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AAR Resources for Faculty and Staff

If you are a student, please visit the Academic Advisement Reports page for student-oriented resources and information.

ctcLink Navigation

Please refer to the instructions below for accessing useful AAR-related screens in ctcLink.

To review a student's program/plan stack:
1. Log into ctcLink.
2. Click "CS Staff Homepage" on the left-hand menu or the "CS" pillar in the upper right.
3. Click the compass icon in the upper right-hand corner and navigate as follows: Menu > Records and Enrollment > Career and Program Information > Student Program/Plan.
4. Stay on the "Find an Existing Value" page and enter the student ID number. Click Search.
5. The student's TCC careers will be listed. (Careers at other ctc institutions will not be visible, but may result in gaps in career numbering.) Click the career you want to view.
6. The most current row for that career will display. Use the "Include History" button in the lower right-hand corner to view all effective dated rows for that career.
7. Review each career to determine which program/plans are Active, Discontinued, Complete, etc.
IMPORTANT NOTE: It is strongly advised that you use the Student Program/Plan page to review a student's program/plan stack, as this page will provide you the most accurate and up-to-date program/plan information. The Academics tab in the Student Center will only display program/plan information effective through the current date and will not include any future-dated program/plan changes.
To run a current Academic Advisement Report (AAR) for a student:
1. Log into ctcLink.
2. Click "CS Staff Homepage" on the left-hand menu or the "CS" pillar in the upper right.
3. Click the compass icon in the upper right-hand corner and navigate as follows: Menu > Academic Advisement > Student Advisement > Request Advisement Report.
4. Click the "Add a New Value" button.
5. Enter the student ID number.
6. Enter WA220 for Academic Institution.
7. Enter ADV for Report Type.
8. Click the "Add" button.
9. The Advisement Report Request page displays. Click the "Process Request" button.
10. The student's AAR displays.
11. (Optional) To view the student's AAR in PDF form, click the "View Report as PDF" button.
IMPORTANT NOTE: It is strongly advised that you use the Request Advisement Report page to review a student's AAR, as this page will run a new report and provide the most accurate and up-to-date information. The Academic Requirements dropdown option in the Student Center will only display the last AAR run for a student (usually via the automatic State Board process) and is usually outdated.
To view a simulated Academic Advisement Report for a different program/plan or a different catalog year, use the What-If Report:
1. Log into ctcLink.
2. Click "CS Staff Homepage" on the left-hand menu or the "CS" pillar in the upper right.
3. Click the compass icon in the upper right-hand corner and navigate as follows: Menu > Academic Advisement > Student Advisement > Request Advisement Report.
4. Click the "Add a New Value" button.
5. Enter the student ID number.
6. Enter WA220 for Academic Institution.
7. Enter WIF for Report Type.
8. Click the "Add" button.
9. The Advisement Report Request page displays. Check the "Use Career Simulation" box and click "View/Change the Career Simulation."
10. Enter all applicable data:
  1. Select "Tacoma CC" for Academic Institution.
  2. Select "Undergraduate" for Academic Career.
  3. Enter the applicable requirement term for Career Requirement Term, Program Requirement Term, Plan Requirement Term, and Sub-Plan Requirement (use the same term for all applicable fields). This term will determine which catalog requirements the What-If Report will display.
  4. Enter the applicable academic program for Academic Program (ACADM, PRFTC, BCHLR).
  5. Enter the applicable plan code for Academic Plan (plan codes can be found in the current TCC College Catalog).
  6. Enter the applicable sub-plan code for Academic Sub-Plan (if applicable).
11. Click "OK."
12. The Advisement Report Request page displays again. Click the "Process Request" button.
13. The What-If Report displays.
14. (Optional) To view the student's What-If Report in PDF form, click the "View Report as PDF" button.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Running a What-If Report does not change a student's program/plan. To add or change a student's program/plan, please submit a Program Plan Change Form.
To view an Academic Advisement Report that includes classes a student has planned for future quarters (i.e. classes in their shopping cart), use the Planning Advisment Report:
1. Log into ctcLink.
2. Click "CS Staff Homepage" on the left-hand menu or the "CS" pillar in the upper right.
3. Click the compass icon in the upper right-hand corner and navigate as follows: Menu > Academic Advisement > Student Advisement > Request Advisement Report.
4. Click the "Add a New Value" button.
5. Enter the student ID number.
6. Enter WA220 for Academic Institution.
7. Enter PLN for Report Type.
8. Click the "Add" button.
9. The Advisement Report Request page displays. Click the "Process Request" button.
10. The Planning Advisment Report displays. Planned courses are marked with a blue star icon to differentiate them from completed (green checkmark) and in-progress (yellow diamond) courses.
11. (Optional) To view the student's AAR in PDF form, click the "View Report as PDF" button.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Shopping carts for the current quarter are purged during the 10th week of the quarter (8th week for Summer), which may impact Planning Advisement Reports.

Staff vs. Student View

The staff/advisor view of the Academic Advisement Report differs from the student view. Please keep this difference in mind when working with students. The PDF View of the AAR (see How to Run an AAR, Step 11) is the same for both students and staff.

Staff View of AARs

The staff view of AARs displays all requirements and courses on the same fluid page. Satisfied (completed) requirements will be collapsed when the report is first generated and requirements that are Not Satisfied (incomplete) will be expanded. You can collapse/expand any requirement by clicking the gray arrow next to the requirement title or using the "Collapse All"/"Expand All" buttons at the top of the report.

Staff/Advisor view of an AAR from the Request Advisement screen

Student View of AARs

The student view of AARs displays requirement titles and progress bars on the front page, but requirement descriptions and specific courses are only displayed upon clicking the appropriate requirement. There are no "collapse" or "expand" options on the front page of the student view.

Student view of an AAR from the Academic Progress screen in the Student Center

Degree Progress Updates (Course Exceptions)

The Degree Progress Update Form is used to submit approved substitutions, waivers, and/or directives; update a student's requirement term (catalog year); and adjust for transfer credits. Submitting these exceptions/updates early ensures:

Students do not repeat unnecessary classes.
Students do not take classes that are not required for their degree/certificate.
Students follow the correct requirements for their degree/certificate.
Students stay on track to graduate.

Submit a Degree Progress Update Form

PLEASE NOTE: While accurate program/plan stacking is essential for accurate AARs, the Degree Progress Update Form should not be used to submit program/plan changes.

Types of Exceptions

Definitions and examples of the three main types of course exceptions.

Definition: A course directive directs a course that can fulfill multiple requirements into a specific requirement. This type of exception is typically used when a student's AAR is not directing a course properly. Please refer to the table below for a list of courses that fulfill multiple distribution areas.

Example: A student completed ENGL& 102 with a C grade and CMST& 102 with a B grade. The AAR is currently using CMST& 102 to fulfill the Communication Skills Distribution because it has the higher grade, but that leaves the Humanities Distribution 5 credits short. A course directive can be used to direct CMST& 102 to Humanities so that ENGL& 102 can fulfill Communication Skills, allowing both distributions to be satisfied.

Approval: Academic advisor, program chair, or dean
Definition: A course substitution replaces a required course with a different course to fulfill a specific requirement. May be applied to individual students based on transfer coursework and/or department exception.

Example: A requirement says students must complete MATH& 147, but the program chair has approved the student to use MATH& 146 to fulfill the requirement instead.

Approval: Program chair or dean
Definition: A waiver is used to bypass a specific course or requirement, including residency credit, distribution credit, and minimum grade requirements. Course waivers only apply to the content of a course; credits cannot be waived. If a waiver is approved, College-Level Electives will be increased in order to maintain the total credits required for the degree/certificate. If a degree/certificate does not have a College-Level Electives section, one will be added for the appropriate number of credits. Students may use any college-level course to make up the missing credits.

Example: College Success (COL 101) is required for students completing the Associate in Arts, DTA, but includes a list of exceptions. Students who meet the criteria for one of these exceptions will have their COL 101 requirement waived and their College-Level Electives section increased to compensate.

Approval: Program chair or dean

A Note on General Degree Petitions

Not all exceptions may be approved by the program chair or dean. In cases where the exception (directive, substitution, waiver) falls short or contradicts an existing Direct Transfer Agreement (DTA) or Major Related Program (MRP), a General Degree Petition may be required. These petitions are presented to and reviewed by Curriculum Committee, then recommended to the Provost for approval or denial. The Provost has the final authority to approve or deny General Degree Petitions.

Where to Find Exceptions on AARs

All exceptions made on a student's AAR will appear as a Note in one of two places on the applicable requirement line: above the required units or next to the course itself. In both cases, the Note will be hyperlinked and clicking on it will bring up the details of the exception.

Waivers & Credit Adjustments

Any time the total units or courses is modified from the original requirement (as in the case of waivers, semester-to-quarter credit conversion, and electives adjustments), the exception will appear above the required units/courses in the requirement line.

AAR Requirement Line with note text above required units.

Clicking on the blue Note text brings up a page that shows the old and new units required, as well as details about the exception.

Screen that shows old and new units required for the requirement and a description of the change.

Directives & Substitutions

Any time a course is directed to or substituted in a specific requirement line, the exception will appear as a Note number next to the course itself.

An AAR requirement line that shows a note number next to one of the courses being used.

Clicking on the blue Note number brings up a page that shows details about the exception.

A screen with the note number and a description of the exception.

A Note About Directives & Substitutions in AARs

In some cases, because of the way ctcLink treats different types exceptions, the directed/substituted course will not replace the required course, but show alongside it until the full requirement line is Satisfied. This can make it difficult to determine which courses, if any, are still required. The only way to determine if any courses are still required for the applicable line is by clicking the blue Note number next to these courses and reading the exception details.

An AAR requirement line that shows the required and substituted course, with a note number next to latter.

A screen with the note number and a description of the exception.

Tips for Reviewing AARs

Keep these things in mind when reviewing AARs with your students.

It is strongly advised that you run a new AAR through the Request Advisement Report screen, as this page will provide the most accurate and up-to-date information. The Academic Requirements dropdown option in the Student Center will only display the last AAR run for a student (usually via the automatic State Board process) which is usually outdated.
The AAR will display the program/plan(s) that are currently active for a student. If any are missing, it may mean that the student is not stacked in that program/plan or that the degree/certificate has already been awarded to the student. Please review the student's program/plan stack and submit any Program/Plan Changes as necessary.
Program/Plan changes are made effective between quarters to comply with National Student Clearinghouse reporting, so any future-dated changes will not be reflected in the Student Center. However, all program/plan changes, regardless of effective date, will be reflected immediately upon processing on the Student Program/Plan screen, as well in a student's AAR because of how the AAR engine runs in ctcLink.
For all requirements, the AAR prioritizes classes with the highest earned grades to ensure the highest degree/certificate GPA for the student. This sometimes results in extra credits being used in requirements and/or classes not being applied to the correct requirement. If a student's AAR needs to be corrected for one of these errors, please submit a Degree Progress Update Form.
For each degree/certificate, the AAR includes a section titled, "Degree/Certificate Completion Requirements," that verifies the number of total credits, distribution credits, residency credits, GPA requirement(s), and any other applicable completion requirements for that credential. Each of these verification lines is programmed to look only at courses that are applied to the degree/certificate, not the student's entire academic history. Therefore, values that appear in this section of the AAR may differ from those that appear on a student's transcript. Please keep this in mind when reviewing a student's AAR and remember that all requirement lines, including those in the Degree/Certificate Completion Requirements, must be Satisfied in order for a degree/certificate to be awarded.
All repeated courses should fall into the "Unused Courses" section of a student's AAR. However, because transfer courses are not included in the repeat processing procedure each quarter, it is possible for a student's AAR to show earned credit for the same course transferred in and taken at TCC. These situations must be caught on a case-by-case basis and manually adjusted. If you find a repeated course counting twice in a requirement, please submit a Degree Progress Update Form.
For each degree/certificate, the AAR includes a section titled, "Unused Courses," that lists all courses not applied to that credential. If a course is not being used correctly in a student's AAR or if you are looking for a course to use for substitution, check the "Unused Courses" list to see what a student has available. Remember, however, that "Unused Courses" will include repeated courses, courses that are below college-level, and courses with non-passing grades, which cannot be used to meet degree requirements.

Reference Tables

Additional helpful information for reviewing AARs.

Courses in Multiple Distribution Areas

The following courses are included in multiple distribution areas on the Approved Distribution Course List; however, please note that they may still only count towards one distribution area in any given degree. If a course is not being applied to the desired distribution area, please submit a Degree Progress Update Form to have it updated on the student's AAR.

Course	Distribution Areas
ANTH& 205	Social Science; Natural Sciences (Biological, Earth, & Physical Sciences, Non-Lab)
ANTH& 207	Humanities (Non-Performance/Skills); Social Science
ANTH& 237	Social Science; Natural Sciences (Biological, Earth, & Physical Sciences, Non-Lab)
ANTH& 245	Social Science; Natural Sciences (Biological, Earth, & Physical Sciences, Non-Lab)
CMST& 102	Communication Skills; Humanities (Non-Performance/Skills)
CMST& 220	Communication Skills; Humanities (Non-Performance/Skills)
CMST& 240	Communication Skills; Humanities (Non-Performance/Skills)
CMST 320	Communication Skills; Humanities (Non-Performance/Skills)
HIST& 219	Humanities (Non-Performance/Skills); Social Science
HIST 231	Humanities (Non-Performance/Skills); Social Science

Degrees that Require Manual Adjustment

The following degrees always require manual adjustment due to the nature of their requirements. Please submit a Degree Progress Update Form to update a student's AAR for these degrees.

Degree	Variable Credit Requirement(s)	Applies to Requirement Terms
Associate in Computer Science (DTA/MRP) (CSACSAA)	Natural Sciences; University-Specific Requirements	Fall 2020 - Summer 2024
Associate in Applied Science-Transfer in Allied Health (HSAAHAAS)	Medical Terminology	Fall 2020 - Fall 2025
Associate in Science, Track 1 with No Specialization (LRST1AS)	Track 1 Sequence	Fall 2020 - Fall 2025
Bachelor of Applied Science in Health Information Management (HMRHIBAS)	Computer Concepts; Medical Coding Excel Level I; Medical Terminology	Fall 2020 - Spring 2021 Fall 2025

Any Other Questions?

enrollmentservices@tacomacc.edu