Precollege begins today and incoming Ohio University students will go through an orientation system designed to make their lives easier.
The biggest change is technological. The course catalog is no longer available in print, so students will be accessing it online with the help of an adviser. Director of Orientation Jenny Klein said in a university news release that the new system will streamline the process.
It used to be that you would work with an adviser on day one of Precollege
and then on day two you would register for classes in a computer lab often with assistance from someone completely different
Klein said. With the new system in place
you will work with the same person throughout.
Advisers will walk students through the catalog to determine which classes they'll need to take. Then, students will register for classes online, using the newly updated course offerings and registration pages.
Brittany Waltz, graduate assistant for Precollege, said they want to get students used to registering online from the beginning.
Essentially what we're trying to do is consolidate the information that students have to deal with
she said.
Registrar Debra Benton said she and her staff redesigned the course offerings Web site based on suggestions they have received from users. She said the change involved already-existing software and IT personnel, so there was no additional cost.
The new site includes more information about each class in the overall list and contains links to professors' contact information and department Web sites. Moving everything online, though, has created some concerns about too few computers and training for advisers, Waltz said. To prevent a computer shortage, OU encouraged incoming freshmen to bring their own laptops to Precollege.
What we're hoping is that either the three computers we provide in each advising room will cover us or students will be willing to share with a neighbor
Waltz said, adding that there will be 12 to 20 students in each advising room. The new system also requires projectors in every room to allow advisers to walk students through the process.
Waltz said Precollege organizers hope their student and faculty advisers took some time to train themselves on the new systems, and that there has been some reluctance to change.
There has been some hesitation
Waltz said. Some of the faculty like the way things are just because that's how they've done them. G? Some of our student staff are a little bit wary just because they've gone through the program with paper.
Students at Precollege spend about two days on campus registering for classes and learning about graduation requirements, activities on campus and learning communities. This year, the students are spending the night in James and Sargent residence halls on West Green.
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