Student Support Center
Frequently Asked Questions
Getting Help
What if I can’t make the listed Office Hours times?
We want to make sure that you get the support you need! If you can’t make the listed Office Hours times, please reach out to your instructor so they can try to better accommodate your schedule.
Where can I find my instructor's email?
You can send an email using the instructor email address found on your course’s Resources page, or by replying to one of their weekly emails.
Who do I contact for help or questions about course material?
lf you are confused or have questions about the course material and assignments, you can do any of the following:
- Email your instructor using the instructor email address found on your course’s Resources page, or reply to one of their weekly emails.
- Set up an Office Hours appointment to speak with your instructional team over Zoom (the scheduling link is on your course’s Resources page, as well as in the weekly emails from your instructor).
How do I contact the Pathstream team?
We have teams of people committed to supporting you in the program—you can learn more about their roles in your Learner Handbook.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out:
- Email the help desk for technical issues: [email protected], or use the live chat in the bottom right corner of the Pathstream platform.
- Email your instructional team for academic questions. Their email address can be found on your course’s Resources page. You can also reply to any of their weekly emails.
- Email the enrollment team for policy or certificate questions: [email protected].
When can I expect to hear back from Pathstream?
We will try to respond to your questions as soon as possible. Here are the response times you can expect based on the nature of your question:
- Technical questions: Immediately during our support hours, or within 24 hours
- Academic questions: Within 24-48 hours on business days
- Enrollment questions: Within 24-48 hours on business days
When should I contact my instructor?
You should contact your instructor when you are confused about a graded assignment, confused about what you’re learning in a lesson, or when you have any questions about the content in the courses. You can contact your instructor via email, or by setting up an Office Hours appointment and speaking with them directly over Zoom.
When should I contact the Enrollment team?
The Enrollment team makes sure you can access your courses and view your grades. They are able to answer questions about academic and enrollment policies — such as project resubmissions or earning your digital certificate. For these questions, please contact [email protected].
Is there a phone number or live chat I can use?
The Help Desk is available 7 days a week to help with any technical problems you may experience in the course. You should contact them if you have any issues logging into a course, trouble submitting an assignment, or if you notice an error in the course. You can use the in-course live chat to reach the Help Desk, or email them at [email protected].
If you need assistance with time management, creating a study plan, or getting back on track in a course, you can contact the Success Team at [email protected]. You can also respond to any of their text messages—there’s a real person on the other end!
Grades
When will I get my grade?
If your course has projects, you can expect to receive written feedback and a grade on each project (or project part) within 3 business days of submission. Quizzes are auto-graded immediately upon completion.
You can view your grades at any time from the Grades page in Pathstream. As you submit assignments, your overall course grade will continue to update until all graded assignments are complete.
How can I see written feedback on my project?
You can expect to receive a grade and written feedback on each project submission within 3 business days. Our instructional teams work hard to get your project back to you as soon as possible! If it has been more than 3 business days, please reach out to your instructor to follow up.
You can view instructor feedback by clicking into the project from the Overview page, or by clicking “View Feedback” next to the project name on your Grades page.
How can I see my grade on a graded assignment?
Your grades will be posted on the Grades page in Pathstream each time you submit a quiz or receive a grade on a project (if your course has projects). You will also see an overall, cumulative grade for the course.
As a reminder, your final cumulative course grade must be 70% or higher to pass the course.
How can I see my final course grade?
You can view your grades at any time from the Grades page in Pathstream. As you submit assignments, your final course grade will update.
If you have an active extension or a project that is still being reviewed by the instructional team, your final grade will continue to update as assignments are submitted and graded.
I have a question about the grade I received. Who can I ask about this?
If you have a question about the grade or feedback you received, please email your instructor directly. Their email address can be found on your course’s Resources page.
Can I retake a quiz?
After completing a quiz, you will see your score right away. If you aren’t satisfied with your score, you will have one retake opportunity. If you want to retake the quiz, do not click Submit yet. (Once you click Submit, your score will be recorded on your Grades page).
After reviewing the material, re-enter the quiz and take it again. On the second attempt, you will only answer the questions you answered incorrectly on your first attempt.
Can I resubmit a project?
If your course has projects and you fail the course (i.e., earn a cumulative grade below 70%), you may request to resubmit a project in order to raise your grade and pass the course. A third attempt will not be permitted.
For courses with multi-part projects, you may request to resubmit one project part, not all of the parts. To request to resubmit a project, please email your instructor within 7 days of receiving your final grade.
Certificates
How do I earn the Certificate?
To earn the Certificate, you must pass all of the courses that compose the Certificate Program. In order to successfully pass a course, you must do both of the following:
- Earn a 70% or higher cumulative grade in each course.
- Complete and submit ALL graded assignments in the course. You cannot successfully pass a course if you have not submitted all graded assignments.
When will I receive my Certificate?
Once you have successfully completed your program, a Certificate and digital badge (shareable on LinkedIn) will be delivered to you via email. Please allow up to 24 hours for Certificate delivery after all assignments have been graded.
Upon issuing your certificate, we will grant read-only access to your courses so you can continue to review the content after the program has ended.
If you have an incomplete assignment and/or a failing grade in one or more of your courses, you will not be eligible to earn the Certificate.
Policies
I’m behind in the course—what should I do?
You can complete Pathstream courses at your own pace, as long as you finish all graded assignments by the program end date. We provide a suggested course schedule that outlines which sections and graded assignments you should aim to complete each week. Following this schedule will help keep your workload balanced, and ensure that you stay on track to complete the courses on time.
If you need assistance with time management, creating a study plan, or getting back on track in a course, you can reach out to the Success Team at [email protected].
Can I use my notes/course materials on quizzes?
Yes, you are welcome to refer to the course materials or your own notes while completing quizzes.
I have a disability. Can you help with accommodations?
Please reach out to your instructional team, who will work with you to come up with a suitable solution. You can contact them directly via email (look for their contact information on the Resources page of your course, or reply to one of their weekly emails).
What is the Project Resubmission policy?
If your course has projects and you fail the course (i.e. earn less than a 70% cumulative final grade), you may request to resubmit a project in order to raise your grade and pass the course. A third attempt will not be permitted.
Learners are allowed one project resubmission per course. For courses with multi-part projects that are submitted separately, you may request to resubmit one project part, not all of the parts. To request to resubmit a project, please email your instructor within 7 days of receiving your final grade.
What if I fail a course?
If any of your final course grades are lower than 70% after all graded assignments have been submitted, please reach out to [email protected] as soon as possible to discuss your options.
Office Hours
How do I cancel or reschedule my Office Hours appointment?
From the Calendly confirmation email, click on one of the links to Cancel or Reschedule. If you choose to reschedule, you’ll be redirected to Calendly where you can select a new date and time for Office Hours. After canceling or rescheduling, a confirmation email will be sent to you and the instructional team.
What if I need more time for my Office Hours appointment?
If you don’t see an Office Hours time that works for you, please contact your instructor to schedule a custom appointment.
How do I sign up for Office Hours with my instructor?
The instructional team will be holding virtual Office Hours sessions every week. You can use the time to go over any questions you have, chat about course content, or just say hi and meet your instructor “face to face.” You can book an appointment using the Calendly link provided by your instructor via email and on the course homepage in Pathstream.
If the available times don’t work for you, please email your instructor to schedule a custom appointment.
How do I access Zoom for my Office Hours appointment?
After scheduling an Office Hours appointment via Calendly, you will receive an email with the event that you can add to your calendar. The event will also include a Zoom link to use for the video call.
How to join a Zoom meeting: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362193
What if my instructor’s Office Hours availability doesn’t fit into my schedule?
If your instructor’s Office Hours availability doesn’t fit your schedule, please email your instructor and let them know that you would like to schedule an Office Hours appointment for a different day and time. Your instructor will then schedule something that accommodates your availability.
Course Content
How do I take the graded quizzes?
Log in to your Pathstream Learning Home and click into the course you’re working on. From the course homepage, click on the Overview tab to view an outline of the course content. Quizzes are highlighted for easy identification. Click on the quiz when you’re ready to get started.
You may refer to notes or other resources while you’re taking the quizzes, but please do not enter the quiz until you’re ready to complete it. You will see your score instantly upon quiz completion.
How can I speak to my instructor about academic questions?
You can email your instructor with any academic questions you may have. We also encourage you to schedule an Office Hours appointment with them.
Former learners have found it more helpful to walk through concepts over a video call and look at the course content together via screen share. You can book an appointment using the Calendly link provided by your instructor via email and on the course Resources page in Pathstream.
Can I download the course content?
Currently, our learning platform does not support the ability to download lesson content as a PDF. However, you can download the HTML content within the page view, and then convert to PDF format.
Additionally, the slide decks in lessons are available for download. At the bottom of lesson pages, there’s a dropdown button titled “Links to Text Versions of Documents” where you’ll find a download link. When you click that link, it will download a PDF of the slide deck to your computer.
In some cases, when you click that link, it will take you directly to the actual Google Slides. If that’s the case, click “Options” > “Open Editor.” From there, click “File” > “Download” > “PDF Document” and it will download a PDF of the slide deck to your computer.
Can I download my projects?
You can download a lab or project if it uses Google Docs, Slides, or Sheets. Open the lab or project, click “File” > “Download” > and select the file format you’d prefer and it will download to your computer. If you’d like to download a project that does not use Google Docs, please contact your instructor with your request.
Course Schedule
When are graded assignments due?
We provide a suggested course schedule in your Pathstream Learning Home for each course you’re enrolled in. The schedule will also be in weekly emails from your instructor.
We recommend sticking as closely to this schedule as possible to help you pace yourself through the course, and ensure that your workload is balanced from week to week.
What is Review Week?
The Review Week is an extra week at the end of each course that is yours to use as you’d like. You can use this time to catch up on graded assignments, review the material, or just take a break!
How do I know if I’m done with the course?
Your course is complete when you have submitted all graded assignments for that course. Though progress in lessons and labs does not affect your final grade, we recommend working through all of the course content to maximize your learning.
Your lesson and assignment completion progress is tracked separately on your Learning Home page.
When does each course start and end?
Our courses start on Tuesdays and end on Mondays. Each course starts at 12:00 am PT on Tuesdays and ends at 11:59 pm PT on Mondays.
What is the length of each course?
Course length varies by certificate program. You can see the exact dates that each course starts and ends in the Pathstream platform. We’ll also send you weekly emails to help you remember when a course is approaching the end date so you can submit your graded assignments on time.
Where can I see due dates for assignments?
To help pace yourself through the course, we’ve provided a suggested course schedule that you can find in-course, as well as in weekly emails. The suggested schedule will help keep the workload balanced from week to week, and ensure you’re on track to complete all of your coursework.
Technical
Will I have to purchase access to the platforms used in the course?
Pathstream provides you with access to the tools and applications required to complete your courses. No software purchases are required.
What 3rd party applications will I need for the course?
None! All of the applications you will need are already built into the course. You’re welcome to use any other software applications that you find helpful, but nothing additional is required.
I’m having trouble completing a lab. What should I do?
First, please check that your internet connection is still active. We recommend using the Chrome browser when working in the Pathstream platform. If you’re still having trouble completing the lab, please email the Help Desk at [email protected] or use the live chat feature in your Pathstream course.
I’m having trouble submitting a project. What should I do?
First, please check that your internet connection is still active. Additionally, please be sure to complete your projects in chronological order, as project parts cannot be submitted out of order. If you’re still having trouble submitting a project, please email the Help Desk at [email protected] or use the live chat feature in your Pathstream course.
I lost connection/the page froze while I was taking a quiz, what should I do?
If you experience technical difficulties while taking a quiz, please reach out to our Help Desk team. You can reach them by email at [email protected], or by using the in-course chat widget.
Enrollment
Can you provide me with a 1098-T tax form?
Pathstream’s certificate programs are continuing education, non-credit programs that are not eligible for federal financial aid. Therefore, we are not able to issue a 1098-T tax form.
How do I withdraw or unenroll from a program?
Please contact [email protected] if you wish to withdraw from your program.
I don’t see my course OR I see the wrong course. What should I do?
If anything looks incorrect when you log in to Pathstream, please contact [email protected].
Need Help?
Please use the chat once logged in to Pathstream
Weekdays: 8AM to 11PM CT
Weekends: 2PM to 11PM CT