How to “Manage Classes” in Bear Tracks

Tips and tricks to make the system work for you

Not really sure how Bear Tracks works since the refresh earlier this month? Do you want to learn more about all the different functions? Well, we’ve got you covered! We dive deep into the “Manage Classes” function in Bear Tracks and share all the tips and tricks you need to know. This is the first in a series of posts on the different functions of Bear Tracks, so stay tuned!

Notes for Fall 2021:

• Course schedules (days/times), locations, and delivery formats, for the 2021-22 academic year will be updated in Bear Tracks by April 26, 2021.
• May registration dates will be sent directly to students in April.
• Review potential course offerings and previous course syllabi in the course catalogue. Note: dates/times/course offerings are subject to change.
• Review the Office of the Registrar’s 2021–22 Academic Year FAQs for Students. If you still have any questions, you’re welcome to email Arts Undergraduate Student Services at arts.undergad@ualberta.ca.
• Plans for 2021–22 are subject to change (because, COVID-19).

Manage Classes

Menu Options (in order of appearance)

Class Search and Enroll

This option is automatically highlighted, and you can click one of the available terms to the left (as of March 25, 2021, the only options are Winter 2021, Spring 2021, and Summer 2021).

On the following page, you can free-type a subject or the full name of the class, and press “Enter” to see the results. The page will save recently viewed classes (which can be deleted), and favorited courses.

From here you can select a result and enroll (if you have access to register for courses), or you can add the course to your “Cart” (whether you are able to register or not). When it’s time to register, you can begin to enroll in your courses (via the “Shopping Cart & Watch List” menu option). Right now returning students are eligible to enroll in Spring 2021 and Summer 2021 courses, however, new students (those coming from high school or transferring from another post-secondary institution) don’t become eligible to enroll until Fall term 2021. The same thing applies if you’ve applied and have been approved to convocate. (You can’t register for courses before you become a student or after you graduate.)

Shopping Cart & Watch List

This section will show all the courses in your “Shopping Cart” (courses you want to take but have not registered in yet), and your “Watch List” (courses you want to take but are full).

Browse Course Catalog

Similar to the “Class Search and Enroll” feature, you can free-type a subject or the full name of the class. The results show the basic components of the class, and whether it is offered in a current or upcoming term. You’ll also see the course description along with any pre-requisites for the course.

Please note that this page will populate a maximum of 50 results, so if the information typed in the search bar is too vague, you may see the following alert at the top of the page:

My Enrollment Dates

On this page, select an available upcoming term to see your personal enrollment dates.

Bonus — While you’re checking your enrollment dates (because you’ll want to register as soon as you’re able to) the add/drop deadlines are listed right there too!

Planner

Start by clicking on “Add from Course Catalog” to select a class to put it into your Planner. Using “My Planner” does not register you in any classes, or provide any guarantee that your selected courses will be offered. But it is a great way for to play around with time slots to see what a schedule would look like for any given term.

Academic Requirements

This tool allows you to view your Academic Requirements Report. This report tells you exactly what courses you need to take in your current program (Degree, Major(s), Minor(s), Certificate(s)). If the information is collapsed, that means the requirement has been complete. If it is still open, the requirement has yet to be completed.

Drop Classes

If you want to remove a course from your schedule use the “Drop” function. Read the information in step 1, then proceed to step 2 to select the course you want to drop and hit next in the top right corner. Step 3 is where you finalize it. The date you “drop” a course will determine whether or not it’s considered a “delete” or a “withdrawal”.

There is one add/delete deadline per term. It’s commonly referred to as the add/drop deadline.

a) Drop your class before the add/delete (or add/drop) deadline at the start of term and it’s simply gone — it’s deleted — like you never enrolled in it in the first place. It’s not on you transcript and you don’t pay any tuition* for that class.

b) Drop your classes after the add/delete (or add/drop) deadline at the start of term and it’s considered a withdrawal — it happened, it’s on your transcript with a final grade of W and you’ll have to pay either 50% of the tuition costs* (if you drop it before the 50% deadline) or the full 100% of the tuition costs* (if you drop it after the 50% deadline but before the final withdrawal deadline).

c) You cannot withdraw from a class after the final withdrawal deadline has passed. This deadline is approximately 1 week before the last day of classes. The course will appear on your transcript with your final letter grade and you pay 100% of the tuition costs.

*Note: Course deletes and withdrawals have different financial consequences for students following the new international student tuition model. If you are a student using the new international student tuition model and have questions reach out to arts.undergrad@ualberta.ca.

Swap Classes

This is ONLY available BEFORE THE ADD/DELETE DEADLINE for each term. You can swap one class you are registered in for a different class. Note: the swap will not occur unless you meet all requirements, and there is no time conflict as a result of the swap. To swap your courses, you must first select the course you want to swap out then select the course you would like to swap in from your cart or by typing in the class number.

Change Program

As a continuing student, if you want to change your entire degree program (not just your major/minor/certificate within the same degree program) you first need to submit an application. Read more about why and how to change degree programs and/or majors in this Arts Insider blog post.

Once you receive an admission offer, go into UAlberta Launchpad and accept your offer. After you’ve done this, come back to Bear Tracks and click on “Change Program”. From here be sure to change your program TWICE — once for Fall and again for Winter. If you do not do this twice your change will not be processed properly.

The final step to changing your program is to choose between “Drop All Classes and Re-Add Eligible Classes” or “Drop All Classes”.

• By selecting ‘Drop and Re-Add’ any eligible courses that you are registered in from your old program are transferred over to your new program. Courses that aren’t eligible to be transferred will be dropped.
• By selecting ‘Drop’ you’re wiping your course registration clean — no class registrations are transferred to your new program.

Contact arts.undergrad@ualberta.ca if you are unsure about anything to do with changing programs and how to do it — ideally before you start paying for new applications and dropping classes!

My Schedule — Calendar

Select a term and see your courses plotted into a weekly grid. Below the grid, see your courses and all their relevant details (course name/number, start and end dates, days/times, location and instructor).

View My Classes — List

This page will display your courses for a given term in list form. Sort courses by class name or by date. You can see details such as times, dates, number of students enrolled, your enrollment status, class location (remote/in-person), and class notes, all listed by current and upcoming terms. Once you select the arrow on the bottom right-hand side of each course listing, the relevant details will pop up.

Academic Information

You can select a term and see a summary of your program information. This is your student status for each of your previous and upcoming academic terms. What this means is you can look both back or ahead in time, by term, to see what year of your program you were/are in, what your major(s), minor(s), and certificate(s) are, whether you were a full-time or part-time student and more. If you are needing a quick way to verify your student status, a screenshot of your academic information section could help.

Additional Links

The provided additional links connect you to resources that can be found on various sections of the University of Alberta’s website. The links include:

University Calendar: The Calendar is the official rule book of the U of A. Use it verify your requirements for your program. It covers degree requirements, certificate requirements, important dates, and deadlines. For example, did you know that BA students can only take a maximum of 48 credits (16 Classes) of junior-level courses (100 level courses)? This information can be found in the Calendar.

Dates and Deadlines: All the important dates and deadlines for our institution can be found here. Anything ranging from your program deadlines to payment deadlines to application deadlines and more. Many of these dates can be added to your google calendar by selecting “Academic Schedule” on the bottom left-hand side.

Other additional links include eClass, The U of A Bookstore, Courses for Open Studies Students, and Student Connect.

If you have any questions about these functions in Bear Tracks, email arts.undergrad@ualberta.ca for clarification.

We’ve also developed a new tutorial video that covers Course Registration in Bear Tracks — click on the video below to watch.

Disclaimer: The Calendar is the official reference for academic programs. If this or any other blog post, handout, tutorial video or tip sheet conflicts with the Calendar, the Calendar will be taken as correct.

Author bios: This article was co-written by Nathaniel Haile and Joanna Manchur. Nathaniel is BA student pursuing a double major in Political Science and Economics with a double minor in International Studies and Philosophy and is currently on an AWE placement working for the Faculty of Arts as the Student Recruitment, Engagement & Communications Intern. Joanna is the Student Engagement & Communications Specialist for UAlberta Faculty of Arts, and proud Arts grad — ’02 BA Hons.