For those that missed priority registration, don’t forget to register soon!
ITU’s Summer 2014 trimester was the first time that the University instituted priority registration. The process, based on seniority, allowed continuing students to register for classes prior to new students.
Priority registration was created to make the registration process easier for staff, students, and professors. It allowed continuing students to get the classes they need to graduate and University staff the tools to improve customer service.
Registration was distributed over four consecutive days. Depending on the amount of credits a student had attempted by Spring 2014, they were allowed to register earlier in the process. For example, ITU students with 27 or more credits were the first ones to get a chance to register for Summer classes.
Off to a Solid Start
According to ITU staff, the new registration system worked well. Continuing students signed up for classes early in the day and ITU was able to meet its daily goals for the whole week.
“We have a breakdown report that says, ‘on this day, we expect this many students for priority registration’. What we found was we were meeting that goal earlier than expected. For example, one day we met our goal by 11AM,” reports ITU Assistant Registrar Evelyn Z. Tsao.
While things went well, the first-time process was not without its kinks. Over the first two days the priority registration system did not calculate transfer credits as a part of a student’s overall credits earned.
“One [problem] was that a student’s transfer credits were not counting towards attempted credits. We set up the priority groups based on the attempted credits they have done at ITU, and it didn’t include the transfer credits,” adds Tsao.
Fortunately, Tsao and her team were able to work on the back-end of the registration process and fix the issue. The issue was corrected by the second day of priority registration.
A Needed Change
During the Spring 2014 trimester, it became clear that ITU needed to change its registration process. Classes that trimester filled up almost immediately. The system left continuing students without the chance to take the classes they needed to graduate.
“Before, we opened registration up to everybody on the first day. So they kind of ended up fighting for seats in the classroom,” continues Tsao.
The new process gave continuing students a first crack at signing up for classes. It meant that the closer a student was to graduating, the better chance they had to get their needed credits.
Anxious to Start the Process
Early on in the development of the new priority registration process, ITU staff had concerns about how students would react to the new system. One major fear was that students wouldn’t see the value in the process. They worried that students would not be able to understand how the system improves every student’s opportunity to graduate.
Luckily, according to Tsao, those fears were unsubstantiated. Tsao says that current students appreciated the overall concept of ITU priority registration.
“I had some concerns about current students coming in and saying, ‘This is unfair, why can’t I register on the first day?’ But actually, it went well. [Despite some concerns] it went really well,” tells Tsao.
Talk Back
What did you think about priority registration? Did you think it was a fair system? Let us know how we can improve in the comments below.