Big changes underway for registration system
Aurora to be implemented for fall session
Andrew Sain Staff
A massive overhaul of the registration system at the University of Manitoba is nearing completion, and the new system brings with it promises of convenience and accessibility. The system, known as Aurora, is a complete redesign of the online registration system that will provide new tools for both students and faculty members.
Neil Marnoch, registrar for the university, said that when the system first comes online, students can expect a “much more intuitive system.” He noted that among other changes will be a built-in course-changing feature.
“Instead of dropping and adding a course, now you can simply change the course from one section to another. The change would only be allowed if there was space in the section you were trying to go into.”
Students will notice a change in the course numbering system, designed to work with the new software. The new system replaces the initial two-digit faculty code in favour of a four-letter system and adds on a fourth digit to the course number. For example, 5.100 will become STAT 1000.
One of the biggest changes according to Marnoch is a system that allows students to audit their degrees online.
“You as a student can go in and say ‘I’m in this program, based on the courses I’ve completed so far, where do I stand and what do I need?’”
He said that the system will provide students with the requirements of their program, indicating which of the requirements have been met and which have not.
The new system also contains a “what if” function, which allows students to see where they would stand if they were to change programs.
These changes are designed to allow students to make important choices “through self-service rather than having to consult the calendars in-depth or make appointments with student advisors and so on,” said Marnoch.
Some of the new functions are expected to come into effect during the first year of operation. The degree audit and ‘what-if’ tools are being implemented on a faculty-by-faculty basis, beginning with the faculty of arts.
“We have a priority list, but it will be phased in over probably a two- or three-year period,” said Marnoch.
He added that the implementation of such a far-reaching system is affecting university policy.
“Part of the process of implementing this system [when] we run into a roadblock, is to say: ‘This is the way we do things and the software doesn’t support that.’ We’ve taken that as an opportunity to re-examine some of our policies and procedures,” he said.
As a result of this, the university senate has recently changed the policy concerning voluntary withdrawals from courses and the calculation of grade point averages.
In the former system, students were only allowed to drop 30 credit hours through voluntary withdrawal. The Aurora system does not place a limit on the amount of credit hours a student can drop, and when considering voluntary withdrawal rates at the U of M and other universities, this led to a re-examination of the effectiveness of that policy, Marnoch said.
“We thought that was probably an area where, rather than customize this system . . . we should re-examine the policy, and when we did, the recommendation went forward to senate that the limit on voluntary withdrawals be dropped.”
Marnoch said that this change will come into effect immediately.
The system of calculating GPA has also been revised so that, for all faculties, when a course is re-taken the most recent grade will stand.
Cathy van de Kerckhove, UMSU vice president, believes that distributing information about the changes to students is extremely important. She also believes that the system will be easy to use for people not accustomed to the current system.
“For new students there won’t be much of a difference, because it will probably just make things easier for them,” said van de Kerckhove.
Marnoch said that early in the process of changing the system, students were invited to participate in its design.
“At the time, students weren’t interested . . . [we] would have liked to involve student input more than we actually ended up achieving,” said Marnoch. However, he pointed out that they received valuable input from staff who have dealt with many students over the years and thus have a good sense of what students want.
Marnoch estimated the cost of the new system as “in the neighbourhood of $7 to 8 million,” money that he said should be looked at in terms of the system’s estimated 30-year lifespan.
The new system was originally slated to come into effect in March of this year for summer session registration, but that date has since been pushed back until July 2006.
According to Marnoch this decision was made because “we felt that we just weren’t ready enough to do a good job of putting it up [for] the summer.” He added that the delay would also ensure enough training and information was available to allow for a smooth transition. A special team has been hired to facilitate this task.
Information for students on operating the new system will be available in the 2006-07 regular session course calendar, both in print and online. Information on the new system is currently available through the university’s website.
