Employee Self-Service Screen Reader Tips

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

  1. To turn Screen Reader Mode on, select the Action menu button on the banner.
  2. Press the Enter key.
  3. Use the down arrow and choose the "My Preferences" submenu.
  4. When the My Preferences page opens, in the main content area General Settings section, select the Accessibility Layout combo box. 
  5. Use the Enter key to expand the combo box and then choose the Screen Reader Mode ON option.
  6. Select the Save button in the main content area of the page. 
  7. Use the Enter key to save the page.
  8. Select the Action menu button on the banner.
  9. Press the Enter key.
  10. Use the down arrow key and choose the Sign Out submenu to Sign Out
  11. We recommend that you clear your browser cache to ensure that the new display settings take effect.
  12. Sign In again. This will ensure that screen reader mode is on.

 

Updated: 12/18/2019

The following is an overview of the Employee Self-Service options in ctcLink.  This tutorial will run through the steps to complete several functions of the Time recording system in ctcLink as well as other employee self-service options.  To begin, select HCM Self-Service from the Left Navigation Menu on the Clark College ctc Homepage to get started.

The landing page for HCM Self-Service follows the same layout as the Student Homepage section of ctcLink.  After your standard static navigation at the top of the page, you will find a collage of Tiles on the page.  As seen in previous sections of ctcLink, these Tiles function as links.  Select Time from the Tile links to proceed to enter your timesheet information.  On the Time page, you can bypass the standard static navigation on the Time page and simply activate your Links List and use first letter navigation to locate Enter Time, press enter, and you will proceed to the Enter Time page.

Enter Time

The Enter Time Page allows you to view the current weeks of the current pay period as well as other pay periods.  The Enter Time page begins with the standard static navigation at the top of the page.  Next, you will find your job title followed by a button to go back to the previous pay period on the calendar.  You can then Tab to the next form field which will auto-populate the date of the start of the current week in the pay period.  You can delete the date from this edit box and enter a different date of another pay period to view that pay period.  Users will encounter a prompt before proceeding to future dates in future pay periods before proceeding out of the current pay period.  However, if timesheet deadlines have passed, you will not be able to input reported time entries for previous pay periods and you will not be prompted when viewing previous pay periods.  You can still view your submissions of previous pay periods in the system despite not being able to report after timesheet deadlines.       

Next, you can Tab to the calendar button to open a dialogue with a month and year combo box.  Activate the combo boxes and use your arrows to make your selection.  Then, choose from the calendar that populates below to continue.  The last option before the week/pay period calendar is a button to continue to the next pay period.

You will also notice that below these options, you will find text which lists the length of the pay period (I.E Semi-Monthly) along with the number of hours you are scheduled for followed by the number of hours you have reported to the system.  After this information, you can select the previous week button to jump back to any previous weeks in the current pay period.  This button will be unavailable if your focus is on the 1st week of the pay period.  Next, you can Tab into the Pay Period Week combo box.  Toggle between the options by using your up and down arrows and press Enter on your selection to continue to that week in the pay period.  You can also Tab to the next week button and activate it as an alternative to using the combo box.

If you have the final week of the pay period selected, you will find the next week button unavailable when trying to proceed to the next week.  Lastly, before you enter the calendar entry tool, you will find text which displays the number of hours scheduled for the current week in the pay period along with any time that you have reported to the system for that specific week.

The Enter Time page serves the user by allowing for quick entry of recorded work time.  With this tool, you can easily add more than 1 day at a time to your timesheet.  Users can enter time by typing the number of hours worked in each edit box for the corresponding day on the calendar.  This can also be easily managed with a screen reader. 

When using the Timesheet entry calendar, you can add your reported time each day that you work, or you can add all your reported time at once.  Most importantly, each addition, subtraction or edit that you make on the Enter Time page can only be saved if you choose the Submit button at the bottom of the page each time you make changes to your timesheet.  If you exit the Enter Time page without selecting the Submit button, the system will prompt you to save your changes or to exit without saving your changes. 

By default, the reporting code for the time you enter is based on your job classification.  However, if any time adjustments are necessary for a day or multiple days in your timesheet, you can edit the time reporting codes for each day in the Enter Time system or on the Report Time page in HCM Self-Service.  To adjust your Time Reporting Code, activate the reporting code combo box and use your arrows to make your selection on the day you are adjusting in the timesheet system.

TIP:  When your screen reader is focused on the Enter Time page, you can jump between each individual day on the calendar by navigating using form fields or edit fields.  For example, if you worked 8.0 hours on the first Monday of the first week of the pay period, jump between edit fields on the page by pressing the letter E or the letter F on the keyboard until you hear the desired edit box.  The JAWS screen reader will typically automatically enter you into forms entry mode but if you type in your hours and nothing is recorded, try navigating to the date of choice once more by pressing the letter E on the keyboard.  Once you have found your date, press Enter to activate forms mode and type in the number of hours worked in decimal form.

TIP: Use Tab to jump to the next edit box on the next day of the calendar.  Hold down the Shift key on the keyboard and press Tab at the same time to jump back to the previous day’s edit box.  After you have tabbed through and entered time on each day worked on that week of the pay period, you will exit out of the time entry area and your entered time will remain saved. 

Since you can only view the current week in the pay period, you may need to go back to the previous week or jump forward to the next week to complete your timesheet for the pay period.  The time you have entered will continue to be saved as you work through the pay period to ensure all days have been reported.

You can also add comments for each day reported on your timesheet.  When viewing a specific week in the time entry calendar, there are 7 buttons labeled Comments for each day of that week.  Unfortunately, each button is not labeled with the day it corresponds to, so you will have to count each button to find which day it corresponds to during the week.  Keep in mind that the system displays the weekly calendar starting on Sunday and ending on Saturday.  So the first comments button will correspond to Sunday, the 2nd Comments button will correspond to Monday, and so on.

If needed, there is a comment button under each day.  Once you have selected the desired Comments button for that day of the week, a dialogue will open with a text edit box for you to include additional information about that reported time.  Choose the ok button to save your Comments or choose the Close button to exit without saving.  Each day that you enter additional Comments for will now appear in the list of Comments buttons as a Review Comments button.  For example, if you entered in additional information for a shift that you worked on Monday, you will find that the 2nd Comments button now is labeled Review Comments.  For each day that you add comments to, the label of the button for that corresponding day will change from the Comments button label to the Review Comments label.  Once you have reported time for your scheduled shifts and you have entered all other relevant information, you can choose the Submit Button at the bottom of the page to submit your timesheet.

Report Time

Alternatively, instead of reporting your time through the Enter Time calendar, you can also report your time one day at a time.  The Report Time page starts with your standard static navigation at the top of the page.  Once you have navigated to Time on the HCM Self-Service page, press the B key or the F key on your keyboard when focused on the webpage.  This will allow you to jump between the form elements on the page.  Choose the Report Time button to continue.

You will then come to your options to change the date you are currently viewing or editing.  These options begin with the Previous Date button, an edit box with the current date you are viewing or editing, a calendar button which opens the accessible calendar view and a Next day button.  Users can delete the date populated on the Report Time landing page and change it to the desired date and press enter to jump to that day.

There are three sections of the Payable Time page that you will work within.  The first section falls under the Reported Status heading. Under Reported Status, you can find text displaying your Reported Time in decimal form, followed by your Scheduled Time in decimal form.  If your reported hours are different then your scheduled hours for the day you are viewing, you can then activate and enter the Time Reporting Code combo box which displays the reporting codes available to you to make adjustments.  Next, Tab once to enter the Hours Quantity spin-box.  In this edit field, you can enter the number of hours that you are reporting by entering the number manually, or you can use the up and down arrows to make your selection.

The next section of Report Time falls within the Time Details heading.  Users can override timesheet submissions in this section by filling out the following fields.  First up in the Time Details section is the Override Reason Code edit field followed by a button to Lookup override Reason Codes.  You can enter the code manually in the edit field or you can select the Lookup button to enter a new screen with various codes and descriptions.  When you are in the lookup screen, you may choose a code from the table which gives the code along with the description.  The code itself is a link so you can select to auto-populate that code back into the Time Details section.  You may also exit without selecting a code by choosing the Cancel button.

The next option in Time Details is to enter a Business Unit in the edit field.  You can also find a Business Unit Lookup button directly after the edit field.  Almost identical to the override Reason Code lookup, you can choose a Business Unit from the table of choices.  Each Business Unit appears as a link in the table.  Once you have made your selection, your choice will be auto populated into the Business Unit edit box under Time Details.  To exit without a selection, choose the Cancel button.

The last option under Time Details is the Combination Lookup edit field followed by the Combination Code Lookup button.  If you choose not to enter the code manually, select the lookup button to continue to a list of choices.  When you enter the code lookup screen, you will find it identical to the other screens in this section.  Make your choice from the table of codes to auto-populate the code into the edit field in Time Details.  You can display more results then those shown by activating the Fetch More Rows button just before the beginning of the table.  Choose Cancel to exit without selecting.

The last section of the Report Time page summarizes your submissions in the system under the heading Submitted Hours.  You will also notice that when the Submitted heading is announced by your screen reader, it will also announce the number of hours you have submitted if any have been reported to the system.  In the Submitted Hours section, there are 2 radial buttons to toggle between.  By default, the Summary view is selected for you.  The information displayed below will change based on you staying in Summary view or you can switch to Details view.  Job classifications including Overtime Eligible, Overtime Exempt and Hourly may change how information is presented to you in this section.  To report your time, select the Submit button at the bottom of the Report Time page to finish reporting for that day.

TIP: Users can make changes to a day reported on the timesheet system if it falls within the current pay period and you have not passed the submission deadline.  Below the Summary View and Details View, you can make changes to your timesheet by activating the Edit button.  Your screen reader focus will allow you to begin editing the current day that you have been viewing.  Tab through and enter your adjustments and navigate to the top of the screen and you will find the Submit button.  You can also choose to exit without editing by selecting the Cancel button or you can remove the entire day from the system by selecting Delete at the bottom of the screen when in edit mode.

Request Absence

To request Leave in ctcLink, return to the Time Tile under HCM Self-Service and select the Request Absence Link.  You will find the standard static navigation at the top of the page once you have navigated to the page.  The main content area begins with the Submit button.  You will select this button once all your information has been entered to the form.

You can tab into the Absence Name combo box and use your up and down arrows to make your selection from the list of choices.  Once you have made your selection, Tab into the Reason combo box to once again make your selection.  Now, Tab once more and you will find your screen reader focus in an edit box.  This is the start date of your absence request.  You can enter the date manually or Tab once more and select the calendar start date button to populate your desired date in the edit box.

Next, use the same method to select an End Date for your absence request.  Depending on the length of your request, the system will populate your scheduled hours into the next edit spin-box which is where you would enter the number of hours you are requesting to be absent.  This number can be altered when your screen reader focus is in the hours edit spin-box or you can use your up and down arrows to make changes.

Next, if you have any partial days taking place during your absence, you can choose from additional options with each selection in the Partial Days combo box.  Since the partial day timesheet feature can be difficult to execute through HCM Self-Service, don’t hesitate to contact Human Resources for assistance with your request.  If you would like any additional comments submitted with your absence request, input them into the Comments edit box.  The last step for absence requests is to add any attachments if necessary, to your request.  Choose the Add Attachment button after the Comments edit box and follow the prompts to upload any necessary files.  To process your request, navigate back to the top of the page and select Submit to finish and exit.  You can also find shortcuts to View Balances and View Requests at the bottom of the page.  These shortcuts can also be found on the main Time page of HCM-Self Service after the Request Absence and Cancel Absence links.

Expense Reports

To create or view your expense reports, you must select Financial Self-Service from the Left navigation of the ctcLink homepage.  You can then bypass the standard static navigation on the next page and navigate directly to Expenses in the main content area.  Once you have navigated past the static standard top navigation of the Expenses page, you will find additional links to choose from.  You can view Notices, Create Expense Reports, view your Expense Reports, view your Expense Report History and submit Travel Authorizations.  To create an expense report, choose Create Expense Report from the options listed.

After navigating to the Create Expense Reports page, you will encounter your standard static navigation at the top of the page.  The next section begins with a Next button which is unavailable until you begin adding entries into your report.  Next, you will find your Name listed with a Related Actions menu also with your Name as it’s label.

Under the heading General Information, the first form field that you will come to is a combo box labeled Business Purpose.  Once you have activated the combo box, use your up and down arrows to make your selection and then Tab to the next field.  Now, enter a description of your request and then Tab once more to the next field.  Now, you have found your way to the Default Location field.  In this field, you can enter the location or short form code of the location of your request.  If you do not have a code or do not know the code for the location requested, choose the Lookup Default Location button directly after this field.

TIP:  The Default Location Lookup button will open a dialogue window with a table of locations for you to choose from.  The short form location code is immediately followed by the description of the location.  For example, if your desired location is Tucson, AZ, you can use your arrows or the page search function to navigate through the options.  You will see the code for Tucson, AZ is AZTUC.  Select the AZTUC link and your choice will be populated into the Default Location field.

By default, only 300 results appear upon opening the dialogue.  To populate more results to choose from, choose the Fetch More Rows button located after each set of location results.  Users who wish to navigate results faster can activate the Search Criteria link to expand search filters.  Toggle through the search criteria form fields with your Tab key while using your arrows to choose the filters that you desire or enter text that can populate refined results.  Now, select the Search button or start over by selecting the Clear button.  You can exit the dialogue by pressing ESC on the keyboard or by selecting the Cancel button located at the top of the dialogue window.

TIP: Users who wish to view search results in a links list view must remember that only 300 results appear at once unless you activate more rows of results.  Therefore, you may not find all locations listed in your links list view unless all rows have been expanded.

If you have any information to reference for your report, you can add it to the next editable text field.  You can also populate information in this field automatically by tabbing once to activate the Reference Lookup button.  This dialogue window will open with a table of Reference results if available.  Furthermore, you can also filter results by expanding the Search Criteria link once more in this dialogue window.  Choose Cancel to exit or press ESC to go back to your Expense Report.

To add attachments to your Expense Report, you can proceed to the Attach Receipt button.  Your screen reader will announce a Count with the Attach Receipt button.  If you have no receipts attached, your count will be 0.  Depending on how many attachments you have added to your report, your count will change to reflect your submissions.  In the new dialogue window, select the Add Attachment button and follow the prompts to select your files.  When you enter the attachment screen, you will receive a system message prompting you to inform you that your Expense Report will be automatically saved so that your progress will not be lost.  Once you are finished, return to the Expense Report page and continue to the Accounting Defaults button.  If you wish to exit without adding attachments, press ESC or choose Cancel.

The Accounting Defaults button also announces the count of your Accounting Defaults chosen for your Expense Report.  To alter your defaults and re-calculate your percentages, activate the Accounting Defaults Count button and make your selection from the link results listed.  Once the dialogue window has focus, the GL Chart Tab is selected by default.  You can also Tab to the Show All Tab and activate it by pressing Enter on the keyboard.

The system defaults to 100% of your Accounting Default.  You can edit the current default by navigating through the form fields in the dialogue and recording the desired information for each edit field.  If you come to an edit field and do not have the information required, you can choose the Lookup button after each edit field to assist you in editing your default accounting settings for your Expense Report.  If you have multiple accounting requests for your Expense Report, you can add additional defaults by selecting the Accounting Details Add button.  The screen reader will announce a message when focused on the button alerting you to the position of the row you are adding in the table.  If you have added additional defaults and need to delete them, you can find an Accounting Details button directly after which will announce which row you are deleting.  Select Cancel to exit without making a selection or press ESC on the keyboard.

Next, the page will display the Creation date of your Expense Report as well as the last time it was Updated.  The final Heading on the page contains your Expense Details.  If you have added any Expenses to your report, they will appear here.  Choose Add Expense to add details to your report.  Select Quick Fill for a faster submission.

The next page is where you will add expenses to your report before you make your submission.  Bypass the standard static navigation at the top of the page and you will find the Review and Submit button.  We will come back to this button later.  Now, if you wish to return to the previous page to update those details, choose the General Information button located after the Expense Report Description.  Make your changes and select the Update Details button to come back to the Expense entry page.

The system will then detail how to use the Multi-Select mode for activating or deleting expenses.  The next heading will display the Total amount in USD currently reported on your entries list.  Choose the Add Expense button to proceed to the next step.  The New Expense Page begins with the standard static navigation followed by the heading which will announce the current date.

First, choose the date of the expense that you incurred.  You can enter this date manually or use the accessible calendar tool to search for your date.  Now, Tab into the Expense Type edit field.  Enter your information manually or search for the Expense Type in the dialogue pop-up window.  For example, you may find an option such as “Hotels Outside the State of WA.”  Make your selection and it will be populated into the Expense Type edit field.  Next, Tab to the next field and enter a description of your expense.  Tab once more to choose a payment method.   

After you have chosen a payment method, you must tab to the Amount edit field.  You may find a pre-populated amount listed here or you may enter an amount manually.  Now, you must enter the Transaction Currency.  By default, this is set to USD.  You can also make changes by activating the Lookup Transaction Currency button.  Next, you must select a Billing type from the combo box before proceeding to the final options on the page.

The final 4 options on the page consist of a Per Diem Deductions Count, the option for a Receipt Split and the option to indicate if this was a Personal Expense as well as whether a receipt is present.  The Per Diem Count as well as the Split Receipt options open into similar dialogue windows you have navigated before.  Once you have entered all desired information, you must select the Save Entry button or exit by activating the Cancel Entry button.  The system will prompt you before exiting or with a confirmation of your entry with the total amount.  Choose ok to proceed.

You will now return to the Expense Entry page where you can add more expenses, or you can delete entries as well.  Once you have added all necessary entries, you can continue to submit your report or delete any unwanted entries.

To delete an entry or all entries, you must choose the Delete button to remove 1 entry or you must select the More button to make multiple selections.  When activated, the More button will populate the Select All button, the Quick Fill button and the Copy Expenses button.  If you wish to delete any entry, activate the Default button and check the box of the entry in the table below.  You can also Select All entries for deletion.  Once you have chosen the entries you wish to delete, select the Delete button to proceed.  The system will prompt you to confirm the entries you have chosen to delete.  Choose yes or no to continue.  You can also Select All and copy all Entries as well.  If you wish to submit your Expense Report, choose the Review and Submit button to finish your submission.

The final step in submitting your Expense Report is to review your details before submission.  The review and Submit page hosts your standard static navigation at the top.  You can then choose to return to the previous page by selecting the Update Line button to make changes.  You can also Select the Submit button if you are finished reviewing the submission details.  You can bypass these buttons by navigating to the 2nd heading on the page which is titled Expense Report Summary.

The Expense Report Summary will display the number of expense entries along with the total amount recorded.  You will also find the amount due to the employee listed as well.  You can review Analytics, Notes as well as display a printable version of your report before you finalize your submission.  Once you have completed your review and have made any necessary changes, you can activate the Submit button to finish.  Once you have approved the system prompts, you will be returned to the Expenses Page.

Travel Authorizations

To access Travel Authorizations and other Expense options, select Financial Self-Service from the Left Navigation of the ctcLink Homepage.  Next, choose Expenses after your standard static top navigation to continue. 

Once you have selected Travel Authorizations, you will find the standard static navigation at the top of the page.  The next information that your screen reader will announce will be your name followed by your employee number.  Now, you will come to the Travel Authorization Status content.  The status area displays Transactions for users in the system.  The next section displays all of your authorizations under the heading View All Travel Authorizations.

If no Travel Authorizations are in the system, your screen reader will announce to you that there are no Travel Authorizations to display.  Otherwise, you will see a description of each authorization.  At the bottom of the page is the Add Travel Authorization button.  Select this button to continue to the next page.

The Add Travel Authorization page begins with the standard static navigation at the top.  You will then immediately come to the Save button, the Submit button and a button that your screen reader will announce with your name followed by the words “Related Actions.”  The Related Actions button only has 2 choices when it is activated.  The first option is to Change Employees and if you down arrow you will discover the option for User Defaults.  When continuing through the rest of the page, you will discover that it is primarily composed of various form fields for you to input information.  Use the previously used shortcut letters E or F on the keyboard as well as the Tab key to jump between fields.

TIP: When your focus is on the authorization page.  Hold down the Insert key and press F5 to populate a list of form fields to choose from without viewing other page content.  Because this page is primarily composed of form fields, this will allow you to navigate quicker and more concisely.

Users who frequently submit Travel Authorization requests can benefit from the option of saving frequently used templates for specific travel needs.  The Save button at the top of the content area allows you to save a copy of the current template you are working on or have completed for future submissions to make recalling certain data easier for you.  Choosing the Save button will only save the template you have created.  Once you have made all necessary changes to your request, you must choose Submit to send your Travel Authorization request. 

You must first enter a description, a business purpose from the combo box, any additional comments for your authorization and you must choose a Billing Type from the final combo box in this section.  Once you have entered all relevant information, continue to Tab until you reach the next section which starts with a button labeled Accounting Default.

The Accounting Default button will open the Accounting default tool.  This dialogue will open for you to make changes to the applicable Accounting defaults for each authorization category you are requesting.  This is similar to the dialogue window for selecting Accounting Defaults for Expense Reports and you will find the same functionality as before.    For example, this dialogue box would allow you to assign an accounting department to each component of your Travel Authorization request.  Only when you have chosen multiple accounting sources from this dialogue box will you find multiple departments listed with the relevant details for each department request.  If your authorization request falls entirely under one department, 100% of your request will default to the department you choose to process the accounting request.  If you are making several requests from several departments, your percentage may change based on your request.

Next, you will enter the section to input your Travel From/Travel To information.  You must type the name of the City you are traveling to and from in both edit boxes.  After each edit box, there is a Lookup Travel button.  When activated, a dialogue window will appear unannounced by your screen reader which will display a table of locations from the United States and various regions around the World.  You can use your arrows to navigate down through the table of options until you find your selection.  Choose the short form code which is listed as a link before the City to populate your choice into the Travel From/Travel To edit fields.  This lookup tool has the same functionality as the lookup tool you used to record your location for your Expense Reports.  If you do not wish to use the table to locate your origin or destination, select cancel to exit without making a selection.

Next, you will enter the dates of your travel request.  You can enter the dates manually once you have tabbed to each edit box under the dates section or you can open the calendar tool to make a selection from the accessible virtual calendar.  The system will briefly summarize your trip duration below the dates tool once you have filled in this section.  Before entering your information for each travel category, the page will display any accounting department information that you have recorded in your request up to this point.

On the Travel Authorization page, you will find several travel categories for the user to choose from.  Each category consists of 3 pieces of information that you must record.  The following is a list of travel categories currently available for you to choose from.

Each category contains 3 sections that you must fill out as you navigate through the request page.  The first form field is where you will input a description of your request.  You will then Tab once and fill in the amount requested.  The last option you must choose is which Accounting department that your request will fall under.  As we pointed out at the beginning of this page, you can select the Accounting Default button to set your default accounting for each component of your request or you can choose 1 department to serve as the default for your entire request.  Each category has an Accounting button directly after the amount requested form field and allows you to record or adjust accounting defaults for each category of travel in your request.

Finally, at the bottom of the page, you will find a total in USD currency for each category added together to display your total amount requested.  Once again, you can save your template for future submissions by choosing the Save button.  You can also simply send the request without saving the template by selecting the Submit button.  If you have already saved your template, exit without choosing Submit to return to the previous page or choose Submit to finish your request.