Frequently Asked Questions

• Canvas - All distance education courses at Chaffey College are taught using Canvas, the college's learning management system. 
• Online - The course takes place completely online in Canvas and all work is completed and submitted online. Some online courses have required live meeting times, as displayed in the course schedule. Online courses without required live meeting times will have weekly work and deadlines.
• Hybrid - The course takes place partially online and meets partially on campus; attendance and participation in both are required. The on-campus portion will have required meeting times, as displayed in the course schedule.

• Log in to your MyChaffey portal
• Select the Canvas link on the launch pad
• Start participating in your course by selecting the desired course card off your Canvas dashboard.

Don't panic, we are here to help! There may be a few reasons you cannot log in:

1. You may be attempting to access Canvas too soon. Students don't have access to Canvas until two weeks prior to the start date of their course(s).
2. You recently added a distance education course via an add authorization. Students who add a distance education course are given Canvas course access within two hours of adding the course in MyChaffey portal.

If none of the reasons apply to you, please make sure to contact our help desk by submitting a DE Support Ticket.

Online classes are attended exclusively on the Internet; there are no regular on-campus meetings. However, many online classes do require specific meeting dates and times for specific online activities. Instructors provide details of these and other requirements in the class syllabus.

If you are enrolled in a hybrid course, there are required meeting dates. Please check your course schedule, for information on meeting times and location.

Online Class Waitlist
The waitlist process for online classes, prior to the beginning of the semester, is the same as for face-to-face classes. 

Online Class Add Process
Students wishing to add an online class after registration closes or after the class start date should email the instructor as soon as possible. The email to the instructor should include the following information: student’s full name, student ID number, position on waitlist (if applicable), and the name and section number of the course.

Faculty email addresses can be found on the employee directory page of the Chaffey College website.

Hybrid Waitlist and Add Process
Students wishing to add a hybrid course should attend the first class meeting on the day, time and location listed in the schedule of classes and on our online course list.

If you have received an add authorization from an instructor, please be sure to register as soon as possible. You would register through MyChaffey using the "Self-Service Registration" link. If you have trouble registering, please review our Self-Service Registration Instructions video, or contact one of our GPS Centers.

Attendance for an online course is established by your instructor. Make sure to read through your course syllabus to understand the course attendance policy. If you have questions about your attendance, please contact your instructor for more information.

Attendance can be a factor for an instructor to initiate a drop. It is important to log in to your course as soon as possible on the course start date, read over the syllabus and complete any required "check-in" activity. First day attendance should be addressed somewhere in the course and/or within your course syllabus. If you have any questions regarding attendance, please contact your course instructor.

California Community Colleges Online Education Initiative (OEI) has developed the online student readiness tutorials, a series of interactive multimedia tutorials that address the real challenges experienced by online students, new and experienced, while pursuing success in online classes.

The goal of these tutorials is to assist California community college students with developing the skills required to be successful in an online course. These tutorials are excellent resources for all students taking online, hybrid or enhanced courses.

There are eleven courses in the series with the longest one being 12 minutes. The link to the information page and videos can be found by selecting the following: Online Student Readiness Tutorials.