CourseKey users can control how timezones are displayed throughout their user interface by visiting their Account Settings: https://portal.thecoursekey.com/account.

1. Timezones Settings & System Handling - to control how timezones are handled throughout the CourseKey user interface, have a look at the following System Settings on your Account page:
   
   
   1. "Timezone" - by default, this setting will be set to “(System Default)”, which will set the user’s timezone on CourseKey to match that of their device. However, users can customize the timezone they wish to use in the event they are traveling, or need to work in a different timezone for whatever reason.
      
      
   2. "Multi-Timezone Handling" - this setting controls how timezones should be handled whenever a user sees data from a school that is located in a different timezone.

Timezones settings under Account "System Settings"

Based on the settings above, CourseKey will take care of handling time-relevant data in the following ways:

• Timezones will always be explicitly labeled next to datestamps and timestamps
  
  
• Wherever possible, when a school’s timezone differs from the user’s timezone, CourseKey will display a Globe icon that enables users to conveniently switch back and forth between the timezones:
  
  
  Timezones “Globe” icon converting between EDT (user's timezone) and PDT (school's timezone)
  
  
• While generating reports, users have the ability to specify whether they prefer any time data in the report to be expressed in the school's timezone(s) or their own. For convenience, each line on the report will always display the timezone in which it’s been expressed.
  
  As well, please note the following:
  • Date and/or time user inputs will be in the user’s timezone. For this reason, depending on the query, it may be possible for a calendar date to shift by one day: 
    • e.g. a user in EDT configures a report Start Date “10/13 @ 12:00 AM EDT”, which is equivalent to “10/12 @ 9:00 PM PDT”
  • As such, remember to be mindful of the timezone column in the report if you are unsure of which timezone(s) the data has been expressed in.

Report Generation Screen: Timezones settings


Report containing "Time Zone" column

• To ensure data pipeline operational continuity, the following reports have not been updated to include timezones references:
  
  
  • Time Attended by Student
  • Assessment Scores (FAME)
  • Assignment Grades (FAME)
  • Async Attendance (FAME)
  • DiamonD Daily Detail Export
  • FAME Export
  • Overlapping Time in Student Record (for FAME Clients)
  • RGM Export
  • Skill Tracker (FAME export)
  • Timesheet Export (Deprecated) - Nexus

2. Notable special cases and exceptions - please see below for a list of notable special cases and exceptions with regards to timezones handling:
   
   
   1. User Activity Log - neither 1) LAR nor 2) Automated Messages events on the CourseKey system have a direct relationship to a specific school, and by extension a school’s timezone, so default handling of timezones will be per Account Settings
   2. Cortex Insights - the timezones references described above do not apply to Cortex Insights dashboards at this time
   3. Student Mobile App - because the primary goal of the Timezones Settings is to service school admins with access to multiple timezones, the Timezones Settings do not apply to the Mobile Student App. Note, however, that students will be able to see limited Timezones if/when they log in to the CourseKey Web App (https://portal.thecoursekey.com/).

FAQs

Why are there timezones on datestamps?

Even if CourseKey isn’t actually showing a timestamp on the user interface, at a technical level there often exists a timestamp for every calendar date. For example, a piece of data simply labeled “10/13/2023” in the user interface is actually captured as “10/13/2023 12:00 AM” in the database. 

While a seemingly trivial detail, it can have practical implications when users interact with their data as it relates to time. A classic example is when, given differing timezones between user and school, a user sees a date shift forward or backward by one day, simply because, for example: October 12 9:15 PM PDT is equivalent to October 13 12:15 AM ADT.