ctcLink Learning Opportunities & Support Roundup: Sept. 25, 2024
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 & Learning Opportunities Registration 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 & Learning Opportunities Registration page or on the SBCTC meetings and events calendar (apply filters).
| 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 & Learning Opportunities 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. |
Learn about how to register, badging opportunities, and more at the Professional & Personal Development Workshops page.
Registering for the workshops is easy!
- Visit the SBCTC meetings and events calendar
- Filter by "CTC Professional Development » Personal & Professional Development Suite"
- Click "Sign up" button to enroll
ctcLink News
New Hires for Fall Quarter? Check out the Employee Onboarding Training Manuals
The ctcLink Customer Support Training team developed tools to assist colleges with employee onboarding in response to several recommendations and requests:
- Aligns with recommendations set forth in WACTC’s 2023 ctcLink Improvement Plan to help employees better understand which learning opportunities and training they need to do their work in ctcLink.
- Addresses a recent State Auditor's Office (SAO) finding that employees need to participate in more training and learning opportunities to better understand the ctcLink system.
- Provides training onboarding and tracking management tools for which ctcLink College Leaders (Points of Contact), subject matter experts, and supervisors have expressed a need since go-live.
About the Onboarding Training Manuals
Onboarding training manuals are now available for users in all PeopleSoft pillars, as well as for general staff:
Onboarding Training Manuals can be found in the ctcLink Reference Center “Welcome to ctcLink – Start Here” section.
Onboarding Training Manuals assist new college staff in their training journey through ctcLink (PeopleSoft). Although learning a new software system can be challenging, we expect these documents will provide new staff with the information needed to locate, understand, and participate in the various training and learning opportunities available from the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC).
Each manual is divided into sections highlighting specific topics and information necessary to become more comfortable with our ctcLink system. Section topics may include:
- Onboarding checklist
- Welcome to ctcLink Training
- Each pillar’s place in ctcLink
- Prerequisite ctcLink courses
- Role-based training content and requirements (i.e., required and recommended ctcLink self-paced training courses)
- Additional onboarding resources
How to use the onboarding manuals
The intent is for supervisors to work with staff to provide clarity around staff roles and functions of their job based on the onboarding manual.
To enhance understanding of the ctcLink system, each ctcLink module lists required and recommended self-paced ctcLink Canvas training courses which directly align to roles and functions performed at the colleges. For example, each staff member is required to complete general prerequisite courses to introduce them to the ctcLink system.
The included checklist allows supervisors to identify which required and recommended courses should be completed by each staff member. Additional training resources are provided to assist new staff in their onboarding activities.
The ctcLink Training and Support teams look forward to partnering with the colleges and SBCTC agency staff to provide enhanced onboarding and training experiences for new and current employees.
Please reach out to ctcLink Training Management if you have questions or concerns.
NEW! Professional & Personal Development Suite Workshops Available for All
Professional and Personal Development workshops are now open to all Washington state community and technical college employees, whether faculty, staff, or administrators.
Background
This series of soft-skill workshops was initially developed to support SBCTC IT staff. Once the workshops were discovered on the agency calendar by other SBCTC and college employees, they asked if they, too, might participate on a case-by-case basis.
After piloting outside participation and receiving positive feedback and requests, Corinne Taylor, ctcLink Professional/Personal Development Trainer, sought leadership support to work across SBCTC departments to present to a systemwide audience.
Learn more about how to register, badging opportunities, and more at the Professional & Personal Development Workshops page.
The workshops are cross-linked from the SBCTC Professional Development page and the ctcLink Training & Learning Opportunities page under “Grow Your Skills.”
Current offerings include
Professional Development Suite
- Positive Communication Strategies
- Leadership
- Top Tier Customer Experience
- Teams/Team Bonding
- Dependable Strengths Articulation Process (DSAP)
- Time Management
Personal Development Suite
- Managing Stress Part 1 & Part 2
- Mental Health: Awareness & Support
- Vicarious Trauma
- Psychological Safety in the Workplace
- Mind Frame: Turn Negative Thoughts into Positive Actions
- Emotional Quotient (EQ)
Questions?
Reach out to Corinne Taylor, Professional/Personal Development Trainer.
Are You Receiving ctcLinkAlerts?
SBCTC uses the ctcLinkAlerts eList to send notices about planned downtime for system updates, production alerts, urgent issues, and any unplanned downtime.
Each college maintains a local ctcLinkAlerts email distribution list (e.g., ctclinkalerts@columbiabasin.edu, ctcLinkAlerts@spscc.edu) which your ctcLink College Leader maintains as needed.
These college lists, not individuals, are subscribed to ctcLinkAlerts@lists.ctc.edu.
It’s each college’s choice who to include, but typically colleges include their local ctcLink leadership, local ctcLink committee or taskforce members, key subject matter experts, IT, Help Desk, and PIO.
How to Check the Status of an Enhancement Request
The ctcLink Customer Services Teams have documented all Enhancement Request (ER) forms submitted.
The ctcLink Enhancement Request Status lists are updated the first and third Wednesday of each month to align with the ctcLink Working Group calendar.
You can see where each Enhancement Request is in the governance review process, approval status, and/or any other actions taken in a couple of different views.
High-Level Summary At-a-Glance
The Full Enhancement Request List is sorted by status:
- In Flight
- Next Up
- Future Work
Enhancement Request Details
If you need more detailed information, downloadable spreadsheets with multiple tabs allow you to review and sort the data you need:
CS Quick Update
In addition to training and support activities, the CS team has been engaged in a variety of activities:
- CS Image 32 & HCX testing as well as documentation (priority focus).
- Working with Application Services on HCX migrations between lower environments
- Making changes and following up with colleges about the OAAP Security Access Audit.
- ER 232 ER (FYI) Adding Custom Self-Service Questions
- CS, FA, and SF teams are meeting with Data Services to discuss duplicate IDs tickets. They are trying to strategize ideas to create data-focused internal tools to help streamline ticket routing strategies between functional teams.
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 Update: Setting Class Dynamic Dated Rules
Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, 1-3 p.m., Read more and join the session
Join us for a start-to-finish overview of Dynamic-Dated Rules. This session will be recorded if you are unable to attend.
Important highlights:
- The recommendation for the Census Date settings has not changed. Please refer to the Setting Dynamic Class Date Rules Quick Reference Guide to confirm dynamic rules follow these guidelines.
- We have updated the recommendation regarding the use of '9999' for Drop Action dates and Cancel & Withdrawal dates.
- The following rule configuration will ensure that students receive a withdrawal grade during the withdrawal period:
Navigation: Curriculum Management > Dynamic Dates > Dynamic Class Dates Table
NEW! CS Core Refresher: Enrollment Appointments
Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024, 8:30 – 9:45 a.m., Read more and join the session.
Introducing PERC (Post Enrollment Requirement Checking), the innovative PeopleSoft
process/solution that efficiently compares a class's enrollment requirements to an
enrolled student's completed classes. With PERC, you can effortlessly determine if
students have satisfied the enrollment requirements for their upcoming classes.
The PERC process creates the Enrollment Requirement Roster page in PeopleSoft, offering
the Post-Enrollment Requirement Status for each enrolled student. This allows staff
to make well-informed decisions about the next steps. When manually dropping students
from the Enrollment Requirement Roster or processing drop requests in batches, sending
a 3C or Message Center message may be necessary.
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, and community building.
- Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, 1-3 p.m., Learn more and join the session
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 includes 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
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.
Questions? Contact CS Core Support.
Caring for Your Core Processes
Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, 1-3 p.m., Read more and join the session
Come learn about the best practices, common issues and frequently asked questions related to scheduling and job sets! We’ll talk about run controls and process recurrences as we demonstrate how to use the process monitor and how to review resulting success/error files. Shelia will join us to explain the purpose of the college jobs account and related expectations and responsibilities. Note, this content will be specific to CS Core modules (admissions, advisement, enrollment, curriculum management, etc.).
Module: PeopleTools
Primary Audience: Process Schedulers
Facilitator/s: Maria Sultan and Marissa Baker, with Shelia Sloan
Reference materials: Process Scheduler/Process Monitor
CS Core Work Session: [Students] Got Bills; They’re Multiplying!
Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, 1-3 p.m., Read more and join the session
Does looking at the student account make you feel like you’re loooooosing control? Well, you better shape up, to help you better understand (la la la), that this session is for you. This is the-one-you-want (do-do-do). This session is for those of you who work outside of Student Financials who may need to view the student account and understand what you are seeing. Today we’ll get you a few key words and concepts that will help you better navigate, translate and make sense of Student Financials.
We’ll start with a high-level overview of different tuition groups and tuition calculation. Then, a basic understanding of how to read the student account and where to find information about payments, refunds and more. We will also review the account from the student’s perspective so you can help your students navigate what they see in Self-Service. GREASE up those minds, this session will be ELECTRIFYING.
Module: Student Financials
Primary Audience: Student Financials-Adjacent staff
Facilitator: Jill Hammitt, Highline College
Reference materials
- What I Owe (HCX) QRG
- Highline Canvas: Tuition/Fees Account Balances (Student Homepage)
- Highline Canvas: Tuition/Fees and Account Balances (Mobile)
NEW! CS Core Work Session: Get on the sCOREboard
Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, 1-3 p.m., Read more and join the session
As the year ends, it’s once again time to celebrate the progress we've made as a system in ctcLink! All that hard work deserves a break so let’s take some time for some fun and games! Your CS Core team will host this light-hearted trivia-esque experience. The winning college not only gets bragging rights but ALSO gets to work with us to ensure that one of their most desired topics is addressed in a 2025 work session. This is your opportunity for you to show off that you’ve been scouring your bulletins, attending our work sessions, and bookmarking your QRGs/Canvas courses.
We may even throw in some random college and Washington state facts just to keep everyone on their toes and even the playing field!
Onboarding New FIN Staff
The change from Summer to Fall season means different things to people. Some examples are the start of the Fall Quarter, pumpkin spice lattes, football, or onboarding new employees. Bringing new staff up to speed can be challenging. Here are some of the many resources available to assist with new staff.
The Onboarding Training Materials and Applications for all pillar areas are located on the reference center. For Finance folks, please check out the QRG Finance Onboarding Training Manual for a great resource to assist your college with employee onboarding. There are six sections to help get new staff get staff up and running:
- Onboarding Checklist – to review requirements and register for Pre-Requisite courses and the checklist of required and recommended courses is markable.
- Welcome to ctcLink Training – Google doc with instructions and links on how to sign up to Canvas.
- Take a Training Tour: view the ctcLink Training Overview video for a quick online tour of resources.
- ctcLink and Finance’s Place in It – Understand what Finance (FIN) is, and where it fits into the ctcLink (PeopleSoft) system. The various modules that work within the FIN pillar are identified and explained.
- Prerequisite ctcLink Courses - Understand which prerequisite courses to take. Every college staff member is required to successfully complete - with an 80% or higher final grade - the PeopleSoft Fundamentals, HCM Employee Self-Service and CS Student Self-Service courses to prepare for topic specific content through role-based courses and ILT learning opportunities.
- Role-Based Finance Training Content and Requirements - Check out thePurchasingand Travel & Expenses sections. Purchasing Overview Video (13:02) andTravel and Expense Overview Video (6:38)
- Onboarding Additional Resources
The FIN Training Team is at Your Service
If your college has brand new Finance staff, please submit a Customer Support > Training > Finance Moduleservice desk ticket for a 30-minute walk-through of available learning resources.
As always, please feel free to reach out to Karen Ebertdirectly if you have any questions or need help locating training resources.
FIN Canvas Course Updates
The Canvas Courses provide both new and seasoned end-users the foundation to learning ctcLink PeopleSoft processes. Many of you are aware they are outdated and in need of a facelift. Updates range from minor, like image updates and slight wording tweaks, to major updates, like a manual process has been automated due to a PUM or Image update or maybe something was removed from a course.
The Training team is actively working on auditing and updating the 100-level Canvas Courses within their pillar areas, and we are tracking and reporting our progress. Many of the QRGs have already been updated and are being used as a guide when updating the Canvas Course content. We appreciate your continued patience and understanding during this heavy coursework update. The following is a current list of the updated FINANCE Courses:
- EX100 Travel & Expenses: Traveler/General User
- EX102 Travel & Expenses: Approver
- KK100 Commitment Control
- BI100 Billing
- PC100 Project Costing
- GR100 Grants & Contracts – The courses GR100 Grants Basics and CN100 Customer Contracts are now combined for better understanding of Fund 145 Grants process flow in ctcLink PeopleSoft.
- GL100 General Ledger Basics
Practice in PCD
Just a friendly reminder! The PCD is a testing environment available for all staff members. Testing in Production, the live ctcLink environment, can be dangerous.
For this reason, multiple test environments are maintained for testing purposes. ctcLink colleges have their exclusive test environment called "PCD." If you want to test a process within the system, please see: QRG Testing in PCD and Production: https://ctclinkreferencecenter.ctclink.us/m/96101/l/1404795-testing-in-pcd-and-production.
SBCTC is committed to providing equal access for individuals with disabilities to its programs and events in accordance with the ADA and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Please submit your accommodation request as soon as possible to Karen Ebert.
FIN Learning Opportunities
FIN Training: Intermediate General Ledger - Journals (Part 1 of 2)
Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, 2 p.m., Learn more and join the session
Ready for a deeper dive into General Ledger Journals? Join us for Part 1 of 2 sessions on GL Journals.
This intermediate training will cover more complex journal processes such as reversals and unposting Journals in the General Ledger. Don't forget to save the date for Part 2 on Oct 24 that is all about the Journal Import Processes. All end users at any level are welcome to join in and gain perspective. Some of the topics that will be covered are:
- Creating and submitting Journal Reversals
- Unposting Journal Process
- Correcting Complex Journal Errors
- and more TBD!
Primary Audience: Finance/Admin/Staff Managers
Related QRGs: General Ledger section of the ctcLink Reference Center
Prerequisite Course(s): GL100 General Ledger Basics, GL200 Intermediate General Ledger
Presenter/Facilitators: Karen Ebert, SBCTC Functional Finance Trainer, and Brandy Eismon, SBCTC Functional Analyst
Questions? Contact Karen Ebert for more information.
FIN Training: Intermediate General Ledger - Importing Journals (Part 2 of 2)
Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2 p.m., Read more and join the session
Ready for a deeper dive into the GL Import Journal Processes? Join us for Part 2 of 2 sessions on GL Journals.
This intermediate training will cover more complex journal processes such as the processes of importing and uploading Excel journal spreadsheets into the General Ledger. Spreadsheet Journal Import uses a front-end interface that provides you with an easy-to-follow menu for entering data, specifying defaults, and importing journals. All end users are welcome to join in and gain perspective. Some of the topics that will be covered are:
- Excel Spreadsheet Import Process: JRNL1_WS
- Customizing a Journal Spreadsheet Template
- Import a Journal Spreadsheet (Import Now) Process
- Uploading a Journal Spreadsheet as a Text File (Write to File) Process.
Module(s): General Ledger
Primary Audience: Finance/Admin/Staff Managers
Related QRGs: Journals: Create & Import
Prerequisite Course(s) GL100 General Ledger Basics, GL200 Intermediate General Ledger
Presenters: Karen Ebert, SBCTC Functional Finance Trainer, and Brandy Eismon, SBCTC Functional Analyst
Contact: Karen Ebert - SBCTC Functional Finance Trainer
FIN Work Session: Grants/Projects Q&A Drop-In Sessions
Every second Monday of the month at 11 a.m. join the ctcLink Finance Customer Support team for a collaborative, interactive and troubleshooting drop-in session on everything Grants/Projects.
Questions? See the contact information listed in the event calendar listings below.
Need help with setting up FY25 grants? Feel free to reach out to Michele Rockwell, MSML, ctcLink Finance Functional Analyst.
You are invited to drop in with any questions related to grants and projects at the open Q&A sessions.
| DATE/TIME | EVENT/TOPIC |
|---|---|
| Monday, Oct. 14, 11 a.m. | FIN Work Session: Grants/Projects Q&A Drop-In |
| Monday, Nov. 18, 11 a.m. | FIN Work Session: Grants/Projects Q&A Drop-In *DATE CHANGE due to Veterans Day holiday* |
| Monday, Dec. 9, 11 a.m. | FIN Work Session: Grants/Projects Q&A Drop-In |
FIN Work Session: Asset Management Q&A
Every third Tuesday from 11 a.m. to noon, join the ctcLink Finance Customer Support team for a collaborative, interactive and troubleshooting drop-in session on all things Asset Management.
- 11 – 11:30 a.m., Training: Come learn or share something new.
- 11:30 a.m. - 12 p.m., Q&A: Please come with your questions or issues and be ready to share your screen.
Some examples of topics:
- Tagging Active Assets
- Excel to CI Asset Upload
- Processing issues
- General questions
| DATE/TIME | EVENT/TOPIC |
|---|---|
| Tuesday, Oct. 15, 11 a.m. | FIN Work Session: Asset Management Q&A Drop-In |
| Tuesday, Nov. 19, 11 a.m. | FIN Work Session: Asset Management Q&A Drop-In |
| Tuesday, Dec. 17, 11 a.m. | FIN Work Session: Asset Management Q&A Drop-In |
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 ctcLink Finance Customer Support team provides updates on Service Tickets, PeopleSoft enhancements, and open forum time to ask questions or request future topics.
| DATE/TIME | EVENT/TOPIC |
|---|---|
| Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2 p.m. | FIN Work Session: FSCM Prod Support Meeting |
| Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2 p.m. | FIN Work Session: FSCM Prod Support Meeting |
| Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2 p.m. | FIN Work Session: FSCM Prod Support Meeting |
| Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2 p.m. | FIN Work Session: FSCM Prod Support Meeting |
| Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2 p.m. | FIN Work Session: FSCM Prod Support Meeting |
Monthly Student Finance/General Ledger SF/GL Open Forum
Every second Wednesday, 2 to 3 p.m., the SBCTC Business Operations 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.
| DATE/TIME | EVENT/TOPIC |
|---|---|
| Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2 p.m. | ctcLink Accounting Team: SF/GL Open Forum Meeting |
| Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2 p.m. | Canceled due to Veterans Day holiday |
| Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2 p.m. | ctcLink Accounting Team: SF/GL Open Forum Meeting |
Financial Aid Award Processing Update
Overall Numbers as of Monday, Sept. 23, 2024
Despite the FAFSA delays, staffing shortages, and the continued need for workarounds, during the most challenging aid year launch ever, college financial aid teams are rocking the numbers. Hats off to our college financial aid professionals!
As of Monday, 14,591 students have been awarded for the summer term, and 45,737 students have been awarded for the fall term of the 2024-2025 academic year.
In comparison, as of this date last year, 12,312 students were awarded for the summer term (up by 2,279), and 35,449 students were awarded for the fall term of the 2023-2024 academic year (up by 10,288).
Also, as of Sept. 23, colleges have loaded 4,399 WASFA applications into the system to date, compared to 5,645 last year (up by 1,246).
SBCTC FAFSA Resources Webpage
Visit the 2024-25 FAFSA Resources web page for regularly updated information for college employees and includes updated FAQ templates including a Q&A center.
FAFSA Simplification Q&A center (for colleges)
Submit questions and ideas about FAFSA simplification efforts to the SBCTC FAFSA Response Team
FAFSA in the News
- Keep up with the latest news from the NASFAA FAFSA Simplification Web Center
FA Learning Opportunities
Financial Aid Training
NEW! Fin Aid Training: Census Refresher
Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, 9 a.m., Learn more and join the session
Objectives:
- Understand the steps on the Census Process
- Update the Run Equation with AY and term
- Update the AY and terms on the Build FA Term page Run Controls for Census
- Update the AY and terms on the Census Run Equation
- Understand how to update the Census JobSet
- Understand which Census Queries are available
Module(s) Authorizing and Disbursing Financial Aid
Primary Audience: New Financial Aid staff (and current staff needing a refresher) who are responsible for processing Census in ctcLink
Prerequisite Course: FA103 Authorizing and Disbursing Financial Aid
Contact Kelly Forsberg, ctcLink Functional Trainer (Financial Aid)
NEW! Advanced FA Training: Reviewing the View COD Data page
Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, 9 - 10:30 a.m., Learn more and join the session
This Fin Aid Session is an advanced training on one of the ctcLink Fin Aid pages that will aid you in your direct loan troubleshooting and reconciliation needs.
Objectives:
- Understand how to do in-depth reading and interpreting the values on the View COD Data page
- Understand how to search for Entrance Counseling and MPN info by SSN
- Understand how to troubleshoot Direct Loan errors using the View COD Data page
- Understand where the link to the Doc ID lives on the Manage Pell Payment page and how that can be found/used in View COD Data
- Understand how to read the Doc ID on a raw CRAA and CRDL file
Audience: Financial Aid staff responsible for Direct Loan processing and troubleshooting
NEW! Advanced FA Training: Pell & Loan Message Log Review
Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, 9 – 10 a.m., Learn more and join the session
This session will cover:
- Understand how to download the Message Log detail
- Understand how to search in the Message Log detail
- Understand how to determine what needs further review in the MDLA and Manage Pell Payment pages
Module(s): Canvas Course: FA104 Processing Pell Payments and Direct Loans
Primary Audience: Financial Aid staff responsible for Direct Loan processing and troubleshooting
Related QRGs: Loan Processing Business Process Guide | 9.2 FA - Loans | ctcLink Reference Center (Note this guide has not been updated to 2024/2025 AY as of yet. Updates are forthcoming.)
Contact Kelly Forsberg, ctcLink Functional Trainer (Financial Aid).
Financial Aid (FA) Work Sessions
Only one FA Work Session remains for 2024!
Save the date for Thursday, Oct. 24, 1-3 p.m. for an Aid Year Rollover Prep session.
Stay tuned to the ctcLink Financial Aid Support listserv for details and calendar invite with Webex login information.
HCM Quick Update
Your HCM Customer Support team works hard to ensure colleges are getting the most from HCM. Here is a tiny sampling of their recent efforts:
- Off Cycle lookup on some payroll run controls allowed one college to run payroll processes for another. Took action and applied a fix to production.
- Work continues on the WA Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) project regarding required set-up changes to convert from using deductions to PeopleSoft delivered functionalities, multiple deduction codes in place which is not a delivered option.
- Resolved calculation error: "pay line missing pay page" for a college district.
- Out of state tax setup for Company 890 - Colorado: Completed the following set-up and activated Colorado state tax for SBCTC.
- Effective 9/1/2024, updated the set-up on the General Deduction Table for 190221 - WEA w Pulse, and set the Flat/Additional Amount as per the user's request.
- Identified issues and provided the information to each college with instructions/reminders to resolve all problems prior to confirming payroll. 1) Earnings end date problem for Peninsula College. 2) Outstanding online check for an employee at Shoreline College.
- Alerted a college district that old time loaded on 09A2024 paysheets from 2021-2022 for three employees and provided payline information. Instructed the users to review data and uncheck Ok to Pay in the payline, if needed.
- Provided step-by-step information to a college on how to refund garnishment amount to an employee.
- Helped a college resolve Payroll Error Messages for an employee that Hire Date was changed after the paysheets were created for 09A2024 pay period.
- Working with several parties regarding upcoming vision plan changes and any improvements needed to I-092 interface to accommodate these changes, as well as continuing issues with employee address data updates in Benefits 24/7 based on outgoing I-093 transmittal data and missing log files.
- Assisted college with processing of established prepays for full-time faculty who was appointed to an administrative position. Employee prepays processed without issues.
- Built test non-teaching contracts for use by a college. Will be meeting with this college next week to see if these can be used instead of processing faculty wages as hourly employees.
- Set up faculty workload (FWL) calculation configuration setup for several colleges.
- Created Benefits Update Manual and Payroll Update Manual for SBCTC
- Responded to HCM Image-related issues:
- View Absence Balance Page Error - Fix provided by Oracle has resolved the reported issue and it broke other page, so we reverted the changes to resolve the View balance and Absence Balance Issue
- Managers and Admin are facing issue in accessing the CTC Time Tile. To resolve the issue, we disabled the Auto Populate Option to Prompt Option. For Few employees auto populate is enabled in the User level setup. So we disabled the auto populate manually for those employees.
- Payable Time Email Notification - Sender address is showing admin email ID instead of Reporter Email ID. There is change in the application Class Package and reported the issue with Oracle.
HCM Learning Opportunities
HCM Training
NEW! HCM Training: Manager Self-Service
Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024, 1 – 3pm, Learn more and join the session
This work training covers the Manage Self-Service (MSS) homepage and all the transactions available to managers. More details will be available soon.
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.
For calendar details, search the ctcLink Learning Opportunities calendar at SBCTC meetings and events and apply Human Capital Management filter.
- Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024, 1 to 3 p.m., HCM Work Session: HR Core - Overview
- Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, 1 to 3 p.m., HCM Work Session: HR Core - HR Administration
- Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, 1 to 3 p.m., Data Prep for Year-End Reporting W-2 Forms - Part 2
SF Quick Updates
- The new 2024 1098-T Business Processing Guide is now available in the ctcLink Reference Center.
- Student Financial Responsibility Agreement (SFRA) enhancement
- The state Attorney General's Office (AGO) has evaluated and submitted edits to the Education Division’s policy staff for final analysis/update. This ER is expected to be deployed to production prior to the Spring 2025 term.
- An SFRA outlines and informs students of the financial obligations and responsibilities associated with enrolling for classes at higher education institutions and explains the potential consequences that may be taken if a student fails to meet those obligations. It has become a useful tool for institutions to share and disseminate billing, payment, refund and responsibility information to students and families.
SF Learning Opportunities
Please feel free to reach out to SFSupport@sbctc.edu if you have any questions or need further clarification.
SF Training
SF Training: Intermediate Refunds
Monday, Oct. 10, 2024, 9-11 a.m., Learn more and join the session
In this session, we may cover:
- Reversals
- Service Indicators
- Sponsor Refunds
Primary Audience: Student Financials and Financial Aid Refund Processors
Related QRG: SF - Refunds
Prerequisite Courses: SF101 – Cashiering, SF102 - Refunds
Contact Alec Risk, SBCTC Student Financials Functional Trainer, with any questions.
SF Training: Intermediate Third-Party Contracts
Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, 9-11 a.m., Read more and join the session
In this session, we may cover:
- Reconciliation
- Payments
- Payment Reversals
Module(s): Student Financials
Primary Audience: Student Financials Third-Party Contract Processors
Related QRGs SF - Third Party Contracts
Prerequisite Course(s) SF101 – Cashiering, SF102 – Refunds, SF104 - Third Party Contracts
Contact Alec Risk, SBCTC Student Financials Functional Trainer, with any questions.
SF Work Sessions
SF Work Session: Refunding Part 1 - The Why/When/Who Prior To!
Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, 1 p.m., Learn more and join the session
Primary Audience: Student Financials
Questions? Contact SF Support for more information.
SF Work Session: Refunding Part 2
Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, 1 to 3 p.m., Learn more and join the session
In this session, we may cover FARP/FARC Processing and Financial Aid Reconciliation.
Primary Audience: Student Financials and Financial Aid Refund Processors
Related QRGs: SF - Refunds
Contact Email: SFSupport@sbctc.edu
SF Work Session: 2024 1098-T Processing (1 of 5)
Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, 1 to 3 p.m., Learn more and join the session
Primary Audience: Student Financials staff
Related QRGs: 1098-T Guide
Contact Email: SFSupport@sbctc.edu
Monthly Student Finance/General Ledger SF/GL Open Forum
Every second Wednesday, 2 to 3 p.m., the SBCTC Business Operations 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.
| DATE/TIME | EVENT/TOPIC |
|---|---|
| Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2 p.m. | ctcLink Accounting Team: SF/GL Open Forum Meeting |
| Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2 p.m. | ctcLink Accounting Team: SF/GL Open Forum Meeting |
| Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2 p.m. | ctcLink Accounting Team: SF/GL Open Forum Meeting |
Query Developer Learning Opportunities
Instructor-Led Query Development Training
The ctcLink Training Calendar has been updated with instructor-led query-related training for the remainder of 2024. To clear filter settings, select None. Then select ctcLink Learning Opportunities > Reporting Training.
| Date | Time | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 15 | 9am | PS Query Training 101 Basics - Part 1 |
| Oct 16 | 9am | PS Query Training 101 Basics - Part 2 |
| Oct 29 | 9am | PS Query Training 102 - Query Security |
| Nov 12 | 9am | PS Query Training 201 Intermediate - Part 1 |
| Nov 13 | 9am | PS Query Training 201 Intermediate - Part 2 |
| Dec 3 | 9am | PS Query Training 301 Advanced - Part 1 |
| Dec 4 | 9am | PS Query Training 301 Advanced - Part 2 |
| Dec 10 | 9am | PS Query Training 401 Expert- Part 1 |
| Dec 11 | 9am | PS Query Training 401 Expert- Part 2) |
How to for Query Developer Courses
The process to enroll in Query Developer Canvas courses has been streamlined. Now, instead of emailing Data Services, simply:
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 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 Registrationpage,
- 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.
Keeping the Lights On
In a ctcLink world populated with acronyms and mysterious jargon, the Application Services teams are the pillar behind the pillars for Washington’s community and technical colleges 24/7 by supporting ctcLink pillars, systemwide IT applications, environments, accessibility improvements, testing, and managing the network data load behind-the-scenes.
While you may never meet them directly or understand what they do, they support you every day.
Complete
- Development deployed to production this week including data and bug fixes
- In Development, SIT, UAT, and Completed
- CS Image 32 and HCX System Integration Testing Support - 14 security tests still need to be run
- Compile IOVD for CS Image 32 and HCX Upgrade
- LegacyLink and FAM Testing Support
- Legacy Transcript Testing Support
- FIN Image 50 Testing System Integration Testing Support - scheduled to run through 10/3
- OpenSearch Dashboard and Insights Testing Support
- Nelnet PeopleSoft Connector Upgrade Project Testing Support
- SASI Work Package #1 Testing Planning
- SASI Work Package #3 Planning
- PeopleSoft Test Framework Troubleshooting
- Analyzed Touchnet JOLT port connection vulnerabilities
- Worked with Oracle on evaluating Touchnet connectivity security
- Investigate reported issues on outbound integration issues for PCD and CampusCE dev site
- Coordinate and support OAAP issues related to EMPLID scheduler
In Progress
- In progress development
- Determine outage date for Okta/OAG maintenance (previously 11/23, tentatively 12/7)
- Stat Email Approvals, Workflow Changes, compare report errors
- Updating E200 CEMLI for pre-Okta configuration post non-production refresh
FSCM Refresh Table Action Validation ahead of 11/4 - Book to Bank enhancement development is continuing.
- ER 122 - Charge Benefit Expense to Primary Job development is in progress. Updates to PAYGL01 SQR. Currently in SIT.
- ER 242: Offboarding Automation. Development is expected to finish up this week.
- ER 232 - Adding Custom Self-Service Questions in Campus Solutions. Development is expected to be complete this week.
- CS 32 SIT support
- HCX 24.2.1 SIT support.
- Update Positive Pay file CEMLI. Ticket 196848. Development complete, currently in SIT.
- FS Image 50 SIT
Upcoming
- ER 253 - Make a Payment Page Classic to Fluid
- HCM Image 50
- 9/25 - HC Image 50 and Tax Update 24-C PDV Install
- HC Image 50 and Tax Update 24-C Development
- Create new POC API service for OBIS integration
- Review future enhancements on CampusCE, investigate and plan improvement on NOR issue
- Support CS Image 32 project for integration testing
- Document components involved in TouchNet project
- Environment updates
- 10/7 PCD Refresh
- 10/11 TRD Refresh (tentative)
- 10/12 Oracle CPUs
- 10/26 FS Image 50
- 11/2 CS Image 32
- 9/27 PQA install
- 11/23 HCM Image 50 Deployment in support of FA PRP, Tax Update 24-D, FS 1099 PRP
- PRP Deployment TBD for windows of 12/10 & 12/11
Security Updates
The ctcLink Security team saw the latest HCM Image head off to Production, led the SASI College Advisory Group meeting, and the September Local Security Administrator Meeting.
The team continues its activities around FIN and CS Image Support and various SASI initiatives, as well as HCM Image, New Member Orientation for College Advisory Team for SASI, and security audits.
Accessibility Image Overview Document (IOVD) Updates
- The student-facing part of CS 32 accessibility IOVD is completed and was presented at the most recent ctcLink Accessibility Forum.
- Administrative side of CS 32 and HCX 24.2.1 accessibility IOVD work continues.
- FS 50 accessibility IOVD is in progress.
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, Oct. 8, 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.
