Grad Plan: Counselor and Staff FAQs

Where are the requirements in Tri-C Grad Plan coming from?

• Banner — DegreeWorks, Colleague — Degree Audit

Can existing DegreeWorks plans from the Student Education Plan (SEP) be imported into Tri-C Grad Plan?

• No.

What happens when a student has multiple S-Numbers in Tri-C Grad Plan? Is there a way to identify which is correct?

• The best way to identify the correct student is to look at the major/catalog year. The goal is for the customer to manage the catalog and students with multiple S-Numbers in their database system.

Tri-C schedules classes in advance only one or two semesters after the current one. How does Tri-C Grad Plan account for this in future semesters?

• If a program has a requirement, we assume the courses needed to satisfy that requirement will be available in future terms.
• In future terms, we only recommend courses, not sections.
• We account for course rotations using advising guidelines.

Can I set a maximum number of credits that a student can plan in Tri-C Grad Plan?

• Yes, institutions can set a maximum number of credits per term for planning and a separate maximum that students can register/plan for without needing counselor permission.

Can credit limits differ between regular and summer terms?

• Yes, institutions can set different minimum and maximum credit limits for different terms.

Can counselors set rules for elective courses, such as requiring students to choose one out of 30 options or three out of 30?

• Yes, institutions can work with a business analyst to develop rules for elective course selection.

Does Tri-C Grad Plan utilize linked sections from Banner? Can it suggest the correct combination of sections that are linked together?

• Yes. As long as the linked section info is in the data, Tri-C Grad Plan will recommend the sections according to their pairing.

Can Tri-C Grad Plan adjust course recommendations or credit loads for students on probation or academic warning?

• Yes. Tri-C Grad Plan can provide tailored recommendations to support students in improving their academic standing.

What are some examples of information included in the parameters that help influence a plan’s completion percentage (progress bar)?

• Course in Progress, Brand New Student, Full-Time Student, Summer-Enrolled Student, etc.

Are GPAs calculated for students?

• No, the GPA is calculated from the Banner/DegreeWorks system.

Does Tri-C Grad Plan consider DegreeWorks exceptions?

• Yes, DegreeWorks exceptions are displayed on the "Progress" tab within Tri-C Grad Plan.

What does the green line on a planner indicate?

• This identifies the critical path for a student based on their major/plan in question. The critical path is essentially the longest chain of prerequisites for a specific program. This line could be different for two different students, depending on the coursework they have completed.

When viewing the class schedule, how can I determine how many seats are available for each course?

• You can click on the course itself in the course schedule screen, OR you can click on the CRN inside the parentheses where all the courses are stacked together to the left of the course schedule screen.

When viewing the courses for a specific term, how can I determine if a student has attempted a course with the final grade listed?

• You can click on the course where all the courses are stacked together to the left of the course schedule screen. This will also give you the course description and available sections.

In the registration plan and the completed courses, I noticed that a course looks to have the same title underneath it. Why is this?

• This is because the first option lists the name of the course, and the line below it lists the name of the requirement. It is possible for a course to be named "United States History II" but also have a requirement named "United States History II."

If I make edits in Tri-C Grad Plan and accidentally change multiple items that I should not have, is there a way to reset my changes back to the original declared plan?

• Yes. Scroll to the right to the "Goals" column and select the "Reset to Declared Plan" link. This will allow you to reset the plan back to the original declared plan, and it gives you an option to save the work that you did. A user can also select the "Undo" button to undo changes made.

What is the difference between "Minimize Changes" and "Minimize Time to Degree" once I click the "Validate Plan" after making changes?

• "Minimizing Changes" means accepting the parameters set. The plan will adjust based on these parameters.
• Example: A student has blocked certain times on their schedule, but these blocked times interfere with the only time that a prerequisite this student needs is offered.
• "Minimizing Time to Degree" means to ignore the parameters set and just show the least amount of time it will take for the student to graduate.

What functionality does the star have on a student's plan?

• The stars allow a student or a counselor to pin a preference. If a counselor or student is making changes to other things, when the planner validates, it will keep the stars and try to work around them.

Does Tri-C Grad Plan allow a student or counselor to keep notes on an individual course level?

• No, it does not. A counselor or student would need to save the plan first and then place notes in the description field.

What is the difference between a "Primary Plan" and an "Official Plan?"

• An "Official Plan" that can only be saved by a counselor and typically reflects the student's declared major or academic path. A "Primary Plan" can be selected by either the counselor or the student and is intended to be the top plan of choice for the student to review, even if it doesn't align with their official major.

Is there a way to search for "Official Plans" in Tri-C Grad Plan?

• There is no way to search for this from the dashboard.

Can all plans be accessed from the dashboard?

• Yes, and you can also delete plans that you no longer need from the dashboard.

How many "Official Plans" can a student have?

• Students can have multiple "Official Plans," such as one for each semester. Institutions typically define their own business processes around how these are used.

How many "Primary Plans" can a student have?

• Students can have multiple "Primary Plans," such as one for each semester. Institutions can establish guidelines to help students understand how to use them effectively.

Is only the "Primary Plan" available for registration?

• No, all plans are available during registration and will update dynamically. It's up to the student and counselor to decide which plan to use for registration.

If a student has multiple plans, can they register with any of them or only from the "Official" or "Primary Plan?"

• Students can register using any of their plans.

Can only counselors mark a plan as "Official?"

• Yes, only counselors can mark a plan as "Official."

Can students modify an "Official Plan," and does it require counselor approval?

• If a student edits an "Official Plan," it becomes a new, non-official plan. The student can then choose to save it as their own plan, if permitted.

Who can designate a plan as "Primary?"

• Both students and counselors can mark a plan as "Primary."

If a student changes a plan, is counselor approval required before registration? Are there any notifications?

• No counselor approval is required. There are no automatic notifications, but the dashboard will display when a plan has been changed and by whom.

If, as a counselor, I advised a student on which plan they should choose, will Tri-C Grad Plan keep my plan as the most recent even if the student logged on after I advised them and made a couple of changes?

• No, Tri-C Grad Plan will show the last person (student or counselor) who made changes to the plan. If you want to retrieve a plan, you must save it.