Noncredit Classes

Choosing a session for noncredit classes is much the same as for credit classes. The biggest difference is that special sessions will be used more frequently for noncredit classes as they are usually shorter sessions that start and stop during the term. The “standard” sessions that are used in credit classes can also be used for any noncredit class as long as they meet between those scheduled dates.

Another big change is that before 2006-1, CCE type classes were not tied to sessions – the user had to manually add dates on panel 5 of the noncredit class entry screen. In this design, all classes must be tied to a session.

Fall/Spring Standard Sessions

Session 1 – Full 16 Week Session
Session 2 – First 8 Week Session
Session 3 – 12 Week Session
Session 4 – Second 8 Week Session

Summer Standard Sessions

Session 1 – Full 12 Week Session
Session 2 – First 6 Week Session (Summer “A”)
Session 3 – Second 6 Week Session (Summer “B”)

If your class meets on the dates associated for these sessions, you merely enter your session selection (1-4) on the first panel of the PantherNet Screen:

Remember, you can only use these sessions IF your class meeting dates match the session dates as established by the registrar’s office. Also, all classes that are tied to the main session (Session 1), may actually start at many different times during the week. For example, the 2005-2 term started on Wednesday, January 5. Classes that started on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and the following Monday and Tuesday and ran the entire 16 weeks were all tied to session 1.

Important Points:

These sessions are called “Standard Sessions”
Using sessions 1-4 in Fall/Spring and 1-3 in Summer remains the same.
Classes tied to these sessions do not always start on the first date listed on the session
These sessions are used exactly the same as is current practice

What to do if your Noncredit Class does not meet in any of the Standard Sessions

If your noncredit class meets in different time frames than the standard sessions, you will need to choose from one of the “special” sessions. Special sessions are for classes that meet over a different number of days or weeks and may start anytime during the semester.

The main decision here is how many days or weeks the class meets. This will decide on which of the special sessions you need to choose for your class.

In order for these calculations to work, there cannot be “TBA” in the following fields:

Days of the Week
Begin and End Date of the Class

This most commonly occurs when the class is e-learning – e-learning classes should always use one of the standard sessions and not a special session.

If your class needs a special session yet requires TBA in days of the week, class times or begin/end date, you will need to call the registrar’s office for assistance in determining if an additional session needs to be created.

Special Sessions Codes for Noncredit Classes

Fall, Spring & Summer	1-2 days	3 days to 5 weeks	6-11 weeks	12-16 weeks	Weekend	Multi-Term	Closed Days
Session Code	NC1	NC5	NC11	NC12	NWKN	NTRM	NLSD

Detailed Explanation on the Special Sessions Codes for Noncredit Classes

NC1 – Used for noncredit classes that meet 1 or 2 days
NC5 – Used for noncredit classes that meet from 3 days to 5 weeks
NC11 – Used for noncredit classes that meet 6-11 weeks.
NC12 – Used for noncredit classes that meet 12-16 weeks
NWKN – Used for classes that start on Fridays after 5:00 p.m. and on Saturday. These classes need a special session because the normal drop/add and refund period is extended to the following business day (usually Monday) to allow students to attend the first class and decide whether or not the class meets their needs.
NTRM – Used for classes that start in one term and end in another term.
NLSD – Used for classes that meet on college closed days, off campus or on-campus (e.g., Fire Academy and Criminal Justice Institute)

What you will need to choose a special session and load a class:

The start date of the class
The end date of the class
The number of day or weeks that the class meets
Other information standard to class loading such as enrollment limits, days of meeting, times of meeting, faculty name, building and room assignment, account number for the campus indicator.

Example:

Your 67 clock hour CJK 0005 class will meet starting Monday, September 7, 2009 until Monday, November 9, 2009, a total of 8 weeks. It will meet every Monday.

Using the reference table above, you would choose session code NC11.

You would load the class as follows:

Steps 2 load the class

These screen shots illustrated just one example of loading a noncredit class using one of the special sessions. In each case when you use a special session, the most important thing is the length of the class in days or weeks. If you choose the wrong session, the system will not warn you; instead it will incorrectly calculate the dates needed for your class, which could result in problems for the student or the College.

If you need to change the class meeting dates, please remember to assess whether you may need to choose another session. Extending the class meeting dates or making the class shorter may cause the need for a different special session.

If your class uses multiple schedule lines, make sure that one of the schedule lines contains the FIRST class meeting and one of the schedule lines contains the LAST class meeting.

Important Points:

All noncredit classes must be tied to a session
Standard sessions must be used for classes that meet in the standard 16 week, 12 week and 8 week sessions.
When choosing a special session, you must know the number of days or weeks that the class will meet.
When using a special session, you must type in the EXACT class meeting dates in the schedule lines.
A special session class cannot have TBA in the days of the week, in the time fields, or begin and end date fields.