The Doctoral Community Network, or DC Network, is an online learning community for those who are completing their doctoral studies. Students can discuss topics related to their chosen field of discipline, as well as receive assistance through the dissertation phase of their studies in the DC Network. Depending on the program, students will either gain access the first day or the fourth week of their first doctoral course.
To log into the DC Network, select GCU Student, Faculty, Staff. You will then be prompted to enter your login information. The login information for the DC Network is your GCU email and password. Depending on your program, access to the DC network is granted either on the first day of your first doctoral course or the fourth week of your first doctoral course. If you are a part of the Doctor of Nursing Practice program, you will have access to the DC Network on the first day of your first course. If you are a doctoral learner in any other program, you will gain access during the fourth week of your first course. The DC Network can be accessed at https://dc.gcu.edu. If you are having trouble logging into the site, try resetting your password.
If you are an external committee member attempting to access the DC Network, select External Content Experts. A sign in page will appear and you can enter your email address and password. If you need to reset your password, click the link below the sign in screen and complete the steps that follow.
Using the DC Network search tool is the best way to find answers for your DC Network issues, as the resources available are updated by the DC Network team frequently. Oftentimes, you will find video tutorials showing learners how to perform common tasks within the DC Network.
By selecting the New Learner Resources tab within the DC Network, learners have access to information regarding the DC Network and additional resources.
Additional resources can be found below.
Support through the DC Network is provided in a number of ways:
- Forums: Interactive message boards where students and faculty can share insight and discuss an array of topics, located at https://dc.gcu.edu/forums.
- Ask A Question:Form to ask questions internally through the DC Network, located at https://dc.gcu.edu/ask.
- Blogs: Articles written and posted by faculty of the College of Doctoral Studies. These articles cover news in related fields and information that may interest those in the Doctoral Community.
- Research material: The DC Network is filled with many research resources that aid learners in being successful in their academic studies.
The Milestone Guide is a resource that walks you through each year and stage of your dissertation process. Each page has links that help navigate the DC Network. On top of the helpful links, the Milestone guide provides tips for various stages of the dissertation process.
Halo Learn is still considered the official system of record for students completing their doctorate. For more specifics regarding your assignment, you can log into your current class in Halo Learn and review the syllabus. If you are unable to locate a resource, it is best to contact your instructor, chair, ask a question on the Help page, or post a forum topic.
FAQ
Here you will find a list of some common questions and answers related to the DC Network!
If you are an external Content Expert and you forgot your password and experience issues receiving the password reset email from the DC Network, please contact GCU Technical Support and we will be happy to send you a temporary password. You will need a temporary password to continue. Once you have the temporary password, sign into the DC Network.
- From the DC Network Home page, locate your name at the top left of your screen, toggle the down arrow and click Profile.
- Next, select Edit Profile toward the right of screen next to the yellow pencil icon.
- Once in your Edit Profile page, click on Login Settings to update your password.
- Finally, you will then be prompted to create a new password. Make sure to select the button Change Password when complete.
In the past, there was an option to send messages to other learners within the DC Network. This feature was removed in 2018, however. Learners who wish to communicate with each other will need to do so externally (such as through email or phone).
For more information on how to change the email on your DC profile, check out this article on the DC Network! Email (how to change default)
For more information on Dissertation Committees, check out this article on the DC Network! Committees: Dissertation
The Learner Dissertation Page (LDP) is a virtual workspace that provides a central and private area for learners and their committee to work together. Here is a short video explaining what the Learner Dissertation Page (LDP) is: Learner Dissertation Page Video
Webinars posted by the college are available on the Conferences and Events calendar. To access the calendar, navigate to dc.gcu.edu and click on a webinar you are interested in. There will be a zoom link within the event details. Click on the zoom link to be directed to the webinar registration page. Once you register, you will be directed to a confirmation page. To add the event to your personal calendar, click Add to Calendar. You will also receive reminders via email. For any other questions regarding Zoom, please visit our Zoom FAQ article.
If you are not receiving email notifications in your GCU email after having it set to the default, you will need to adjust the notifications for your forums. To navigate to the Email Forums, click My Dashboard, then click your committee. Once you have selected Email Forum, scroll to the bottom of the page and locate the Follow option, on the bottom left corner. Clicking Follow will allow you to adjust how many times you will receive notifications. Click Set once you have made the changes. To adjust the notifications for individual forums, click Manage Subscriptions.
If you are receiving an error message saying, “Your account is in a cool down period due to multiple unsuccessful login attempts”, you will need to wait 10 minutes for this period. When entering your password incorrectly 5 times, your account goes into a cool down period that lasts for 10 minutes.
If you are an external committee member, you can reset your password and access your account immediately.
Once you have gotten access to your DC Network profile, you may wish to customize it. There are multiple areas you can use to share information about yourself on the DC Network. These can range from a profile picture to blog links. This guide will identify what sections are available to you and detail how to edit your profile to reflect the information you want to share.
Upon logging in, you should see your name in the top left of the page.
Clicking on your name will open a drop-down menu; select Profile from the available options.
From here, you will see your profile and the sections you have already filled out. Select the Edit Profile button to begin editing the information on your profile.
Upon selecting the Edit Profile button, you will be prompted to edit your personal information. This section includes information such as your First and Last name, your blogs or websites, and even your LinkedIn account.
Once you are done editing your personal information, you can save your edits with the save button at the bottom of the page or move on to a different section to edit.
To add information related to your work, select the Work tab under the Edit Profile heading.
This section will include information about your employment, such as your employer, occupation, employer’s website, and your expertise.
Once you are done editing your Work information, you can save your edits with the save button at the bottom of the page or move on to a different section to edit.
To update your profile picture, select the Picture tab under the Edit Profile heading.
This will bring you to a page where you can select a file to use as a profile picture.
Once you are done uploading your profile picture, you can save your image with the save button at the bottom of the page or move on to a different section to edit.
To edit who can view different pieces of information that you provide, you can access the privacy tab under the Edit Profile heading.
To edit who can view different pieces of information that you provide, you can access the privacy tab under the Edit Profile heading.
The privacy tab will list the different pieces of information you can fill out in the personal, work, and picture sections of your profile and allow you to set who can see it depending.
Setting it to Nobody will make it so only you can see it. Contacts will only allow your contacts to see the information. Members will only allow other group or community members to see the information. Everybody will make the information available to anybody.
When you are done editing your privacy settings you can save your edits with the save button at the bottom of the page