Orientation Guide

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Welcome to CORe!

Our team is delighted to welcome you to the cohort and looks forward to getting started soon! Read to view key program dates, learn details about earning the certificate, and review technology requirements and support channels to ensure your success in the program.

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Accessing Your Course

You will receive an email from the HBS Online team on Tuesday, May 19, between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time with a unique link to access the course. In the week prior to the start of the program, you can expect a couple of emails from the HBS Online Engagement team with tips for getting started and planning for a successful course experience.

In CORe, you complete the coursework on your own time while meeting weekly deadlines. There is no set time to log in. All course material is delivered through our innovative online platform; there are no additional materials required. Learn more about what you can expect to see when you log in to the online platform where learning is active, social, and case-based.

—  Modules and Assignments: Things to Know  — 

The course is broken down into 17 modules—5 for Business Analytics, 5 for Economics for Managers, and 7 for Financial Accounting. Modules will each take approximately 2 to 3 weeks to complete. There are also 10 CORe Connections assignments as additional practice and participation.

There are 17 quizzes in the course which appear at the end of each module. In order to keep pace with your cohort, all modules, including the module quiz, are due at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time on their respective due dates. If you do not complete a module by the deadline, you must still access and work through the module materials and complete the module quiz before you can move on. In calculating your overall quiz average for each course, we will exclude your lowest score.

 All modules and assignments are due at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time on their respective due dates.  All course deadlines are shown in Boston’s local Eastern Time (ET), but it is your responsibility to convert these deadlines to your local time zone as needed. Make sure to stay on track with the modules and assignments as you move through the course alongside your peers.

HBS Online has a process by which you may request an exception to our course policies due to extreme circumstances and life emergencies. Please see more details in our Do I qualify for an exception to your policies? section on our Support Portal.

—  Disability Accommodations Information  — 

Harvard Business School Online welcomes participants of all backgrounds and abilities. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA), a person is considered to have a disability if that individual (1) has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, (2) has a record of having such an impairment, or (3) is regarded as having such an impairment.

If you are looking to apply for disability accommodations for your course, please first review our Requesting a Disability Accommodations article. Active communication is essential to our accommodations process. Late notification may result in a delay or inability to fulfill a request as, generally, retroactive requests will not be approved.

Should you have questions, please contact the Accommodations Team as soon as possible and they will be happy to assist you. 

—  Final Exam Overview  — 

The CORe final examination is offered to participants after they complete all three courses. The CORe final exam is a three-hour, closed-book, multiple-choice, assessment created by HBS faculty and is offered to participants after successful completion of the program during defined time periods following the last module deadline. A passing exam score on the final exams of all three courses (Business Analytics, Economics for Managers, and Financial Accounting) is required in order to pass all three courses and earn the CORe credential. The exam is currently delivered via the HBS Online course platform.

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Earning Your Credential of Readiness 

You must pass all three courses—Business Analytics, Economics for Managers, and Financial Accounting—to receive a passing grade for CORe and earn the Credential of Readiness. You must demonstrate mastery of all course content by meeting the following requirements.

— Satisfactory, Timely, and Thoughtful Completion of All Coursework by Required Deadlines —

All work in all 17 module quizzes must be completed by the final required deadline as indicated on the course calendar.

Though we do not expect that participants will always be able to provide a correct response to every question, you are expected to answer in your own words and to the best of your ability, which is an essential component of the HBS Online learning process. Skipping questions by providing insufficient responses such as Yes, Okay, or other one-word responses is considered incomplete participation. Citations are expected to be applied to your responses whenever you include outside information that is not from your personal knowledge, such as a website or Generative AI. This includes facts, statistics, definitions, and company information such as descriptions, earnings, and accounts. Please review the HBS Citation Guide for assistance with citing your sources. Improper citations or unauthorized use of Generative AI are considered a violation of the HBS Online Honor Code and are strictly prohibited. For more information regarding responses, properly cited sources, and acceptable Generative AI use, please consult the Academic Honesty Guidelines page.

— Active Engagement and Contributions in Required Reflections and Cold Call Responses —

You must demonstrate active engagement by commenting on other participants' postings and posting Peer Help to ask questions and engage with your peers' posts. We expect a basic level of engagement by everyone on these participation elements. Beyond this basic level of contribution, the quality of your contributions will be the most important determinant to assess how deeply and productively you have engaged with others, and hence will have an impact on your program grade.

— Passing the Final Exam — 

A passing exam score on the final exams of all three courses is required in order to pass all three courses and earn the CORe credential.

Credential of Readiness eligibility is determined within 30-60 days of the end of the exam period. Credentials are available in digital and printed format. All printed credentials are shipped via United States Postal Service First Class Mail and may take up to eight weeks to arrive once dispatched; shipment tracking is not available. Please visit our Certificate Guidelines page for a detailed overview of the certificate process, and our Certificates, Credentials & Credits page to see what your credential will look like.

Participants who successfully earn a Credential of Readiness in CORe may apply their coursework in Economics for Managers toward earning a Certificate of Specialization in Strategy and coursework in Financial Accounting toward earning a Certificate of Specialization in Finance & Accounting. Learn more about Learning Tracks on our website.

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Technology and Support

Please review our technology requirements before the course begins. Throughout the program, you'll have access to your peers for support and networking. In addition, you can always count on the HBS Online Support Team for any questions you may have. In order to ensure you stay up-to-date with announcements and information, please make sure HBSOnlineSupport@email.online.hbs.edu is added to your safe sender list and/or address book. We will be in touch with reminder emails that outline module release dates, deadlines, and special announcements.

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A Note About Faculty and Guest Experts

Our courses have been developed by some of the most renowned HBS faculty and guest business experts. While you will not have direct, real-time interactions with faculty and experts, you will hear from them throughout the course via short videos that explain key concepts and guide you through cases, exercises, and other interactive learning elements.

As much as we expect you to learn from faculty and experts through this highly engaging learning environment, we expect you to learn as much (if not more) from your own thoughtful participation and from your peers. Additionally, please note that all HBS Online faculty and experts featured in our courses are not available to communicate with learners directly or participate in learner-organized events. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to beginning your program!

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Take Your Learning a Step Further