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1, 2001 Office of the Registrar continues to utilize web and benefit students The Office of the Registrar utilizes every technological opportunity available to better assist students while attending school at Arkansas State University. The registrar is responsible for setting up registration procedures for ASU. The process has progressed over recent years, and now places most contact between academic advisors and students. Advisors tell students what they need to take, and how to get through their particular degree program. The Office of the Registrar then solves whatever problems may arise with the technological aspect of enrolling for classes, making sure students can register. Continually adapting to meet the needs of students, the office introduced telephone registration in the fall of 1990 and on-line registration in 1999. Students have the option of using the telephone or going to the university’s Web For Students site and registering for classes. Web For Students provides students with a number of other services and allows them to look at holds, for advising or bills, and their transcripts or grades, according to Registrar Gerald Jones. "The Internet has simplified the registration process in a number of ways. Students at great distances can go online and register, whether they are on vacation in London, England, or at home. There is no cost for them, except regular Internet services," Jones said. "Web For Students has another important feature that I like very much -- the schedule that appears on the computer screen only shows classes available at that time. The print schedule becomes dated very quickly because it shows all classes offered. The web is up-to-date and only shows classes that aren’t full. This again makes the registration process faster and easier for students. "If a student needs principles of accounting, the web product may only show sections one, seven and nine. It’s not that there are only three sections of the class, but these three sections are the only ones left available," Jones, who began working at ASU in 1982, stated. "Now students are able to get online and take care of their business. Students coming to campus now are much more computer savvy than I ever was, and now within minutes they can secure enrollment, where it could have taken all day in the past." The university now offers faculty many of the same benefits through Web For Faculty. Features offered through the software assist faculty members with grades and student advising. "Web For Faculty may be used by faculty members when advising a student. If the faculty member is listed as a student’s advisor, the professor or instructor can look at anything we have for a student on file including transcripts, grades and classes," Jones said. "In the past advisors would have to make an appointment with a student and we would have to provide updated information, which could create a lengthy process. Now faculty members can get on the web and look up student information and see what they need. With much more readily available information, the advisor is able to give students much better advisement." Many faculty members on campus are utilizing the software, and enjoying the benefits. "Web for Faculty has streamlined the advising process and is the best tool to help our students," Dr. Mary Jackson Pitts, associate professor of radio-television, said. "The capability to post grades from home, on a business trip or in my school office has eased the burden of the end of the semester crunch." "Web for Faculty has allowed me to post student's grades easily and reduce paperwork. It is also easier to assist students that I advise with their degree planning because of the access I have to their transcripts through Web for Faculty," Dr. James Farris, associate professor of physical therapy, agreed. The web will always have the most current information available, saving time and making information easier to access. Another benefit Jones mentioned regarding the role faculty members and students play is the immediacy the software offers. As soon as a faculty member posts a grade to the web, students can look immediately and they no longer have to wait for weeks for grades to come in the mail. Providing immediate, updated information is just one highlight of Web For Students. And now students will be able to access their information anytime. "Because the system must have maintenance cycles five days a week, there are times when the system is not available. We’re trying to overcome that by contracting with a company called Student Advantage, the same company who has issued all university identification cards. We’re still working on the final touches, but students can access their information from anywhere in the world, 24-hours a day, seven days a week. Depending on the hour, students will be directed to Student Advantage and find the same information." The Office of the Registrar is always looking to improve the system, and using the latest technology to become more effective and efficient is just what Registrar Jones plans to continue doing. "If it can be conceived, at some point it can be delivered. When we first started talking about web applications with Systems and Computer Technology Corp. in 1997 we didn’t know exactly what would or could happen, but we knew we needed to be a part of it. You can do anything on the web, which is pretty amazing. I believe we’ll continue to see more web services come online and be available, making the registration process that more efficient." # # # |
 University Communications Office Jonesboro, Arkansas Staff: Tom Moore Straley Snipes Vic Nelson 870-972-3056 fax 870-972-3069 Send mail: ASUnews@astate.edu Links: List of News/Announcements Upcoming Public Events About ASU ASU Home Page |
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