Author: Lisa Miller (Page 1 of 4)

Cengage Unlimited Subscription Details

November 14, 2025 /

12-Month Cengage Unlimited subscription fee: $215.99 2025FA – 2027SU

We have partnered with our campus bookstore to provide digital access to required textbook and materials on the first day of classes at a price not available elsewhere. This includes access to the entire Cengage Unlimited Textbook Library, all courseware, and free hardback textbook rentals (just pay S&H per textbook).

A one-time 12-month subscription fee for our Cengage Unlimited Program is added to the student’s account at the time of registration. If a student enrolls in more than one course participating in our Cengage Unlimited Program during that 12-month period, they can save big on textbook costs. For example, if a student registered for five courses in our program, that one-time 12-month fee would cover the textbooks and digital materials for all five courses.

IMPORTANT! If a student decides they do not want to keep the course materials provided as part of our digital access program, they can opt out prior to the last day to drop the course. Students receive an email with those steps, but be advised that this will impact their ability to complete homework assignments, virtual labs, exams, etc., and will likely negatively impact their grade. Once a student has opted out, they will be unable to opt back in that semester.

Even with a Cengage Unlimited subscription, students may still need to purchase additional materials from the college bookstore such as printed lab manuals, printed course notes handouts, etc. Visit www.sscbookstore.com to verify.

For additional information, please email ssconline@ssc.edu.

2026SP and 2026SU Cengage Unlimited Courses

ART 105, ART 106, ART 107, ART 219

BLW 201, BLW 202, BLW 203

BUS 136, BUS 203, BUS 224

CHD 100, CHD 104, CHD 105, CHD 106, CHD 108, CHD 202, CHD 203, CHD 205, CHD 206, CHD 207, CHD 208, CHD 209, CHD 210

CHW 100, CHW 115, CHW 120, CHW 200, CHW 205

CIS 132, CIS 180, CIS 213, CIS 223, CIS 228, CIS 229

CJS 101, CJS 102, CJS 103, CJS 104, CJS 105, CJS 106, CJS 206, CJS 207, CJS 208, CJS 209, CJS 212, CJS 213

EDU 110, EDU 204

HIT 101, HIT 103, HIT 106, HIT 108, HIT 114, HIT 116, HIT 200

HLT 101, HLT 105

HSA 109, HSA 209

HSA 234

MAS 105, MAS 106, MAS 107, MAS 108, MAS 112, MAS 113, MAS 115

MIS 102, MIS 104, MIS 110, MIS 111, MIS 130, MIS 190, MIS 195, MIS 205, MIS 211, MIS 212, MIS 213, MIS 214, MIS 215, MIS 216, MIS 217, MIS 218, MIS 221, MIS 230, MIS 250, MIS 253

MTH 190, MTH 203, MTH 204

NRT 100

LAW 101, LAW 103, LAW 202, LAW 203, LAW 205, LAW 207, LAW 208, LAW 209, LAW 210, LAW 211, LAW 212, LAW 213, LAW 215

PSC 101, PSC 102

SPN 115

Distance Education Handbook

October 29, 2025 /

This Distance Education Handbook has been developed through the efforts of the Distance Education Committee. The intent of this document is to provide guidance and resources to faculty and administrators who are involved in the delivery of distance education courses at South Suburban College. This handbook compiles existing processes and procedures developed by the Distance Education Committee and will continue to be updated as needed based on this committee’s recommendations.

A SSC staff username and password are required to access the following resources.

Access the Distance Education Handbook

Getting Started with Copyleaks

September 29, 2025 /

Copyleaks can verify the authenticity of content and report if something has been written by AI or a human. It is an integrated tool within our D2L Brightspace environment.

There is a difference between using a writing tool and a grammer checker.

It’s important to note that the use of writing tools such which offers a genAI option to help re-write content entirely will most likely get flagged as AI if used because, simply put, it is AI-generated. Translation tools, are also commonly powered by AI models and will be flagged as AI content.

In contrast, the Copyleaks’ Grammer Checker does not get flagged as AI, nor does any of the content from Grammarly, Microsoft Word, etc. changed to fix grammatical errors, tone issues, etc., because they do not use genAI to power these features or functionalities.

Instructors

Step-by-Step Instructions to Create a Copyleaks Assignment within D2L Brightspace

Attend a Training Session with Copyleaks

Students

Step-By-Step Instructions to Submit an Assignment to Copyleaks

Submit Grade Data to Ellucian Colleague Gradebook

January 14, 2025 /

Timely data submission allows students to understand their performance and make informed decisions about their academic progress. Missing data impacts things like academic standing, graduation, transfer plans, and financial aid eligibility. Delays in grade data submissions can create bottlenecks in these processes, impacting both the student and the college.

The due dates for each data submission are posted within D2L Brightspace, sent by email, and available from your department. It is crucial that each deadline is met. Additionally, the Illinois Community College Board will fine the college for late report submissions.

Remember we are here to help you with the process. Do not hesitate to contact the Teaching and Learning Center with questions at ssconline@ssc.edu or call 708-225-5890 opt. 2.

STEP ONE

Locate the COLLEAGUE GRADEBOOK link on the blue navigation bar within your D2L Brightspace course shell.

STEP TWO

PLEASE NOTE IT MAY TAKE A FEW SECONDS FOR THE NEXT PAGE TO LOAD

Please locate the appropriate tab for your data submission: 10th Day Attendance Verification, Active Pursuit, Midterm Grade, and Final Grade.

First Entry for the Term (Green Arrow Below)
10TH DAY ATTENDANCE VERIFICATION: Mark S (Satisfactory) or NS (Not Satisfactory). This is the first data submission of the term. 

NOTE: This is the only time during the semester you may mark a student as NEVER ATTENDED. Marking a student as NEVER ATTENDED later in the term has a negative impact on a student’s Financial Aid. There is a simple process to readmit a student if appropriate at a later date.

Second Entries for the Term (Gold Arrow and Red Circle Below)
ACTIVE PURSUIT & MIDTERM GRADE: This data is entered and submitted at the simultaneously. Mark S or for Active Pursuit. Credit Midterm grades are A-F. Non-credit are P or V.

Third Entries for the Term (Purple and Pink Arrows Below)
FINAL GRADES : Credit Final grades are A-F. Non-credit are P or V.

Enter a STOPPED ATTENDING date if a student stops attending.

STEP THREE

Be sure to enter your submission data in field beneath the column that’s name matches the data you are submitting.

STEP FOUR

Be sure to enter data for each student on your class list. Be sure to check that all of your students are being displayed on your screen by adjusting the number of rows that appear at one time in the lower right-hand corner of the class list.

STEP FIVE

Select the “SUBMIT” button located at the bottom of the page to submit your data to Ellucian Colleague (our student management system).

STEP SIX

Once your submission is complete, verify that there is a checkmark in the “SUBMITTED” column for each student.

STEP SEVEN

If a student does not have a checkmark in the “SUBMITTED” column, a blue bar will appear after your submission indicating why the data was not transmitted. If you are unable to resolve the issue, please contact ssconline@ssc.edu or call 708-225-5890 opt. 2 for assistance.

Be sure to verify that your data submission was successful before navigating away from this page or the current tab.

Still need help? Email ssconline@ssc.edu or call 708-225-5890 opt. 2.

Using Microsoft Bookings to Schedule Virtual and On-Campus Office Hours

March 25, 2024 /

Online appointment scheduling is here! You can now allow students to schedule office hours with you with just a click of a link. All meetings will appear on your Outlook calendar. If you choose to meet with students virtually, a Microsoft Teams meeting link will be created and sent automatically to the student on your behalf.

STEP 1

Login at Office.com using your SSC username, and network password.

STEP 2

Select the “Apps” icon from the navigation bar on the left. If “Bookings” is listed on your Microsoft 365 Apps page, click to open and proceed to STEP 5 of this guide.

Bookings listed on Microsoft 365 App Screen

STEP 3

Click on the Apps link from the left menu, and navigate to the “Get More Apps” in the upper right-hand corner of your browser window on a desktop or laptop.

STEP 4

On the next screen, click on the “Bookings” app to add it to Office 365.

STEP 5

Follow the prompts on the images below to create a new meeting type.

Be sure to copy the link to your “Personal Booking Page” or the unique meeting you created especially for your students and add it to your D2L course shells and Simple Syllabus so that they can easily book virtual office hours with you online.

STEP 6

You can restrict the ability of your schedule to just your posted office hours by setting “custom availability hours” for the meeting type you wish to share.

Need help more help? Email us at ssconline@ssc.edu.

Introduction to Simple Syllabus 

December 19, 2023 /

Download training session PowerPoint slides (which acts as a step-by-step handout) 

Watch a Training Video (19:25)

What is Simple Syllabus? 

Simple Syllabus helps instructors save time and eliminate redundant tasks associated with syllabus creation in Brightspace D2L. The template-driven architecture of Simple Syllabus automatically ensures compliance with accreditation and regulatory standards while still giving faculty the autonomy to personalize curriculum content for their classroom directly within D2L. 

Announcement: Starting in the Spring 2024 term, all instructors should begin using Simple Syllabus in D2L instead of uploading a syllabus in word format.  

How to Login and Access: 

  • Visit: d2l.ssc.edu 
  • Use the same Username and Password you normally use for Email and other services at SSC. 
  • Under the My Courses module, click on your D2L course shell. 
  • Click on More within your D2L Course, then My Syllabus. 

Content in your Syllabus: 

Simple Syllabus turns your syllabus into an electronic format.  That means you will need to review and complete fields after clicking on the My Syllabus link.  The good news is that each time you teach your courses, the syllabus from the last time you taught will automatically be imported into the D2L course for the new term.  This will save you even more time, as you won’t have to re-enter data, except updating your assignments, due dates, etc.  

There are three types of data fields in Simple Syllabus.  Prepopulated fields (nothing required of the instructor), required content that the instructor must complete, and then optional fields that if left blank, will not appear on the electronic syllabus.  

Prepopulated content:  

Many fields in the electronic syllabus are pre-populated with data that comes directly from Colleague, our student information system.  That means it is always accurate and you do not need to worry about updating.  The pre-populated fields include course details, course description, textbook information, learning outcomes, explanation of attendance verification, academic integrity, student services and policies, and last date to withdraw. 

Fields instructors must complete:  

There are some fields that instructors must complete.  These fields include instructor information, additional course materials (if any), your course attendance policy and how it might affect student’s grades, your grading schema, your academic integrity policy (cheating/plagiarism), and course calendar of assignments, due dates and points.  

Optional fields: 

There are many optional fields instructors can complete.  But if they are left blank, they won’t appear on the electronic syllabus.  These optional fields include method of presentation, classroom etiquette, and late work and make-up assignments. 

Add Custom Content 

You can add your own custom content to the electronic syllabus as well.  This preserves your academic freedom.  

Optional: If using D2L for your assignments, Simple Syllabus has a sync option that will list all your assignments, due dates, point values, etc., automatically in the Syllabus.  

Publish your Syllabus 

When all required fields are completed, you have to opportunity to preview the syllabus and then submit it.  Submitting the syllabus allows students to see it.   

Where do students see the syllabus?  They click on My Syllabus in the D2L course menu. 

Training and Information 

Support 

  • For issues accessing your Syllabus, please contact the Teaching and Learning Center at ssconline@ssc.edu.  
  • For additional help, access the Simple Syllabus Technical Support Center. 
  • Within the Simple Syllabus tool, click on the question mark icon on the top left of the syllabus. 
  • Fill out the Submit a Request form for immediate help or visit the Knowledge Base. 
  • If you are asked to login, select Continue with SSO.  

Emergency Flip to eLearning

November 8, 2023 /

Need to make an emergency flip to eLearning? If you know these three things, you will be off to a great start: Creating an Announcement, Using Bongo Virtual Classroom, and Adding a File to D2L Brightspace.

Email systems are down, please reach out by chat, or call 708-225-5825 option 2 with any questions.

Creating an Announcement in D2L Brightspace

How to Post An Announcement in D2L

Using Bongo Virtual Classroom

Adding a File to D2L Brightspace

Adding Syllabus to D2L Course Shell
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