SVSH Training Frequently Asked Questions

If you are encountering an issue with an assigned sexual violence and sexual harassment (SVSH) prevention course or have a question about the training, please first consult the frequently asked questions on this page.

For information about training assignments, please see the Required SVSH Prevention Trainings page of the SVSH hub website and the People & Culture Foundational Skills-Required Training page.

General questions

  1. Why do I have to take training on sexual violence and sexual harassment prevention every year? 

As part of a campus-wide effort to prevent and address sexual violence and sexual harassment, and in compliance with state law and University policy, all UC students and employees are required to complete courses which include topics such as sexual violence and sexual harassment (SVSH) awareness and prevention education. Courses are assigned each year in accordance with state and federal law and University policy.

  1. I have been personally impacted by sexual violence and/or a history of trauma. I’m concerned that completing these requirements will be triggering. Is there an alternative? 

Yes, if you have been impacted by sexual violence or sexual harassment and are concerned about completing the requirements for students or employees, we are here to support you. The PATH to Care Center can offer you an alternative training option. Please complete the SVSH Prevention Education Alternative Education Request Form. 

  1. How do I get help for a technical issue for required training that covers sexual violence and sexual harassment? 

SHAPE online training for students:

Please email SHAPE-Support@uconline.edu to open a ticket. Please refer to the Required Training Courses in bCourses page for more information. 

Please note: Students must complete the SHAPE training course on a desktop or laptop computer, or by logging into bCourses using a mobile browser. Students should not use the Canvas student app to attempt the training since the content will not load properly in the app.

Live/synchronous training for graduate/professional students: 

Please refer to the graduate and professional student FAQs on this page. 

SHAPE training for employees: 

Please try these troubleshooting tips first. If those don’t work for you, please email learningcenter@berkeley.edu.

  1. How do I get help for an accessibility issue with the required training? 

Students: For accessibility assistance with the Sexual Harassment and Violence, Anti-Discrimination, Prevention and Education (SHAPE) course, please email SHAPE-Support@uconline.edu to open a ticket. 

Employees: Please email learningcenter@berkeley.edu.

A. Student SHAPE training FAQs

  1. I completed the required SVSH training last year. Do I need to take it again? 

Yes, all students are required to complete training annually. If you have been assigned a task to complete required training in CalCentral, please do so before the deadline. 

  1. I have completed the online SHAPE training, but my task has not updated in CalCentral. 

The SHAPE training CalCentral task is updated manually. Please expect the task to clear within 5 business days before reaching out. 

  1. How do I get help for a technical issue with the SHAPE course for students? 

The SHAPE training for students is managed by the UC Online team. If you encounter technical difficulties with the course, email SHAPE-Support@uconline.edu to open a ticket. 

You can also open a ticket with the UC Online support team from within the SHAPE course:

  1. Open the SHAPE training course in bCourses. You should see “University of California” in the top left of the screen.

  2. Select the Help button in the global navigation bar on the left.

  3. Select the “Report a Problem” link.

  4. Complete the fields to submit a support ticket to the UC Online team.

For more information, please visit the Required Training Courses in bCourses

page. 

  1. How do I get access to bCourses to complete SHAPE or find help with bCourses? 

Beginning on July 22, 2025, students can log into bCourses at bcourses.berkeley.edu and find the SHAPE training course in their Dashboard. For more information, please visit the Students Get Started with bCourses page. 

  1. What if I do not see the SHAPE course in my bCourses dashboard?

If you still do not see the course on your bCourses dashboard after July 22, 2025, please email the Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination (OPHD) at ask_ophd@berkeley.edu to request assistance. 

  1. By when do I need to complete the course? 

Please complete the SHAPE course by the due date listed in your CalCentral task.  

  1. What happens if I do not complete the course? 

Completion of the educational requirements listed on the Required SVSH Prevention Trainings page is mandatory for all students. Failure to complete the requirements or an approved alternative may result in consequences including but not limited to a hold on class enrollment for the following semester.

  1. I am a new undergraduate student. What is the difference between Bear Pact and the online SHAPE training?

There are multiple components of education for incoming students. Some, like SHAPE, are delivered online prior to the start of the semester. Bear Pact is an in person program hosted during Golden Bear Orientation (GBO). Both are required as an incoming student and serve as complimentary trainings to create a safe and inclusive community.

  1. I am a student with a job on campus. Do I have to take employee training in addition to the student training? 

Yes. Student employees such as GSIs, GSRs, RAs, and all other students with any type of employment at UC Berkeley must complete both the required training for students and the required training for non-supervisor employees. Please see the Required SVSH Prevention Trainings page for more information.

  1. What policies does the training cover?

The SHAPE training covers topics including:

  1. How do I get help with completing SHAPE on the Canvas app? 

Students must complete the SHAPE training course on a desktop or laptop computer, or by logging into bCourses using a mobile browser. Students should not use the Canvas student app to attempt the training since the content will not load properly in the app.

  1. I already completed the SHAPE training, why have I been assigned another SHAPE course?

Students with active employment appointments (such as GSIs, GSRs, and other student employees) must take both the SHAPE training for students via CalCentral/bCourses and the SHAPE training for non-supervisory employees through the UC Learning Center. While the courses have overlapping content, each one contains content specifically tailored to the assigned audience. Please complete the courses as assigned. 

B. Graduate and professional student training FAQs

  1. I’m trying to register for a live webinar for graduate students with my Berkeley email address, but get an error message that says “This meeting is for authorized registrants only."

Have you activated your UCB licensed Zoom account?

  1. I've registered for a live webinar for graduate students. Why has my task not been cleared?

Tasks will be cleared within a week after attending the webinar. A student must have been logged into more than 75% of the webinar in order to qualify as present. While it is helpful for you to be logged in with your Berkeley email address, it is not required (Instructions).

  1. I cannot attend any of the remaining scheduled live trainings for graduate students. What are my options?

At this time, we are unable to provide any makeup assignments. If you are unable to attend the current training dates offered, you must attend a training the following semester. We will post new training dates at the beginning of each semester on the SVSH Required Training page. In the meantime, you may be subject to enrollment holds.

  1. I already attended a live webinar for graduate students, how can I get credit for attending?

We use Zoom Attendance Reports to check attendance. Email gradlife@berkeley.edu with the following information so that we can review those logs.

  • Name and SID number.

  • Date and time of the session you attended.

  • Any alternate email addresses you may have logged into Zoom with.

  1. I was previously an undergraduate student and I’m now a graduate student. Do I need to do the training again? 

Yes, the online training is an annual requirement for all students. The live training for incoming graduate students is required, even if you previously completed the live training for incoming undergraduate students.

  1. I have a CalCentral task that says “Live SVSH Prevention Ed”. What is that and how do I complete it?

Incoming graduate students must complete two forms of training covering the prevention of sexual violence and sexual harassment (SVSH): a) the online SHAPE training and b) a live/synchronous training. The CalCentral task that is called “Live SVSH Prevention Ed.” refers to the second form of training, the live/synchronous component. You can complete the training in one of the following ways: 

  1. Attend a live/synchronous training on Zoom on one of the scheduled dates listed on the SVSH Required Training page. Please register using the links found on that page. 

  2. Attend a live/synchronous training in-person at New Graduate Student Orientation. Dates, location, and registration information are listed on the SVSH Required Training page

  3. Some departments host their own live training. This will meet the requirement for the live training only. In some cases, this training will be facilitated for the department by Respect is Part of Research. Please inquire with your graduate advisor if you are unsure if your department is hosting their own training. 

Please note that no matter which of those three ways you choose to complete the live/synchronous training, you are still required to also complete the online SHAPE training.

  1. Does attending the Respect is Part of Research training exempt me from having to take the online SHAPE training?

No. If you attend a Respect is Part of Research training arranged through your department, you have completed the live/synchronous component of your required training only. You still need to complete the online SHAPE training. Please refer to the SVSH Required Training page to learn about all the required training components. 

  1. Does attending the live/synchronous SVSH prevention training on Zoom or at New Graduate Student Orientation exempt me from having to take the online SHAPE training?

No. If you attend the live/synchronous SVSH prevention training either on Zoom or in-person during New Graduate Student Orientation, you have completed the live/synchronous component of your required training only. You still need to complete the online SHAPE training. Please refer to the SVSH Required Training page to learn about all the required training components. 

C. Employee training FAQs

  1. I am retired. Why do I have to take SVSH training?

If you’re back on recall, even without salary, you are required to do training.

  1. I don't work for UC Berkeley anymore or I graduated. Why am I still getting assigned training?

If you are still listed as an employee in UC Path, you’ll continue to get training assignments. This is not uncommon for those with short-term seasonal appointments. Please contact the unit that most recently employed you to make sure they processed the end of your appointment.

  1. I received a training assignment reminder, but my training is not showing up in the Learning Center.

  • Some folks are assigned so many training courses that the list goes over multiple pages; you can search for the one you’re looking for by typing part of its name into the search field.
  • If your appointment changed in between receiving the latest reminder and when you checked the Learning Center, it’s possible that you are no longer required to do that particular training.
  • If neither of the above bullets describes your situation, please email learningcenter@berkeley.edu.

  1. I did a similar training recently, can I get credit for the SVSH course?

  • If you completed an SVSH training at another institution, the answer to this is usually no. Unless you did an identical course through another UC campus, you’ll need to take the course here. 

  • Sometimes courses have similar names. Student employees are assigned some courses in their role as students, and others in their role as employees. In some cases the courses have similar names and may include some related content, but they are different. All employees needed to complete their required Foundational Skills courses.

  1. I can't get the correct answer to a quiz question or I'm confused about the answer.

Please email svshadvisor@berkeley.edu for assistance. (Please note that the SVSH Advisor cannot help with technical issues, like the course not advancing, or difficulties logging in. For assistance with technical issues, please email the Learning Center at learningcenter@berkeley.edu)

  1. An error message appears when taking the Pre-Test. What do I do? 

If you have trouble advancing in the course after attempting or completing the pre-test questions or if you encounter an error message such as "You are seeing this message for one of the following reasons: 1) Your browsers back button was used. Please refrain from using your back button. 2) The survey is open in multiple tabs.": Please try clicking on the word “Next” (which appears in small print in the bottom right corner of the screen). That should advance you to the next section of the course and you will be good to go.

  1. Is it an error that I was assigned both the supervisor and the non-supervisor SVSH training?

It depends. The supervisor course covers more information than the non-supervisor course. If you took the non-supervisor training and then moved into a position that is eligible for the supervisor training, you’ll need to take the supervisor training. But if you took the supervisor training within the last 12 months, you should not be required to do the non-supervisor training. If that happens, please email learningcenter@berkeley.edu.

  1. The system says I already completed/acquired this training. Why do I keep getting reminders?

Certain Foundational Skills trainings are assigned on an annual basis, or in some cases every other year. If you took the course in the past, the system will indicate that you already took it. But if it’s a recurring course, you need to take it again. Please go ahead and take it if you received an email assigning it to you or telling you that you’re overdue to take it. This may require clicking the "Restart" button.

If you are a supervisor, manager, faculty, in MSP or SMP, postdoctoral appointee, or faculty on recall: Please note that your training requirement alternates annually between two different courses (the 2-hour course and the 30-minute refresher) with similar names:

    • UC Preventing Harassment and Discrimination: Supervisors, Faculty, MSP (SVSH)" (course code: AB1825-BE-ECO)

    • Preventing and Responding to Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment (SVSH): Supervisors, Faculty, MSP Refresher course code: BE-SVSH SUPPLMENTAL-ECO).

Please check the name of the course you already completed and the name of the course for which you are receiving reminders as they could be different. 

  1. I did the training yesterday but the system doesn’t recognize that I completed it

  • It can take a day or two for your transcript in the system to refresh.

  • It’s also possible you got to the end of the course but didn’t stay long enough for the audio to finish playing, or didn’t click “Finish”. Try opening the course again and checking for that. 

D. Supervisors and faculty FAQ

  1. I recently completed or was assigned the 30-minute SVSH refresher course. Why have I received an assignment reminder for a different, longer SVSH course that is also due soon?

The "Preventing and Responding to Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment (SVSH): Supervisors, Faculty, MSP Refresher" training you completed is a shortened version of the full, two-hour "UC Preventing Harassment & Discrimination: Supervisors, Faculty, MSP (SVSH)" training that employees must take every 2 years.

During the alternating calendar year when you do not have to take the full "UC Preventing Harassment & Discrimination: Supervisors, Faculty, MSP (SVSH)" course, the Refresher must be completed.  This is why you were assigned to complete the Refresher course last calendar year and you now have the full version of the course due this calendar year. 

  1. I do not supervise anyone. Why do I have to take the supervisor SVSH training? 

The UC Preventing Harassment and Discrimination: Supervisors, Faculty, MSP (SVSH) and the Preventing and Responding to Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment (SVSH): Supervisors, Faculty, MSP Refresher course are assigned to supervisors *and* to those whose job titles carry sufficient responsibility that the campus wants them to do the higher-level training. You were assigned your training based on your job code.

  1. I got a reminder that an individual needs to do their training, but that individual doesn't report to me. Can you make these reminders stop?

If you are receiving training reminders for an employee who no longer reports to you, or whose name you do not recognize, this is likely due to outdated appointment information in UCPath, in the area of Reports To for Positions. Please contact your unit admin or HR Partner so that they can correct the appointment information in UCPath. The UC Learning Center cannot update the reporting information for people.

  1. I got to the end of the SVSH refresher course for faculty and supervisors but the system still says I’m in progress.

It’s possible you got to the end of the course but didn’t stay long enough for the audio to finish playing, or didn’t click “Finish”. Try opening the course again and checking for that. 

Last updated August 2025.