As students begin signing up for spring 2005 classes today, they will be faced with a notable change - the absence of thousands of Schedule of Classes booklets.
While the Schedule of Classes has been available online for 10 years, this is the first year that it will only be available online.
"Since fall 1998, we have printed thousands fewer Schedule of Classes [booklets] each term and have continued to have as many to dispose of as more and more students came to rely on the Schedule of Classes on the web," said Linda Bolden-Pitcher, the University Registrar. "This was by no means a sudden decision ... but one that has been in plans for many years."
Bolden-Pitcher has been working in the Office of the Registrar since her freshman year as a work-study student.
The Schedule of Classes, once "completely a paper-based process, has been developed into an electronic process for submission of course information from the teaching units to the Office of the Registrar as of fall 2004," Bolden-Pitcher said. "[The Office of Information and Technology] has been very supportive in increasing the processing speed of the system and maintaining its availability for students, faculty and staff."
While the online Schedule of Classes does give students access to the most up-to-date registration information, some students and staff say they will miss the booklet form.
"I don't mind the new system of an online-only schedule, but I do miss having the paper copy to refer to for reference," said Julie Wickham, academic adviser for School of International Service freshmen. "But I must admit that because the schedules change so radically, the paper version became obsolete shortly after distribution."
Sarah Bilodeau, a sophomore in the School of Communication, also misses the hard copy, saying she would feel "really unorganized without the booklets."
"It makes registration more difficult because I can't see the description of classes," Bilodeau said. "I don't want to be blindsided when I register."
Descriptions of classes are available online as a separate link.
Ten years ago, before registration was done online, "many felt we were behind the curve as far as developing new technologies," said Bolden-Pitcher. "Our students at that time were very concerned that AU was not fully engaged in the information age."
However, the Office of the Registrar, together with the academic schools and colleges and Office of Information and Technology, are constantly looking for ways to develop better technology that will support students' needs, she said.
Thanks to these developments, "students now have the most up-to-date information at their fingertips when they log into the [my.american.edu] portal," Bolden-Pitcher said. "The Student Snapshot, which provides students with their class schedules, final grades, student transcripts, degree audit reports, financial information, and so much more, are enhancements that were not available to students just three years ago."
The Office of the Registrar felt that because students were becoming more accustomed to navigating the schedule through the Web, the University could switch entirely to an online system.
Even with this change in the registration process, academic advisers still expect to hear the same complaints from students.
By far the most common complaint from students is that they cannot register for the classes they want, said Wickham, SOC adviser Merry Mendelson and CAS adviser Sandra Dewey.
"Be flexible," advises Mendelson, assistant dean for Student Services in SOC, who has been working at AU for 25 years. "A lot of departments have several sections of classes ... too many students stay fixated on a particular section they want."
Dewey also has advise for students.
"Understand classes can get full," said Dewey, senior academic counselor in CAS. "You don't have time at midnight to look for alternatives. Have other classes in mind."
Registration began this morning at 12 a.m., and continues every weekday through December 3. Registration priority is based on the number of credits a student has. Priority for those with no incoming credits is based on the student's last name. Students can register beginning at midnight on their assigned date.
With so many students signing into the portal to register at one time, registration can get frustrating. Wickham says the complaint she hears most often is that "students aren't able to get into the system or that the system crashes while they're in. Best advice: be prepared and be patient; have a list of courses ready ... take a deep breath and start again."
Registration dates, the Schedule of Classes and other information about the spring registration process can be found at www.american.edu/american/registrar.
