The extreme makeover of the University continues as students, faculty and staff deal with the rollout of the new advisory and registration system.
The changes were implemented to streamline what many had considered a chaotic and confusing advising system and were a collaborative effort between the provost's office, Information Technology Services, the registrar and faculty.
Jim Hutchison, director of the Success and Advising Center, said the new advising procedures emphasize students meeting with their advisers throughout the semester to discuss the student's education and career goals.
Dr. Paul Bonicelli, provost, said he first learned about the issues with the old advising system in April 2008 while he was in Washington, D.C., preparing to come to the University.
He said that the problems with advising were a mixture of bad advising procedures and poor implementation of software, which had left students confused, faculty flustered and registration flawed.
"My mantra has always been order and process. We should never have chaos at the University," he said.
The problems, Bonicelli added, were compounded under the old system because every student had two advisers and each adviser often pointed students in different directions.
This is no longer the case because part of the move to a single major added the stipulation that every student now has a single adviser.
Hutchison added that all students would now have a sheet listing the requirements they need to fulfill in order to graduate. When students meet with advisers, they will receive the sheet as a guide to ensure they are on the right track to graduation.
"The sheets create uniformity among all the schools and colleges," he added.
The power of the PIN
Perhaps the most significant change for students is the new PIN that students enter on Banner to register for classes.
Hutchison said that each student is now assigned a PIN that he or she must obtain from his or her primary adviser.
He said the number did three things. First, it moved advisers away from being data entry clerks who input courses for students to guiding students through their course decisions.
Second, it allows students the ability to choose their own classes.
Bonicelli said although students have more responsibility, they will not be able to take any class they want.
"If you don't have the prerequisites for a course, you will not be able to register for it," he said.
Hutchison said the third benefit of the PIN is that it will eliminate the need for an advising week during the semester since students can now meet with their advisers at any point in the semester to receive their codes.
Raising Banner
Another major change was the restructuring of Banner - the University's platform for its registration software.
In 2006, the University replaced the antiquated FirstClass software with Banner, an integrated campus-wide computer system that allows the entire school to function on a unified platform.
However, Charlie Fix, director of Information Technology Services, said that several key components of Banner were not implemented properly. The first was the Curriculum Advising Program Planning degree evaluation software, which is an online tool that allows students to evaluate and keep track of courses that will satisfy their graduation requirements.
CAPP was full of discrepancies, which made advising and registration very difficult, Bonicelli said.
He added that he and several others worked to go through the entire course catalog to fix errors.
"Now, unlike in the past, when a mistake is found it is permanently fixed," Bonicelli said.
Fix added that there is a mobile "war room" manned by staff who fix CAPP errors as students report them.
He said the second item changed was the system's ability to track prerequisites. This function was not utilized properly, thus many students were in classes they were not supposed to be taking.
Hutchison said that under the new advising policy, advisers no longer have the ability to override prerequisite requirements. That ability is only given to the registrar and deans.
Bonicelli said the new system creates a check on poor advising and ensures that students can only register for classes that will aid in their graduation.
Mixed emotions
Students have had a mixed reaction to the changes.
Junior Calvin Choi said that for him the experience was much easier and less complicated, especially since he was no longer limited to adviser-approved classes.
"College is about taking responsibility for yourself, and what better way than taking responsibility for picking the right classes needed to graduate," he said.
Like Choi, Junior Mark Broadway found the new process more convenient and helpful.
"My adviser and I actually go through all of the requirements for my majors now, so I have a clearer picture of where I stand with graduation," Broadway said.
He added that while he likes the new process, it seemed to him that many faculty were not well-informed about the changes.
Junior Amy George said she likes the new registration process as well.
"A lot of times I change my mind at the last minute, so it is now a lot easier to change classes," she said.
Not every student had a positive experience with the new system, though.
Senior Sterling Barker said he had difficulty registering for classes and encountered two blocks while trying to register for two separate upper-level courses.
"Registration did not go as smoothly as I would have hoped," Barker said.
Senior Nathan Menefee said that for him the new paperwork during the advising process seemed like a waste of time and an unnecessary and time-consuming practice.
Bonicelli said students who are used to the old system would have the hardest time adjusting to the new advising and registration process.
"These changes are meant to bring order and process to the school."
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