Smart Plan

1. Log in to your MyPath account.
2. Visit the SmartPlan Dashboard.

You must meet with an academic advisor to enroll in classes. You can withdraw from classes by using their MyPath access. Use Smart Plan to review your options and then schedule an appointment with an advisor to finalize your class schedule.

From your dashboard, select Open my plan. If you have recently updated your degree program, you may see an option to Build a declared plan. Selecting this option will make sure your plan reflects your currently declared program.

• Validate your plan - Your plan will likely show a Validate plan status. Select the Validate plan button to refresh your plan to make sure it is up to date with any placement test scores or other updates that have occurred on your record. 
• Set target credits - Set the number of credits you plan to take each term (12 credits is the minimum for full-time status). 
• Update campus preference - Select Campuses below the calendar if you want to only take classes at certain campuses. If you want to take online classes, you should leave this with all campuses selected for broadest availability.
• Block time - Block days/times on the calendar view so the planner will recommend classes that fit your needs.

After making updates, Validate plan again and your recommended classes will update per your preferences.

Any time changes or updates are made to your plan, Smart Plan will need to review those changes against your current academic records and degree requirements. To verify your changes are acceptable for graduation, click the blue Validate plan button. Smart Plan will provide a message to let you know if your plan is acceptable, if there are required changes for graduation, or if it has recommendations to shorten your time to degree or reduce cost.

If you receive an error trying to register, the system should give you a message with steps to resolve your issue. In most cases, this will refer you to the Student Services office that can help you. In general, your best resource is always an academic advisor! 

If you receive an error from the plan and you are unsure how to proceed, you can chat with technical support within Smart Plan. You can also click the Help button to send feedback.

To perform a What-if analysis for a different program, click Change under the Goal tab to see a list of other programs to explore. Smart Plan will recalculate a plan based on that program’s degree requirements. Before building a What-if plan, you will be asked if you want to save your current plan. Select Yes to make sure you can go back to your declared plan later. You can access saved plans from your dashboard or the Timeline button. 

Changing your goal in Smart Plan does not officially change your program with the college. To officially change your program, you can submit a Program Change Request form via Academic Records in MyPath. Once ECTC changes your program, you will need to build a declared plan from your dashboard, or use the Reset to declared plan option in the Goals tab. This will ensure that you are following your most up-to-date plan in Smart Plan.

If you officially change your degree program with your academic advisor or submit the Program Change Request form, Smart Plan will show your old plan by default, but it will show gray and with an ND or Not Declared status. To build a new plan for your updated program, select either Build a declared plan from the Dashboard, or Reset to declared plan in the Goals tab of your plan.

All changes made by a student or advisor are automatically saved to the current plan. A list of previously saved plans will be available to open from your dashboard, or via the Timeline button on the plan. To be sure you can go back to a plan later, you must use the Save option.

Plans created with an Academic Advisor will be marked Official to indicate that the plan was advisor-approved.

Please note: If you go back to a previously saved plan, you will be defaulted to “View Only” mode. Click the Edit button to make changes or register from this plan. Once you do this, it will become your current plan.

While in your plan, select the Download option at the top right-hand side of the page. If you have a plan that has been reviewed by an advisor, make sure to open that Official plan upon login. 

Please Note: The Download option will only be available once you choose Validate Plan.

Yes, click on the Term limit hyperlink at the top of each term column to adjust the number of credits you want for that semester. After changes are made, select the Validate plan button to have Smart Plan update your plan based on your preference.

In the yellow schedule view, click Show my schedule. You’ll see all ECTC campuses at the bottom; click on that and check only the campuses where you want to take classes. Use the Deselect all button to make this easier. Your schedule will adjust accordingly after you Validate plan. To save this preference for every term, select Make default.

If you want to take online classes, you may want to leave all campuses selected to expand your online options, since you can take online classes offered by any ECTC campus.

In the yellow schedule view, use the slider at the bottom to adjust how many on-campus or online classes you want to plan for the term. Your schedule will adjust accordingly after you Validate plan. Remember, if you want to open the largest selection of online classes, make sure to select all main campuses in the campus selection.

Please note: Two online class formats are available, those with live online class meetings via video conference, or those without scheduled meetings. Classes with live online meetings will show dates and times in the schedule grid and be tagged Live Online.

Your Smart Plan will lead you to completion of your degree, diploma or certificate at ECTC. If you are pursuing an Associate in Arts or Associate in Science pathway with the goal of transferring to a university, you should contact the school you are interested in to verify prerequisites for the major you want to pursue. Most STEM field degrees like biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, math, statistics and business require certain classes before being accepted into that major, and these can vary by school.

After verifying prerequisites for your intended school and major, connect with an academic advisor at ECTC to update your plan so you can graduate and transfer successfully.