There is an unexpected issue with the waitlist function that is affecting fall registration for approximately 200 classes across all campuses:
- For open classes with open seats and a waitlist capacity greater than zero:
- If a student clicks the “Wait list if class is full” box when registering for the class, the student will be added to a waitlist instead of being enrolled in the class.
- Once the waitlist is established, all students attempting to register for that class will be offered a spot on the waitlist instead of being enrolled in the class.
- In most cases, this issue is resolved by the auto-enroll process that runs each evening. The auto-enroll process assigns students on the waitlist to open seats in class.
- However, if students are not auto-enrolled due to a time conflict or some other issue, they will remain on the waitlist. Additional students attempting to enroll in that class will continue to be offered spots on the waitlist instead of being enrolled.
- For open classes with open seats and a waitlist capacity of zero:
- If a student clicks the “Wait list if class is full” box when registering for the class, the student will be told that the class is closed and will not be enrolled.
- In those cases, students should delete the class from their shopping cart, uncheck the ‘Wait list if class is full’ box and attempt to enroll again. They will be enrolled if there are still open seats.
Colleges and departments may use the course enrollment status report to find out if students are being prevented from enrolling in open seats due to a waitlist. There is a workaround for classes affected by this issue. To implement the workaround, departments should:
- Lower the enrollment capacity for the class by the number of students on the waitlist. Note the names and student IDs of the students on the waitlist so they can be manually enrolled later on.
- Uncheck the “Auto enroll from wait list” box.
This will allow students to continue to enroll in the class despite there being a waitlist. Once the workaround is in place, departments will need to monitor the affected class. If the class fills up and students begin to add themselves to the waitlist again, the “Auto enroll from wait list” box should be re-checked so students can be assigned to seats if any students drop the class.
If you have questions about whether your classes are affected or need assistance implementing the workaround, please contact srhelp@umn.edu. Staff are working with central OIT on finding a solution to this issue.
This is a huge issue...not a 'minor' issue.
ReplyDeleteStudents will not understand how to remove themselves from a waitlist in order to register. The system provides the option to check the "Waitlist class is class is full" box and of course students will click the box...just in case the class is full at the end of the registration transaction.
The functionality of the "Waitlist class is class is full" box does not make sense. I have been working at the orientation sessions at Duluth for fall 2015 and many students are bypassing sections that are 'open' with a phantom waitlist. This has caused frustrations from this population of students and from the faculty and staff assisting our new students for fall.
Also, faculty have contacted me as to why students are unable to register for their sections when clearly they are open. Again, the phantom waitlist was created preventing registration.
My main concern is frustrating students and not filling our courses.
The solution shared is for staff to daily manually monitor and submit course changes to the Duluth Registrar's office. This is not efficient or a good use of anyone's time.
The "Waitlist class is class is full" box needs to be reprogrammed or removed. If the box is removed, could it be activated once the course correctly closes and then the waitlist becomes an option? This functionality was how the old registration system worked.
Showing this box on the first step in registration is not wise and students will check it even if the course is currently open.