In recent years, Simpson College has been moving to online student registration. One reason to do this it to provide better service to students. Online registration allows students to register from anywhere there is internet access. An online registration system also simplifies the drop/add process and reduces paperwork.

A second reason for online registration process is that is reduces the impact of registration on the academic community. Advising sessions can focus on big-picture issues rather than the registration system, and advising can be spread out over a longer period. Another important benefit for online registration is that it allows the staff in our Registrar’s Office more time to work with individual students where needed. It also helps us better manage the curriculum. By using online technology, we can significantly reduce the number of days used for registration. This allows us to more quickly add courses when we see that sections are filling up. We have also scheduled an empty day between the each registration window so that students having problems registering during their assigned time block can contact the Registrar’s Office for help before the next group of students register.

All students are encouraged to go to the new registration site on StormFront and practice registering. It only takes a few minutes to learn the new registration screens. Students are also encouraged to create their “Preferred Sections List” before meeting with their advisors. This will allow more time for productive conversation during the advising session. The student’s advisor will still need to check the approval screen to allow the student to register, and so the meeting with the advisor should be done well in advance of the assigned registration time.

In summary, the new online registration system will provide students better service, allow more time for advising, and help us better manage our resources.