By Katie Stobbart (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: June 5, 2013
Fall registration is coming up quickly and students will be getting a few surprises when they go to enter their course registration numbers (CRNs).
Registration is later than usual this year, but the reason for the delay is one which most students may find worth the wait. The Office of the Registrar (OReg), formerly known as Admissions and Records, is making improvements to the registration process.
For those who promptly stopped checking their student email at the end of last semester, the changes outlined by OReg include automatic course prerequisite checks, paying the $200 deposit before registering, and allowing payments using Interac online.
The aim of these changes is to “reduce registration errors and course waitlists,” Darren Francis, deputy registrar, explains in an email notification sent to students.
“Students who do not meet prerequisites for a course will not be able to register for it,” the email notes. “[Paying the deposit] will avoid students registering and then later being removed for not paying the deposit on time.”
The ability to pay with Interac online rather than through the bank or at OReg in person has the potential to greatly cut down on queues on campus. Payments made via online banking can take a couple of days; OReg wants to make registration happen a lot faster.
“Interac Online is an instantaneous payment method. Students will be able to pay online and register right after. Payment by online banking is not instantaneous. Students who pay by online banking should pay in advance of their registration appointment to ensure the payment has been received,” Kim Daley, OReg’s senior enrolment services assistant says. “Early deposit payments are welcome and encouraged.”
There are often kinks when a new system is implemented, but they are taking this into account. “Extensive testing is being done to prevent issues,” Daley asserts. Students can contact OReg by phone or email with difficulties or questions.
As for prerequisite checking, students seeking permission to register in a course from an instructor should do this in advance of registering.
“Students are still able to get permission from the instructor to register into courses they don’t satisfy prerequisites for. However, there should be a reason for the waiver. For instance, they are awaiting transfer credit. The permission will need to be entered before the student registers,” Daley says.
The new changes will streamline the registration process for students, but it will appear the same online, just with the added features of prerequisite checking and Interac payment.
If students would like to provide feedback on their registration experience and on future developments to the process, they can email reginfo@ufv.ca. Registration for the fall semester officially begins June 17, and students can check their date and time to register via their myUFV accounts.
