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ctcLink Learning Opportunities & Support Roundup: May 1, 2024

May 01, 2024 by ctcLink Communications

A weekly round-up of ctcLink learning opportunities, ctcLink support updates, and news for Washington state community and technical college ctcLink users.

If you have questions or suggestions for future editions, contact ctcLink News or slnelson@sbctc.edu.

What ctcLink learning opportunities are available?

ctcLink Support eLists

ctcLink Customer Support teams send notifications of learning opportunities (including trainings, work sessions, user acceptance testing, and more), as well as global and cross-pillar system communications to the applicable ctcLink Support eLists (aka listservs) on a regular basis.

If you are a ctcLink end-user, and not already hearing about learning opportunities firsthand, join one or more support lists today: ctcLink Support eLists 

Training calendar

Find the latest learning opportunities, including notices of cancellation or schedule changes, on the ctcLink Training page or on the SBCTC meetings and events calendar (apply filters).

Take a training tour

View the ctcLink Training Overview video for a quick online tour of resources. To view it in full screen, select box icon in the upper right corner.

Learning Opportunities & Work Sessions Ahead

To plan further ahead or find the latest learning opportunities, as well as notices of cancellation or schedule changes, see the complete calendar at the ctcLink Training page or on the SBCTC meetings and events calendar (apply filters).

Date Time Event
May 2 10am ctcLink Accounting Team: G6 Draws and FA Reconciliation
May 2 1pm CS Core Work Session: Game, Set, MATCH! Understanding Search/Match
May 7 9am PS Query Training 201 Intermediate - Part 1
May 7 2pm FIN Work Session: YEAR END TOPIC - Intro to Year End & Resources
May 8 9am PS Query Training 201 Intermediate - Part 2
May 8 1pm HCM Work Session: Balloon Payments AND JEDI/Short Work Break
May 8 2pm ctcLink Accounting Team: SF/GL Open Forum Meeting
May 9 10am ctcLink Accounting Team: Internal Cash Reconciliation
May 9 2pm FIN Training: Budget Overview
May 13 11am FIN Work Session: Grants/Projects Q&A Drop-In
May 14 2pm FIN Work Session: YEAR END TOPICS on CM/TR, EX
May 16 10am ctcLink Accounting Team: PO & REQ Cleanup in Prep for Year-End
May 16 1pm CS Core Work Session: Open Q&A Session
May 20 9am SF Training: SF Reconciliation
May 21 9am PS Query Training 301 Advanced - Part 1
May 21 2pm FIN Work Session: YEAR END TOPICS on GR, BI, AR
May 22 9am PS Query Training 301 Advanced - Part 2
May 22 1pm HCM Work Session: Fiscal Year Comp Time Payoff
May 23 10am ctcLink Accounting Team: Year-End Closing Schedule Review
May 23 1pm *CANCELLED* Fin Aid Work Session: Special Fall SAP
May 23 1pm SF Work Session: Write-Off Updates
May 28 2pm FIN Work Session: FSCM Prod Support Meeting *CANCELED*
May 30 10am ctcLink Accounting Team: Accts Receivable Recon Queries
Jun 4 2pm FIN Work Session: YEAR END TOPICS on PU, AP, KK
Jun 5 8:30am CS Core Training: Graduation Tracking
Jun 6 10am ctcLink Accounting Team: Expense Module Reconciliation
Jun 6 1pm CS Core Work Session: Stacking the Deck: Student Program/Plans
Jun 6 2pm FIN Training: FY25 Grant Award Creation to Activation
Jun 10 11am FIN Work Session: Grants/Projects Q&A Drop-In
Jun 11 9am PS Query Training 401 Expert- Part 1
Jun 11 2pm FIN Work Session: YEAR END TOPICS on AM, GL
Jun 12 9am PS Query Training 401 Expert- Part 2
Jun 12 2pm ctcLink Accounting Team: SF/GL Open Forum Meeting
Jun 13 10am ctcLink Accounting Team: Suspense Account Cleanup
Jun 13 2pm FIN Training: FY25 Capital Projects Creating & Maintaining
Resource Description
ctcLink Training Quick Reference Guides The ctcLink Training Quick Reference Guides (QRGs) in the ctcLink Reference Center lists and links to recordings of sessions delivered by the Training Team.
Work Sessions in Canvas The Work Session Canvas Course lists and links to recordings of sessions, including CS Core-offered Work Sessions. Register for the course(s) at ctcLink Training Registration.
ctcLink Security Documentation & Training Find ctcLink Security-related training materials, documentation, Quick Reference Guides (QRGs), useful queries, and more on the ctcLink Security Documentation & Training page.
Accessibility and ctcLink Open Forums SBCTC hosts monthly Accessibility and ctcLink Open Forums to engage Washington's community and technical college system in discussions around ctcLink accessibility and technology. Find materials and recordings from past ctcLink Accessibility Forums on the website.

 

ctcLink News

ctcLink Improvement Plan Update

Since kicking off last fall, new elements of the ctcLink Improvement Plan continue to be rolled out:

  • HCM & FIN training onboarding manuals: These tools are currently being piloted by Wenatchee Valley College and Peninsula College.  The original goal was to release these new resources by July 1, but will be ready ahead of schedule with a June release. Stay tuned!
  • Staff Training Participation Application: This new tool will allow college employees and supervisors to track which trainings an employee has completed. 
  • Controller Handbook:  In the community and technical college system, a controller may go by various titles including Director of Finance, Fiscal Director, or Accounting Manager, but the duties are usually similar with variation from college to college. The SBCTC Business Operations team released a new ctcLink Controller Handbook to help get everyone on the same page.
  • SBCTC's ctcLink Business Process Alignment team is developing an engagement plan for systemwide participants to provide input to business process alignment work, including resources and requirements needed for engagement sessions, and a communications plan for the engagement process.

ctcLink Enhancement Request Prioritization Underway

Since the ctcLink deployment was completed in May 2022, the task of considering and prioritizing Enhancement Requests (ERs) has faced competing priorities, resource fatigue, and unclear expectations for the ctcLink Production Support teams responsible for implementing approved ERs.

In response, a team comprised of members of the ctcLink College Collaboration Group (cCCG), the Strategic Technology Advisory Committee (STAC), and ctcLink Support team members proposed a prioritization process for ctcLink Enhancements that aims to be transparent, inclusive, streamlined, and effective.

STAC voted Feb. 16, 2024 to recommend approval of the ctcLink Prioritization proposal to the WACTC Technology Committee (WACTC-Tech). WACTC-Tech approved STAC’s recommendation during its Feb. 29 meeting.

What is the ctcLink College Collaboration Group?

cCCG was established to ensure colleges have a voice in ctcLink decisions and to help prioritize requests for ctcLink systemwide changes. Each district president or chancellor has named a ctcLink College Leader (Point of Contact) for this important role in representing the system.

cCCG consists of the primary ctcLink College Leaders approved by each college’s president/chancellor as well as college business analysts (or similar representatives). Each ctcLink College Leader is allocated one vote in the cCCG.

What's happening now?

  • Since the move was approved, the cCCG has met to develop a prioritization rubric and is reviewing the outstanding ERs.
  • cCCG formalized the voting and prioritization process to go through the ERs already in the queue and is solidifying the group’s process moving forward as new ERs come in.
  • A brief “ER Pause” is currently underway (through May 31) to allow cCCG to prioritize the 69 outstanding ERs already submitted.

Highlights of objectives

  • Gave cCCG official standing in the ctcLink governance structure.
    • It is crucial to recognize the importance of having the colleges' voices at the table when shaping priorities for the ctcLink system. The established cCCG has representation from each college and broad expertise across functional areas.
  • Established three Production Support prioritization queues: In-Flight, Next Up, Future Work
  • Easily accessible notes on priority decisions
  • Colleges will have access to view prioritization queues

See the ctcLink Prioritization Proposal one-pager for more details.

Supporting documentation

CS Core Learning Opportunities

CS Core Training

CS Core Trainings, a valuable learning opportunity, are held on the third Wednesday of every month from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. The dates may change, and notifications will be sent in advance. The CS Core training alternates between refreshers and different process approaches. We highly value your participation and welcome all end-users to attend these trainings. You can find details about upcoming meetings on the SBCTC Calendar, CS Core Weeklyish CORErespondence, and CS Core listserv. Please visit the QRG Campus Solutions Learning OpportunitiesRecordings for a list of previous recordings.

CS Core Training: Graduation Tracking

Wednesday, June 5, 2024, 8:30 – 10 a.m., Read more and join the session

We invite you to join us in reviewing the Graduation Processing process, with a focus on Graduation Tracking and Search functionality. Suppose your college allows students to apply for graduation online through ctcLink. In that case, the Graduation Tracking Search page will be the first resource credential evaluators access when looking for new graduation applications to review. Once accessed, evaluators can use the Graduation Tracking page to update statuses and add Graduation Notes.

Contact Tanjagay Martin, SBCTC Functional CS Core Trainer, with questions.

CS Core Work Sessions

Campus Solutions (CS) Core Work Sessions, open to ALL end users, are held the first Thursday of each month, from 1 to 3 p.m. The CS Functional Support team facilitates, alternating between functional team delivered content and college user delivered content with functional team support. Each meeting includes time for colleges to ask questions about other topics or service tickets.

Find details on the SBCTC Calendar and in the CS Core Weeklyish COREspondence (sent on Fridays to the CSSupport listserv).

Core Sessions: College System & SBCTC Calendar

CS COREterly Open Q&A Sessions

CS Core invites you to attend its quarterly Open Q&A sessions! While these sessions are for learning and problem-solving, we want to emphasize that these are also part of our efforts to support community building. 

We want these sessions to provide an opportunity for college users to:

  • Get assistance with any functionality they want to better understand or situation they are struggling to make work.
  • Seek advice on anything they are trying to solve.
  • Share best practices and lessons learned.
  • Develop networks and build community.

To support the varied work areas of our users, each session will have a breakout room for each of the following modules:

  • Records & Enrollment, which includes Student Program/Plan, Term Activation, Enrollment Appointments, Enrollment, Transfer-In Credit, Transcripts, Graduation and so on.
  • Campus Community, which includes 3Cs, BioDemo, Service Indicators and so on.
  • Curriculum Management, which includes class building, course catalog management, enrollment requirements and so on

Along with your colleagues who can share their real-life experiences and the solutions they have employed; CS Core team experts will be present in each room. We encourage you to submit your questions before the session (but doing so isn’t required). Enter your questions on the CS COREterly Question Submissions tab. Knowing your questions ahead of time just helps us to be prepared and allows us to help as many people as possible.

We hope you’ll join us even if you don’t have specific questions! We look forward to connecting with you and for you to connect with each other.

Stacking the Deck: Student Program/Plans

Thursday, June 6, 2024, 1-3 p.m., Learn more and join the session

Based on college feedback, this year we are creating more spaces for sharing lived experience.  I’m looking for a couple of colleges to join the party. Before you tell me you can’t because you’re still working things out, that’s fine! We just need folks willing to share what they are doing and how it’s going. If you’re up for it, please contact Michelle Kuwasaki.

Module/s: Records and Enrollment

Primary Audience: Admissions, Student Records

Related QRGs: Student Program and Information Chapter

Because the impact of the Student Program/Plan is wide, it is important to get them right! We’ll warm up with a quick review of the building blocks involved: effective-dating, adding rows, action reasons, and attributes. Then, make connections with term activation, tuition calculation, FA, the AAR and the transcript. Of course, we need to save time for common conundrums like when to start a NEW stack vs adding a change row not to mention everyone’s favorite, those certificates earned “along the way.”

Student Program/Plans also matter to QARS and NSC Reporting. We will cover general best practices for ensuring data accuracy which also conveniently reduces NSC and QARS errors. And we’ll close by strongly advocating for various maintenance activities such as keeping term activation tidy and minimizing the number of open Student Program/Plans.

FIN Learning Opportunities

So Much FIN Stuff!

Reminder of the useful Finance Resources available in the ctcLink Reference Center, such as the finance checklist and process steps guides, navigational tools, and learning opportunities recordings.

  • User Checklists & Guide: These documents assist in the standard or end-to-end processes in chronological order for a specific Finance Module:  AP, AM, TR/CM, BI & AR, KK, EX, GL, GR/PC, and PU.
  • Navigational Tools: Are you using the Finance WorkCenters and Workbenches in ctcLink PeopleSoft? They are centralized navigation tools end users can personalize to complete common business processes from beginning to end.
    • WorkCenters provide an introductory navigation tool to familiarize the end-user with common Finance processes. WorkCenters are a one stop shop to view and customize personal settings. The navigation is located on the left side of the page and includes two main tabs: Main and Report/Processes. It provides the end user with a preview of the individual task/process to come.
    • Workbenches provide an intermediate navigation tool for the end user already familiar with specific Finance tasks/processes. Workbenches are located within certain Finance modules that provide a dashboard to view data, run batch processes, and perform functions.

Finance Learning Opportunities Recordings

Explore topics or refresh your memory with previously recorded ctcLink Finance Learning Opportunities Recordings. Recordings are in the corresponding Canvas courses or the ctcLink Pillar Work Session Information course.

If you have not registered, you will receive an access denied message, so be sure to register for the course(s) at the ctcLink Training Registration page.

Recording links to a few recent sessions

Are you new around here?

If your college has new FIN staff, please submit a Customer Support > Training > Finance Module service desk ticket for a 30-minute walkthrough of available learning resources.

We’re here to help

As always, feel free to reach out to Karen Ebert, ctcLink Finance Functional Trainer, directly if you have any questions or need help locating training resources.

FIN Training

FIN Training: Budget Overview

Thursday, May 9, 2024, Learn more and attend the session

Whether you are familiar with the Budget Overview function and want learn more or it's brand new to you, please join us for a session on using the Budget Overview functionality in ctcLink PeopleSoft. This session is geared toward new and/or experienced end-users that need a refresher, but all end-users are welcome.

Topics to be covered include:

  • Creating multiple Budget Overview Run Controls: frequently used or tracked Budgets
  • Customizing the Budget Overview search criteria: like override the max rows limitation
  • Explore the Type of Calendar options: Detail Budget Period vs. Summary 
  • Scenarios who would benefit using CC_ORG or PROJECT_KK Ledgers
  • Find out how to dive into the details with Inquiry Budget Overview & Budget Details

FIN Work Sessions

Monthly Student Finance/General Ledger Open Forum

Every second Wednesday, 2 to 3 p.m. The next ctcLink Accounting Team: SF/GL Open Forum Meeting is May 8.

The ctcLink accounting team invites you to bring your questions (and solutions) to share during this open forum meeting space for all things Student Finance/General Ledger (SF/GL) related. There is no formal agenda as we welcome all questions about everything from item types and second journal sets to waivers, queries, or internal cash reconciliation.

See the SBCTC meetings and events calendar and look for ctcLink Accounting Team: SF/GL Open Forum Meeting.

Finance (FSCM) College Users Production Support Meetings

Meetings are held every Tuesday, from 2 to 3 p.m. These sessions are open to ALL Finance (FSCM) end users. The Finance Functional team provides updates on Service Tickets, PeopleSoft enhancements, and open forum time to ask questions or request future topics.

Next FIN Work Session: FSCM Prod Support Meetingis April 23, featuring a “DID YOU KNOW?” topic on Asset Management: Excel to CI Template by Jane Wiseman.

ctcLink Accounting Team presents: Chartstring Clean-Up & Special Topics

Join the ctcLink accounting team every Thursday from 10 to 11 a.m. for special topics and ChartString clean-up working sessions.

FAFSA Update Q&A Session

Nearly 300  people from across the system were able to join us today for the FAFSA Q&A session to go over the latest update.  The SBCTC teams will put their heads together to compile answers to questions from the session to add to the FAQs at the 2024-25 FAFSA Resources page.

Meeting recording

Zoom recording:  FAFSA Q&A May 1, 2024 | SBCTC, Passcode: D!qQ5xT&

Feel free to share the recording and resources with anyone at your college. In the upper right, you have the option to download six files: Shared screen with speaker view, Shared screen with gallery view, Audio only, Audio transcript, Chat file, Closed Caption transcript.

Resources mentioned or shared in chat during Q&A session

FAFSA for Applicants without SSN
SBCTC Resources
WSAC Resources
Local events

Students can get support from colleges and educational organizations at community-based local events. Most events offer Spanish language versions or translation services.

FAFSA in the News

FA Learning Opportunities

Financial Aid (FA) Work Sessions

Financial Aid (FA) Work Session meetings are on the fourth Thursdays, from 1 to 3 p.m.

The FA Functional Support team facilitates alternating between functional team delivered content and college user delivered content with the support of the FA functional team. The end of each meeting is open for colleges to ask questions about the topic presented. These sessions are open to ALL end users.

Find the latest information, including notices of cancellation or schedule changes, on the ctcLink Training page or on the SBCTC meetings and events calendar (apply filters).

HCM Learning Opportunities

HCM Work Session Meetings

Human Capital Management (HCM) meetings are held every other Wednesday, from 1 to 3 p.m. The HCM Functional team along with the training team offers Work Sessions and Training Sessions around the different functionality in HCM.

1098T Survey

The Student Financials team enjoyed the opportunity to share its 1098T Survey results with BAR during its meeting last week.

The team collected information addressing the processing of 1098T statements in ctcLink as well as training and documentation needs. If you are involved, the SF team wants to hear from you.

The survey will be open for any additional comments/ideas through Sunday, May 5, 2024.

Take the survey now: 1098T Survey.

Call for 1098T Work Group Volunteers

The SF Team is gathering names of volunteers who wish to contribute more to updating documentation/training on the 1098T Statement Process. Specifically, this work group will be tasked with collaborating on a 1098T Business Process Guide.

SF believes if crowdsourcing or “Link-Sourcing” can take advantage of the old adage that many hands make for light work.

Thank you to those we’ve already expressed interest. Please email Brandon Reed, Associate Director Campus Solutions - Student Financials, if you'd like to contribute to shaping this process.

p.s. Brandon promises to go light on the homework and meeting requests. 

CyberSource

Updating security keys

CyberSource security keys must be updated every two years or payments cannot be made.To update keys, let us know via a ticket as SF Support owns that configuration page.

Campus CE payment keys need to be updated directly with the CE Team.

Repeated payment attempts

Kindly remind students to avoid repeatedly attempting multiple payments in CyberSource, especially if they encounter an error message. This will help prevent further complications and ensure smoother processing of their transactions.

Missing journal IDs

If you don’t see your journals by 9 a.m, feel free to reach out to the SBCTC via the BAR listserv or jthoms@sbctc.edu.

SF Things To-Do and Things to Remember

Turn on Tuition Calculation

When ready, please submit a ticket to turn on Summer & Fall nightly tuition calculation jobs. This should be prior to your registration opening for the term(s).

Ticket request type = ctcLink Support > Student Financials > SF: Turn on Tuition Calc with the Subject: WA### Tuition Calc for 224X Fall Term

Key Words

The SF and FA support teams are collaborating to enhance the Keyword fields with placeholder values to improve transparency for reporting.

Please confirm that your institution has reviewed and submitted the requested homework.

Item Type Form & Approving

Please use the active link in the SolarWinds item type ticket to ensure that you have the latest version needed to request accurate updates to your item types. This sheet has been updated quite frequently lately.

When item types need to be approved, please make sure staff with that responsibility have appropriate SolarWinds access so validation of approval can be made quickly/efficiently.

NelNET plans

Please consider if next term's NelNET payment plan is ready for prime time. Any/all new plan information should be shared with the SF Team for configuration updates prior to activity.

Remember! When experiencing issues with NelNET, please open tickets with both the NelNET team and the SF Team so we can track and assist when appropriate.

Alternative loan processing

When payments from loan processors are received, please utilize the CS Pillar Collect Department Receipt process using the Speed Types cashiering process to ensure proper posting in the General Ledger.

Please remember not to directly post Alternative Loans to student accounts; they should be disbursed through Financial Aid.

Awarding and Processing Alternative Loans (FA-SF)

SF Learning Opportunities

Please feel free to reach out to SFSupport@sbctc.edu if you have any questions or need further clarification.

SF Training Sessions

SF Work Session: SF Reconciliation

Monday, May 20, 2024, 9-11 a.m., Learn more and join the session

In this session, we will cover Student Financials reconciliation tips which may include:

  • Third Party
  • Outstanding Credits
  • Second Journal Set
  • Item Types
  • Over/Shorts
  • And more...
SF Work Session: Write-Off Updates

Thursday, May 23, 2024, 1 p.m., Learn more and join the session

Enhance your understanding and proficiency in managing bad debt write-offs in this comprehensive training session. Join us to ensure your institution is well-equipped to handle these important financial processes in ctcLink:

  • Review how past due student account balances end up being written off and explore all the standard ctcLink functional processes that occur before the Write-Off stage
  • Get insights into the necessary considerations and actions required for confidently writing off student account balances
  • Discuss the proper item type to use for this crucial step in the bad debt allowance process, a decision reached in collaboration with the Business Operations division
  • Learn possible clean-up and validation practices from the Business Operation team to ensure your General Ledger bad debt allowances remain up to date

Query Developer Learning Opportunities

Step Up your Query Game

Learn more about the Designated Query Developer Training series and start your journey to becoming your college’s query guru.

Upcoming courses include:

Plan ahead for 2024

The ctcLink Training Calendar has been updated with 2024 instructor-led query-related training. To clear filter settings, select None. Then select ctcLink Learning Opportunities > Reporting Training.

How to Sign Up for Query Developer Courses

The process to enroll in Query Developer Canvas courses has been streamlined. Now, instead of emailing Data Services, simply:

  • Visit the ctcLink Training Registration page,
  • Select the class(es) from the Designated Query Developer Training section,
  • Follow the sign-up process.

More for PeopleSoft Query Developers

Find more ctcLink PeopleSoft Query Development resources including forms, documentation, and tools at the ctcLink PeopleSoft Reporting web page.

ctcLink Accessibility Monthly Open Forum

Join us! The ctcLink Accessibility monthly forums engage Washington's community and technical college system in discussions around ctcLink accessibility and technology. We aim to improve communication and transparency while providing space for productive and solution-focused dialog. Our main objective is to deliver accessible technology for all our students, staff, and the larger community.

Meetings are held the second Tuesday of each month, 11 a.m. to noon.

The next ctcLink Accessibility Open Forum will be Tuesday, May 14, 2024, at 11 a.m. All are welcome to attend via Zoom.

In case you missed a meeting, please see materials from past Open Forums.

 

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