Registration is still a pain despite changes

    PAWS was revamped this semester, making registration a little more user-friendly for students. 
    Kay Graham, manager for six years of Data Management Resources, said the reason for the change was to make Banner 6, the system that controls PAWS, a Web-based product instead of client-based.  Graham said this is the direction that most software is going.
    “They’re always pushing to make things bigger and better,” Graham said.  “So they discontinue the old.”
    Graham said this change would affect students minimally.  Students will likely notice little difference on the technical end.  What will be noticeable are the visual changes made to PAWS like new fonts and backgrounds.
    “The functionality will be the same,” Graham said.  “They’ll be able to do the same things they used to do, it will just be a little neater.”
    Joey Hall, a junior creative writing major and Info Tech lab assistant, said the changes he noticed were minor.
    “It looks different,” Hall said.  “I don’t really use anything besides the registration, so I haven’t
really noticed anything different.”
    Hall said although PAWS looked better, it did not help him get the classes he needed.  Even though he is a junior, he still did not get the classes he wanted.
    “I’ve been here three years and I’ve noticed that it’s insanely hard to get an upper level class unless you’re a senior,” Hall said.
    He only registered for three classes for next semester, and for one of them he had to go to the professor and ask for a seat modifier for the class.
    “It’s kind of difficult,” Hall said.  “I wish they would have more openings.”
    Another aspect of the registration system that Hall mentioned was the time change from 8 a.m. to 5 a.m.  He said that although this was a good idea, it made him worse off.
    “There’s a big deal with that time change,” Hall said.  “I don’t have  a computer at home, and I didn’t get up and come to campus at 5 because I had to be here to work at 8.”
    By then, the classes Hall needed were already full. 
    Michael Hague, a junior environmental science major and cross country runner, said he had priority registration and had no problem getting the classes he needed.  He said he did not notice many changes on the Web page.
    “I did find something I liked, though,” Hague said.  “I could go from the registration page to search for classes.  You could check a box instead of typing the CRN; I really liked that.”
    Desta Tewolde, a pre-med biology major and international student, also had trouble getting the classes he needed.
    “I had to register with the freshmen,” Tewolde said.  “I’m supposed to be a sophomore; that’s why I didn’t get the classes I wanted.”
    Tewolde said he came to campus at 5 a.m. on Friday morning and found the computer lab full of freshmen.  He said he tried to access the registration page from both myCATS and PAWS, but that myCATS was easier.  He noticed little changes on the Web page.
    “It was slow, same as last year,” Tewolde said.
    Freshman Mallory Neil said this was her first time using PAWS without an advisor.
    “It was nerve-wracking trying to get the classes I needed,” Neil said.
    Neil said she ended up getting all her classes, but she had to get up at 5 a.m. to get them.
    “At 5 a.m. it got really bogged down and slow,” Neil said.
    She accessed the registration page through myCATS, and that it was faster and easier that way.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Nov 3 2006. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry