As much as Lawrence has seemed to avoid it, students have now, albeit slowly, started to use up-to-date technology. The first floor of the library has wireless internet service, and coming next year, the registrar will introduce web registration for all returning students.
At this point, registrar Anne Norman and several student, staff, and faculty committees are finalizing plans for the system, which will be first introduced to students this spring term in order to register for next year’s classes. Before it can be presented to the entire campus, the system must go through a series of tests. The first test will involve the committees; another will include volunteer students and their advisers.
After the committees determine if the system can withstand 300 students submitting their scheduling choices and changes at the same time, it will be available for use by the whole student body.
The biggest difference will be that, under the new system, students will no longer waste as much time signing papers and waiting in long lines. “The rules are the same, it’s only the process that has changed,” said Norman.
Students are still required to meet with their faculty adviser to determine what classes will help towards their degree; however, once you meet, all the adviser does is click a box on the interface which signals to your account that you are free to add and drop classes at will. The click lasts for as long as the registration period lasts; the first two weeks or so of classes will be one click.
After the registrar closes and reports classes to the university, the first click is cleared and another meeting with an adviser is required for the continuing advance registration, and so on. After each click, students are free to register.
The only other difference with the web registration is that instead of being on a first-come, first-serve basis as it has been, students will be assigned “time tickets” according to their earned academic credits.
Students will be broken up into approximately six “time tickets” or groups, not including incoming freshmen. Each group will have 23 hours to register. Each registration time will be over one business day, allowing students to meet with advisers and professors to get the required signatures. The process for getting signatures required for specific classes mirrors that of meeting with an adviser.
After every “time ticket” has gone through, the registrar will closed for about three days, and then will reopen on a first-come, first-serve basis, still using the web service. However, practically all other rules and procedures are the same as they are now.
Norman suggests that in preparation for the upcoming transition, students get familiar with Lawrence’s Voyager system, watch their email for updates, and attend the forthcoming practice session.
Students and faculty members will be able to practice from February 14-25, essentially recreating their current schedules in order to familiarized themselves with the format and process. The first round of registration for the ’05-’06 school year begins on April 24 and runs through May 3, and advance registration for ’05-’06 continues from May 9 through June 4. The transition should be smooth and glitch-free.