructions are generally the same across various screen reader platforms. For the purposes of creating this guide, the 2019 latest version of JAWS screen reader was chosen for testing. JAWS is widely considered as the industry standard for screen reader testing for Windows. In addition, this guide was created while using the latest version of Windows 10 operating system.
Tip: The Table of Contents at the beginning of this document is designed for both screen reader users and magnification software users. Each section of the table of contents jumps to the section of the document that it corresponds to. For example: If using a mouse, simply click on the link and you will jump to that section. If using a screen reader, open your context menu when your focus is on the hyperlink in the table of contents. Open the hyperlink and you will jump to that bookmark in the document. Try bookmark navigation with the Introduction to see how it works.
Tip: ctcLink does not have a contrast or text size adjustment tool built into the system. If you are using a Magnification tool, you can adjust contrasts through your program as well as text size. You will find that there is not a set color scheme throughout the ctcLink environment so you may need to adjust contrast on the fly throughout your session. Navigating by selecting Tiles is a core component of the system. These tiles vary in size and may take up larger portions of the page then you are used to and may require zoom level adjustments on occasion.
1.1 Signing in Using Screen Reader Mode
The first step for accessing ctcLink starts with the Sign In screen. This page has a simple layout and you can navigate using your navigational arrows and the Tab key. You can also jump between forms using the F key or by activating the Forms List Dialogue Box by holding Insert and pressing F5 (Insert+F5). From here, you can navigate using your up and down arrows and press Enter on your selection.
Tip: The Sign In button announces instructions for selecting Enable screen reader Mode. However, you will need to navigate beyond the Sign In button to the Enable screen reader Mode checkbox before selecting the Sign In button. Some users may hear the announcement by the screen reader on the sign in button and select the button without checking the box for screen reader mode. If the screen reader mode is not enabled before signing in, you may encounter several accessibility issues when navigating the environment. There is an option to enable screen reader mode after signing in, under My Preferences, which we will cover at a later point in this guide.
The ctcLink screen reader mode pairs down much of the robust content into an easy to navigate, clean environment. If you are a screen reader user who is used to navigating content areas using Headings on a webpage, this environment uses Headings minimally and is set up to use links, forms and tiles for navigating through most content areas. We advise not to rely on Page Titles in ctcLink as many of them do not accurately reflect the contents of the page you are currently working in. The ctcLink environment is primarily composed of 3 content areas.
1.3 Top Navigation Menu
The first area is located at the very top of the page and is oriented from left to right. This area will be referred to as the top navigation menu. As you move down with your screen reader, you will come upon a menu of links that are aligned to the top right of the page in the top navigation area. From left to right, they read: Tiles, Reset Question, Home and Sign Out.
Tip: If your screen reader allows you to navigate by List, you can jump between Lists of links in ctcLink. For example, if you are using JAWS, press the L key on the keyboard and you will jump between each list on the page. To interact with each list of links, simply use your navigational keys.
1.4 Left Navigation Menu
On the left you will find the Left Navigation Content area. Here, you can navigate to Canvas and the Student Homepage. As you continue into other pages of ctcLink, you will find links in this content area that are relative to the page you are currently on.
Tip: When navigating a page with many links, we suggest using a Links List command to show you the list of all available links on the page. In JAWS, this command is performed by holding down the Insert Key and pressing F7 (Insert + F7). This can be helpful because it allows you to bypass any content except links on the page. When you arrow to your choice, make your selection and continue.
Selecting the Student Homepage gives you access to Admissions, Message Center, Tasks, Academic Progress, Manage Classes, Financial Accounts, Academic Records, Financial Aid and other additional resources.
Located at the beginning of the announcement content area is a link titled My Institution View. This link returns you to the Institution selection screen if you wish to switch from Clark College to another institution before proceeding.
1.5 Announcements Content Area
The Announcements Content area is located to the right of the left navigation area with 2 information boxes. The messages in this area may vary from each sign in. In this space, you may encounter announcements for scheduled maintenance as well as information on navigating to the, how do I? CTC link training website. Just below this area you will come to the end of the page with the footer consisting of links and copyright information.
2.0 ctcLink Student Homepage
The ctcLink Student Homepage is composed primarily of buttons and links with little to no text present on the page. You will immediately encounter buttons across the top which allow you to choose your homepage, Return to Home, view your Notifications, view other actions available and access the Nav Button. Because links are scattered throughout the page, sorting links using a links list may once again be the best method for narrowing down which link you are looking for. You can activate a Links List by holding Insert and pressing F7 (Insert+F7).
Tip: Your screen reader may announce a Move to Element keystroke when you first focus your screen reader cursor on Choose Homepage. However, performing the suggested keystroke will not activate the navigate by elements feature.
Selecting Choose homepage allows you to set your home landing page from a list of preset options or homepages that you add yourself. The Choose homepage button expands a pop-up menu of links for you to choose homepages from. By default, unless you add additional Homepages to the list, the only option under the Choose Your Homepage dialogue is the ctcLink Student Homepage. If you choose not to select a link from the preset list that populates, navigate to the close button at the top of the pop-up menu to return to navigating the Student Homepage. Once you have chosen a Homepage, when you select the Home button which you will find after the Choose Your Homepage Button, you will return to that page which you have selected from the Homepage presets.
Selecting the Notification button will direct you to your outstanding tasks. your screen reader will announce Notifications, followed by a number afterwards. This number represents the number of unread notifications you have and may vary from each login. When there are no new notifications, the screen reader will announce the default button label, Notifications 0. Once you have reached the Notifications page, you will find a button for Actions and Alerts as well as a View All option which is a “clickable element.” At the bottom of the page, you will find a refresh button. To view an Alert, make your selection from the populated list.
Similar to the Choose Homepage button, Actions expands into a pop-up menu of links to choose from. Select from Personalize Homepage, My Preferences, Help and Sign Out. Make your selection, press ESC on the keyboard or navigate to the top of the pop-up menu and select the Close button to exit the list of links.
Choosing to Personalize your Homepage allows you the opportunity to designate your Homepage shortcut. You can also add Tiles to ctcLink for quicker access to all of your content. To make changes for a more Personalized experience, select Actions from the Top Nav and choose Personalize Homepage from the list of Links. A new page will load with your focus at the top of the page.
The Cancel button is the first option you will encounter on this page. If you continue to arrow down on the page, the next option on the page is the Save button. Below Cancel and Save is a list of your current Homepages in ctcLink. As we stated earlier, the ctcLink Student Homepage is the default Homepage and the only option listed unless you have added Homepages before.
To add additional Homepages, choose the Add Homepage button located just above your list of Homepages. A pop-up window will appear which will allow you to Tab between the options to Add a Homepage. Enter the desired information and Tab to the Add button to finish or press ESC on your keyboard to exit without saving.
You will also find your current list of Tiles that you are using in ctcLink listed below your Homepage options. Here, you will find your list of default Tiles as well as any additional Tiles you have added to customize your experience. To add additional Tiles, choose the Add Tile button to open the Add Tile pop-up window. In this pop-up, Tab between the list of Tiles that you can add, search for new Tiles and make your selection and exit to save your new additions. Press ESC on the keyboard or navigate to the Close or Cancel buttons to exit without saving.
TIP: The quickest way to jump between content on this page would be to navigate by Buttons or Form Fields. When your focus is on the webpage, press B on your keyboard or F to jump between each button without having to use arrows.
The next option under the Actions button is My Preferences. Under My Preferences, you can toggle various options as well as make personalization changes to ctcLink for a more enriched experience.
Once you have landed on the My Preferences page, and you have navigated beyond the Back button and the static Top Navigation, you will find options to collapse/expand the list of customizable options, Restore Defaults and Save Changes. Heading navigation can be used by pressing H on your keyboard when your focus is on the webpage. Jump between the various categories under My Preferences including General Options, Regional Settings, System and Application Messages, Navigation Personalization’s and Advanced Settings.
You can expand all categories at the top of the page by activating the Preference Item List to expand all options. You can also expand each category individually if you do not wish to view all categories. Toggle options on or off by pressing enter on each item as you Tab through the list. To save changes, choose Save and you will return to the current page with your selections updated. To undo unwanted changes, choose the Restore Defaults button to return all options to their default selection. To exit, choose the back button.
TIP: Earlier in this guide, we informed you that you can start ctcLink in Screen Reader mode by default without having to manually choose this setting each time you login. Under My Preferences, in General Options, Tab until you are in the Screen Reader Mode combo box under Accessibility Layout. Toggle Screen Reader Mode to On and tab out of the combo box. Now, navigate to and activate the Save button to keep your changes.
If you need further assistance with this process or any other function of ctcLink, you may be able to answer most questions by accessing Help under the Actions menu of the Student Homepage. If your session is complete, choose Sign Out from the Actions menu to logout and exit from ctcLink.
The last button before you come to the main content area of the page is the NavBar button. The NavBar serves as a quick launch type tool for users to quickly access Tiles. Selecting NavBar will open a new page with your current Tiles listed under the NavBar. You can also choose from Personalize NavBar or Close NavBar.
The only heading on the page is titled ctcLink Student Homepage. You can bypass the initial buttons at the top and use Heading navigation to bring you down to the main content area. There are 7 sections of the Student Homepage that you will have access to. The first 2 sections appear before the Tasks table on the page.
Admissions
Selecting Admissions will give you access to Applications on file as well as outstanding Tasks that you can get further information on. The top of the Admissions page will host your standard static navigation that you will encounter throughout the Student Homepage section. The Left Navigation Menu gives you access to your Application Status or the option to Apply for Admissions. Selecting Applications will populate a list of applications on file through Admissions. Selecting to Do List will populate items that need your attention to complete the Admissions process.
Tip: On the Admissions page, you can bypass some navigation by pressing F on your keyboard to jump to the Application radial button. Hit F one more time and you will jump to the To Do List Radial Button.
Message Center
The Message Center is your basic communication tool and will allow you to view correspondence for your applications and tasks. On this page, you will have your standard static navigation followed by the Left Navigation and Main content area. The Left Navigation area only has the landing page link for this page, also titled Message Center. General correspondence will appear in the content area oriented to the right of the page.
Your messages will appear at the bottom of the page. There are 2 tabs on the page for displaying messages for you to choose from. Select Inbox to view your unread/read messages. Select the Archived tab to view messages you have chosen to archive. You can also search for specific message threads with the search function.
Tasks
If you want to bypass content and navigation and jump straight to the outstanding Tasks table on the page, press T, or your corresponding Table navigation shortcut to jump between tables on the page. When no Tasks are available, there is no way to Jump to the tasks table and you will receive a message under Tasks advising you that there are no current tasks.
Academic Progress
The Academic Progress page is identical to other pages in the Student Homepage and has the same standard static navigation structure on top. Choosing Academic Progress will give you access to view your progress, the What If Report, Advisors, My Advising Notes, Apply for Graduation or View Graduation Status.
The default landing page for Academic Progress will present you with options to create an Academic Progress Report or you may view reports that you have already generated in the system. Select the view Report as PDF to view and export any reports that you have already generated.
If you are considering changing your program of study and want to know how that change will impact your academic progress, you can generate a What If Advisement Report with the new desired program of study. Select the Create New Report button under What If Report to get started.
Choosing Advisors will display information on the advisor(s) that you have been assigned to. This section also lists any Advising committees that you are assigned to. Select My Advising Notes to display any advising notes generated for your records in ctcLink.
Choose Apply for Graduation to view your programs and to start the graduation process. On the Apply for Graduation landing page, you will find a list of your programs that are available to apply for graduation. Make your selection and continue to the next page. Next, choose the term that you are applying for Graduation from the Expected Graduation Term combo box. You can choose Continue to proceed to the next step or you can select the Select Different Program button to make changes before continuing.
Lastly, you can also View Your Graduation status and Expected Graduation Term by choosing these options from the Left Navigation area.
Manage My Classes
The Manage My Classes page follows other ctcLink Student Homepages with the standard static navigation on top. Selecting Manage My Classes gives you access to View My Exam Schedule, Enrollment Dates, Class Search and Enroll, Enroll by My Requirements, Shopping Cart, Drop Classes, Update Classes, Swap Classes, Browse Course Catalog and Planner. We will walk you through all the functions of Manage My Classes in Section 4.0
Financial Accounts
To access Financial Accounts, choose the Static Image button on the ctcLink Student Homepage. Selecting Financial Accounts lets you view your Account balance, payments, charges, transactions and other important financial account details. We will cover Financial Accounts in detail in Section 7.0.
Academic Records
Course History is the default landing page for Academic Records, and we will cover Course History in detail in Section 6.0. Selecting Academic Records allows you to view Course History, View Grades, view your Unofficial Transcript, View Transfer Credit, Evaluate Transfer Credit, View My Milestones or My Program tools.
Your Grades can be viewed in greater detail when choosing View Grades. Select the desired value from the table to get more info. To view Unofficial Transcripts, choose that option from the Left Navigation area and choose Unofficial Transcript from the combo box and select Submit to continue. The content area will refresh with a record of your newly created unofficial transcript. You may also view other unofficial transcript requests on this page as well by toggling from the View Report radial button to the View All Requests radial button. When viewing previous requests, they will appear in a table. Check the box next to the report that you would like to view or delete.
Next, choose the View Transfer Credit Report to access a report detailing your Course Credits, Test Credits and Other Credits. On this page, use your heading navigation to jump between the 3 sections listed above. By default, all 3 sections are expanded to show available content. You can collapse the unwanted sections by activating the collapse link graphic for the designated section. You will find detailed credit information under each section of this page. If you would like to create a report to evaluate your transferred credits, choose the Evaluate Transfer Credit option from the Left Navigation area. Lastly, users can view Milestones and information about their specific program on the Academic Records page under Left Navigation.
Profile
To access your Profile, choose the button labeled with your user id. Your screen reader will announce for example, “user id 123456789 button.” Selecting Profile will populate your Profile information including your personal details,
Contact details,
Address, Emergency Contacts, your Ethnicity and your Privacy Restrictions.
Additional Resources
Selecting Additional Resources allows you to access important links and resources for users. You can also upload documents or other pertinent information requested by staff or departments. After navigating to the Upload Document section, simply ensure that Clark College is selected from the Select Institution combo box and activate continue to proceed. Users can also access Admissions information by choosing Request Information from the Left Navigation and by following the prompts on the next page.
Financial Aid
Selecting Financial Aid allows you to View your Financial Aid by Quarter and by year. You can also view other information relevant to your aid package. In addition to the Financial Aid section, you can also view correspondence related to Financial Aid through tasks, notifications and message center.
At the bottom of the Student Homepage, you will find a Refresh button. This can update information such as outstanding Tasks on the Student Homepage.
3.0 Viewing and Editing your Personal Details
To view or edit your Personal Details, navigate to the Student Homepage and select the “User id button” after Profile. you will encounter the same standard static top navigation that matches other ctcLink Student Homepages. Once on the Profile page, you can view or make changes to your Personal Details, Contact Details, Addresses, Emergency Contacts, Ethnicity and your Privacy Restrictions.
On the Personal Details landing page, by default, you will see your ID number, your name, your Gender, your Birthday and the last 4 digits of your social security number. Choosing Personal Details will also populate a list of your Names registered in the system. By default, only your Primary name will be listed. You can only view the Primary Name, but you cannot delete it or make changes.
A table appears when you select Personal Details with the names currently listed in the system with the Name listed first followed by the Type. Each name appears as a link. Make your choice to view the current selection or make changes if allowed. The second option is the Preferred Name. You can make changes to the Preferred Name, but you cannot delete it from the list of Available Names. There is also the option to add a Social Name to your Personal Details under your Profile. Just above the table which displays your Personal Details (Names), you will find the Add Name button. Select the Add Name button to enter the next page to add your Preferred or Social Name.
Tip: Screen Readers can navigate quickly through the Profile pages using Headings. Your Screen reader may detect Elements within the page that you can jump between but performing this action will not work and will result in a failure message. To bypass Top navigation and jump down to the Table of Names, navigate by Table in your web browser. For JAWS users, type T when focused on the HTML page to jump to the table of Names.
When you enter the page to view/edit your details, you will see the Type of name you are viewing/editing. English is the default Name format in the system. You can make changes or keep English as your preferred format and continue to the next form fields. Now, you can make changes to the other information listed on file by tabbing between form fields while adding or editing information along the way.
You will only be able to view information for the Primary Name but will not be allowed to make changes. The 2nd option on the Profile Table is your Preferred Name. You will have complete editing capabilities for this option, but you may not delete your Preferred Name. Enter information for the desired Prefix, First Name, Middle Name, Last Name and Suffix. Select Save and you will return to the previous page to view your list of Names. Your Social Name will not appear by default on the Names Table under Profile, unless you have already added it, in which case, it will show up as the 3rd option down on the table.
Tip: The Cancel button will return you to the Personal Details page with your list of Names. Selecting Save will bring you back to this page as well. Jump between form fields on this page by pressing F on the keyboard if you are a JAWS user. You can also bring up a list of form fields by holding Insert and pressing F5 to populate a list of the form fields on the page.
The next section under your Profile allows you to update your e-mail address or phone number, select Contact Details from the options under the Profile page and the content area will refresh with 2 separate tables. By default, there should be an e-mail and phone number under each corresponding table which is registered in the system. However, if none is listed, choose Add Email or Add Phone to update these options.
The first table displays your Preferred e-mail on file, the type of email listed and if it is your Preferred method of contact. Make your selection from the list by choosing the e-mail address which is displayed as a link. Once you select your e-mail address, a pop-up will appear and your screen reader focus will land in the first edit field of the pop-up, which is the e-mail address field. and you will have to Tab with your keyboard to navigate between form fields. Once you have updated your e-mail address, Tab to the Save button to continue with the changes and exit the pop-up or select Cancel to exit without saving your changes. Choose the Delete button if you would like to remove the email address on file and this will return you to the Contact Details content area.
Tip: The screen reader focus lands in the e-mail address edit field when selecting the e-mail address, you are choosing to update. We recommend only using Tab when navigating through this pop-up. Leaving the form fields that your cursor has focus on will cause the pop-up to close and you will have to select the e-mail address once again from the list in the content area. Avoid using the ESCAPE key on your keyboard unless you are trying to exit the pop-up window without saving.
The next table down lists your Phone Numbers. By default, you will find your Preferred phone number listed first in the table. Select the phone number which displays as a link from the table and you will advance to view or edit your phone number.
After selecting the desired phone number from the links on the table, you will jump into a pop-up window where your cursor focus will default to the Country Code form field. You can change your phone number, add an extension, Enable Texting and Set your Preferred Phone Number. Selecting delete will remove your phone number from the system. Choose Save to save your changes and select Cancel to return to your Contact Details. To add another phone number, select the Add Phone button located just above the table of Phone Numbers listed on the Contact Details page
The next option for managing your personal details is the Addresses section. Once selected, the content area will display your Address types and the addresses listed under each on file. These address types include your Home Address, Mailing Address, Primary Address, Business Address, Preferred Address, Billing Address, Check Address, Permanent Address and a Temporary Address. Under each type of address is a table with the current address for that type of address along with the start date at that address.
Once you select an address to add, view or edit, you will find your cursor focus in the first of many form fields for your address. First, select a country or look one up. Then enter your address information in each form field and then continue by tabbing after each form field. Once you have finished, choose Save to update your information and go back to the Addresses page. Select Cancel to go back to the Addresses page without saving your changes. Choose delete to remove the Address you are currently viewing, and you will return to the previous page.
Up next on the Personal Details page is the option to edit or add Emergency Contacts. When you select Emergency Contacts, a table will populate within the content area. The table displays the name of the emergency contact, the phone number listed for the contact, and if that person is your Preferred emergency contact. Choose the contact name which appears as a link to view or edit that person’s contact details.
The screen reader focus will land in the Name form field in the pop-up window which appears when you select a contact. Tab between form fields to edit the information on file. Choose Save to keep the changes you have made and exit to the Emergency Contacts page. Select Cancel to exit without saving or Delete to remove the entry on file. You may also choose to add additional emergency contacts to your Profile. Choose the Add Contact button above the emergency contact table to add additional contacts.
The 2nd to last section of your Profile is viewing and editing your Ethnicity information. Once you have selected the Ethnicity option, the content area will populate with information that you can view and edit. On the Ethnicity page, you can toggle between information about your ethnicity and Ethnic Background. By default, you will land on a set of questions for your Ethnicity.
You will be asked if you are Hispanic or Latino. Choose yes or no and continue to the next section.
The final section of this page asks for your Race. Activate the checkbox next to your choice and navigate to the save button to save your answers.
If you select the Background Radial button at the start of the content area, you can add Ethnic groups to your background information to keep in your Profile. A table will populate with the name of the ethnic group, along with the short-form code which corresponds to that group.
If no current information is on file, choose the Add Ethnic Group button above the table of information to open the pop-up window to add an ethnic group. You can also choose to label it your Preferred ethnic group before saving and exiting or exiting without saving by choosing Cancel. Select the Delete button to remove the entry on file.
The last section of your Profile is your Privacy Restrictions. This tool allows you to customize your privacy settings for your information on file in the system. You can restrict access to items individually or entire categories all together. When you select Privacy Restrictions, several categories labeled as Headings will appear in the content area. To expand a category and view the current privacy settings, press Enter or Spacebar when your screen reader focus is over a category. Your screen reader should announce to you that you need to expand the link which will display the desired information. You can view and edit privacy settings for your Names, Personal Data, Phone Numbers, Addresses, Email Addresses, Extra Curricular Activities and your Photograph.
You can expand any of the previous categories listed to populate a table of information under that category. Each piece of information in that category is displayed as a link. Choose the link from the table to change the restriction setting for that individual piece of information. Once your screen reader is focused in the pop-up window, Tab to check the Restricted checkbox and activate it to restrict access. You can also uncheck the box to leave it unrestricted. Select Save to keep your changes and exit or Cancel to exit without saving your changes. This method works for all items of information under each category.
If you do not wish to allow access to individual pieces of information, when a category is expanded and is displaying all information for that category in a table, select the Restrict All button located just beneath the table for that category. This will automatically check all Restricted boxes for each item of information without having to change each one manually. Be sure to choose Save at the top of the Content Area to keep your changes. In addition to being able to restrict access to entire categories under your privacy settings, you can also remove restrictions on entire categories of information as well. Simply choose the Clear All button which is located just after the Restrict All buttons for each category and choose Save to finish.
4.0 Manage Classes
To access tools to manage your classes, navigate to the Student Homepage and choose Manage Classes from the options listed. When you land on the Manage Classes page, you will find the standard static navigation shortcuts at the top of the page similar to others in the Student Homepage. You will then see the Term you are currently viewing (For example: Winter 2020). Under Manage Classes, you will also be able to View My Exam Schedule, View Enrollment Dates, access Class Search and Enroll, Enroll by Requirements, View your Shopping Cart, Drop Classes, Update Classes, Swap Classes, Browse the Course Catalog and view your Planner.
By default, the landing page for managing your classes is View My Classes under the Student Homepage. You can choose to view your class information by Class or by Date. By class organizes your classes that you are enrolled in alphabetically. Choosing to organize your classes by date will arrange them in a viewable schedule format.
You can toggle this option by selecting the by Class radial button or the by Date radial button before your list of classes.
By default, the system shows your classes that you are enrolled in. To also show classes that you have Dropped or classes that you are waitlisted for, activate the checkboxes to also display dropped and waitlisted classes in your course summary. These checkboxes are located just after the toggle option to view your classes by Class or by Date. Uncheck the boxes to hide dropped or waitlisted classes.
By default, any courses that you are enrolled in are expanded Headings to provide all pertinent information for the course. You can collapse or expand each course by pressing Enter or Spacebar when your focus is on the course heading Link. Each course will announce to you whether the information listed is collapsed or expanded for your viewing.
Tip: There can be several Headings on this page based on how many classes you have registered for. To navigate between the information easily, press H on your keyboard to jump between each class heading. You can also open a list of Headings on the page by holding the Insert key and pressing F6 for quicker navigation.
Course information is displayed in tables below the title of the course. The first table displays the Course Status, Number of Units, the Grading Basis, Grade, the Academic Program and any Requirements for that course. The 2nd table displays the start and end date of the course, the days and times the course is provided and the room/location of the course. If you want to access more detailed information about a course you are enrolled in, select the link which announces the section of the course at the start of the 2nd table. Once you open the detailed course information pop-up, you will find 4 additional radial buttons which correspond to further information about your course.
Choose from Meeting Information, Enrollment Information, Class Details and Class Availability, to populate information in the content area within the pop-up window. When finished viewing additional course information, select close or press ESC to return to Manage Classes.
At the end of the tables of information for each course displayed as a heading is a link which opens a pop-up window with detailed Enrollment Deadlines and Drop Deadlines. In the pop up-window, you can choose to view Drop Calendar or Cancel and Withdraw information for that class.
The next section of Manage Classes allows you to view your exam schedule. Select View My Exam Schedule to populate important dates for your classes and other pertinent information.
Users can access key enrollment dates for your institution through the ctcLink Student Homepage. Choose Enrollment Dates from the navigation links to view key dates. Once you have landed on the Enrollment Dates page, bypass your standard static navigation at the top and you will be asked to select a term to proceed. Check the box next to the desired term and choose continue. The final page in this section will display your standard static navigation followed by the name of the institution and the term you are viewing. This page displays Enrollment Dates by Term and Enrollment Limits for that term.
Class Search and Enroll
Choosing Class Search and Enroll opens a page with various options. At the start of the content area, you will find 3 heading links. These include options which allow you to view information on Terms Prior to 2019, Terms After 2019 or the current Term. Directly below these Catalog shortcuts is a table with a list of current and upcoming terms for the listed colleges and institutions. Once you have made your selection, the content area will refresh with a search function. Enter keywords for the class you are searching for and select the search button to view the returned results.
Directly after the search button is a link to view advanced search options. Choosing this link will open a pop-up window with additional search functions. The screen reader cursor will land on the Course Category combo box. Use your up and down arrows to navigate the list of options or Tab between each field as you enter information. Choose search once you have entered in all desired information or press ESC to return to Class Search and Enroll.
The last section of Class Search and Enroll allows you to expand your Favorites and your recently viewed classes. By default, recently viewed courses will populate below the search function for you to jump to recently viewed classes for more information. Lastly, select Delete All at the bottom of the content area to clear your recently viewed classes.
Class Search and Enrollment Example
Below your standard static Top Navigation on this page, you will find several search filter options and the search results content area. The first option that you will come to allows you to expand to show search filters or collapse to hide search filters. If you simply choose to hide your search filters, only your search results will show up. If you choose to activate certain search filters, each filter that you can choose from is displayed as a link. Once you choose a link, it will activate that filter for your displayed search results and adjust your results to match the filters you have chosen. Once u have chosen whether or not to use filters for your search results, navigate to the search results heading to view the available class options.
For the purposes of walking you through searching for and enrolling in classes, we will search for a Biology class to view and enroll in as an example for how to use the system. Choose Winter 2020 under Clark College from the table of choices and continue to the next page where you can enter your search information. Type biology into the search field and select search to continue to the results page.
Once your list of search results has been returned to you in the content area, use your Heading navigation to jump between the various search results on the page. Each Heading begins with the name of the class. Next you will choose a Biology class from the list of search results and press Enter to continue. Once you have chosen the class you are seeking, you will come to a page which displays available class options for your chosen subject. Each class option will be displayed along with details for each option you may choose. Once you have your selection in mind, choose the class option to continue. For example, if you would like the first class option, choose the “Option 1” link under the first class, select “Option 2” link if you are interested in the second option and so on.
Once you have chosen the section of the course you are seeking, you will continue to the Review Class Selection page. At the top of this page, you will find a button to return to the Manage Classes page. We have now arrived at step 1 of the review process before you enroll in your courses. If you continue to navigate down the page, you will encounter a Next button which you will return to soon. Your current progress in the enrollment process is displayed in a set of links shortly below which outline the upcoming 3 steps to complete the process. The next content area on the page begins with the heading “Step 1 of 3: Review Class Selection.” When adding courses to your enrollment shopping cart, this is where you will review detailed information about your selections before proceeding to your Enrollment Preferences. Once you have completed your review, choose the Next button to proceed to step 2.
Now, you must review enrollment preferences for the class you are adding to your enrollment shopping cart. On the preferences page, you will find the Exit button located at the top of the page followed by the Notifications button as well as a Previous button which will return you to Step 1. Next, under the heading “Step 2 of 3: Review Class Preferences”, you will find an “Accept” button followed by a short description of your chosen course. Lastly, you will find options to access Waitlist Information for your chosen course along with a toggle button option to waitlist yourself for the course if no seats are open. You can also view Permissions information for the course along with a place to input a Permissions number if needed. Once you are finished, choose the Accept button to continue to Step 3.
The final step to add a course to your enrollment shopping cart is to perform one final review before completing your request. The next page displays your typical navigation and setup from steps 1 and 2. Once you have navigated beyond the default information and have arrived at the next heading, you can find a detailed review of your course choices under “Step 3 of 3: Review and Submit. Directly under the detailed course information is a heading to collapse/expand Course Preferences if you would like to review your choices before submitting. Once you have completed your review, select the Submit button to add your class to the shopping cart.
The system will prompt you on whether you are sure you would like to add this course to your cart. Choose Yes to continue and the system will alert you once your class has been added successfully. Finally, you will be re-directed to a confirmation page. On this page, your standard static navigation is followed by a link to return to the class results page or to return to the search page to continue shopping. Now, return to the Shopping Cart page to complete enrollment. On this page, check the box which lies before the course information. Once you have checked all boxes that you wish to enroll in, select the Submit button and follow the prompts to complete enrollment.
Enroll by My Requirements
If you want to save time in your search for classes to enroll in, you can choose to enroll by requirements specific to your program. On the Manage Classes page, select Enroll by Requirements to view your academic requirements report to provide you with the relevant classes to register for to fulfill your program requirements.
If you have already registered for classes and you need to drop a class or all classes for a specific term, this can be accomplished under the Student Homepage. Choose Drop Classes from the page navigation to populate your list of classes on file. Choose 1 or all of the courses listed and continue through the system prompts to complete your Drop. If no classes are on file for the term listed, no information will be displayed in the content area.
If you want a more comprehensive resource for available classes for the current term and all terms for a specific institution, select Course Catalog from the Manage Classes section under the Student Homepage. You will be asked to choose a value on the next page. Choose Clark College from the list of colleges/institutions from the list and continue to the next page. You will land on a search page which operates in the same manner as the class search and enroll function. You can type general terms or keywords into the search field and activate the search button to view results or you can choose additional ways to search to bring up advanced search functions which mirror the same process for class search and enroll.
Similar to being able to view recent classes under the class search and enroll function, you can also find your recently viewed classes under the search function on this page. Located at the bottom of the recently viewed results, you can delete all recently viewed classes to clear your history.
Once your search results have populated in the content area, you will once again have the option to use or hide filters to manage your search results. Make your selection from the list to continue to the next page. Lastly, you can view class details, a description of the course or you can add the course to your Planner to enroll at a later time. You can also go back to the list of search results to keep searching or select home to exit the Course Catalog.
The Planner is the final section of Manage Classes in the Student Homepage. Classes that you find through Class Search and Enroll as well as through the Course Catalog can be added to the Planner to map out your schedule for each term. The Planner can also be used to save classes that you find to access easier at the next login without having to search through courses each time you login.
Once you have selected the Planner, the content area will refresh with the current classes that you have added to the Planner. If you have a class or multiple classes in your planner, you will find a table with a list of credits that are in the Planner. Choose the Unassigned link to view current classes in your Planner along with detailed course information. If you want to remove classes from your Planner, select the Delete All button to remove any courses that you have previously added.
The final 2 links at the bottom of the content area in the Planner are shortcuts to Add from Course Catalog and Add from My Requirements. These links will direct you to the course catalog or your list of requirements to choose classes to add to your Planner or Shopping Cart.
5.0 Course History
To access Course History, select Academic Records from the Student Homepage. Course History is home to a detailed list of all classes you have attended in addition to classes that you are enrolled in or that are currently in progress. Course History is the default landing page for Academic Records. You will find a table which displays the Class, Description, Term, Grade, Units and Status. You can also choose to sort the information on the table by selecting any of the above-mentioned links to sort by that filter. For example, if you want to sort your classes by number of units (small to large, large to small), select the Units link on the table and the information will be refreshed to display your desired sorting option.
Tip: Jump to the Table on the Course History page by pressing T on your keyboard when your focus is in the HTML content area. To find information in this section quick, Hold the Control key and press F on the keyboard to activate the Find and Search function. Type in the letters or keywords you are searching for and press enter. For example, if you were searching for information on your math classes, hold the Control key and press F on the keyboard. Then, type math in the search box and press enter. You can then jump to the part of the page where that information is located without having to go through each class. Once you have located the desired information, use your directional navigation arrows to proceed through the details for that class.
6.0 Academic Progress
To follow your Academic Progress, navigate to the Student Homepage under ctcLink and then choose the Academic Progress link under the Left Navigation menu.
The What If Report: If you are considering your program of study at Clark College, use this tool to generate a simulated report that would display the impact to your educational path if you changed your program of study.
Advisors will list your current advisors or any advising committee you are slotted to.
Expected Graduation Term: On this page, there will be a table of information which includes your Academic Program, Expected Graduation Term and current Program Status. This information will update throughout your time at Clark and after advising visits.
7.0 Managing Your Financial Account
In ctcLink, you can view your Financial Account by navigating to the Student Homepage once you have logged in. On the Student Homepage, under the Tiles, you will find Financial Accounts can be accessed by activating the Static Image button placed just after. The next page you enter will be your Financial Account page. On this page, you will encounter the same top navigation setup as the other pages. Shortly after, you will find the Left navigation which defaults to your Account Balance. If no charges are current on your account, the system will display a message that informs you that you have no outstanding charges at this time.
The next options on the left navigation menu include: Make a Payment – By default, if you have no charges to pay at this time, this page will alert you that you cannot make a payment by credit card or e-check at this time. Select the link at the bottom of the page to return to the top of the page. If you have any messages concerning your Financial Account, they will appear in this section. Select the Message Button to view correspondence.
View 1098-T: The content area will refresh with options to view your 1098-T report. If you have yet to grant access to your online 1098-T, you will have to select the Grant Access button before viewing these reports. Once you have chosen to grant access, the next page will provide terms and conditions for you to accept before proceeding. After you have read the terms and conditions and checked the box that you agree, select Submit to confirm your online enrollment or choose Cancel to exit. If you proceed by choosing Submit, you will land on the 1098-T confirmation page and you will now be able to view your 1098-T online rather than receiving it by U.S Mail. You can also view correspondence for your 1098-T by choosing the Message button. Make your selection from the drop-down menu and then select the View 1098-T information button at the bottom of the page. Choose the top of page link to jump back to the top of the page.
Purchase Miscellaneous Items: Students can purchase bus passes, books, technology and other relevant items by selecting this link.
Direct Deposit allows you to view your current Direct Deposit information on file. You can also make changes to your Direct Deposit Information for disbursements from Financial Aid.
