Class Site Creation Schedule

Target Creation Dates

NOTE: We target class site creation based on the schedule above, but dates can vary.  If the target date falls on a weekend, for instance, the process will be scheduled for the next business day.  Also, the course creation process takes several hours to complete, so please be patient and wait for up to 24 hours.

EXAMPLE: For Summer 2025, the common target date falls on a Saturday (March 1, 2025).  Based on this, we will schedule course creation for Monday, March 3, 2025.  Professors can expect sites to be generally available by Tuesday, March 4 based on classes and assignments entered into WaveNet.

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How do I set up my new class site?

We have a Top 10 Checklist for a New Academic Term that outlines common setup steps. You can refer to the full Courses Faculty Guides for documentation on the many features of the Courses LMS. We also have several Recorded Faculty Training Topics that may be helpful.

Need additional guidance? Our Technology & Learning staff can schedule a one-on-one consultation with you. Whether you are brand new to the platform, need a refresher, or want to explore an advanced feature in-depth, we are available to help our faculty make the most of Courses!

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When are enrollments updated after course creation?

Student enrollments are updated each business day, twice a day.  Our student system creates update files around 6:15 AM and 2:15 PM Pacific.  Courses processes these files at 8 AM and 4 PM Pacific.  It can take 10-30 minutes for enrollments to reflect after an update.  If students register at 10 AM on Monday, they should be listed by 4:30 PM that same day.  If students register after 2 PM, the enrollment should appear the next business morning by 8:30 AM.

NOTE: Newly matriculated/admitted students may need additional time to process within WaveNet.  It sometimes takes a full business day before a newly matriculated student enrollment will appear in Courses.

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Why do I continue to see canceled classes in Courses?

When a class is canceled in WaveNet, the corresponding class site in Courses stops receiving any enrollment updates. This means that the canceled course site will continue to feature for instructors among the course site favorites and in the Courses sites drawer.

It is important for faculty to keep these canceled class sites unpublished in Courses in order to avoid student confusion.

In addition, instructors who no longer wish to see a canceled class in Courses have two options to remove it from their view:

1. Unfavorite the site, or
2. Completely hide it from the class sites drawer.

Instructors who have questions concerning a canceled class(es) are encouraged to contact their program/division office.

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Are any classes excluded from the course creation process?

Yes, Seaver College has requested that some classes should not be created on our learning management system.  The list of excluded classes are listed below:

• Seaver: MUS 103 and 303 classes.  These are private music instruction classes and per the academic division do not require an online presence.

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As the instructor, what should I do if I don't see my class site?

Please review these common solutions or reasons:

1. Check the Creation Schedule. Class sites are created based on the Class Site Creation Schedule listed above. If the date for creation has not happened yet, please be patient. If you want to get a head start, you can always create a project site to brainstorm, plan, or stage your class content. After course creation happens, you can then import the content to the official class site. 
2. Check WaveNet. Class sites and faculty assignments will depend on the information entered by your school into our student administration system. Go to your WaveNet Faculty Center and select the academic term. View your class rosters and verify that the class is listed as one of your teaching assignments. If the class or your teaching assignment has not been entered into WaveNet yet, then it will not be listed in Courses. If your class assignment is missing, then please contact your school's program or division office to ask when the school will enter the class information for the given term.
3. Wait one business day. Course creation generally begins based on the schedule above. The process takes several hours, so please be patient.  Also, if the date falls on a weekend, the process will begin on the next business day with sites generally available to professors within 24 hours.
4. Check the "Sites" menu. If you have taught several classes in the past, it's possible that your new sites may not appear as tabs in the learning management system. (The site tabs or favorites bar can accommodate up to 15 sites.) To view all of your sites, click the "Sites" menu at the top right. Your sites will be organized by academic term. Look for the most recent semester/trimester and click the link for the appropriate site. Professors can favorite their sites to quickly access their desired class or project sites. We also recommend hiding older class sites to streamline your experience.
5. Newly hired professor? If you are a new hire, remember that your school must work with Human Resources to process your employment paperwork. Please check with your school program or division office so that they can update you on the status of your faculty assignment as well as your University NetworkID. Once your Pepperdine NetworkID account and email have been created, you will then be able to access University services like WaveNet and Courses.
6. Very old class site? Pepperdine University has a five-year retention period for LMS class sites. If you are looking for a class site that was offered more than five years ago, it has likely been removed in the Courses LMS Site Retention Period clean-up process.
7. Call IT Tech Central. If you have followed all of the above steps and the site is still not appearing, please contact IT Tech Central or your local school support team. You may reach Tech Central by phone at 310.506.4357 (HELP) or toll-free in the USA at 866.767.8623.  You may also fill out the online help request form.

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My students say they can't see my class site.

If your students say that they can't see or access your class site, please refer to the following:

• Did you publish your class site? Class sites are created "unpublished." This allows you, the professor, to set up your site privately before students can see the content or activities. When you're ready, you can publish your site with one click. Students will not be able to see your site until you publish it.
• Are they officially registered? Only officially registered students will be automatically enrolled in class sites on Courses/Sakai. Check your class roster in WaveNet and compare it to the enrollment list in Courses. If the student is present in both areas (and not on a waitlist!), and your site is published, then simply direct the student to check the "Sites" menu in Courses. They likely have more than 15 class sites and need to manage their class site favorites.
• Did they enroll the same day? The automated enrollment process runs twice a day (once in the morning, and once in the late afternoon). 
• Were they recently admitted? If the student has been newly admitted to the University, it can take time for the student's information to trickle through all systems. It can take at least one business day for all processes to complete within WaveNet before the person's network account, email, and enrollment information will populate into Google, Courses, class email lists, etc.

You can also ask the student to refer to the Courses Student Guide or ask her/him to call IT Tech Central at 310.506.4357 (HELP) or toll-free in the USA at 866.767.8623.

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My Teaching Assistant isn't listed with my class.

Only official faculty assignments and registered students are automatically enrolled in class sites based on data from WaveNet.  It is the responsibility of the instructor(s) of a site to add any additional users such as teaching assistants, graduate assistants, or other authorized individuals. 

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Someone is auditing my class. Should they be enrolled?

Only official faculty assignments and registered students are automatically enrolled in class sites based on data from WaveNet.  Someone that audits a class is not an official student; there is no official record of enrollment, transcript, or final grade for auditing persons.  A person that audits a class is simply permitted to attend or "sit in" on a class, nothing more.  It is the sole discretion of the professor how much or little interaction the auditing person may have.  If the auditing individual is a member of the Pepperdine community with an active network account, then the instructor, at her/his discretion, can add the user to the class site as a student manually. 

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See Also:

• Courses LMS Retention Period
• Checklist for a New Academic Term
• Faculty Getting Started Guide
• Publish your class sites
• Reorder your site tabs
• Graziadio Course Syllabus Search

← Back to Faculty Guides for Courses