The Problem with Course Registration
I interviewed some of my peers about their registration process for this current semester to gain insight on their experiences. I asked questions regarding how they decided upon their classes, what websites were used, and how they felt their registration went overall. My purpose of this is to determine what technological features a course registration system needs and is most convenient, as well as figure out what is missing or could be improved from Oxy’s current registration design.
The basis of this critique is mostly on the features and capabilities of Oxy’s registration system as that is what’s most important when in the context of its use. I also focused this critique on the ease for the user to navigate through the registration process as that is important as well, due to the importance of having to register for classes, especially for new students.
Currently, Occidental’s Registration system succeeds in its number of different ways to search, but lacks in how it presents this to users. On the Oxy’s Course Counts page (where you can find the classes offered during a semester), you can do four different types of searches which are signified by the tabs at the top. Simple search allows you to pick a major and see all the classes, Advanced search allows you to list courses by day, time, and instructor, Core search allows you to list classes that fulfill a specific core requirement, and CRN search which allows you to input the 4-digit registration code for a specific class . While it’s good that these options exist, it can make the user experience feel constrained due to usage of drop down menus rather than a search bar, allowing the user to input specifically what they want or on the other hand, just having all the search options readily available rather than separated.
Once a list of courses has been generated given the terms, the only way to see more information about a specific class is by clicking on the CRN to the left of the class information. This brings up the course description for the class as well as if there are any prerequisites or restrictions to registration. The problem with this system is that it is not immediately obvious that to get more information the CRN should be clicked. While it is blue and highlighted, the CRN itself is only used when registering for a specific class so it could just be interpreted as telling you what number it to input. Instead, there should be an additional signifier such as for example a plus sign (+) that can be clicked for more information on a class. Also, none of the table headings can be clicked on to change the order the classes are displayed (ex: by title or unit amount).
Another flaw of Course Counts is that it does not particularly provide the best user experience. When you have clicked on more information for a course and want to go back to the list, you have to click the small red ‘X’ that appears. However, often times out of habit or by not noticing the X the previous page button built in the browser is clicked which ends up taking you completely out of Course Counts and back to the page you were on before. This causes frustration in having to navigate back to searching for the list of classes.
Another website often used during the registration process is the Areas of Study page under the Academics section of Oxy’s website. This website is very useful for students because it provides all the information available about each major such as the courses that count for a major, required classes, and even faculty information. Compared to Course Counts, it only shows information about the class in general and no additional information about who is teaching the class or when it is offered.
The last part of the registration process I will be critiquing is the most important one, actually registering! This can only be done using by clicking on the Add or Drop Classes link under the Academics section of MyOxy.
This takes you to a page where you have to input a registration PIN given to you by your advisor. This step is somewhat redundant as even if you do not have the pin or forgot it, there is a link that gives you your PIN information. Although it may exist for verification purposes, it can also be seen as a frustrating roadblock if you forget you even need the PIN to log-in. Once entered, you are then taken to a page that shows your schedule of registered classes for the selected semester. At the bottom, is multiple CRN text boxes that allows for multiple classes to be added at once. The Action drop-down menus in the current schedule allow for the user to drop classes previously registered for.
The Action drop-down menus in the current schedule allow for the user to drop classes previously registered for.
Overall, Oxy’s course registration is a straightforward process with the information needed to register for classes being readily accessible. However, the user is constrained when it comes to being able to navigate through Course Counts. In my opinion, if the available search features were readily visible to the user from the start, it would make using the website much easier.
This exercise helped me realize that not all problems exist due to there not being a solution. Analyzing Oxy’s registration system made me see that although the various websites used are helpful by function, there are still subtle ways it can be vastly improved to minimize frustration and enhance clarity when it comes to searching for courses.
