Planning FAQ for Students
Getting in
How do I log in?
Although the link you use for Planning is a different domain (*.student.civitaslearning.com), you have single sign-on through your institution’s system. If you are not redirected and logged in successfully (you should see your name returned back), contact your IT help desk.
Do I need a laptop or a certain browser to use Planning?
No. A laptop will let you see your planning canvas much better, but you can use a phone. Unless your institution requires you to use a specific browser, always use the latest version of a modern browser, such as Chrome or Safari.
Do I need to download an app to use this on my phone?
No. Just open the link in a browser; it will resize to work on your phone.
How do I…
How do I make changes to my Plan?
Click the starred plan (Primary Plan) to open it. When your cursor becomes a hand, you can drag and drop items where you want them; when you click an item, it will open for you to edit it.
If an item has to stay where it is (look for a lock icon), add a comment or reach out to your advisor about why you want to change it.
Am I declaring my major when I select Start for my Plan?
No! Be sure to declare your major as directed by your department and college at your institution, as many majors have entry requirements and may have special forms and processes.
How far ahead can I plan requirements and courses?
You can plan as far in advance as you’d like or as directed by your advisor. In most cases, you can plan your entire academic path to completion. If your plan does not include those terms, ask your advisor about using a different template.
How do I pick a course for a requirement with multiple options?
These appear as placeholders that you need to complete. Open the placeholder for any instructions, use Course Search (left-side menu) to research your choices, then start typing in the placeholder’s lookup field to select and add your course.
You can also click the Details button on the right side of your plan to view your Degree Requirements in context with your plan to see which courses fulfill each placeholder.
How do I add a course to my plan?
Each term has an + ADD ITEM link at the bottom, for adding courses. If you don’t see that, you might have a new Item block already open, ready for you to start entering a course, which you can CANCEL. When you start typing, the course catalog searches dynamically on both course codes and titles.
How do I move a course to another term or year?
Drag and drop the course where you want it to be, or open it and reassign it using the drop-down list. If it won’t move, look for a lock icon; the lock ensures that a critical course won’t be moved unless you confirm it with your advisor.
How do I remove a course I’ve added to a term?
Click on the course to open it; to the right of its title, select the Delete icon. If you cannot delete it, look for a lock icon. If you see a lock, consult with your advisor.
Seeing and sharing plans
Can I share my Plan with my family or friends?
Not dynamically, but you can share a snapshot in time. When the feature is available, your plan will have a download icon among the tools next to its name. This saves the plan as a PDF, which you can upload to your own cloud storage and choose to share with or email to friends and family.
Who can see my Plan and comments?
By default, your plan and the comments shared between you and your advisor are visible to you both, as well as to your advisor’s supervisor and any immediate advising teammates, depending on how they are organized. This ensures that your history and concerns can be taken care of in case something happens to your advisor.
Do my professors get my Plan?
Faculty members only see plans if they are also participating in advising at your institution. When the feature is available, your plan will have a share icon among the tools next to its name. Using this, you can share your plan with specific advisors who are helping you.
If I ask a question as a Comment, will my advisor be notified?
Not currently, so text, call, or email them if it’s urgent. However, when either of you have the plan open, you are notified visibly of any new comments you haven’t seen. Think of it like real-time commenting in a shared Google Doc.
Does my Plan save to my device?
No. All your planning work is saved into the cloud, and none of your private information is stored locally.
How do I print my Plan?
When the feature is available, your plan will have a download icon among the tools next to its name. The plan is saved as a PDF, which you can store and print.
If I take a break from school, will my Plan be there when I return?
Yes. As long as you do not withdraw altogether from the institution, your plan will remain active.
Be sure to work with your advisor on your return; you might need an updated degree template, as departmental requirements may have changed since then.
Requirements and audits
What happens if I plan a class, but never take it?
There is no consequence for not taking a course that you plan, but be sure to update your plan: add the replacement course you took (if any), and move the course you didn’t take into a future term, if you still need it.
Are planned courses counted towards my progress?
No. The planning is just to help you make future progress, and to help the institution plan ahead for how many sections of which courses they should offer.
How can I perform a degree audit to know if I’m ready to graduate?
Planning lets you monitor your degree progress from day one. On your plan, select View Details, which displays the Requirements tab. This listing of your courses and grades against the requirements for your degree come directly from your institution’s degree auditing system. If you see anything that worries or confuses you, see your advisor. Your department may also have policies about how to complete a formal auditing for their program.
How do I see which requirements I have remaining to complete my degree?
You can click a checkbox to hide the requirements you already completed, so that you can focus just on what remains.
How do I plan courses that aren’t in my requirements?
Simply go to a term, select + ADD ITEM, and start typing to do a lookup for the course you need (such as an elective or a developmental course). What you add to your plan does not affect the degree requirements that you see in View Details.
How do I add a course that satisfies multiple requirements?
To add such a course, you don’t need to do anything special. However, leave yourself a comment on that term noting the multiple requirements, to remind yourself to check the auditing after the course is complete.
Where are my transfer courses/credits?
Find your complete record of transfer courses on the Course History page. If a transfer course fulfills a degree requirement, the requirement will show as Satisfied in the Requirements tab.
Why is a requirement I tested out of still showing up as remaining?
What you see under Requirements is pulled from the official records on file for you with the institution. Work with your advisor to petition for any needed corrections.
How do I update courses that I repeated, withdrew from, or failed?
Keep your plan as clear as possible as to what actually happened. Consider replacing any courses that won’t help you advance with new, non-course items showing what was attempted and what resulted.
If you need to take the course again, drag it into a future term.
Things don’t look right!
I don’t see the degree plan that I’m looking for.
Meet your advisor and ask them to share with you templates for each of the degree paths you are considering, so that you can tweak and compare them. You can have any number of plans, but only one is active (primary).
How do I correct the grade or credits for a course I completed?
What you see under Requirements is pulled from the official records on file for you with the institution. Work with your advisor to petition for any needed corrections.
Why are my courses I just finished not showing up as done?
Degree-related information, such as completed courses and grades, are current as of the date and time that you see at the top of the Requirements tab. Select Update to refresh it.
Why am I not seeing a requirement that’s part of my plan?
The Requirements tab shows only the degree audit information on file for the specific program of your declared major. If you think a requirement is missing from that, ask your advisor.
Why do I still see a hold that I fixed?
If selecting Update at the top of the Requirements tab isn’t clearing the hold, ask your advisor to verify that the hold is in fact resolved.
Why is my declared degree not matching my plan degree? The degree you declared through your department is stored in your official student information system records. In Planning, you are free to switch to using a new degree template on demand, but this doesn’t affect the procedures you need to go through to declare a new major or program.