Tarleton State University is undergoing a number of changes during the 2013-2014 school year. The faculty and staff have been working to accommodate the growing numbers of incoming students, as well as the returning students who call Tarleton home.

While the most obvious changes are regarding buildings and parking, Tarleton’s registration practices are also being changed to better fit the needs of students and staff. Dr. David Weissenburger, the Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management, explained the reason for the upcoming changes.

“As part of our Student Retention Plan,” Weissenburger said, “this is one of the strategies we are going to take that we think will be helpful to students in registering for their classes, and making it through the class registration process a little bit easier.”

Registration for the 2014 spring semester will be the first time students see the new registration schedule. The schedule includes periods of registration that are open from 6 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. for a preset number of days, before the period closes and the students must wait for the next period to open.

This new schedule is based off the recommendations of Noah Levitz, one of the consulting firms used by the school to maximize efficiency for student success and satisfaction.

 “What we think will happen is that this will allow academic departments to adjust their schedules. They will have a better handle on the demand, and be able to respond to the demand,” Weissenburger said. “Because there’s a break, it will also allow them to make adjustments in terms of what they offer, as well as when they offer classes. Student support services and academic advisors will have more of an opportunity to address any issues the students are having with their registration.”

Another advantage of having time in between registration periods is that the University will be able to better plan where classes will be held based on the demand shown through registration. This effect on the layout of classes has the potential to maximize the number of classes offered, and spaces within certain classes, which is a major benefit to any student worried about class size limits for a desired class. The changes to the schedule will be aided by a technological change as well.

“We have some new software coming to help students with registration. It probably will not be ready for the spring or fall 2014 registration, but it should be by the next spring,” Weissenburger said. “What it does, is help students optimize their schedules. Instead of using Ducktrax the way you do now, where you have to constantly hunt for a class, and you spend a lot of time looking for the right one that’s going to fit into this one time slot, and then hopefully the next class you need doesn’t conflict, Course Scheduler is going to help with all of that.”

The program develops schedules based on the students class needs, as well as times that the student cannot take classes, due to other obligations such as band practice or work.

“You block out certain times, where you say you can’t go to class during these periods. Once you’ve entered in the classes that you want, the program optimizes the schedule for you,” Weissenburger said. “It pulls all of those classes that are going to fit with what you need, and give you several options. It is really going to speed up the process of class registration. Once you find a schedule you like, you’ll just press a button, and it will fill out the registration screen in Ducktrax for you, and then all you have to do is push the button to register.”

Although the new software is still a few semesters away, Tarleton staff is hoping that the changes being implemented this year will begin the transition to easier registration as quickly as possible. Students can now view classes that are available next semester.

Registration is based on the current classification at the time of registration. The early registration schedule is as followed:

Classification	Early Registration Dates
Honors	Oct 18-Nov 1 / Nov 11-Dec 4 / Dec 16-Jan 13
Doctoral, Graduate, Post-Bacc, & Seniors	Oct 21-Nov 1 / Nov 11-Dec 4 / Dec 16-Jan 13
Juniors	Oct 24-Nov 1 / Nov 11-Dec 4 / Dec 16-Jan 13
Sophomores	Oct 27-Nov 1 / Nov 11-Dec 4 / Dec 16-Jan 13
Freshmen	Oct 30-Nov 1 / Nov 11-Dec 4 / Dec 16-Jan 13

Chart courtesy of tarleton.edu/registrar