ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT © 2010 UArts Enrollment UArts Enrollment Deng-Shun Chang Wan-Ting Chang Nicolas Coia Michael Smith
Mar 25, 2016
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© 2010
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UArtsEnrollment
Deng-Shun ChangWan-Ting ChangNicolas CoiaMichael Smith
Published by
211 South Broad Street, 5th FloorPhiladelphia, PA 19102
Copyright © 2010
UArtsEnrollment
Michael SmithNicolas CoiaWan-Ting ChangDeng-Shun Chang
Published by
211 South Broad Street, 5th FloorPhiladelphia, PA 19102
Copyright © 2010
Copyright © 2010 by Danny Chang, Wan-Ting Chang, Nicolas Coia & Michael SmithIllustrations copyright © 2010 by Danny Chang, Wan-Ting Chang, Nicolas Coia & Michael Smith
Photography credits:Pages 4, 6, 24, 51, 61, 104, 108, 111, © 2010 Nicolas Coia; Pages 7, 10, 12, 17, 49, 55, 58, 63, 67, 72, © 2010 Wan-Ting Chang; Pages 19, 21, 22, 28, 40, 44, 47, 56, 64, 71, © 2010 Deng-Shun Chang; Page 107, © 2010 Jonny Goldstein;
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced–mechanically, elec-tronically, or by any other means, including photocopying–without written permis-sion of the publisher.
Cover design by Giacomo CiminelloBook design by The BAMF Team, Danny Chang, Wan-Ting Chang, Nicolas Coia & Michael Smith
Masters of Industrial Design at The University of the Arts212 South Broad Street, 5th FloorPhiladelphia, PA 19102
First printing January 2010
Table of Contents04 Introduction: Meet Jenny08 Chapter 1: Background18 Chapter 2: Research40 Chapter 3: Opportunities72 Chapter 4: Proposal104 Chapter 5: Future Steps108 Conclusion: Meet Jenny
112 Glossary
Introduction
Meet JennyJenny had nearly finished her first semester as a sophomore at UArts and it was almost time to register for next semester’s classes. Although she was enrolled in the Illustration program, Jenny wanted to focus her non-major studies on crafts. She knew that enrolling in an undergraduate education at UArts would allow her to spread her wings, study multiple facets of art and learn from a multitude of diverse artistic individuals.
Jenny has been trying to get a hold of her advisor, Marco, for the past week, but to no avail; Marco, an adjunct professor, was required to advise, but found himself on campus infrequently. Due to the high student-to-advisor ratio in the Illustration department, the advisors found it difficult to schedule time with students for advising. After a few emails about scheduling an appointment, Jenny and Marco decided October 26th would work best.
At her advising meeting, Jenny explained her interests in learning crafts but feared she would not be able to complement her education as well as she hoped. Marco
Although she was enrolled in the Illustration program, Jenny wanted to focus her non-major studies on crafts.
asked Jenny if he could see her advising form to better understand these frustrations. Jenny was confused; she had no idea where to get the form or what classes she needed to take. Marco realized he hadn’t told Jenny what she needed to do for class registration. Marco had no substantial advisor training and did not fully understand the goals or procedures of an advisor. He emailed Jenny the links to the course catalog, bulletin, and advising forms. Marco then decided to schedule a meeting later that week so Jenny could explore her options.
Before Jenny could schedule her spring semester, she needed to know what classes were required and how many credits were left for electives. She navigated to her degree audit via a link provided by Marco. It took her quite a while to understand the document; she couldn’t help but stumble through the cryptic, text-based degree audit. After she spent some time learning how to read it, she was able to locate her required major and elective courses for the spring semester.
Jenny browsed through the course catalog and was excited to find “Introduction to Throwing,” a sculpture elective that sounded perfect. The problem was, Jenny had no idea what classes were offered in the coming spring semester. She recalled receiving a few emails from the Registrar’s Office, but was overwhelmed by the email lengths. Rather than paging through old emails, she contacted Marco for direction.
Marco sent Jenny a link to the UArts bulletin. The bulletin differs from the catalog in that it only lists available classes in the coming semester. Since she had
not previously seen this, Jenny felt lost in the Excel-like layout. She eventually found “Introduction to Throwing” and saw that it would be offered in the spring semester, but only at one time (Wednesdays from 8:30am - 3:50pm). All Jenny had to do now was schedule her remaining five classes.
Jenny began locating her major classes in the bulletin, but was soon overwhelmed with the number of sections available for some courses. Fearing she wouldn’t be able to fit her elective into the confusing schedule, Jenny decided to see if Marco could help shed some light on the situation.
At their next meeting, Marco and Jenny painstakingly looked up each class, selected from the multiple scheduling options and manually plugged them into the grid, hoping no conflicts would arise. They came up with a few alternate schedules revolving around the elective she was interested in. However, Jenny wasn’t able to take any of the liberal arts classes she wanted to take; she had to settle for less exciting courses that would fulfill her requirement.
Once Jenny’s registration plans were established, Marco submitted the advising form to the Registrar’s Office, giving Jenny permission to register for classes online. Although they accomplished their goal of filling out and sending the advising form to the Registrar’s office, Marco did not have the time to speak with Jenny about her future goals and what she felt could best influence her education.
The seemingly simple exercise of sketching out student schedules was a daunting task for Marco. There were numerous course times for each required class, creating difficulty in the manual navigation of scheduling options.
Jenny was confused; she had no idea where to get the form or what classes
she needed to take.
4 5Introduction: Meet Jenny
However, it was important to build a comprehensive map for Jenny’s semester.
Inconsistencies in class lists between the catalog and bulletin proved frustrating. Marco only wished there was a more productive way to accomplish these tasks.
Jenny received a lengthy email from the Registrar’s office confirming her advisor approval and detailing the steps she needs take for class registration. She skimmed over the endless email to arrive at her priority registration time. “Why couldn’t they have just sent a few simple lines of text?”, she wondered.
It was November 15th, Jenny’s priority registration was at 11:00am. She jumped onto her computer at 11:15am to start the registration process. She navigated to the “Search/Register for Sections” area. Jenny patiently filtered for her core classes and tried to register for them. Rather than registering for these classes, however, WebAdvisor simply added them to a list of classes in which she was interested. Annoyed at the clunky system, Jenny proceeded to select “register” from the drop down menus next to her requested courses.
An error appeared on-screen saying she was unable to register until she updated her address. This surprised Jenny because she hadn’t absorbed this piece of information from the Registrar’s lengthy email. After she frantically updated her address, Jenny was finally eligible
for registration. She was unaware that the system saved her “Considerations” and went through the entire process again, wasting valuable time.
It was then 11:45am. With 300 other students in Illustration, two of the courses Jenny wanted to register for on Monday and Tuesday were already capped: Pictorial Foundation and Figure Anatomy.
She tried to register for the Tuesday and Thursday sections of Figure Anatomy but they too were completely full. It was noon, and the only remaining time slot was the 8:30pm or 1:30pm Wednesday slot. This meant that, because of conflicting class times, she could not register for “Introduction to Throwing.”
Jenny was very disappointed, as she really wanted to incorporate crafts into her education. She felt if the online registration process was simpler or the upfront instructions were better delivered, she would have been able to register for the classes she was passionate about...
...and she wouldn’t have felt so lost.
...if the online registration process was simpler or the upfront instructions
were better delivered, she would have been able to register for the classes she
was passionate about...
6 7Introduction: Meet Jenny
Chapter 1
BackgroundThe Director of the Masters of Industrial Design program (MID), Jonas Milder, approached Adrienne Stalek, the Associate Dean of the College of Art and Design, and Krishna Dunston, the Assistant Dean of the College of Performing Arts, about implementing a design intervention at the university focused around the registration and advising processes.
Two MID students constructed research on the registration process of UArts in the summer of 2010. Their analysis helped structure an outline for rest of the project.
8 9
In the beginning...
Adrienne Stalek (left)and Krishna Dunston
The Masters of Industrial Design program was given the task of researching multiple facets of the UArts enrollment process. The Associate Dean of CAD and the Assistant Dean of CPA, Adrienne Stalek and Krishna Dunston, respectively, were interested in “How do students get into and out of classes?,” “Are the Leave of Absence, Withdrawal and Drop/Add Forms structured in the best way possible?” and “How do we improve the overall student experience?”
With that direction, research the UArts enrollment process and look for areas of improvement in which a design intervention would best influence and improve the student experience. The research should be focused on advising, registration and paper forms.
Prior to the more comprehensive research presented in this book, a smaller team of MID students, Michael Barakat and Andy Grossman, performed preliminary research on what a student experiences during the registration process.
This initial research was a proving ground for a more in-depth design intervention.
The diagram to the right highlights a hypothetical student interaction with the registration process. In this interaction, the student must track down multiple professor signatures to complete the advising and Drop/Add forms.
Through a couple interviews with employees of the Registrar’s Office, the team discovered that the paper Drop / Add forms are a headache for both staff and students. The Registrar’s office states there are too many required signatures on the form and “too much [student] hand-holding.”
Override caps, prerequisite conflicts and class petitions are just a few of the manual overrides presented by students as challenges for the Registrar’s Office. Students who need to complete these actions create additional work. They must track down professors for additional signatures, forcing them to walk up and down the campus and have the Registrar’s Office fulfill the requests.
The prior team’s research was enlightening and gave immediate direction for where further insight should be implemented.
Previous Research
10 11Chapter 1: Background
StakeholdersUArts Enrollment touches upon multiple facets of the community: the Registrar, Deans, Faculty/Advisors and the Students (arguably the most important audience).
The prior team of MID students began to uncover specific areas of focus which, when analyzed, began to show a multitude of overlapping relationships.
The interactions of students and the Registrar, students and faculty, and finally students and the deans are important to keep in mind. These interactions begin to frame the larger and more pertinent challenges the university faces today.
This diagram portrays areas of focus and their relationships with stakeholders
Advising model
Closed classes
Drop / add
Forms must be printed
Independent study form
Manual overrides
No centralized info source
Portal is not unified
Portal registration system
Signature required
Unclear academic status
Students
Faculty / Advisors
Deans
Registrar
Stakeholders Involvement
12 13Chapter 1: Background
The Elements of EnrollmentThe Registrar’s Office is responsible for maintaining all university records, including class lists, procedures, resources and physical space for academic courses.
Prerequisites and enrollment caps for all university classes are delivered to the Registrar for digital cataloging. This information is accessed automatically by the WebAdvisor when a student registers for class.
Advising is the process where members of a department’s faculty approve of the student’s preferred class schedules.
Advisors are challenged with ensuring students complete their required credits in a timeline congruent with the academic calendar. If a student fails or misses a required class, that class will need to be taken at a later date with possible additional costs.
There are multiple digital systems to help faculty, students and the Registrar access and interact with university information, such as policies, email and curriculum guidelines. None of these systems (ImageNow, Portal, WebAdvisor, UArts website,Wiki and Datatel), however, have a similar visual language or architecture.
In the beginning of the advising period, students research their required credits for the coming semester and sketch out possible class schedules. These schedules are then presented to their advisors for registration approval.
There is an overarching grid system which the schedules must adhere to, but this is structured well in advance of the student interaction.
Digital SystemImage NowPortalWebAdvisorWikiDatatel
SchedulingConflictsGrid SystemCommunication
RegistrarPaper FormsPreresquisitesEnrollment CapsRequirements
Four elements of enrollment
AdvisingDeansDepartment ChairsFaculty AdvisorsStudents
14 15Chapter 1: Background
Signed Physical Form Scanned Image
Processed ImageData
Advisor
Advising
Student Registrar
WebAdvisor
Image Now
Datatel
Check Approval
Register
Current Registration Process
The registration system is currently a hybrid process involving both paper and digital forms. This process starts when the student meets with her advisor to review possible semester class schedules. These schedules are annotated on paper forms. The advisor then signs the form and scans it into the “ImageNow” system. ImageNow creates a PDF of the form which can then be emailed to the next appropriate party, in this case the Registrar’s Office. The Registrar’s Office can then process the information and enter it into Datatel.
Datetel is a digital filing cabinet, cataloging all information the university has on any given student. Datatel feeds WebAdvisor, and grants registration permissions and restrictions to all students. Without this technology, online registration would not be possible.
Once the process has been completed, the student may log into WebAdvisor to check her registration status. If cleared for registration, the student can then register during the registration period.
A hybrid registration process involving both paper and digital forms
1 2
34
16 17Chapter 1: Background
Chapter 2
ResearchResearch was conducted in the form of interviews and surveys. Interviews were conducted with multiple faculty from around the campus including Deans, advisors and the Registrar’s Office. While surveys were passed out to students from various class years and programs.
18 19
Interviews
Department Chair 8Dean 3Registrar 6Director 2Administrative Assistant 1Advisor / Professor 1Total Interviews 21
Of the various research opportunities available, group discussion concluded on conducting university-wide interviews as the best source of information. By formulating an interview process, information was collected in a standardized way. Researchers were able to guide the conversations and maintain consistency in topics. The conversations were also allowed to advance where the interviewee felt most comfortable.
Interviews were conducted with a variety of university staff including Advisors, Directors, Department Chairs, Administrative Assistants, Deans, and the Registrar’s Office. A total of 21 members of the UArts community were interviewed.
Each interview was approximately one hour in length and recorded for notational purposes. The questions were formulized around advising, the registration process, paper & digital forms, and the grid.
20 21Chapter 2: Research
Sample Questions• What are your responsibilities regarding registration?• Are you familiar with the grid and the rules that surround it?• How do you feel about the number of required signatures on forms
like Drop/Add, Withdrawal or Leave of Absence?• If you could improve one facet of your job, what would it be?• What would you never change about your job?• How does your department structure advising?• What are your thoughts on the current advising model?• Do many of your students take electives outside of this department?
Are there any difficulties in scheduling electives?
22 23Chapter 2: Research
Student SurveysSurveys were passed out to students of UArts to better understand views of a randomly populated group. 46 students were surveyed six Freshman, seven Sophomores, nine Juniors and 21 Seniors from two buildings, Terra and Anderson Hall.
24 25Chapter 2: Research
Other Universities
A example of a visual degree audit system
Most universities use text-based degree audit systems, however, Temple and the University of Colorado at Boulder use more streamlined and visual degree audits.
The system, shown to the right, overlays visual representations of a student’s progress in terms of credit hours and GPA, even going as far as breaking this data out into class type.
This is an intuitive and easily comprehensible layout of progress.
You are here Audit View Course History Close Window
PREPARED: 06/11/08 - 14:23 U12345678Mary Miami GRADUATION DATE: 06/13/08PROGRAM CODE: 11 06 CATALOG YEAR: 20048
http://www.redlanternu.comBachelor of Arts
Geography
Audit
Categories
Course Cart
Course Term Credit Grade
GEO421 Fall2009
3.0 b-
Total 3.0
Course to add:
Add to cart
Go
Update year/terms of all courses
Fall 2007 Go
Open All Sections Close All Sections Printer Friendly
AT LEAST ONE REQUIREMENT HAS NOT BEEN SATISFIED
This Degree Requires 128 Total Applicable Credits
This degree requires a minimum cumulative Grade PointAverage of 2.000.Note: Anticipated grades for Planned courses willaffect the cumulative GPA reported for this requirement
First Year Seminar
English Composition and Literature
Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
Cultures: Minimum of 9 overall hours with both areasdemonstrated
Natural ScienceMinimum of 9 credits, including the following:At Least Three Hours in Biological ScienceAt Least Three Hours in Physical ScienceAt Least One Laboratory Course
Mathematics, Formal Reasoning, Technology
Historical Perspective
Liberal Arts & ScienceLanguage Requirement - Complete one of 3 methods.
Liberal Arts & SciencesHumanities RequirementAt least three of four areas must be represented from:History, Literature, Philosophy, and Religion.A minimum of three hours must be completed in each ofthe areas selected.Three additional hours, for a total of 12 hours, can becompleted from any area or the additional course list.
Liberal Arts & Sciences - Social Sciences Requirement
Liberal Arts & SciencesFormal Reasoning Requirement
Geography Major Requirements
Sociology Minor
Courses in Excess of those Specifically Required
**** LEGEND ****
*** Requirement Completion Status Symbols ***
Not Yet Complete
Currently Satisfied
Satisfied if In-progress Work is Included
Satisfied if Planned Coursework is Included
+ Sub-requirement Complete - Sub-requirement Not Complete
*** Course Codes *** IP In-progress CoursePL Planned Course To Be TakenR Repeatable Course>X Duplicate Course, Does Not Count>- Hours on course reduced>S Course with hours split between requirements
*** Special Grades ***RG Currently RegisteredAP Advanced Placement CreditPR Proficiency Exam
Courses by term
Copyright © 2002-2009 Miami University. DARwin IA Version 3.5.8. All Rights Reserved.
26 27Chapter 2: Research
Synthesizing Interview DataAnalyzing hours of tape can be a daunting task, so interview data was synthesized into a more visual context. Key opportunities, or problem areas, were extracted from interviewees and assigned values. The scale was kept to a three level hierarchy. The larger the node, the more important an issue it represents.
The nodes were also categorized into one of the four elements of enrollment; the Registrar, Advising, Scheduling and Digital System. These elements were color coded to be easily referenced and compared with other interview results. (Cyan, magenta, blue and green, respectively)
The data was then analyzed from a holistic level and began to reveal consistency in themes. Highlighting these themes helped advance the data into another illuminating infographic.
Organization of Interview Data
Opportunity
Opportunity
Opportunity
Opportunity
Opportunity
IntervieweePosition
More ImportantLess ImportantLess Important More Important
RegistrarAdvising
SchedulingDigital System
28 29Chapter 2: Research
Dual listed courses are
confusing on Portal
Helping students choose useful
electives
Space issues when students
from other majors join
classes
Coordinating schedules of faculty
Registering for upper level CAD classes
requires special topics form
Director of Graduate
Studies
Advisor inconsistency year-to-year
Unclear substitution policy
Department Chair
Credit counting difficulty
Portal is confusing
Course bulletin confusion
Inconsistent Degree Audit
formatToo many
communication forms
Department Chair
Transfer students difficulty
Degree audit inconsistency
Department Chair
Students ignore advising sheet
Faculty-wide WebNow
Access
Adjunct training
Advising FAQ
Department Chair
Transfer student difficulty
GRID based on Faculty
No University-wide time slot for Electives
Students don't use assigned
advisor
Advising during class time
Department Chair
Too many university tools
General advising training
New faculty difficulties
Advisor / Professor training for
international students
Department Chair
25% students lack advising
Courses scheduled
based on prior year catalog
Registration process redundancy
AdministrativeAssistant
Interview Data
RegistrarAdvisingSchedulingDigital System
30 31Chapter 2: Research
Transfer students & courses / credit
swapping
2yr college credits no
longer accepted
Students’ schedules do not fit LACR
courses well
Students must work hard to keep up with
tight schedule
Part-time faculty lack knowledge of course and responsibility for
advising
Title / signature on the forms is confusing
Being reactive mode to other dept. in
terms of scheduling
Music & dance dept. are main issue of
scheduling courses
Cap overrides due to ensemble
Dean
Forms require
signatures
Which dean required for what signature
LOA return policy is unclear to students
Dean
Student difficulty taking courses
outside department
Students’ work schedules conflict
with class
Director of Graduate
Studies
Forms require signatures
Forms lack clarity
Unclear purpose of forms
Dean
Students addicted to drop/add
The portal is too complicated and
confusing
Lack of communication
between advising forms and
registration
Department of music and dance submit
late drop/adds due to ensemble auditions
Too many signatures required for certain
forms
Shorten the length of Drop/Add
Students are usually able to get a cap-override
signature
Registrar
Against shorter class period time
Transfer students on
wait-list
Caps are Dean’s
decision
Fewest full time faculty (50:1)
No entrant requirements for students
(ex. GPA)
Catalog is not printed
Rigid schedule due to great structure
Department Chair Advise and navigate
LOA students
Failing fall/spring sequenced courses
Students don’t look at Portal
No university wide elective slots
Advisor
RegistrarAdvisingSchedulingDigital System
32 33Chapter 2: Research
Isolating interviewee data was important in understanding the relationship between employee roles and issues. In continuing to expand interview data into a more transparent system, the nodes progressed into opportunistic categories showing the relationships between the elements of enrollment.
These categories evolved as generalized areas of opportunity and the driving force for the rest of this book, they are highlighted through a comprehensive proposal strategy.
Grid Con�icts
Students’ work schedules conflict
with class
Students must work hard to keep up with
tight schedule
Students’ schedules do not fit LACR
courses well Music & dance dept.
are main issue of scheduling courses
Advisor Training
Advisor inconsistency year-to-year
Students don't use assigned
advisor
Adjunct training
Advisor / Professor training for
international students
General advising training
Part-time faculty lack knowledge of course and responsibility for
advising
Confusing Forms
Too many communication
forms
Lack of communication
between advising forms and
registration
Forms lack clarity
Unclear purpose of forms
Course Scheduling
GRID based on Faculty
No University-wide time slot for Electives
Against shorter class period time
Rigid schedule due to great structure
Coordinating schedules of faculty
Courses scheduled
based on prior year catalog
Being reactive mode to other dept. in
terms of scheduling
Signatures
Forms require signatures
Title / signature on the forms is confusing
Too many signatures required for certain
forms
Forms require
signatures
Which dean required for what signature
Course Substitution
Transfer students & courses / credit
swapping
2yr college credits no
longer accepted
Student difficulty taking courses
outside departmentUnclear substitution policy
University Tools
Portal is confusing
Too many university tools
Faculty-wide WebNow
Access
The portal is too complicated and
confusing
Degree Audit
Credit counting difficulty
Inconsistent Degree Audit
format
Degree audit inconsistency
Caps & Space
Caps are Dean’s
decision
Cap overrides due to ensemble
Students are usually able to get a cap-override
signature Space issues when students
from other majors join
classes
Students & Advising
Students ignore advising sheet
Students don’t look at Portal
25% students lack advising
Transfer Students
Transfer student difficulty
Transfer students on
wait-list
Transfer students difficulty
Drop & Add
Students addicted to drop/add
Department of music and dance submit
late drop/adds due to ensemble auditions
Shorten the length of Drop/Add
Course bulletin confusion
Catalog is not printed
Bulletin & Catalog
Advising during class time
Registering for upper level CAD classes
requires special topics form
Failing fall/spring sequenced courses
Fewest full time faculty (50:1)
Leave & Withdrawal
LOA return policy is unclear to students
Advise and navigate LOA students
Advising FAQ
Dual listed courses are
confusing on Portal
No entrant requirements for students
(ex. GPA)
New faculty difficulties
Students don’t look at Portal
Registration process redundancy
Grid Con�icts
Students’ work schedules conflict
with class
Students must work hard to keep up with
tight schedule
Students’ schedules do not fit LACR
courses well Music & dance dept.
are main issue of scheduling courses
Advisor Training
Advisor inconsistency year-to-year
Students don't use assigned
advisor
Adjunct training
Advisor / Professor training for
international students
General advising training
Part-time faculty lack knowledge of course and responsibility for
advising
Confusing Forms
Too many communication
forms
Lack of communication
between advising forms and
registration
Forms lack clarity
Unclear purpose of forms
Course Scheduling
GRID based on Faculty
No University-wide time slot for Electives
Against shorter class period time
Rigid schedule due to great structure
Coordinating schedules of faculty
Courses scheduled
based on prior year catalog
Being reactive mode to other dept. in
terms of scheduling
Signatures
Forms require signatures
Title / signature on the forms is confusing
Too many signatures required for certain
forms
Forms require
signatures
Which dean required for what signature
Course Substitution
Transfer students & courses / credit
swapping
2yr college credits no
longer accepted
Student difficulty taking courses
outside departmentUnclear substitution policy
University Tools
Portal is confusing
Too many university tools
Faculty-wide WebNow
Access
The portal is too complicated and
confusing
Degree Audit
Credit counting difficulty
Inconsistent Degree Audit
format
Degree audit inconsistency
Caps & Space
Caps are Dean’s
decision
Cap overrides due to ensemble
Students are usually able to get a cap-override
signature Space issues when students
from other majors join
classes
Students & Advising
Students ignore advising sheet
Students don’t look at Portal
25% students lack advising
Transfer Students
Transfer student difficulty
Transfer students on
wait-list
Transfer students difficulty
Drop & Add
Students addicted to drop/add
Department of music and dance submit
late drop/adds due to ensemble auditions
Shorten the length of Drop/Add
Course bulletin confusion
Catalog is not printed
Bulletin & Catalog
Advising during class time
Registering for upper level CAD classes
requires special topics form
Failing fall/spring sequenced courses
Fewest full time faculty (50:1)
Leave & Withdrawal
LOA return policy is unclear to students
Advise and navigate LOA students
Advising FAQ
Dual listed courses are
confusing on Portal
No entrant requirements for students
(ex. GPA)
New faculty difficulties
Students don’t look at Portal
Registration process redundancy
Grid Con�icts
Students’ work schedules conflict
with class
Students must work hard to keep up with
tight schedule
Students’ schedules do not fit LACR
courses well Music & dance dept.
are main issue of scheduling courses
Advisor Training
Advisor inconsistency year-to-year
Students don't use assigned
advisor
Adjunct training
Advisor / Professor training for
international students
General advising training
Part-time faculty lack knowledge of course and responsibility for
advising
Confusing Forms
Too many communication
forms
Lack of communication
between advising forms and
registration
Forms lack clarity
Unclear purpose of forms
Course Scheduling
GRID based on Faculty
No University-wide time slot for Electives
Against shorter class period time
Rigid schedule due to great structure
Coordinating schedules of faculty
Courses scheduled
based on prior year catalog
Being reactive mode to other dept. in
terms of scheduling
Signatures
Forms require signatures
Title / signature on the forms is confusing
Too many signatures required for certain
forms
Forms require
signatures
Which dean required for what signature
Course Substitution
Transfer students & courses / credit
swapping
2yr college credits no
longer accepted
Student difficulty taking courses
outside departmentUnclear substitution policy
University Tools
Portal is confusing
Too many university tools
Faculty-wide WebNow
Access
The portal is too complicated and
confusing
Degree Audit
Credit counting difficulty
Inconsistent Degree Audit
format
Degree audit inconsistency
Caps & Space
Caps are Dean’s
decision
Cap overrides due to ensemble
Students are usually able to get a cap-override
signature Space issues when students
from other majors join
classes
Students & Advising
Students ignore advising sheet
Students don’t look at Portal
25% students lack advising
Transfer Students
Transfer student difficulty
Transfer students on
wait-list
Transfer students difficulty
Drop & Add
Students addicted to drop/add
Department of music and dance submit
late drop/adds due to ensemble auditions
Shorten the length of Drop/Add
Course bulletin confusion
Catalog is not printed
Bulletin & Catalog
Advising during class time
Registering for upper level CAD classes
requires special topics form
Failing fall/spring sequenced courses
Fewest full time faculty (50:1)
Leave & Withdrawal
LOA return policy is unclear to students
Advise and navigate LOA students
Advising FAQ
Dual listed courses are
confusing on Portal
No entrant requirements for students
(ex. GPA)
New faculty difficulties
Students don’t look at Portal
Registration process redundancy
Grid Con�icts
Students’ work schedules conflict
with class
Students must work hard to keep up with
tight schedule
Students’ schedules do not fit LACR
courses well Music & dance dept.
are main issue of scheduling courses
Advisor Training
Advisor inconsistency year-to-year
Students don't use assigned
advisor
Adjunct training
Advisor / Professor training for
international students
General advising training
Part-time faculty lack knowledge of course and responsibility for
advising
Confusing Forms
Too many communication
forms
Lack of communication
between advising forms and
registration
Forms lack clarity
Unclear purpose of forms
Course Scheduling
GRID based on Faculty
No University-wide time slot for Electives
Against shorter class period time
Rigid schedule due to great structure
Coordinating schedules of faculty
Courses scheduled
based on prior year catalog
Being reactive mode to other dept. in
terms of scheduling
Signatures
Forms require signatures
Title / signature on the forms is confusing
Too many signatures required for certain
forms
Forms require
signatures
Which dean required for what signature
Course Substitution
Transfer students & courses / credit
swapping
2yr college credits no
longer accepted
Student difficulty taking courses
outside departmentUnclear substitution policy
University Tools
Portal is confusing
Too many university tools
Faculty-wide WebNow
Access
The portal is too complicated and
confusing
Degree Audit
Credit counting difficulty
Inconsistent Degree Audit
format
Degree audit inconsistency
Caps & Space
Caps are Dean’s
decision
Cap overrides due to ensemble
Students are usually able to get a cap-override
signature Space issues when students
from other majors join
classes
Students & Advising
Students ignore advising sheet
Students don’t look at Portal
25% students lack advising
Transfer Students
Transfer student difficulty
Transfer students on
wait-list
Transfer students difficulty
Drop & Add
Students addicted to drop/add
Department of music and dance submit
late drop/adds due to ensemble auditions
Shorten the length of Drop/Add
Course bulletin confusion
Catalog is not printed
Bulletin & Catalog
Advising during class time
Registering for upper level CAD classes
requires special topics form
Failing fall/spring sequenced courses
Fewest full time faculty (50:1)
Leave & Withdrawal
LOA return policy is unclear to students
Advise and navigate LOA students
Advising FAQ
Dual listed courses are
confusing on Portal
No entrant requirements for students
(ex. GPA)
New faculty difficulties
Students don’t look at Portal
Registration process redundancy
Grid Con�icts
Students’ work schedules conflict
with class
Students must work hard to keep up with
tight schedule
Students’ schedules do not fit LACR
courses well Music & dance dept.
are main issue of scheduling courses
Advisor Training
Advisor inconsistency year-to-year
Students don't use assigned
advisor
Adjunct training
Advisor / Professor training for
international students
General advising training
Part-time faculty lack knowledge of course and responsibility for
advising
Confusing Forms
Too many communication
forms
Lack of communication
between advising forms and
registration
Forms lack clarity
Unclear purpose of forms
Course Scheduling
GRID based on Faculty
No University-wide time slot for Electives
Against shorter class period time
Rigid schedule due to great structure
Coordinating schedules of faculty
Courses scheduled
based on prior year catalog
Being reactive mode to other dept. in
terms of scheduling
Signatures
Forms require signatures
Title / signature on the forms is confusing
Too many signatures required for certain
forms
Forms require
signatures
Which dean required for what signature
Course Substitution
Transfer students & courses / credit
swapping
2yr college credits no
longer accepted
Student difficulty taking courses
outside departmentUnclear substitution policy
University Tools
Portal is confusing
Too many university tools
Faculty-wide WebNow
Access
The portal is too complicated and
confusing
Degree Audit
Credit counting difficulty
Inconsistent Degree Audit
format
Degree audit inconsistency
Caps & Space
Caps are Dean’s
decision
Cap overrides due to ensemble
Students are usually able to get a cap-override
signature Space issues when students
from other majors join
classes
Students & Advising
Students ignore advising sheet
Students don’t look at Portal
25% students lack advising
Transfer Students
Transfer student difficulty
Transfer students on
wait-list
Transfer students difficulty
Drop & Add
Students addicted to drop/add
Department of music and dance submit
late drop/adds due to ensemble auditions
Shorten the length of Drop/Add
Course bulletin confusion
Catalog is not printed
Bulletin & Catalog
Advising during class time
Registering for upper level CAD classes
requires special topics form
Failing fall/spring sequenced courses
Fewest full time faculty (50:1)
Leave & Withdrawal
LOA return policy is unclear to students
Advise and navigate LOA students
Advising FAQ
Dual listed courses are
confusing on Portal
No entrant requirements for students
(ex. GPA)
New faculty difficulties
Students don’t look at Portal
Registration process redundancy
Grid Con�icts
Students’ work schedules conflict
with class
Students must work hard to keep up with
tight schedule
Students’ schedules do not fit LACR
courses well Music & dance dept.
are main issue of scheduling courses
Advisor Training
Advisor inconsistency year-to-year
Students don't use assigned
advisor
Adjunct training
Advisor / Professor training for
international students
General advising training
Part-time faculty lack knowledge of course and responsibility for
advising
Confusing Forms
Too many communication
forms
Lack of communication
between advising forms and
registration
Forms lack clarity
Unclear purpose of forms
Course Scheduling
GRID based on Faculty
No University-wide time slot for Electives
Against shorter class period time
Rigid schedule due to great structure
Coordinating schedules of faculty
Courses scheduled
based on prior year catalog
Being reactive mode to other dept. in
terms of scheduling
Signatures
Forms require signatures
Title / signature on the forms is confusing
Too many signatures required for certain
forms
Forms require
signatures
Which dean required for what signature
Course Substitution
Transfer students & courses / credit
swapping
2yr college credits no
longer accepted
Student difficulty taking courses
outside departmentUnclear substitution policy
University Tools
Portal is confusing
Too many university tools
Faculty-wide WebNow
Access
The portal is too complicated and
confusing
Degree Audit
Credit counting difficulty
Inconsistent Degree Audit
format
Degree audit inconsistency
Caps & Space
Caps are Dean’s
decision
Cap overrides due to ensemble
Students are usually able to get a cap-override
signature Space issues when students
from other majors join
classes
Students & Advising
Students ignore advising sheet
Students don’t look at Portal
25% students lack advising
Transfer Students
Transfer student difficulty
Transfer students on
wait-list
Transfer students difficulty
Drop & Add
Students addicted to drop/add
Department of music and dance submit
late drop/adds due to ensemble auditions
Shorten the length of Drop/Add
Course bulletin confusion
Catalog is not printed
Bulletin & Catalog
Advising during class time
Registering for upper level CAD classes
requires special topics form
Failing fall/spring sequenced courses
Fewest full time faculty (50:1)
Leave & Withdrawal
LOA return policy is unclear to students
Advise and navigate LOA students
Advising FAQ
Dual listed courses are
confusing on Portal
No entrant requirements for students
(ex. GPA)
New faculty difficulties
Students don’t look at Portal
Registration process redundancy
Grid Con�icts
Students’ work schedules conflict
with class
Students must work hard to keep up with
tight schedule
Students’ schedules do not fit LACR
courses well Music & dance dept.
are main issue of scheduling courses
Advisor Training
Advisor inconsistency year-to-year
Students don't use assigned
advisor
Adjunct training
Advisor / Professor training for
international students
General advising training
Part-time faculty lack knowledge of course and responsibility for
advising
Confusing Forms
Too many communication
forms
Lack of communication
between advising forms and
registration
Forms lack clarity
Unclear purpose of forms
Course Scheduling
GRID based on Faculty
No University-wide time slot for Electives
Against shorter class period time
Rigid schedule due to great structure
Coordinating schedules of faculty
Courses scheduled
based on prior year catalog
Being reactive mode to other dept. in
terms of scheduling
Signatures
Forms require signatures
Title / signature on the forms is confusing
Too many signatures required for certain
forms
Forms require
signatures
Which dean required for what signature
Course Substitution
Transfer students & courses / credit
swapping
2yr college credits no
longer accepted
Student difficulty taking courses
outside departmentUnclear substitution policy
University Tools
Portal is confusing
Too many university tools
Faculty-wide WebNow
Access
The portal is too complicated and
confusing
Degree Audit
Credit counting difficulty
Inconsistent Degree Audit
format
Degree audit inconsistency
Caps & Space
Caps are Dean’s
decision
Cap overrides due to ensemble
Students are usually able to get a cap-override
signature Space issues when students
from other majors join
classes
Students & Advising
Students ignore advising sheet
Students don’t look at Portal
25% students lack advising
Transfer Students
Transfer student difficulty
Transfer students on
wait-list
Transfer students difficulty
Drop & Add
Students addicted to drop/add
Department of music and dance submit
late drop/adds due to ensemble auditions
Shorten the length of Drop/Add
Course bulletin confusion
Catalog is not printed
Bulletin & Catalog
Advising during class time
Registering for upper level CAD classes
requires special topics form
Failing fall/spring sequenced courses
Fewest full time faculty (50:1)
Leave & Withdrawal
LOA return policy is unclear to students
Advise and navigate LOA students
Advising FAQ
Dual listed courses are
confusing on Portal
No entrant requirements for students
(ex. GPA)
New faculty difficulties
Students don’t look at Portal
Registration process redundancy
Consolidating Opportunity
RegistrarAdvisingSchedulingDigital System
Grid Con�icts
Students’ work schedules conflict
with class
Students must work hard to keep up with
tight schedule
Students’ schedules do not fit LACR
courses well Music & dance dept.
are main issue of scheduling courses
Advisor Training
Advisor inconsistency year-to-year
Students don't use assigned
advisor
Adjunct training
Advisor / Professor training for
international students
General advising training
Part-time faculty lack knowledge of course and responsibility for
advising
Confusing Forms
Too many communication
forms
Lack of communication
between advising forms and
registration
Forms lack clarity
Unclear purpose of forms
Course Scheduling
GRID based on Faculty
No University-wide time slot for Electives
Against shorter class period time
Rigid schedule due to great structure
Coordinating schedules of faculty
Courses scheduled
based on prior year catalog
Being reactive mode to other dept. in
terms of scheduling
Forms & Signatures
Forms require signatures
Title / signature on the forms is confusing
Too many signatures required for certain
forms
Forms require
signatures
Which dean required for what signature
Course Substitution
Transfer students & courses / credit
swapping
2yr college credits no
longer accepted
Student difficulty taking courses
outside departmentUnclear substitution policy
System
Portal is confusing
Too many university tools
Faculty-wide WebNow
Access
The portal is too complicated and
confusing
Degree Audit
Credit counting difficulty
Inconsistent Degree Audit
format
Degree audit inconsistency
Caps / Space
Caps are Dean’s
decision
Cap overrides due to ensemble
Students are usually able to get a cap-override
signature Space issues when students
from other majors join
classes
Students & Advising
Students ignore advising sheet
Students don’t look at Portal
25% students lack advising
Transfer Student
Transfer student difficulty
Transfer students on
wait-list
Transfer students difficulty
Drop/Add
Students addicted to drop/add
Department of music and dance submit
late drop/adds due to ensemble auditions
Shorten the length of Drop/Add
Course bulletin confusion
Catalog is not printed
Bulletin / Catalog
Advising during class time
Registering for upper level CAD classes
requires special topics form
Failing fall/spring sequenced courses
Fewest full time faculty (50:1)
Leave & Withdraw
LOA return policy is unclear to students
Advise and navigate LOA students
Advising FAQ
Dual listed courses are
confusing on Portal
No entrant requirements for students
(ex. GPA)
New faculty difficulties
Students don’t look at Portal
Registration process redundancy
Grid Con�icts
Students’ work schedules conflict
with class
Students must work hard to keep up with
tight schedule
Students’ schedules do not fit LACR
courses well Music & dance dept.
are main issue of scheduling courses
Advisor Training
Advisor inconsistency year-to-year
Students don't use assigned
advisor
Adjunct training
Advisor / Professor training for
international students
General advising training
Part-time faculty lack knowledge of course and responsibility for
advising
Confusing Forms
Too many communication
forms
Lack of communication
between advising forms and
registration
Forms lack clarity
Unclear purpose of forms
Course Scheduling
GRID based on Faculty
No University-wide time slot for Electives
Against shorter class period time
Rigid schedule due to great structure
Coordinating schedules of faculty
Courses scheduled
based on prior year catalog
Being reactive mode to other dept. in
terms of scheduling
Signatures
Forms require signatures
Title / signature on the forms is confusing
Too many signatures required for certain
forms
Forms require
signatures
Which dean required for what signature
Course Substitution
Transfer students & courses / credit
swapping
2yr college credits no
longer accepted
Student difficulty taking courses
outside departmentUnclear substitution policy
University Tools
Portal is confusing
Too many university tools
Faculty-wide WebNow
Access
The portal is too complicated and
confusing
Degree Audit
Credit counting difficulty
Inconsistent Degree Audit
format
Degree audit inconsistency
Caps & Space
Caps are Dean’s
decision
Cap overrides due to ensemble
Students are usually able to get a cap-override
signature Space issues when students
from other majors join
classes
Students & Advising
Students ignore advising sheet
Students don’t look at Portal
25% students lack advising
Transfer Students
Transfer student difficulty
Transfer students on
wait-list
Transfer students difficulty
Drop & Add
Students addicted to drop/add
Department of music and dance submit
late drop/adds due to ensemble auditions
Shorten the length of Drop/Add
Course bulletin confusion
Catalog is not printed
Bulletin & Catalog
Advising during class time
Registering for upper level CAD classes
requires special topics form
Failing fall/spring sequenced courses
Fewest full time faculty (50:1)
Leave & Withdrawal
LOA return policy is unclear to students
Advise and navigate LOA students
Advising FAQ
Dual listed courses are
confusing on Portal
No entrant requirements for students
(ex. GPA)
New faculty difficulties
Students don’t look at Portal
Registration process redundancy
Grid Con�icts
Students’ work schedules conflict
with class
Students must work hard to keep up with
tight schedule
Students’ schedules do not fit LACR
courses well Music & dance dept.
are main issue of scheduling courses
Advisor Training
Advisor inconsistency year-to-year
Students don't use assigned
advisor
Adjunct training
Advisor / Professor training for
international students
General advising training
Part-time faculty lack knowledge of course and responsibility for
advising
Confusing Forms
Too many communication
forms
Lack of communication
between advising forms and
registration
Forms lack clarity
Unclear purpose of forms
Course Scheduling
GRID based on Faculty
No University-wide time slot for Electives
Against shorter class period time
Rigid schedule due to great structure
Coordinating schedules of faculty
Courses scheduled
based on prior year catalog
Being reactive mode to other dept. in
terms of scheduling
Signatures
Forms require signatures
Title / signature on the forms is confusing
Too many signatures required for certain
forms
Forms require
signatures
Which dean required for what signature
Course Substitution
Transfer students & courses / credit
swapping
2yr college credits no
longer accepted
Student difficulty taking courses
outside departmentUnclear substitution policy
University Tools
Portal is confusing
Too many university tools
Faculty-wide WebNow
Access
The portal is too complicated and
confusing
Degree Audit
Credit counting difficulty
Inconsistent Degree Audit
format
Degree audit inconsistency
Caps & Space
Caps are Dean’s
decision
Cap overrides due to ensemble
Students are usually able to get a cap-override
signature Space issues when students
from other majors join
classes
Students & Advising
Students ignore advising sheet
Students don’t look at Portal
25% students lack advising
Transfer Students
Transfer student difficulty
Transfer students on
wait-list
Transfer students difficulty
Drop & Add
Students addicted to drop/add
Department of music and dance submit
late drop/adds due to ensemble auditions
Shorten the length of Drop/Add
Course bulletin confusion
Catalog is not printed
Bulletin & Catalog
Advising during class time
Registering for upper level CAD classes
requires special topics form
Failing fall/spring sequenced courses
Fewest full time faculty (50:1)
Leave & Withdrawal
LOA return policy is unclear to students
Advise and navigate LOA students
Advising FAQ
Dual listed courses are
confusing on Portal
No entrant requirements for students
(ex. GPA)
New faculty difficulties
Students don’t look at Portal
Registration process redundancy
Grid Con�icts
Students’ work schedules conflict
with class
Students must work hard to keep up with
tight schedule
Students’ schedules do not fit LACR
courses well Music & dance dept.
are main issue of scheduling courses
Advisor Training
Advisor inconsistency year-to-year
Students don't use assigned
advisor
Adjunct training
Advisor / Professor training for
international students
General advising training
Part-time faculty lack knowledge of course and responsibility for
advising
Confusing Forms
Too many communication
forms
Lack of communication
between advising forms and
registration
Forms lack clarity
Unclear purpose of forms
Course Scheduling
GRID based on Faculty
No University-wide time slot for Electives
Against shorter class period time
Rigid schedule due to great structure
Coordinating schedules of faculty
Courses scheduled
based on prior year catalog
Being reactive mode to other dept. in
terms of scheduling
Signatures
Forms require signatures
Title / signature on the forms is confusing
Too many signatures required for certain
forms
Forms require
signatures
Which dean required for what signature
Course Substitution
Transfer students & courses / credit
swapping
2yr college credits no
longer accepted
Student difficulty taking courses
outside departmentUnclear substitution policy
University Tools
Portal is confusing
Too many university tools
Faculty-wide WebNow
Access
The portal is too complicated and
confusing
Degree Audit
Credit counting difficulty
Inconsistent Degree Audit
format
Degree audit inconsistency
Caps & Space
Caps are Dean’s
decision
Cap overrides due to ensemble
Students are usually able to get a cap-override
signature Space issues when students
from other majors join
classes
Students & Advising
Students ignore advising sheet
Students don’t look at Portal
25% students lack advising
Transfer Students
Transfer student difficulty
Transfer students on
wait-list
Transfer students difficulty
Drop & Add
Students addicted to drop/add
Department of music and dance submit
late drop/adds due to ensemble auditions
Shorten the length of Drop/Add
Course bulletin confusion
Catalog is not printed
Bulletin & Catalog
Advising during class time
Registering for upper level CAD classes
requires special topics form
Failing fall/spring sequenced courses
Fewest full time faculty (50:1)
Leave & Withdrawal
LOA return policy is unclear to students
Advise and navigate LOA students
Advising FAQ
Dual listed courses are
confusing on Portal
No entrant requirements for students
(ex. GPA)
New faculty difficulties
Students don’t look at Portal
Registration process redundancy
Grid Con�icts
Students’ work schedules conflict
with class
Students must work hard to keep up with
tight schedule
Students’ schedules do not fit LACR
courses well Music & dance dept.
are main issue of scheduling courses
Advisor Training
Advisor inconsistency year-to-year
Students don't use assigned
advisor
Adjunct training
Advisor / Professor training for
international students
General advising training
Part-time faculty lack knowledge of course and responsibility for
advising
Confusing Forms
Too many communication
forms
Lack of communication
between advising forms and
registration
Forms lack clarity
Unclear purpose of forms
Course Scheduling
GRID based on Faculty
No University-wide time slot for Electives
Against shorter class period time
Rigid schedule due to great structure
Coordinating schedules of faculty
Courses scheduled
based on prior year catalog
Being reactive mode to other dept. in
terms of scheduling
Signatures
Forms require signatures
Title / signature on the forms is confusing
Too many signatures required for certain
forms
Forms require
signatures
Which dean required for what signature
Course Substitution
Transfer students & courses / credit
swapping
2yr college credits no
longer accepted
Student difficulty taking courses
outside departmentUnclear substitution policy
University Tools
Portal is confusing
Too many university tools
Faculty-wide WebNow
Access
The portal is too complicated and
confusing
Degree Audit
Credit counting difficulty
Inconsistent Degree Audit
format
Degree audit inconsistency
Caps & Space
Caps are Dean’s
decision
Cap overrides due to ensemble
Students are usually able to get a cap-override
signature Space issues when students
from other majors join
classes
Students & Advising
Students ignore advising sheet
Students don’t look at Portal
25% students lack advising
Transfer Students
Transfer student difficulty
Transfer students on
wait-list
Transfer students difficulty
Drop & Add
Students addicted to drop/add
Department of music and dance submit
late drop/adds due to ensemble auditions
Shorten the length of Drop/Add
Course bulletin confusion
Catalog is not printed
Bulletin & Catalog
Advising during class time
Registering for upper level CAD classes
requires special topics form
Failing fall/spring sequenced courses
Fewest full time faculty (50:1)
Leave & Withdrawal
LOA return policy is unclear to students
Advise and navigate LOA students
Advising FAQ
Dual listed courses are
confusing on Portal
No entrant requirements for students
(ex. GPA)
New faculty difficulties
Students don’t look at Portal
Registration process redundancy
Grid Con�icts
Students’ work schedules conflict
with class
Students must work hard to keep up with
tight schedule
Students’ schedules do not fit LACR
courses well Music & dance dept.
are main issue of scheduling courses
Advisor Training
Advisor inconsistency year-to-year
Students don't use assigned
advisor
Adjunct training
Advisor / Professor training for
international students
General advising training
Part-time faculty lack knowledge of course and responsibility for
advising
Confusing Forms
Too many communication
forms
Lack of communication
between advising forms and
registration
Forms lack clarity
Unclear purpose of forms
Course Scheduling
GRID based on Faculty
No University-wide time slot for Electives
Against shorter class period time
Rigid schedule due to great structure
Coordinating schedules of faculty
Courses scheduled
based on prior year catalog
Being reactive mode to other dept. in
terms of scheduling
Signatures
Forms require signatures
Title / signature on the forms is confusing
Too many signatures required for certain
forms
Forms require
signatures
Which dean required for what signature
Course Substitution
Transfer students & courses / credit
swapping
2yr college credits no
longer accepted
Student difficulty taking courses
outside departmentUnclear substitution policy
University Tools
Portal is confusing
Too many university tools
Faculty-wide WebNow
Access
The portal is too complicated and
confusing
Degree Audit
Credit counting difficulty
Inconsistent Degree Audit
format
Degree audit inconsistency
Caps & Space
Caps are Dean’s
decision
Cap overrides due to ensemble
Students are usually able to get a cap-override
signature Space issues when students
from other majors join
classes
Students & Advising
Students ignore advising sheet
Students don’t look at Portal
25% students lack advising
Transfer Students
Transfer student difficulty
Transfer students on
wait-list
Transfer students difficulty
Drop & Add
Students addicted to drop/add
Department of music and dance submit
late drop/adds due to ensemble auditions
Shorten the length of Drop/Add
Course bulletin confusion
Catalog is not printed
Bulletin & Catalog
Advising during class time
Registering for upper level CAD classes
requires special topics form
Failing fall/spring sequenced courses
Fewest full time faculty (50:1)
Leave & Withdrawal
LOA return policy is unclear to students
Advise and navigate LOA students
Advising FAQ
Dual listed courses are
confusing on Portal
No entrant requirements for students
(ex. GPA)
New faculty difficulties
Students don’t look at Portal
Registration process redundancy
Grid Con�icts
Students’ work schedules conflict
with class
Students must work hard to keep up with
tight schedule
Students’ schedules do not fit LACR
courses well Music & dance dept.
are main issue of scheduling courses
Advisor Training
Advisor inconsistency year-to-year
Students don't use assigned
advisor
Adjunct training
Advisor / Professor training for
international students
General advising training
Part-time faculty lack knowledge of course and responsibility for
advising
Confusing Forms
Too many communication
forms
Lack of communication
between advising forms and
registration
Forms lack clarity
Unclear purpose of forms
Course Scheduling
GRID based on Faculty
No University-wide time slot for Electives
Against shorter class period time
Rigid schedule due to great structure
Coordinating schedules of faculty
Courses scheduled
based on prior year catalog
Being reactive mode to other dept. in
terms of scheduling
Signatures
Forms require signatures
Title / signature on the forms is confusing
Too many signatures required for certain
forms
Forms require
signatures
Which dean required for what signature
Course Substitution
Transfer students & courses / credit
swapping
2yr college credits no
longer accepted
Student difficulty taking courses
outside departmentUnclear substitution policy
University Tools
Portal is confusing
Too many university tools
Faculty-wide WebNow
Access
The portal is too complicated and
confusing
Degree Audit
Credit counting difficulty
Inconsistent Degree Audit
format
Degree audit inconsistency
Caps & Space
Caps are Dean’s
decision
Cap overrides due to ensemble
Students are usually able to get a cap-override
signature Space issues when students
from other majors join
classes
Students & Advising
Students ignore advising sheet
Students don’t look at Portal
25% students lack advising
Transfer Students
Transfer student difficulty
Transfer students on
wait-list
Transfer students difficulty
Drop & Add
Students addicted to drop/add
Department of music and dance submit
late drop/adds due to ensemble auditions
Shorten the length of Drop/Add
Course bulletin confusion
Catalog is not printed
Bulletin & Catalog
Advising during class time
Registering for upper level CAD classes
requires special topics form
Failing fall/spring sequenced courses
Fewest full time faculty (50:1)
Leave & Withdrawal
LOA return policy is unclear to students
Advise and navigate LOA students
Advising FAQ
Dual listed courses are
confusing on Portal
No entrant requirements for students
(ex. GPA)
New faculty difficulties
Students don’t look at Portal
Registration process redundancy
Grid Con�icts
Students’ work schedules conflict
with class
Students must work hard to keep up with
tight schedule
Students’ schedules do not fit LACR
courses well Music & dance dept.
are main issue of scheduling courses
Advisor Training
Advisor inconsistency year-to-year
Students don't use assigned
advisor
Adjunct training
Advisor / Professor training for
international students
General advising training
Part-time faculty lack knowledge of course and responsibility for
advising
Confusing Forms
Too many communication
forms
Lack of communication
between advising forms and
registration
Forms lack clarity
Unclear purpose of forms
Course Scheduling
GRID based on Faculty
No University-wide time slot for Electives
Against shorter class period time
Rigid schedule due to great structure
Coordinating schedules of faculty
Courses scheduled
based on prior year catalog
Being reactive mode to other dept. in
terms of scheduling
Signatures
Forms require signatures
Title / signature on the forms is confusing
Too many signatures required for certain
forms
Forms require
signatures
Which dean required for what signature
Course Substitution
Transfer students & courses / credit
swapping
2yr college credits no
longer accepted
Student difficulty taking courses
outside departmentUnclear substitution policy
University Tools
Portal is confusing
Too many university tools
Faculty-wide WebNow
Access
The portal is too complicated and
confusing
Degree Audit
Credit counting difficulty
Inconsistent Degree Audit
format
Degree audit inconsistency
Caps & Space
Caps are Dean’s
decision
Cap overrides due to ensemble
Students are usually able to get a cap-override
signature Space issues when students
from other majors join
classes
Students & Advising
Students ignore advising sheet
Students don’t look at Portal
25% students lack advising
Transfer Students
Transfer student difficulty
Transfer students on
wait-list
Transfer students difficulty
Drop & Add
Students addicted to drop/add
Department of music and dance submit
late drop/adds due to ensemble auditions
Shorten the length of Drop/Add
Course bulletin confusion
Catalog is not printed
Bulletin & Catalog
Advising during class time
Registering for upper level CAD classes
requires special topics form
Failing fall/spring sequenced courses
Fewest full time faculty (50:1)
Leave & Withdrawal
LOA return policy is unclear to students
Advise and navigate LOA students
Advising FAQ
Dual listed courses are
confusing on Portal
No entrant requirements for students
(ex. GPA)
New faculty difficulties
Students don’t look at Portal
Registration process redundancy
34 35Chapter 2: Research
Student Response
Smooth Di�cult
How was Advising?How was advising?67% of all students felt advising was smooth, while only 14% felt it was a difficult process. The College of Art and Design held the majority voice for these surveys, representing 78% of the students surveyed.
The 54% of students who felt advising went smoothly also stated that their courses were pre-planned, instructions were easily understood and their advisors knew how to guide them through the process in a helpful way.
While only 14% of students felt advising was difficult, their statements should not be overlooked. Many of them didn’t know what courses to take and felt it was difficult to even find their advisor, and when they did, their advisor was unsure about what information the students needed to understand.
Awesome caption about this wacky wild inforgraphic
SMOOTH DIFFICULT
Advisor was not sure what to do or gave unclear information
Hard to �gure outwhat to take or �t class
in schedule
Hard to catch advisor
Not too muchto take inSenior yr
Degree audit not
clear
Advisor knew whatto do and was veryhelpful in process
All courseswere planned
out
Easy tounderstand
36 37Chapter 2: Research
Morecourses and
sections
Easier accessto advisor
Email withmore info
Better websiteand system
interface
Betterdescriptionfor courses
Simpli�eddegree audit
Actuallygetting advised
Autoregister for
requiredcourses
Lateradvising
time
RegistrarAdvising
SchedulingDigital System
Many of the student concerns reflect similar issues brought up by the members of faculty during their interviews.
The student concerned with more available course sections reflects the difficulty experienced while scheduling classes in the grid.
For the students, the issue is lack of sections, however, the faculty are concerned with scheduling hundreds of
courses to better enable students to take classes outside of their major. The more courses offered the more difficult this becomes. However, as student interest in attending UArts rises, classes will become larger and more courses will need to be offered.
Many students also feel the need for a better website and system interface. But due to the number of systems the students and faculty need to interact with, they become easily lost in the web of sites.
The Degree Audit allows the student to see what classes they have taken and which classes they still need to take. Straightforward as it may seem, the current Degree Audit is not user-friendly and many users find it difficult to absorb the needed information.
54%FOR
22%UNDECIDED
24%AGAINST
BLOCK OUT DAY for Advising?
Black-out day for advising?
What would make advising better?
38 39Chapter 2: Research
Chapter 3
OpportunitiesThe interviews uncovered many opportunities for improved systems and enhanced ways of presenting information. Some of these opportunities net out in more robust and expansive proposals, while others simply lend themselves to a simple format update or a more palatable way of presenting information.
40 41
OverviewGraphic illustrations now categorize the four elements of enrollment. These elements represent the multiple opportunities uncovered through the research process and create a better visual queue to call upon when thinking which element the opportunity most affects.
The colors of the illustrations continue to follow suit with all previously presented material and should serve as the first discernible visual queue when referencing different sections of this book.
RegistrarConfusing FormsDrop & AddSignaturesCaps & SpaceBulletin & Catalog
AdvisingAdvisor TrainingTransfer StudentsCourse SubstitutionStudents and AdvisingLeave & Withdrawal
SchedulingCourse SchedulingGrid Conflicts
Digital SystemUniversity ToolsDegree Audit
42 43Chapter 3: Opportunities
Confusing Forms
“There are a lot of forms that say Director or Head’s signature... And the it says beneath that Dean’s signature...
And I confess, stupid me, I still don’t in any case know which
Dean that is.”
UArts recently switched from an all paper system to an almost full digital system. Although the switch from paper to digital was implemented, many of the old paper forms have since stuck around. Forms such as Leave of Absence, Drop/Add, University Withdrawal and Class Withdrawal are still widely used.
Not only are the forms antiquated, but form structure “[hasn’t] been updated since the schools inception.” Such as the Drop/Add form.
Currently stated on the Drop/Add form is the distribution order for the carbon copies, which no longer exist. The Drop/Add form also states that signatures are required to drop or add a course, insinuating the completion of a physical form, when in reality, this can currently be performed online, and signatures are not required.
44 45Chapter 3: Opportunities
The drop/add procedure evolved from a paper-to-digital process a few years ago but was never appropriately advertised. Students still walk around campus to collect signatures from professors and drop off the form at the Registrar’s Office. This increases the work load for the Registrar’s Office and adds stress to the student, who needs to walk up and down Broad street finding professors to sign the form.
One interviewee stated that “students are addicted to drop/add.” A student frequently dropping and adding courses completes a new form each time, creating unnecessary work for themselves and faculty.
These are all unnecessary headaches created around a simple procedure that is already available online, negating the need to obtain professor signatures and involve Registrar personnel.
“Students are addicted to drop/
add.”
Drop & Add
46 47Chapter 3: Opportunities
The number of signatures required for a given form can be quite inundating. There are upwards of six signatures for a given form.
The Drop/Add form has a minimum of four signatures. If a student is dropping and adding multiple courses, than the number of signatures starts to increase proportionately to the number of classes added.
The Deans signatures are located on many forms, including, but not limited to, Leave of Absence, Withdrawal, Change of Grade and Section Change.
Due to the number of forms with which the Dean’s signatures are “required,” the Deans have lost sight of their responsibilities or reasonings for signing certain forms simply due to unchanged rules.
Since the Dean’s signature was originally required, no one ever challenged it’s necessity.
“I’m supposed to sign this form, so I should be doing some kind of function,
clarifying something, giving some information... I’m not really sure
what purpose I’m filling.”
Signatures
48 49Chapter 3: Opportunities
Caps & Space
"There are times when students come in from other departments, they
somehow got permission…and they just can't fit in the space."
“If enrollment goes up or down, we have to adjust the number of
courses that we teach.“
UArts total enrollment numbers are increasing. However, an increase the student body does not mean increased space or more faculty on staff.
Not only are enrollment caps affected by the number of students enrolled in the university and the size allotted by the classroom types, but more importantly, the popularity or frequency of requirement of a course.
The greater the popularity of a course or the higher the number of students required to take a course increases the speed at which a course becomes full. And as courses fill up, it creates more difficulty for students to schedule a layout to include all required and preferred classes.
In the last, and most awkward of scenarios, students show up for the first day of an already full class. The class can only hold 12 students due to resource limitations. Even though the space constraints are known, somehow the system cleared them or a faculty member signed a form to approve their registration.
Determining enrollment caps for a course in relation to physical space of a classroom is crucial for course scheduling
50 51Chapter 3: Opportunities
The course catalog and bulletin are accessible in multiple ways with different interfaces
Academic Calendar | Faculty/Staff Directory | My UArts Portal
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The University of the Arts
Nov 03, 2010 2010-2011 UArts Undergraduate and Graduate Course Catalog GO
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POLICIES ANDPROCEDURES
—Academic Options —Academic Progress and
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2010-2011 UArts Undergraduate and Graduate
Course Catalog
The University of the Arts320 South Broad StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19102
215-717-60001-800-616-ARTShttp://www.uarts.eduCEEB code 2664Title IV code 003350
To learn more about the University of the Arts go to the AboutUArts page.
All catalogs © 2010 The University of the Arts. Powered by the acalog™ academic catalog management system (ACMS™).
Online Course Searching
Online Course Catalog
Course Catalog
Course Bulletin
Bulletin & CatalogThe University Bulletin and Catalog tend to create more confusion than enlightenment. For starters, the catalog lists all classes offered by UArts. Which is a necessary document for UArts to offer. But it also lists classes that the university used to offer but no longer does.
When initially scheduling the coming semester, students frequently check the course catalog, the most easily accessible of the two. In the catalog, students can read more detailed course descriptions, helping them decide on what to take. The issue is when they try to register or check the bulletin (once it is released or sent to them by their advisor), students soon realize one or more of the classes they were considering as an elective aren’t offered in the coming semester.
52 53Chapter 3: Opportunities
There are a few departments, however, with their own advising standards that focus their efforts on cross-advisor training. The Music Department, for instance, holds a “black-out day” in which they set aside an entire day for advising where all professors are present and students have the opportunity to contact and speak with any teacher. Students can either schedule an appointment or wait for availability on a first-come first-served basis.
The day also doubles as an advisor training bootcamp. Senior advisors sit with novice advisors to help answer more complicated enrollment issues that may arise. This process promotes the spread of knowledge and gives new advisors greater confidence in their techniques.
However, this is just one department’s story. Across the campus, advisors are not guiding the student education as well as they could. Teachers passively approve student requests rather than talking with them about future goals or educational concerns.
Advisor TrainingFew departments facilitate advisor training. Training is not standardized or enforced by UArts, and the advising model actually changes from department to department.
Most departments only have four fulltime faculty members. Approximately 20% of these faculty are new to the advising model and don’t necessarily understand the processes and procedures instilled that accurately guide students through the registration process.
“Advisors should be doing more holistic advising but
we don’t have any way to ensure compliance... it’s something we
try to improve on”
Only few departments have instilled cross-advisor training
54 55Chapter 3: Opportunities
“They can’t fit in the program... but they would add great diversity to
students’ education.”
Transfer Students
Transfer students usually experience a more difficut advising and registration process
Transfer students are a great source of diversity to the university. Students interested in transferring into a program at UArts are typically from two-year programs who want to complete their bachelors degree or students who feel UArts would compliment their artistic objectives.
But transferring in from an outside program can be difficult. Other schools don’t have the same standards or requirements in their core classes. This forces the Department Chair to closely interview prospective transfer students and see if they’ll need to take additional courses.
These comparisons can be tasking and it is the role of the Chair to decide what classifies as an appropriate substitution and what does not.
56 57Chapter 3: Opportunities
Course substitution requires substantial knowledgable and experienced advisors
Course Substitution
“The advisor has certain authority to determine substitution courses...
Being able to determine substitutions is important.“
“...Depending on the overall profile of the student, Deans can accept the D
as a passing grade.“
Course substitutions can be performed if, for instance, a senior in her last semester is three credits shy of graduating. And when researching her degree audit, the advisor uncovers an overlap in material from an elective the student took and the core class from which she withdrew or never had.
However, the ability to determine adequate substitutions is a learned skill. It is similar to deciding whether the curriculum from another university can be accepted when trying to integrate a transfer student.
Although slightly different, Deans have the ability to accept the grade of “D” as passing. This is only an acceptable procedure in unique cases. Like when a student shows that she can excel, but may have had a rough semester, where, she let an elective fall to the way-side.
58 59Chapter 3: Opportunities
A student’s undergraduate career is guided by three things. First is the major program in which she is enrolled. The stated program outlines the core classes needed for graduation. Second is the student’s interest in elective courses. And third, possibly the most important, is the advisor’s foresight to analyze the student’s potential and help her make the best elective decisions possible.
If an advisor knows his student personally, then he understands her potential for success. And with that knowledge, the advisor should be able to guide the student towards or away from particular educational difficulties.
In the end, it is, however, the student’s choice and responsibility in exactly what classes she enrolls. The student needn’t ever take a core class, as the only true restrictions she’d encounter are prerequisites, class caps and semester credit counts. If a student wanted to, she could register for four electives a semester, but would never complete the degree requirements for graduation.
Students & Advising
“I think students don’t take it seriously sometimes... A quarter of them just
don’t get advised at all.“
“Students have control over their choices... We [advisors] will still set it up so students are assigned to this section or that section, but they can ignore our advice and choose
whatever they want.“
60 61Chapter 3: Opportunities
In addition to following appropriate timelines, are the requirements upon returning to UArts. Taking a leave of absence is a time sensitive procedure. Students may not be gone from the university longer than one semester, and if they are absent past this period they need to apply for readmission. Based on this requirement, it becomes difficult for students whose programs are very linear in structure.
A Sophomore leaving in her Fall semester and returning in what should have been her Junior Fall semester needs to integrate completely with the prior year’s Freshman. Otherwise, the student would be at a great disadvantage.Cross-department communication appears to be lacking at UArts. As stated by the Deans, the Leave of Absence form should not be accessible by students since it is the Registrar’s decision if a student is of good academic standing to even be considered for taking a leave, on the contrary though, the form is very much available.
It has become clear that many students do not understand the schedule for which taking a leave of absence or withdrawal adhere. And try to take a leave of absence or withdrawal when university guidelines state that this is not permitted, and, instead, the student needs to take a letter grade of “F” rather than “W”.
Is this a factor of poor information delivery by the advisors or a lack of attention to detail by the student body? In both scenarios, students either do not care about the semester timeline or haven’t absorbed (read) the information.
Leave & Withdrawal
“I want to be able to advise and navigate [leave of
absence] students even if they are not here.”
62 63Chapter 3: Opportunities
The complexity of scheduling is worsened by unintuitive methods and the lack of deparment communication
There has been chatter around the university pertaining to shorter class times with a greater number of class instances. Many oppose this, though, because it is valuable to have a couple of hours in a class for critiques and object building.
Course Scheduling
“I prefer longer class times, one-on-one contact
is important, we lecture, demo and critique during
class”
“I'm moving and trying to make my electives work for people, but unless something comes down from the
university saying this is when electives are, there's
not much we can do"
A standardized weekly layout labeled the grid was created so all university classes would begin and end at the same times.
Originally, the grid was based on the following rules: •Startdayat8:30ameveryday •NocoursestobescheduledWednesday 11:30am - 1:00pm •10minutetraveltimebetweenclasses
There are informal rules in place, however studio classes are scheduled in the afternoon, from 1:00pm - 3:40pm, and liberal arts classes should be scheduled in the morning from 8:30am - 11:20am. Some departments follow these informal guidelines, but others cannot. Due to the lack of university-wide rules dictating when core, liberal arts or elective classes are scheduled, departments are not forced to construct their schedules to allow students an easy way of scheduling classes outside their program.
64 65Chapter 3: Opportunities
Various conflicts affect the student’s ability to schedule a comprehensive class layout.
Often the student’s work schedule does not fit her class layout and she needs to work hard to keep up with the busy class schedule.
Also, due to the rigidity of certain departments’ class schedules, it becomes difficult for the student to fit liberal arts elective courses into her semester.
The Music department, for example, has ensemble auditions during the first month of a semester. These auditions are not finalized until after the Drop/Add period.
At this time, the student needs to reformulate her class layout around the ensemble class. This means that a liberal arts elective she may have received a cap override for must now be dropped.
Grid Conflicts
"… In programs like dance and music…the professors decide which students they want in their ensemble and meet at the time of the professor’s choosing.
After registration, they drop out of my class"
"[Certain] departments are notoriously difficult to work with... They [schedule ensembles] during Add/Drop,
which is bizarre."
“[The student] schedules are intensely busy.”
Student’s have a hard time registering for courses because of constant scheduling conflicts
66 67Chapter 3: Opportunities
University Tools
“Too many university tools!”
“WebAdvisor is too complicated and confusing to use.”
“...There are a lot of different information sources... It’s a lot to
keep up with.”
A majority of university tools have migrated from paper forms, pamphlets and books to a digital network of information and form completion.
This progression was necessary to increase efficiency, decrease the use of paper items and allow for a greater number of individuals to easily access UArts information.
UArts digital systems have been haphazardly networked together. There are multiple sources for the same information, zero consistency in visual language or layout of the differing sites. And above all, the user interface is confusing, impractical and difficult to grasp. Not to mention layouts, appearances and locations of information can and do change without community wide acknowledgement.
Wiki Portal
Sakai WebAdvisor
There are many university tools with different and unintuitive interfaces
68 69Chapter 3: Opportunities
Degree Audit
“Sometimes, because of the way it’s formatted, people don’t see certain
things.”
“I would say probably most faculty in most departments would look at it and
say I don’t know what this is.”
The degree audit is an important document in any collegiate institution. It houses the students academic profile and is used to ensure adequate completion of required credits for graduation.
However dry the information may be, it is important for this information to be clear, concise and easily navigated. Instead, the UArts Degree Audit is formatted in an archaic fashion as if it were created on a typewriter and distributed to students through the USPS.
Numerous faculty and students have issues reading and understanding the content of this form. And the reasoning is not due to the cryptic speech or absurd tone of the document. It is simply due to it’s unapproachable layout.
70 71Chapter 3: Opportunities
Chapter 4
ProposalA three step proposal has been derived from all prior research and focuses on most, but not all opportunity analysis.
Through the implementation of the following phases, UArts and it’s students will be able to focus their efforts on more important areas of education.
72 73
Three Phase Strategy
The opportunities presented in this book reflect various degrees of miscommunication and unintuitive design of physical forms and digital systems. Through the synthesis of detailed and comprehensive research, including data extraction of interviews and surveys, an overarching design solution should be considered to justly satisfy the needs of UArts and the student experience.
A comprehensive overhaul of the UArts enrollment experience is being proposed through a three-phased approach. These phases were determined based on feasibility and the collective influence they will have across the enrollment process. The individual phases touch upon different aspects of the identified opportunities (but not all), and are ultimately dependant on the prior phase.
Please Print Clearly:
STUDENT NAME: Last, First Middle YEAR/SEMESTER
STUDENT ID# MAJOR
FOR OFFICE USE Input By: Date:
CREDITS before drop/add
Course # Sec. # Credits Instructor Signature
AD
D
Office of the Registrar Exceptional Drop/Add Form
1) 2) Obtain Dean of College signature only if taking over 18 credits. 3) Return form to Registrar’s Office.
Obtain Instructor signature for each course adding to override prerequisite.
Only use this form to add courses if taking over 18 credits or to override prerequisites.
Course # Sec. # Credits
D
RO
P
TOTAL CREDITS
STUDENT SIGNATURE DATE DEAN SIGNATURE DATE Required only for 18+ Credits
ADVISOR SIGNATURE DATE
System
Phase 1: Email Redesign A guideline for constructing emails from the Registrar in a more digestible manner
Phase 2: Form Redesign Redesigning select forms to better fit the current school policy and to alleviate confusion
Phase 3: System Redesign An intelligent online system that integrates all current digital systems
Forms
74 75Chapter 4: Proposal
Opportunities Addressed
Registrar Advising
Scheduling Digital System
Phase 1: Email Drop & Add
Bulletin & Catalog
Students & Advising
University Tools
Phase 2: Forms Confusing Forms
Drop & AddSignatures
Students & AdvisingLeave & Withdrawal
Phase 3: System Drop & AddSignaturesCaps & SpaceBulletin & Catalog
Advising TrainingStudents & Advising
Courses SchedulingGrid Conflicts
University ToolsDegree Audit
As previously stated, the following phases do not contribute to all of the opportunities presented in the prior section. This guide shows which element of enrollment each proposal affects and the opportunity in which it helps address.
76 77Chapter 4: Proposal
Phase 1: Email Redesign
New
The distribution of registration and advising information is extremely important for students. All information can be found online, but the Registrar’s Office is responsible for sending emails to remind students of their responsibilities.
Current Registrar emails have a unified structure, but tend to be very text heavy and lack an informational hierarchy. Students become easily lost and don’t pay attention to the important details.
The first phase proposes a new structure to the Registrar’s emails. The structure offers a clearer layout and delivery of information through the use of varied font sizes and weights that reinforce the importance of information. Also included is a visual timeline with which students can use to better absorb required dates and information.
These templates should help guide the Registrar’s Office to construct emails that convey only the required information.
Old
Students can better understand an email due to a strong hierarchy of information and new visual elements
New
Old
Drop & AddBulletin & Catalog
Students & Advising
University Tools
78 79Chapter 4: Proposal
Phase 2: Form Redesign
UArts has a multitude of forms that enable students and faculty to complete any number of registration or clerical issue. Throughout the years, a majority of these forms have become available online. However, the process of form submission is still performed offline.
Many forms, such as Leave of Absence and Withdrawal are outdated and lack instructional clarity. Students and faculty often become confused about which form to use and how to submit the forms upon completion.
The second proposal phase is to redesign confusing and antiquated form structures. In so doing, the forms should convey easily absorbed information while matching current school policy.
The Leave of Absence, Withdrawal and Drop/Add form were specifically examined with a focus on their functions and the purpose of requested signatures.
The following redesign is the first iteration of what should be a continued practice. Deeper investigation and involvement from the Dean and Registrar’s Office is expected to further conclude the design process. Integrating the form submission process digitally should also be considered.
A brainstorming session will be moderated by the MID team with select members of the UArts community who are in closest contact with form decisions. This session will uncover all the antiquated form issues as well as dive into a more complex and revealing calendar focused on form deadlines and informational layout.
Confusing FormsDrop & AddSignatures
Students & AdvisingLeave & Withdrawal
80 81Chapter 4: Proposal
Old
Office of the Registrar Drop/Add Form . Directions to Student 1) Obtain Instructor approval for each course you are adding or dropping. 2) Obtain Departmental Advisor and/or College Dean approval. 3) Return form to Registrar’s Office before the end of the Drop/Add period. Distribution: White-Registrar, Canary-Student, Pink-Departmental Advisor.
Please Print Clearly:
STUDENT NAME: Last, First Middle YEAR/SEMESTER
STUDENT ID# MAJOR
FOR OFFICE USE Input By: Date:
Course # Sec. # Credits Instructor Signature Course # Sec. # Credits Instructor Signature D
RO
P
AD
D
Original Credits:
Total Credits after Drop/Add:
ADVISOR SIGNATURE DATE DEAN SIGNATURE DATE Required for 18+ Credits
STUDENT SIGNATURE DATE
Instructor signatures are not required for dropping courses.
Regular Drop/Add can be done online.
No need for three sheets.
Instruction not clear.
Old
Drop/Add FormPlease Print Clearly:
STUDENT NAME: Last, First Middle YEAR/SEMESTER
STUDENT ID# MAJOR
FOR OFFICE USE Input By: Date:
CREDITS before drop/add
Course # Sec. # Credits Instructor Signature
AD
D
Office of the Registrar Exceptional Drop/Add Form
1) 2) Obtain Dean of College signature only if taking over 18 credits. 3) Return form to Registrar’s Office.
Obtain Instructor signature for each course adding to override prerequisite.
Only use this form to add courses if taking over 18 credits or to override prerequisites.
Course # Sec. # Credits
D
RO
P
TOTAL CREDITS
STUDENT SIGNATURE DATE DEAN SIGNATURE DATE Required only for 18+ Credits
ADVISOR SIGNATURE DATE
New
The current Drop/Add form has multiple unnecessary and outdated items. For starters, the process has been fully migrated online, and the form is no longer necessary.
The Drop/Add form should be relabeled as “Exceptional Drop/Add Form.” The Exceptional Drop/Add form is used when a student has over18 credits for the semester and requires a Dean signature to add a class or needs to override a prerequisite.
In addition, the form instructions are no longer accurate. A student does not need instructor approval to drop a course (1), does not need advisor or Dean approval to drop a course (2), and there are no longer white, canary or pink colored copies as the form is no longer a carbon copy form (3).
These instructions have been modified to reflect the actual requirements in the above proposal.
Finally, there is no need for an instructor to sign off on a student dropping his class. This is not a university requirement or departmental rule.
The new form eradicates this section to deter the student from performing additional tasks.
In conclusion, the new Exceptional Drop/Add form will create less confusion, help streamline the Drop/Add process and force students to flex the digital capabilities that have already been integrated.
82 83Chapter 4: Proposal
Major: Last date of attendance: Expected semester of return:
Reason(s) for request: __ General/Personal __ Medical B
SEMESTER/YEAR
REQUEST FOR LEAVE OF ABSENCE
DATE ISSUED
Name:
Permanent Address: Street
City State Zip Code
Telephone
UARTS ID#:
Check here if this is a change of address
__
Undergraduate Graduate (Graduate students who have begun a thesis or final project are ineligible. See reverse for information)� �
Office of the Registrar ___ Coded Initial: Date:
Required Signatures - GENERAL LEAVE OF ABSENCEAn approved General Leave of Absence indicates that the student may resume their studies at the conclusion of the Leave (maximum 1 semester). A student who fails to register at the conclusion of the approved Leave must apply for Readmission. Student must obtain the following signatures:
1. Department Chairperson/Director __ Exit Interview Completed Initial: ________ Date:________
2. Financial Aid Exit Review Initial: ________ Date:________
3. Student Billing __ yes __no, reason_________________________________ Initial: ________ Date:________ 4. Library Clearance __ yes __ no, reason________________________________ Initial: ________ Date:________
Dean of College GENERAL LEAVE OF ABSENCE ___ APPROVED ___NOT APPROVED
Initial: _______ Date: ________ Assignment of “W” grades to all courses (available only when leave is granted for current semester): ___ APPROVED ___ NOT APPROVED
Dean of College Signature Date
Required Signatures - MEDICAL LEAVE OF ABSENCEAn approved Medical Leave of Absence indicates that a student may attend classes once appropriate medical documentation has been received and verified by the Dean of Students (maximum 1 semester).
To be completed by the Dean of Students:
1. Financial Aid [Check with Financial Aid regarding how this withdrawal will impact Financial Aid status] Initial: ________ Date:________
2. Student Billing Clearance [Check with Finance to verify any balance]: __ yes ___no, reason__________________________ Initial: ________ Date:________
3. Library Clearance __ yes ___no, reason___________________________ Initial: ________ Date:________
Dean of Students MEDICAL LEAVE OF ABSENCE ___ APPROVED ___NOT APPROVED Convert to Withdrawl Initial: _______ Date Effective: ________
Assignment of “W” grades to all courses: ___APPROVED ___NOT APPROVED
Dean of Students Signature Date
Complete column Complete columnA
A B
Only students in good academic standing are eligible to request a Leave of Absence. Eligibility to be confirmed by the Office of the Registrar
Academic Standing___ Transcript___ Current Schedule___
Student Signature: Date:
Dean of College would talk to the student and approve the leave. Form should be submitted personally.
Students should obtain the following signatures and submit form to Dean of Students Office.
Leave of Absence Form
Old
Major: Last date of attendance: Expected semester of return:
Reason(s) for request: __ General/Personal __ Medical B
SEMESTER/YEAR
REQUEST FOR LEAVE OF ABSENCE
DATE ISSUED
Name:
Permanent Address: Street
City State Zip Code
Telephone
UARTS ID#:
Check here if this is a change of address
__
Undergraduate Graduate (Graduate students who have begun a thesis or �nal project are ineligible. See reverse for information)
O�ce of the Registrar ___ Coded Initial: Date:
Required Signatures - GENERAL LEAVE OF ABSENCEAn approved General Leave of Absence indicates that the student may resume their studies at the conclusion of the Leave (maximum 1 semester). A student who fails to register at the conclusion of the approved Leave must apply for Readmission. Student must obtain the following signatures:
1. Department Chairperson/Director __ Exit Interview Completed Initial: ________ Date:________
2. Financial Aid Exit Review Initial: ________ Date:________
3. Student Billing __ yes __no, reason_________________________________ Initial: ________ Date:________ 4. Library Clearance __ yes __ no, reason________________________________ Initial: ________ Date:________
Dean of College GENERAL LEAVE OF ABSENCE ___ APPROVED ___NOT APPROVED
Initial: _______ Date: ________ Assignment of “W” grades to all courses (available only when leave is granted for current semester): ___ APPROVED ___ NOT APPROVED
Dean of College Signature Date
Required Signatures - MEDICAL LEAVE OF ABSENCEAn approved Medical Leave of Absence indicates that a student may attend classes once appropriate medical documentation has been received and veri�ed by the Dean of Students (maximum 1 semester).
1. Financial Aid [Check with Financial Aid regarding how this withdrawal will impact Financial Aid status] Initial: ________ Date:________
2. Student Billing Clearance [Check with Finance to verify any balance]: __ yes ___no, reason__________________________ Initial: ________ Date:________
3. Library Clearance __ yes ___no, reason___________________________ Initial: ________ Date:________
Dean of Students MEDICAL LEAVE OF ABSENCE ___ APPROVED ___NOT APPROVED Convert to Withdrawl Initial: _______ Date E�ective: ________
Assignment of “W” grades to all courses: ___APPROVED ___NOT APPROVED
Dean of Students Signature Date
Complete column Complete columnA
A B
Only students in good academic standing are eligible to request a Leave of Absence. Eligibility to be con�rmed by the O�ce of the Registrar
Academic Standing___ Transcript___ Current Schedule___
Student Signature: Date:
[Final Interview Required]
Unless medically/ physically uncapable, student must obtain the following signatures:
[Final Interview Required]
NewThe “Request For Leave of Absence” form has not been updated since it’s creation.
There are no inconsistencies in regulations, but a form refresh is in order. Further clarification of signatures will help the parties involved to better understand their roles.
Interview data suggested the Dean’s were not completely clear of their role in signing a Leave of Absence form. In speaking with the Registrar’s office, it is the responsibility of the Dean to have a final interview with the student.
The choice was presented to remove their responsibility from the form. The Deans, however, requested to maintain their involvement to ensure the student understands the repercussions of her departure.
Further clarification is to be added for a Medical Leave of Absence. Signatures are only to be obtained by the Dean of Students if the student is medically unable to obtain signatures.
84 85Chapter 4: Proposal
10th week:
Students can just email Registrar Office with UArts email account for personal withdraw.
Students should obtain the following signatures and submit form to Dean of Students Office.
Withdrawal from University Form
Old
Major: Last date of attendance: Expected semester of return:
Reason(s) for request:
SEMESTER/YEAR
MEDICAL WITHDRAWAL FROM THE UNIVERSITY
DATE ISSUED
Name:
Permanent Address: Street
City State Zip Code
Telephone
UARTS ID#:
Check here if this is a change of address
__
Undergraduate Graduate (Graduate students who have begun a thesis or �nal project are ineligible. See reverse for information)
O�ce of the Registrar ___ Coded Initial: Date:
MEDICAL WITHDRAWAL FROM THE UNIVERSITYAppropriate medical documentation must be received and veri�ed by the Dean of Students.
1. Financial Aid [Check with Financial Aid regarding how this withdrawal will impact Financial Aid status]
Initial: ________ Date:________ 2. Student Billing Clearance [Check with Finance to verify any balance]: __ yes ___no, reason_______________________________________________________ Initial: ________ Date:________
3. Library Clearance __ yes ___no, reason_______________________________________________________ Initial: ________ Date:________
MEDICAL LEAVE OF ABSENCE ___ APPROVED ___NOT APPROVED Initial: _______ Date E�ective: ________
Dean of Students Signature Date
Student Signature: Date:
Student must obtain the following signatures unless medically/ physically uncapable:
Dean of Students [Final Interview Required]
Required Signatures -
Assignment of “W” grades to all courses: ___ APPROVED ___NOT APPROVED
Students should complete this form.Dean of Student is only responsible to complete this form
when student is medically/ physically uncapable.
New The “Withdrawal from the University” form is actually completely unnecessary, there is currently no need to submit a form to withdrawal. If the student wishes to withdrawal from UArts, all she must to do is email the Registrar’s Office stating her withdrawal. The Registrar will then complete the students declaration.
With that said, the “Withdrawal from the University” form should be renamed to “Medical Withdrawal from the University.”
A medical withdrawal requires the student to provide “medical” documentation upon readmission to the university.
The form has been redesigned to eliminate the general withdrawal components and only display information unique to a medical withdrawal.
As with the Leave of Absence form, the student is responsible for obtaining signatures if medically and physically able.
86 87Chapter 4: Proposal
W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6 W7 W8 W9 W10 W11 W12 W13 W14 W15
Withdrawal from the University
No academic penalty Grades of “W”
Not permitted unless academic extenuating circumstances exists,
Grades of “F”
Leave of Absence
No academic penalty Grades of “W”
Medical leave only,Grades of “W”
Not permitted, Convert to Withdrawal,
Grades of “F”
Drop/ Add,Late
RegistrationAdvising for
next semester
Registra-tion for
next semester
Open Drop/
Add for next
semester
Graphic Calendar
To start and alleviate the misunderstanding of the UArts timeline, a graphic calendar has been created. The calendar illustrates important dates of which the student must be aware before, during and after class registration.
The calendar should be used in all email from the Registrar’s Office and on the back of applicable forms. Increased distribution of the calendar will help information retention from the student body.
Visually representing this schedule and the repercussions for not meeting deadlines drives home the importance of submitting forms by the stated deadline.
The clients were very appreciative of this calendar and immediately felt it would help alleviate headaches. They also felt it could evolve to help improve other areas of thinking as well.
“I wanted to share my enthusiasm about the visual calendar you
included...This is really excellent and has revealed
possible ways to clarify and streamline the processes...”
MEDICAL WITHDRAWAL FROM THE UNIVERSITY Guidelines
Please read the following carefully. If you have any questions regarding this form, or would like to check your enrollment status, please contact the O�ce of the Registrar at 215-717-6420.
Please note that the University does not recognize non-attendance in classes or non-payment of tuition as the equivalent of, or grounds for withdraw from the University.
Students who have withdrawn and wish to resume their studies at a later date must submit a Request for Readmission Formand application fee to the O�ce of the Registrar in accordance with University policy and deadlines, as stated in the catalog. If aStudent is granted a medical withdrawal he/she must provide “medical” documentation to the Dean of Students indicating thatthey may resume their studies before they can register and/or attend classes.
Date E�ective is the date of separation from the University that will be noted on the transcript.
Calendar:• Prior to the start of the semester until the end of the drop/add period: No academic penalty, considered a dropped course and will not be listed on the student's transcript.
• After the end of the posted Drop/Add period to the end of the tenth week of the semester: Grades of ‘W’ (Withdrawal) to appear on transcript.
• After the end of the tenth week: Withdrawal are not permitted unless non-academic extenuating circumstances exist.* Grades of ‘F’ (Failure) to appear on transcript.
*For more information, please refer to the current University Course Catalog. Students should consult with the Student Billing
O�ce or current UArts Catalog for a Refund Calendar.
Last updated: 11/20/10
W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6 W7 W8 W9 W10 W11 W12 W13 W14 W15
Withdrawal from the University
No academic penalty Grades of “W”
Not permitted unless academic extenuating circumstances exists,
Grades of “F”
Drop/ Add,Late
RegistrationAdvising for
next semester
Registra-tion for
next semester
Open Drop/
Add for next
semester
A visual calendar illustrates important dates for easier understanding of UArts policy
LEAVE OF ABSENCE Guidelines
Please read the following carefully. If you have any questions regarding this form, or would like to check your enrollment status, please contact the O�ce of the Registrar at 215-717-6420.
An approved General Leave of Absence may be taken for one semester only and gives the student the right to resume their stud-ies at the conclusion of the Leave with no further conditions. An approved Medical Leave of Absence may be taken also for one semester only and indicates that a student may return to classes at the end of his/her leave once appropriate medical documen-tation has been received and veri�ed by the Dean of Students. Students who fail to register at the conclusion of an approved Leave will be required to apply for readmission in order to return to the University. Readmission requires the submission of a Request for Readmission Form and application fee to the O�ce of the Registrar in accordance with University policy and dead-lines.
Graduate students may take a maximum of one semester Leave, either sequentially or as needed, over the course of their stud-ies. Once a student has completed his or her coursework, and the Master’s thesis or graduate project has begun, graduate students are not eligible for a Leave of Absence. Graduate students who have not completed their thesis must register for the ‘Thesis Continuation Fee’ each semester until completed.
Date E�ective is the date of separation from the University that will be noted on the transcript. Date E�ective is determined by: • General Leave: Date that Request for Leave of Absence Form is issued, as indicated by the O�ce of the Registrar • Medical Leave: Date determined by the Dean of Students
Students are not permitted to take a Leave of Absence from the University after the end of the seventh week of the Fall or Spring semester, (or the second week of either Summer session) in which they are enrolled, except when non-academic exten-uating circumstances exist. In such cases, the request may be converted to a Medical Leave of Absence, and appropriate docu-mentation must be presented to the Dean of Students.
Please note the following policies regarding withdrawal from courses.
• Prior to the start of the semester until the end of the drop/add period: No academic penalty, considered a dropped course and will not be listed on the student's transcript.
• After the end of the posted Drop/Add period to the end of the tenth week of the semester: Grades of ‘W’ (Withdrawal) to appear on transcript.
• After the end of the seventh week: Leaves are not permitted unless non-academic extenuating circumstances exist.* Grades of ‘F’ (Failure) to appear on transcript, if after the tenth week of the semester.
*For more information, please refer to the current University Course Catalog. Students should consult with the Student Billing
O�ce or current UArts Catalog for a Refund Calendar.
Last updated: 11/20/10
W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6 W7 W8 W9 W10 W11 W12 W13 W14 W15
Leave of Absence
No academic penalty Grades of “W”
Medical leave only,Grades of “W”
Not permitted, Convert to Withdrawal,
Grades of “F”
Drop/ Add,Late
RegistrationAdvising for
next semester
Registra-tion for
next semester
Open Drop/
Add for next
semester
88 89Chapter 4: Proposal
Due to university-wide confusion on where to find information and how to interact with the multiple digital interfaces offered by UArts, a proposal has been formulated to rehaul the current digital system.
The UArts Info Center integrates the Course Catalog, Bulletin, Student Registration, Degree Audit and enables professors to schedule class times and locations through a unique and user friendly user interface.
The screenshot on the right shows the course catalog concept. Users can scroll their mouse across the multiple available degree programs to queue the course list for that program. Course descriptions are then expanded as the mouse rolls over the class name.
To the left is the expanded navigation bar. The course catalog is publicly available for all prospective students and faculty. The “Course Catalog” tab includes access to UArts specific information; including the Faculty List, Academic Calendar, Degree Requirements and Offerings, Policies and Procedures, Student Affairs, Financial Services, Admissions, Digital Technology and the Administration Board of Trustees. These link back to the UArts website. But while switching back and forth between the main site and the UArts Info Center, there is no loss of visual language.
The visual consistency increases the user experience and decreases confusion and frustration.
Phase 3: System Redesign
The Info Center integrates all information from the UArts catalog
Course Catalog
This is a demonstration of how to view course information on the UArts Info Center
New
Old
Drop & AddSignaturesCaps & SpaceBulletin & Catalog
Advising TrainingStudents & Advising
Courses SchedulingGrid Conflicts
University ToolsDegree Audit
90 91Chapter 4: Proposal
MyUArts RecordOnce logged into the system, user based credentials filter what tabs are available. The “MyUArts Record” tab gives the student immediate access to key information pertaining to their current academic status.
The most current bulletin appears on login and by default shows the student’s declared major.
The main body functions very similar to the Course Catalog, however there is an additional layer of information next to each class. The class information is categorized by four different pieces of information:
All course and student information would be joined in a database via unique tracking codes. These joins would allow the bulletin to provide information based on individual student status and major declaration.
These additional pieces of information give the student access to view what classes they have taken, need to take and can take.
Complete
No Permission
Requirement
ElectiveE
R
The Info Center offers a more intelligent way to view a course bulletin based on the student profile
92 93Chapter 4: Proposal
With a built in calendar, planning course schedules become very intuitive
advisor meeting, the advisor can click this button, enter his login information and approve the student’s class schedule.
The class registration button is only available upon the students priority enrollment date, which automatically registers the student for her classes. If a particular class is full, the student is notified and will need to adjust her schedule accordingly.
The student can link out to her degree audit from here as well, to ensure she is meeting all requirements of the degree.
Advisor approval can be done paperless and instantly
The student can drag and drop available classes into their temporary schedule on the left pane of the window. By doing this, a temporary class schedule will begin to appear. The student can then see how different class options work.
There are both calendar and list views for the temporary class schedules. Allowing for multiple entry points to dissect the information.
Below the course scheduling functions are “Register for Selected Classes” and “Advisor Approval” buttons. The advisor approval function is only available to advisors. When the student references her class selection in her
94 95Chapter 4: Proposal
The updated degree audit maintains consistency in delivering information in a visually contextual way. This newly designed degree audit shows a snapshot of the student’s status via a credit based progress bar.
The progress bar states both the total number of earned credits and total number of remaining credits. Under the progress bar is the students current GPA. This is a great view for the student to better understand her progress at UArts.
The main body of the page details past and current years of the student’s academic life. Detailing her completed classes with the letter grade received. It also represents the number of required credits for a given semester and the number of credits successfully completed.
With these details, the student can easily see her undergraduate career progress. Simple visual details like these give the mind and eye more entry points to grasp the information.
Many UArts tools have not been updated for the individual of 2010 and as such, loose the reader’s attention.
The above screenshot shows the current state of the UArts Degree Audit. The cluttered text-based layout complicates the user’s ability to absorb necessary information
Degree Audit
Old
The Degree Audit can be shown in a more visually contextual way
New
96 97Chapter 4: Proposal
Transparent SchedulerThe Transparent Scheduler is only available to the Department Chair and is designed to improve the chair’s ability to layout his class schedule across both the grid and the department floorplan.
Restrictions are implemented to limit editing and viewing of only the Department Chairs department information.
The system is very dynamic. It displays all available classes offered by the department in a scrollable list, with the ability to add, subtract and edit course details. Once a course is selected, it can be assigned a time and day on the calendar.
The initial view will show the chair his building and floor plan. This will be a new way too look at and edit class schedules. The floorplan displays the maximum number of students allowed in a room and room availability. In the opposing view the Department Chair can click different days or times to see floor availability. And inversely, can click a room to see it’s availability in the week view. These tools will help deter issues of finding needed space and alleviate the inability to quickly schedule multiple scenarios.
Department Chairs have the ability to schedule courses using the Info Center The floorplan provides
a more clear and intuitive way to schedule courses
98 99Chapter 4: Proposal
Visually seeing when and where courses are scheduled greatly eases the scheduling process
Being able to see what courses are scheduled helps Dept. Chairs plan courses better to avoid grid conflicts
When editing or adding a class, the Department Chair has the ability to set the time and day of that class as well as the room in which it will be held. Clicking on a grid block allocates the length of time the class will be held and places the class in that timeslot. When a timeslot is highlighted, the floorplan changes to reflect the classes availability for that day and time.
As rooms are scheduled, they become gray to show the unavailability of that space. Once all possible options have been exhausted, and the Department Chair needs to find a room to fit that one other class, he can navigate to another floor in his or another building to see if any rooms are available.
Departments must allocate a room as available for outside department use. As some classrooms are built for specific studios, this layer of information is a necessity.
An additional function was added to help the Chair schedule around particular courses. By double clicking a timeslot, the window to the right appears as a list of all classes in the university that have already been scheduled for that given time and day.
100 101Chapter 4: Proposal
Submitting course schedules to the Registrar’s Office is just one click away
The last function of the Transparent Scheduler is “Bulletin Generation.” Once the Department Chair has completed scheduling all classes, he can choose to generate the bulletin. This notifies the database that all classes have been scheduled and the bulletin is ready to be published. It also sends copy to the Registrar’s Office for auditing purposes.
Note:The only way in which this phase can be implemented is through the investment of a customized database. The current hurdle in enhancing the processes and procedures of registration is a lack of unique joins between the degree audit, course catalog and bulletin. Therefore it becomes necessary for all classes to be assigned a unique identification code from which different tables of information can be connected in a database schema. This simple upgrade will create the connection between degree audit, course catalog and the bulletin.
102 103Chapter 4: Proposal
Chapter 5
Future StepsThe three phased proposal is a huge step in enhancing the student and faculty experience at UArts. These phases are not, however, shutting or locking any doors. That would be the opposite of what design is about.
Design interaction should not cease at UArts, forward thinking faculty should drive future iterations, updates and changes that continue to evolve and better the UArts experiences.
Outlined in this section are thoughts on the next steps that would help continue design sensibilities.
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Overall, advisors have lost their ability to advise students in more comprehensive manners due to the short amount of time they spend together. Approximately 65% of meeting time is now focused on finding a schedule that works best for the student rather than analyzing the student’s goals and helping sketch out future plans. Once the student and faculty are provided with simpler and more robust ways of formulating schedules, advisor meetings can focus on student careers.
A sight unseen is the process by which faculty schedule rooms and times for classes. This will only become more difficult as UArts flattens its hierarchical class structure (CAD, CMAC, CPA). Implementing a system to allow faculty a more efficient way of handling their scheduling conflicts will better the overall teaching and advising abilities. An excellent by-product of this system is the increase of employee moral. By providing a solution for scheduling problems, a massive headache is alleviated for advisors and chairs so their time can be better spent in other facets of their department.
With these implementations, the future of the advising model can be modified to focus on the student, elevating the quality of advising. Advisor training should become less technical due to the simplified interface of the UArts Info Center. Training can be more professional and educate advisors about the classes offered, the academic structure, and the policies at UArts.
To further enhance the implemented system, automated emails can be blasted to students during particular times of the registration process. The automation of emails can be based on time and action. When a certain date approaches, a static email will be sent out to students as a reminder to schedule advisor meetings. Also when a Department Chair updates the bulletin, an email can be sent informing students of the bulletin update.
These implementations improve the daily work tasks of Advisors, Chairs and the Registrar by leveraging the power of the database.
Looking Forward
106 107Chapter 5: Future Steps
On October 12th, Jenny received an email from the Registrar’s office. She was immediately surprised by the format of the email. It was different than most university-wide emails. She didn’t necessarily need to read through the email, it was very visual. There was a timeline showing the schedule of the coming months and one peculiar link, which initially concerned her.
Jenny was not familiar with any “Info Center” and feared that registration may be a challenge, especially if she had to learn a foreign interface!
Jenny’s curiosity got the best of her, and she immediately clicked the mysterious link. It brought her to an elegant website. The layout was simple yet complex - it seemed like a mass of important information was at her fingertips... Jenny soon realized it was.
The course catalog was one click away from the bulletin. Integrated into the list of departments was a simple and almost fun way to choose her major. The bulletin then automatically listed which classes Jenny was able to take (based on pre-requisites and her degree audit status). The bulletin also listed which classes were required or elective.
Conclusion
Meet Jenny
The system was intuitive, informative and extensive. Jenny realized all she had to do was click the class section in which she had interest and it would be added to her personal schedule.
She quickly sketched out her preferred class layout as she explored the new system. Jenny even had a few options available incase certain classes hit their caps before her priority registration time. All she needed to do now was meet with Marco (Jenny’s advisor), obtain advisor approval and wait for priority registration. When she became able to register all she’d need to do is click the “Register for selected classes” link.
“This is a great system,” thought Jenny. All she needed to do was schedule a time to meet with Marco.
Jenny focused some time on her degree audit as well. It featured a clear graphic detailing the number of credits taken and the number of credits left to complete. Overall, the degree audit was easy to digest. It visually listed her different semesters and the classes she took. She could also see which classes were required for the coming semester, and easily click out to the bulletin for scheduling options.
Jenny met with Marco the following week. Although he was new at advising, the meeting went without a hitch. They logged into Jenny’s Info Center to view the schedule she had proposed. After reviewing her choices and making a few edits and substitutions, Marco gave Jenny his advisor approval.
Jenny and Marco now had the rest of their advising time to talk about her academic plan and how the classes she was taking were helping her achieve her goals while attending UArts. This was important to Jenny as she was concerned with getting the most out of her undergraduate career.
Jenny explained that she wanted to focus some of her studies on crafts, but had not been able to register for any crafts classes in the past. It did seem, however, that she would be able to get into the throwing elective. Seeing that all she needed to do was log into her Info Center and click “Register for Classes,” Jenny felt at ease with her abilities to get into the classes of her choice.
Jenny left her advisor meeting feeling great about the progress her and Marco had made. She was able to speak with Marco about her undergraduate career and gain feedback on how she could best schedule her remaining two years at UArts.
November 14th arrived and Jenny jumped onto her computer to register for classes. She logged into the Info Center clicked “Register for selected classes” and was immediately registered for her core courses. Jenny would need to wait for the general enrollment date to register her electives.
The layout was simple yet complex - it seemed like a mass of important information was at her fingertips...
Jenny soon realized it was.
Jenny left her advisor meeting feeling great about the progress
her and Marco had made.
Conclusion: Meet Jenny108 109
Rewind to October 11, 2010. Marco sat down with the Department Chair before the advising period to walk through the newly implemented scheduling tool. Previously, scheduling the Grid was done using whiteboards, Excel and even Adobe Illustrator to visually show each day. These processes were time consuming and tedious, but they got the job done.
The Info Center was everything they needed. Once the Department Chair signed in, they could see all available classes for their department with the option to edit the details or add and delete a class.
Once all class data was up-to-date, they could start moving classes around on a digital floor-plan by day, time and location. Although unable to schedule a senior studio, the system allowed them to navigate to other floors and buildings to find an open classroom.
A few floors up was a classroom designated as available for outside use. The Info Center allowed them to easily schedule the senior studio class in that room. Scheduling the Grid is typically a time consuming exercise, but with the Info Center, Marco and the Department Chair were much more productive. The system’s simplicity prevented numerous headaches, allowing them to focus on the problem at hand rather than how to accomplish said headaches.
Once they finalized their decisions, the chair was able to generate the bulletin with one click. This extracted all the information they just created in the format required by the Registrars Office. From there they could print, save and “Submit to Registrar.” No additional content creation was necessary.
The Info Center was now ready for the Illustration majors to take charge of their next semester.
The Info Center was now ready for the Illustration majors to take charge of
their next semester.
Conclusion: Meet Jenny110 111
GlossaryA full-time or adjunct faculty member of a department who also has the responsibility to help students to select courses and engage in short- and long-term educational planning.
A comprehensive document provided by the Office of the Registrar that shows the meeting times for every class scheduled for a given semester. Organized by department, it shows the section, title, amount of credits, meeting days and times, faculty, prerequisites and other restrictions associated with each course. Currently, the bulletin is formatted as a text-based table in a PDF document.
College of Art and Design, one of the three colleges at the University of the Arts.
A comprehensive document provided by the Office of the Registrar that shows the course requirements associated with each degree. It also shows the academic calendar, policies and procedures for enrolled students, and additional information about student financial services, university libraries and other aspects of the university. Currently, the course catalog is formatted as a text-based PDF. There is also a text-based online version that includes descriptions for each course offered by the University.
College of Media and Communication, one of the three colleges at the University of the Arts.
A function that allows a student to satisfy a course requirement with the credit earned from a different course of equivalent value/content, as determined by the department chair. Occasionally a student may not be able to enroll in the exact course required for the degree program, or the department may recommend an alternate course to better suit a specific academic goal. In these cases, the student is to request an approval for a course substitution from the department chairperson or program director.
Advisor
Bulletin
CAD
Catalog
CMAC
Course Substitution
College of Performing Arts, one of the three colleges at the University of the Arts.
UArts’ business enterprise system, developed by Datatel, Inc., which is used to manage major administrative functions across the University. Colleague is divided into three main functions: Student (Recruitment, Registration, Accounts Receivable, & Financial Aid); Financial (Purchasing & budgets); Human Resources (Personnel & Payroll).
A text document viewable from WebAdvisor that shows a student’s completed courses and grades as well as the incomplete courses required by the degree program. Dean - A head of a college or division in a university.
A senior academic who is the head of a department.
A form for students who wish to drop or add a class to their schedule the during drop/add period.
The maximum number of students allowed for one course.
A set of guidelines meant to standardize the structure of the weekly schedule throughout the university. Departmental chairs use the Grid to arrange their class schedules.
A document imaging and management tool developed by Perceptive Software, Inc that allows the capture, organization and management of data. It allows department chairs and administrators to scan, file, retrieve, print, fax, or distribute electronic objects, including forms and degree audits.
A form provided by request for students who wish to take a semester away from school for personal or medical reasons.
CPA
DataTel (Colleague)
Degree Audit
Department Chair
Drop /Add Form
Enrollment Cap
Grid
ImageNow
Leave of Absence Form
112 113
An online hub meant to serve as a one-stop gateway for students and faculty to access the various tools used by the University. It includes links to email, Sakai (a courseware management program), the Office of the Registrar’s website, and WebAdvisor.
A prior condition required to register a certain course.
An official in a university who handles student records and registration process.
A channel of the portal that grants students, staff, and the community access to the UArts databases. This channel is used by students to execute tasks relating to registration, including browsing the course catalog, searching for course sections, registering for classes, and viewing class schedules. WebAdvisor gives students access to their degree audit and the ability to view or edit other aspects of their academic profile. WebAdvisor also provides the student with financial information such as billing statements and remittance forms.
An online information center that allows the various offices with in the university to share content with students, faculty, and staff. Its role is to provide general information to the UArts community. Although, like the Portal, it provides access to resources from the Office of the Registrar, it does not provide the registration and communication functions that the Portal offers.
A form for students who wish to withdraw from school for personal or medical reasons.
Portal
Prerequisite
Registrar
WebAdvisor
Wiki
Withdrawal Form
Glossary (continued)
114 115
UArts Enrollment TeamMID 2nd year
MID 1st year
Director
Instructor
Deng-Shun Chang
Mike Smith
Wan-Ting Chang
Nicolas Coia
Jonas Milder
Mark Havens
Doug Bucci
Special Thanks!
Michael NashAdrienne StalekKrishna Dunston
Peter StamblerChris Myers
Charlie David Kettner
De Angela Duff Dr. Annette DiMedio
Jayme Guokas Karl Staven
Mark Tocchet Michael Grothusen
Mark Campbell Michelle Wall Rande Blank
Susan Viguers Tony Guido
Margaret Kip O’Donnell Marilyn Del Valle-Santiago
Jeffery Kisler Lakiesha Sanders
Shawn Green Jacqueline Manni
ProvostAssociate Dean, College of Art and DesignAssistant Dean, College of Performing ArtsDean, Liberal ArtsChair, Graphic DesignDirector, Ira Brind School of Theater Arts Chair, Fine Arts: Painting, Printmaking, SculptureInterim Director, MultimediaChief Advisor, MusicAdministrative Assistant, Media ArtsChair, Media ArtsChair, IllustrationCo-Chair, FoundationCo-Chair, FoundationAssisstant to the Director, MusicInterim Director, Master of Art Education Director, Book Arts/PrintmakingChair, Industrial DesignRegistrar, RegistrarAssistant Registrar, RegistrarRecord Manager, RegistrarReceptionist, Registrar Data Clerk, RegistrarStudent Data Coordinator, Registrar
Thanks to all the members of the UArts community that contributed to this project:
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