OXFORD, Miss. – University of Mississippi students have the
option of being put on a waiting list if classes are full
during spring and winter session registration, thanks to a
new feature of the university’s campus management system.
“The wait-listing system will work a lot like standby
booking for an airline,” said Maurice Eftink, associate
provost and dean of the Graduate School. “Once a course or
section has been booked to its limit, the next student who
tries to book will be asked if he or she would like to
place themselves on the wait-list.”
If someone already booked in the class drops out, the first
person on the wait-list is moved into the class.
A student can log onto wait-lists for any number of classes
as long as wait-listed and regular-booked classes together
do not exceed 21 hours.
“For example, a student might book for 15 hours as regular
bookings, and then place themselves on a wait-list for two
three-hour courses,” Eftink said.
The campus management system is a complete and integrated
set of computerized functions. It manages student, employee
and financial records, including class registration.
Joe Norman, systems analyst III in Information Technology,
said the university began considering the wait-listing
system in February 2006. IT began meeting internally to
discuss the project in early January of this year. “We ran
its first major internal test on the system Oct. 22.”
This new process should be helpful to students whose
registration window might open later than others and
prevent frustration as students try to secure spots in
classes.
Under the old system, Eftink said, “If a student really
wanted to get into a course, he or she would return to the
booking interface every few days or weeks in hopes that
someone had dropped the course and that they were the first
to notice.
“The process was frustrating to the student and would be
inefficient for the departments, since courses would often
wind up not being fully booked.”
Eftink encourages all students who get on a wait-list to
attend the first week of the class, as the wait-listing
system will operate through the first week. After the first
week of class, all wait-lists are erased.
In his three years at Ole Miss, junior history major
Alyosha Downing has felt the frustration of not being able
to get into an important class.
“Sometimes I would sit in front of the computer waiting
morning, noon and night for someone to drop the class so I
could pick it up,” he said. “This system will make
registration a lot easier and less time consuming.”
Eftink said, “Students will no longer have to hit the
system repeatedly to try to get lucky and find an opening.
Once a student books and adds to the wait-list, the system
will then inform the student via e-mail if he or she has
moved up.
“Just sit back and read e-mails.”
However, the new wait-listing system will have some
consequences for students. Students no longer can have a
friend drop a course and then immediately take their spot.
Wait-listing will also make it more difficult for students
to switch sections of the same class.
“In a sense, wait-listing follows the first-come,
first-served principle,” Eftink said.
For more information on wait-listing, go to