UArts Enrollment Book

organizational development

UArts Enrollment Š 2010

UArts Enrollment Deng-Shun Chang Wan-Ting Chang Nicolas Coia Michael Smith

Deng-Shun Chang Wan-Ting Chang Nicolas Coia Michael Smith

Re-Thinking University Enrollment The University of the Arts Published by

211 South Broad Street, 5th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19102 Copyright Š 2011

Copyright © 2010 by Danny Chang, Wan-Ting Chang, Nicolas Coia & Michael Smith Illustrations copyright © 2010 by Danny Chang, Wan-Ting Chang, Nicolas Coia & Michael Smith Photography credits: Pages 4, 6, 24, 51, 61, 104, 108, 111, © 2010 Nicolas Coia; Pages 7, 10, 12, 17, 49, 55, 58, 63, 67, 72, © 2010 Wan-Ting Chang; Pages 19, 21, 22, 28, 40, 44, 47, 56, 64, 71, © 2010 Deng-Shun Chang; Page 107, © 2010 Jonny Goldstein; All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced–mechanically, electronically, or by any other means, including photocopying–without written permission of the publisher.

Cover design by Deng-Shun Chang Book design by The BAMF Team, Danny Chang, Wan-Ting Chang, Nicolas Coia & Michael Smith Masters of Industrial Design at The University of the Arts 211 South Broad Street, 5th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19102 First printing April 2011

Table of Contents 04 Introduction: Jenny’s Past 08 Chapter 1: Background 18 Chapter 2: Research 40 Chapter 3: Opportunities 72 Chapter 4: Proposal 104 Chapter 5: Future Steps 108 Conclusion: Jenny’s Future 112 Glossary

Published by

211 South Broad Street, 5th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19102 Copyright © 2011

Introduction

Jenny’s ...

Jenny had nearly finished her first semester as a sophomore at UArts and it was almost time to register for next semester’s classes. Although she was enrolled in the Illustration program, Jenny wanted to focus her non-major studies on crafts. She knew that enrolling in an undergraduate education at UArts would allow her to spread her wings, study multiple facets of art and learn from a multitude of diverse artistic individuals.

quite a while to understand the document; she couldn’t help but stumble through the cryptic, text-based degree audit. After she spent some time learning how to read it, she was able to locate her required major and elective courses for the spring semester.

Jenny browsed through the course catalog and was excited to find “Introduction to Throwing,” a sculpture elective that sounded perfect. The problem was, Jenny Jenny has been trying to get a hold of her advisor, Marco, had no idea what classes were offered in the coming spring semester. She recalled receiving a few emails for the past week, but to no avail; Marco, an adjunct from the Registrar’s Office, but was overwhelmed by the professor, was required to advise, but found himself on campus infrequently. Due to the high student-to-advisor email lengths. Rather than paging through old emails, she contacted Marco for direction. ratio in the Illustration department, the advisors found it difficult to schedule time with students for advising.

Marco sent Jenny a link to the UArts bulletin. The After a few emails about scheduling an appointment, bulletin differs from the catalog in that it only lists Jenny and Marco decided October 26th would work available classes in the coming semester. Since she had best. not previously seen this, Jenny felt lost in the Excel-like layout. She eventually found “Introduction to Throwing” At her advising meeting, Jenny explained her interests and saw that it would be offered in the spring semester, in learning crafts but feared she would not be able to but only at one time (Wednesdays from 8:30am complement her education as well as she hoped. Marco 3:50pm). All Jenny had to do now was schedule her asked Jenny if he could see her advising form to better remaining five classes. understand these frustrations. Jenny was confused; she had no idea where to get the form or what classes she needed to take. Marco realized he hadn’t told Jenny what Jenny began locating her major classes in the bulletin, but was soon overwhelmed with the number of sections she needed to do for class registration. Marco had no substantial advisor training and did not fully understand available for some courses. Fearing she wouldn’t be able the goals or procedures of an advisor. He emailed Jenny to fit her elective into the confusing schedule, Jenny decided to see if Marco could help shed some light on the links to the course catalog, bulletin, and advising the situation. forms. Marco then decided to schedule a meeting later that week so Jenny could explore her options.

At their next meeting, Marco and Jenny painfully looked up each class, selected from the multiple scheduling Before Jenny could schedule her spring semester, she options and manually plugged them into the grid, hoping needed to know what classes were required and how many credits were left for electives. She navigated to her no conflicts would arise. They came up with a few alternate schedules revolving around the elective she degree audit via a link provided by Marco. It took her 4

was interested in. However, Jenny wasn’t able to take any of the liberal arts classes she wanted to take; she had to settle for less exciting courses that would fulfill her requirement.

Once Jenny’s registration plans were established, Marco submitted the advising form to the Registrar’s Office, giving Jenny permission to register for classes online.

Although they accomplished their goal of filling out and sending the advising form to the Registrar’s office, Marco did not have the time to speak with Jenny about her future goals and what she felt could best influence her education.

The seemingly simple exercise of sketching out student schedules was a daunting task for Marco. There were numerous course times for each required class, creating difficulty in the manual navigation of scheduling options.

However, it was important to build a comprehensive map for Jenny’s semester.

An error appeared on-screen saying she was unable to register until she updated her address. This surprised Jenny because she hadn’t absorbed this piece of information from the Registrar’s lengthy email. After she frantically updated her address, Jenny was finally eligible for registration. She was unaware that the system saved her “Considerations” and went through the entire process again, wasting valuable time.

It was then 11:45am. With 300 other students in Illustration, two of the courses Jenny wanted to register for on Monday and Tuesday were already capped: Pictorial Foundation and Figure Anatomy.

She tried to register for the Tuesday and Thursday sections of Figure Anatomy but they too were completely full. It was noon, and the only remaining time slot was the 8:30pm or 1:30pm Wednesday slot. This meant that, because of conflicting class times, she could not register for “Introduction to Throwing.”

Jenny was very disappointed, as she really wanted to incorporate crafts into her education. She felt if the online registration process was simpler or the upfront instructions were better delivered, she would have been Jenny received a lengthy email from the Registrar’s office able to register for the classes she was passionate about... confirming her advisor approval and detailing the steps she needs take for class registration. She skimmed over the endless email to arrive at her priority registration ...and she wouldn’t have felt so time. “Why couldn’t they have just sent a few simple lines of text?”, she wondered.

Inconsistencies in class lists between the catalog and bulletin proved frustrating. Marco only wished there was a more productive way to accomplish these tasks.

lost.

It was November 15th, Jenny’s priority registration was at 11:00am. She jumped onto her computer at 11:15am to start the registration process. She navigated to the “Search/Register for Sections” area. Jenny patiently filtered for her core classes and tried to register for them. Rather than registering for these classes, however, WebAdvisor simply added them to a list of classes in which she was interested. Annoyed at the clunky system, Jenny proceeded to select “register” from the drop down menus next to her requested courses.

Introduction: Jenny’s Past

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Chapter 1

Background The Director of the Masters of Industrial Design program (MID), Jonas Milder, approached Adrienne Stalek, the Associate Dean of the College of Art and Design, and Krishna Dunston, the Assistant Dean of the College of Performing Arts, about implementing a design intervention at The University of the Arts focused on the registration and advising processes.

Two MID students, Andy Grossman and Michael Barakat, conducted research on the registration process of UArts in the summer of 2010. Their analysis helped structure an outline for rest of the project.

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7

Client Introduction The Masters of Industrial Design program was given the task of researching multiple facets of the UArts enrollment process. The Associate Dean of CAD and the Assistant Dean of CPA, Adrienne Stalek and Krishna Dunston, respectively, were interested in “How do students get into and out of classes?,” “Are the Leave of Absence, Withdrawal and Drop/Add Forms structured in the best way possible?” and “How do we improve the overall student experience?”

With that direction, research the UArts enrollment process and look for areas of improvement in which a design intervention would best influence and improve the student experience. The research should be focused on advising, registration and paper forms.

Adrienne Stalek (Top) and Krishna Dunston

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Previous Research Prior to the more comprehensive research presented in this book, a smaller team of MID students, Michael Barakat and Andy Grossman, performed preliminary research on what a student experiences during the registration process.

This initial research was a proving ground for a more indepth design intervention.

The diagram to the right highlights a hypothetical student interaction with the registration process. In this interaction, the student must track down multiple professor signatures to complete the advising and Drop/ Add forms.

Through a couple interviews with employees of the Registrar’s Office, the team discovered that the paper Drop / Add forms are a headache for both staff and students. The Registrar’s office states there are too many required signatures on the form and “too much [student] hand-holding.”

Override caps, prerequisite conflicts and class petitions are just a few of the manual overrides presented by students as challenges for the Registrar’s Office.

Students who need to complete these actions create additional work.They must track down professors for additional signatures, forcing them to walk up and down the campus and have the Registrar’s Office fulfill the requests.

The prior team’s research was enlightening and gave immediate direction for where further insight should be implemented.

Chapter 1: Background

9

Stakeholders UArts Enrollment touches upon multiple facets of the community: the Registrar, Deans, Faculty/Advisors and the Students (arguably the most important audience).

The prior team of MID students began to uncover specific areas of focus which, when analyzed, began to show a multitude of overlapping relationships.

The interactions of students and the Registrar, students and faculty, and finally students and the deans are important to keep in mind. These interactions begin to frame the larger and more pertinent challenges the university faces today.

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Stakeholder Relationships Students

Advisors

Deans

Registrar

Advising Model

Advising Model

Advising Model

Advising Model

Closed Classes

Closed Classes

Closed Classes

Closed Classes

Drop / Add

Drop / Add

Drop / Add

Drop / Add

Printed Forms

Printed Forms

Printed Forms

Printed Forms

Independent Study

Independent Study

Independent Study

Independent Study

Manual Overrides

Manual Overrides

Manual Overrides

Manual Overrides

No Centralized Info

No Centralized Info

No Centralized Info

No Centralized Info

Non-Unified Portal

Non-Unified Portal

Non-Unified Portal

Non-Unified Portal

Registration System

Registration System

Registration System

Registration System

Required Signatures

Required Signatures

Required Signatures

Required Signatures

Academic Status

Academic Status

Academic Status

Academic Status

This diagram portrays areas of focus and their relationships with stakeholders

Chapter 1: Background

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The Elements of Enrollment

Registrar

Advising

The Registrar’s Office is responsible for maintaining all university records, including class lists, procedures, resources and physical space for academic courses.

Advising is the process where members of a department’s faculty approve of the student’s preferred class schedules.

Prerequisites and enrollment caps for all university classes are delivered to the Registrar for digital cataloging. This information is accessed automatically by the WebAdvisor when a student registers for class.

Advisors are challenged with ensuring students complete their required credits in a timeline congruent with the academic calendar. If a student fails or misses a required class, that class will need to be taken at a later date with possible additional costs.

Scheduling

Digital System

In the beginning of the advising period, students research their required credits for the coming semester and sketch out possible class schedules.

These schedules are then presented to their advisors for registration approval.

There are multiple digital systems to help faculty, students and the Registrar access and interact with university information, such as policies, email and curriculum guidelines.

None of these systems (ImageNow, Portal, WebAdvisor, UArts website,Wiki and Datatel), however, have a similar visual language or architecture.

There is an overarching grid system which the schedules must adhere to, but this is structured well in advance of the student interaction.

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Registrar

Advising

Paper Forms Preresquisites Enrollment Caps Requirements

Deans Department Chairs Faculty Advisors Students

Scheduling

Digital System

Conflicts Grid System Communication

Image Now Portal WebAdvisor Wiki Datatel

Four elements of enrollment

Chapter 1: Background

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Current Registration Process The registration system is currently a hybrid process involving both paper and digital forms. This process starts when the student meets with her advisor to review possible semester class schedules. These schedules are annotated on paper forms. The advisor then signs the form and scans it into the “ImageNow” system. ImageNow creates a PDF of the form which can then be emailed to the next appropriate party, in this case the Registrar’s Office. The Registrar’s Office can then process the information and enter it into Datatel.

Datetel is a digital filing cabinet, cataloging all information the university has on any given student.

Datatel feeds WebAdvisor, and grants registration permissions and restrictions to all students. Without this technology, online registration would not be possible.

Advisors

Advising

Students

Once the process has been completed, the student may log into WebAdvisor to check her registration status. If cleared for registration, the student can then register during the registration period.

Check Approval

Register

WebAdvisor

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Signed Physical Form

Scanned Image

Image Now Registrar

Data

Processed Image

Datatel A hybrid registration process involving both paper and digital forms

Chapter 1: Background

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Chapter 2

Research Research was conducted in the form of interviews and surveys. Interviews were conducted with multiple faculty from around the campus including Deans, advisors and the Registrar’s Office. While surveys were passed out to students from various class years and programs.

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17

Interviews Of the various research opportunities available, group discussion concluded on conducting university-wide interviews as the best source of information. By formulating an interview process, information was collected in a standardized way. Researchers were able to guide the conversations and maintain consistency in topics. The conversations were also allowed to advance where the interviewee felt most comfortable.

Interviews were conducted with a variety of university staff including Advisors, Directors, Department Chairs, Administrative Assistants, Deans, and the Registrar’s Office. A total of 21 members of the UArts community were interviewed.

Each interview was approximately one hour in length and recorded for notational purposes. The questions were formulized around advising, the registration process, paper & digital forms, and the grid.

Department Chair 8 Dean 3 Registrar’s Office 6 Director 2 Administrative Assistant 1 Advisor / Professor 1 Total Interviews 21

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Chapter 2: Research

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Interview Questions The interview questions were the end result of very targeted and meaningful topics to elicit information from our audience in a limited and focused timeframe.

Integrating the conversations with both the Assistant and Associate Deans with the work performed over the Summer semester, we were able to create a framework to build upon.

Our goals were to understand the registration and advising process. How the multiple departments interacted with each other and themselves. And at what level was each department leveraging or straying from the current technological constructs.

The formulated questions were as follows: • Are you familiar with the grid and the rules that surround it?

• How do you feel about the number of required signatures on forms like Drop/Add, Withdrawal or Leave of Absence?

• If you could improve one facet of your job, what would it be?

• What would you never change about your job?

• How does your department structure advising?

• What are your thoughts on the current advising model?

• Do many of your students take electives outside of this department? Are there any difficulties in scheduling electives?

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Chapter 2: Research

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Student Surveys Surveys were passed out to students of UArts to better understand views of a randomly populated group. 46 students were surveyed six Freshman, seven Sophomores, nine Juniors and 21 Seniors from two buildings, Terra and Anderson Hall.

The survey information, however, turned out not as informative for our design as we had hoped. The questions we formulated were too leading and focused greatly on the advising process, rather than looking at the situation holistically, as we had with the faculty.

Creating, distributing and analyzing the surveys was an excellent process, and did lend insights into the mind of the student body. However, the end proposal does not greatly reflect a revising of the advising process.

Major____________ Year_____________ How was advising?

Difficult

1 2 3 4 5

Smooth

What was difficult / smooth about it?

Is it difficult to fit electives into your schedule?

What would make advising better, more seamless?

How would you feel about a blackout day, where advising happened on one day, with all the professors and advisors available to answer questions and help guide your educational experience?

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Chapter 2: Research

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Other Universities Most universities use text-based degree audit systems, however, Temple and the University of Colorado at Boulder use more visually engaging degree audit systems.

The graphical user interaface, shown to the right, overlays visual representations of a student’s progress in terms of credit hours and GPA, even going as far as breaking this data out into class type.

This intuitive layout is a starting point for framing the legitamacy of the final proposed ideas, presented in the final chapters of this book.

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Audit

You are here

View Course History

PREPARED: 06/11/08 - 14:23 Mary Miami PROGRAM CODE: 11 06

Audit

Close Window

U12345678 GRADUATION DATE: 06/13/08 CATALOG YEAR: 20048

http://www.redlanternu.com Bachelor of Arts Geography

Categories

Course Cart

Open All Sections

Course

Term

Fall 2009

GEO421

3.0

Printer Friendly

bAT LEAST ONE REQUIREMENT HAS NOT BEEN SATISFIED

3.0

Total

Close All Sections

Credit Grade

This Degree Requires 128 Total Applicable Credits This degree requires a minimum cumulative Grade Point Average of 2.000.

Note: Anticipated grades for Planned courses will affect the cumulative GPA reported for this requirement

Course to add: Add to cart Go

First Year Seminar English Composition and Literature

Update year/terms of all courses Fall 2007

A example of a visual degree audit system

Go

Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Cultures: Minimum of 9 overall hours with both areas demonstrated Natural Science Minimum of 9 credits, including the following: At Least Three Hours in Biological Science At Least Three Hours in Physical Science At Least One Laboratory Course Mathematics, Formal Reasoning, Technology Historical Perspective Liberal Arts & Science Language Requirement - Complete one of 3 methods.

Liberal Arts & Sciences Humanities Requirement At least three of four areas must be represented from: History, Literature, Philosophy, and Religion.

A minimum of three hours must be completed in each of the areas selected.

Three additional hours, for a total of 12 hours, can be completed from any area or the additional course list.

Liberal Arts & Sciences - Social Sciences Requirement Liberal Arts & Sciences Formal Reasoning Requirement Geography Major Requirements Sociology Minor Courses in Excess of those Specifically Required ****

LEGEND

****

*** Requirement Completion Status Symbols *** Not Yet Complete

Currently Satisfied Satisfied if

Chapter 2: Research

25

Synthesizing Interview Data Analyzing hours of tape can be a daunting task, so interview data was synthesized into a more visual context. Key opportunities, or problem areas, were extracted from interviewees and assigned values.

The scale was kept to a three level hierarchy. The larger the node, the more important an issue it represents.

The nodes were also categorized into one of the four elements of enrollment; the Registrar, Advising,

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Scheduling and Digital System.

These elements were color coded to be easily referenced and compared with other interview results.

(Cyan, magenta, blue and green, respectively) The data was then analyzed from a holistic level and began to reveal consistency in themes. Highlighting these themes helped advance the data into another illuminating infographic.

Registrar

Less Important

Advising

More Important

Scheduling Digital System Opportunity

Opportunity

Interviewee Position Opportunity

Opportunity Opportunity

Organization of Interview Data Chapter 2: Research

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Interview Data Registrar

Scheduling

Advising

Digital System

Degree audit inconsistency

Department Chair

GRID based on Faculty

Transfer students difficulty

Transfer student difficulty

Advising during class time

Department Chair

No University-wide time slot for Electives

Students don't use assigned advisor

Adjunct training Advising FAQ

Department Chair

Unclear substitution policy

Department Chair

Faculty-wide WebNow Access

Advisor inconsistency year-to-year Students ignore advising sheet

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Advisor / Professor training for international students

New faculty difficulties

Credit counting difficulty

Portal is confusing

Department Chair

Department Chair

Too many university tools

General advising training Too many communication forms

Course bulletin confusion

Inconsistent Degree Audit format

Dual listed courses are confusing on Portal

Helping students choose useful electives

Space issues when students from other majors join classes

Registration process redundancy

Director of Graduate Studies

Administrative Assistant Coordinating schedules of faculty

Registering for upper level CAD classes requires special topics form

Courses scheduled based on prior year catalog

25% students lack advising

Chapter 2: Research

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Interview Data, Cont’d Registrar

Scheduling

Advising

Digital System

Forms require signatures

Unclear purpose of forms

Dean

Part-time faculty lack knowledge of course and responsibility for advising

Cap overrides due to ensemble 2yr college credits no longer accepted

Being reactive mode to other dept. in terms of scheduling

Title / signature on the forms is confusing

Students’ schedules do not fit LACR courses well

Dean Student difficulty taking courses outside department

Transfer students & courses / credit swapping

Music & dance dept. are main issue of scheduling courses

Director of Graduate Studies

Students must work hard to keep up with tight schedule

LOA return policy is unclear to students

Students’ work schedules conflict with class

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Forms lack clarity

Advise and navigate LOA students

Catalog is not printed

Failing fall/spring sequenced courses

Fewest full time faculty (50:1) No entrant requirements for students (ex. GPA)

Advisor Department Chair Transfer students on wait-list

Rigid schedule due to great structure

Students don’t look at Portal

No university wide elective slots

Caps are Dean’s decision

Against shorter class period time

Students are usually able to get a cap-override signature

Shorten the length of Drop/Add

Students addicted to drop/add

Forms require signatures

The portal is too complicated and confusing Lack of communication between advising forms and registration

Dean

Registrar

Department of music and dance submit late drop/adds due to ensemble auditions

Which dean required for what signature

Too many signatures required for certain forms

Chapter 2: Research

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Synthesis of Interview Data Registrar Scheduling

Advisor Training

Confusing Forms

Advising Digital System Too many communication forms

Advisor inconsistency year-to-year

Isolating interviewee data was important in understanding the relationship between employee roles and issues. In continuing to expand interview data into a more transparent system, the nodes progressed into opportunistic categories showing the relationships between the elements of enrollment.

These categories evolved as generalized areas of opportunity and the driving force for the rest of this book, they are highlighted through a comprehensive proposal strategy.

Advisor / Professor training for international students

Adjunct training

Students don't use assigned advisor

Lack of communication between advising forms and registration

Forms lack clarity

General advising training Unclear purpose of forms

Part-time faculty lack knowledge of course and responsibility for advising

Forms & Signatures Title / signature on the forms is confusing

Forms require signatures

Grid Conflicts

Students must work hard to keep up with tight schedule

Students’ work schedules conflict with class

Forms require signatures

Too many signatures required for certain forms

Students’ schedules do not fit LACR courses well

Music & dance dept. are main issue of scheduling courses Which dean required for what signature

Course Scheduling Course Substitution No University-wide time slot for Electives Courses scheduled based on prior year catalog

Being reactive mode to other dept. in terms of scheduling

Rigid schedule due to great structure

2yr college credits no longer accepted

GRID based on Faculty

Unclear substitution policy

Coordinating schedules of faculty

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Transfer students & courses / credit swapping Against shorter class period time

Student difficulty taking courses outside department

Transfer Student

Transfer students difficulty

Transfer students on wait-list

Transfer student difficulty

Degree Audit

System

Students & Advising Students ignore advising sheet

Too many university tools Portal is confusing

Students don’t look at Portal Faculty-wide WebNow Access

Degree audit inconsistency

The portal is too complicated and confusing

Drop/Add

Caps are Dean’s decision

Shorten the length of Drop/Add

Cap overrides due to ensemble

Bulletin / Catalog

Students addicted to drop/add

Leave & Withdraw

Catalog is not printed LOA return policy is unclear to students

Department of music and dance submit late drop/adds due to ensemble auditions

Space issues when students from other majors join classes

Fewest full time faculty (50:1)

Advising FAQ

25% students lack advising

Inconsistent Degree Audit format

Caps / Space

Students are usually able to get a cap-override signature

Credit counting difficulty

Failing fall/spring sequenced courses

Registering for upper level CAD classes requires special topics form

Students don’t look at Portal

Advise and navigate LOA students

Course bulletin confusion

Advising during class time

Dual listed courses are confusing on Portal

Registration process redundancy

No entrant requirements for students (ex. GPA)

Chapter 2: Research

New faculty difficulties

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Student Survey Results 67% of all students felt advising was smooth, while only 14% felt it was a difficult process. The College of Art and Design held the majority voice for these surveys, representing 78% of the students surveyed.

The 54% of students who felt advising went smoothly also stated that their courses were pre-planned, instructions were easily understood and their advisors knew how to guide them through the process in a helpful way.

While only 14% of students felt advising was difficult, their statements should not be overlooked.

Many of them didn’t know what courses to take and felt it was difficult to even find their advisor, and when they did, their advisor was unsure about what information the students needed to understand.

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Positive

Negative

Rate the Advising Experience CAD

– College of Art and Design

CPA

– College of Performing Arts

CMAC

– College of Media & Communications

Positive All courses were planned out

Negative Advisor was not sure what to do or gave unclear information

Easy to understand

Hard to catch advisor Degree audit not clear

Advisor knew what to do and was very helpful in process

Not too much to take in Senior yr

Hard to figure out what to take or fit class in schedule

Awesome caption about this wacky wild inforgraphic

Chapter 2: Research

35

Student Survey Results Cont’d What would make advising better?

Registrar Scheduling Advising Digital System

Actually getting advised Email with more info

More courses and sections

Better description for courses

Better website and system interface

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Auto register for required courses

Later advising time

Easier access to advisor

Simplified degree audit

BLOCK OUT DAY for Advising?

Dedicated advising day?

22% UNDECIDED

24% AGAINST Many of the student concerns reflect similar issues brought up by the members of faculty during their interviews.

Student suggestions on the advising experience.

54% FOR rises, classes will become larger and more courses will need to be offered.

The student concerned with more available course sections reflects the difficulty experienced while scheduling classes in the grid.

Many students also feel the need for a better website and system interface.

But due to the number of systems the students and faculty need to interact with, they become easily lost in the web of sites.

For the students, the issue is lack of sections, however, the faculty are concerned with scheduling hundreds of courses to better enable students to take classes outside of their major.

The more courses offered the more difficult this becomes. However, as student interest in attending UArts

The Degree Audit allows the student to see what classes they have taken and which classes they still need to take. Straightforward as it may seem, the current Degree Audit is not user-friendly and many users find it difficult to absorb the needed information.

Chapter 2: Research

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Chapter 3

Opportunities The interviews uncovered many opportunities for improved systems and enhanced ways of presenting information. Some of these opportunities net out in more robust and expansive proposals, while others simply lend themselves to a simple format update or a more palatable way of presenting information.

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Overview Graphic illustrations now categorize the four elements of enrollment. These elements represent the multiple opportunities uncovered through the research process and create a better visual queue to call upon when thinking which element the opportunity most affects.

The colors of the illustrations continue to follow suit with all previously presented material and should serve as the first discernible visual queue when referencing different sections of this book.

By creating a visual queue, readers can more easily discern the over arching and affected opportunities.

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Together the four elements represent the aggregated problem issues. The Registrar is comprised of confusing forms, Drop & Add, Signatures, Caps & Space, and Bulletin & Catalog.

Advising represents Advisor Training, Transfer Students, Course Substitution, Students and Advising, and Leave & Withdrawal.

The Scheduling icon symbolizes Course Scheduling and Grid Conflicts while the Digital System is comprised of University Tools and Degree Audit.

Issues

Opportunities Registrar

Advising

Confusing Forms Drop & Add Signatures Caps & Space Bulletin & Catalog

Advisor Training Transfer Students Course Substitution Students and Advising Leave & Withdrawal

Scheduling

Digital System

Course Scheduling Grid Conflicts

University Tools Degree Audit

Chapter 3: Opportunities

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Registrar

Issue 1: Confusing Forms

“There are a lot of forms that say Director or Head’s signature...

And it says beneath that Dean’s signature... And I confess, stupid me, I still don’t in any case know which Dean that is.”

– Dean

UArts recently switched from an all paper system to an almost full digital system. Although the switch from paper to digital was implemented, many of the old paper forms have since stuck around. Forms such as Leave of Absence, Drop/Add, University Withdrawal and Class Withdrawal are still widely used.

Not only are the forms antiquated, but form structure “[hasn’t] been updated since the schools inception.” Such as the Drop/Add form.

Currently stated on the Drop/Add form is the distribution order for the carbon copies, which no longer exist. The Drop/Add form also states that signatures are required to drop or add a course, insinuating the completion of a physical form, when in reality, this can currently be performed online, and signatures are not required.

Chapter 3: Opportunities

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Registrar

Issue 2: Drop & Add The drop/add procedure evolved from a paper-to-digital process a few years ago but was never appropriately advertised. Students still walk around campus to collect signatures from professors and drop off the form at the Registrar’s Office.

This increases the work load for the Registrar’s Office and adds stress to the student, who needs to walk up and down Broad street finding professors to sign the form.

These are all unnecessary headaches created around a simple procedure that is already available online, negating the need to obtain professor signatures and involve Registrar personnel.

“Students are addicted to drop/add.”

One interviewee stated that “students are addicted to drop/add.” A student frequently dropping and adding courses completes a new form each time, creating unnecessary work for themselves and faculty.

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– Registrar

Chapter 3: Opportunities

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Registrar

Issue 3: Signatures The number of signatures required for a given form can be quite inundating. There are upwards of six signatures for a given form.

“I’m supposed to sign this form, so I should be doing some kind of function, clarifying something, giving some information... I’m not really sure what purpose I’m filling.”

– Dean

The Drop/Add form has a minimum of four signatures.

If a student is dropping and adding multiple courses, than the number of signatures starts to increase proportionately to the number of classes added.

The Deans signatures are located on many forms, including, but not limited to, Leave of Absence, Withdrawal, Change of Grade and Section Change.

Due to the number of forms with which the Dean’s signatures are “required,” the Deans have lost sight of their responsibilities or reasonings for signing certain forms simply due to unchanged rules.

Since the Dean’s signature was originally required, no one ever challenged it’s necessity.

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Chapter 3: Opportunities

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Registrar

Issue 4: Caps & Space UArts total enrollment numbers are increasing.

However, an increase the student body does not mean increased space or more faculty on staff.

Not only are enrollment caps affected by the number of students enrolled in the university and the size allotted by the classroom types, but more importantly, the popularity or frequency of requirement of a course.

"There are times when students come in from other departments, they somehow got permission‌ and they just can't fit in the space." – Professor

The greater the popularity of a course or the higher the number of students required to take a course increases the speed at which a course becomes full. And as courses fill up, it creates more difficulty for students to schedule a layout to include all required and preferred classes.

In the last, and most awkward of scenarios, students show up for the first day of an already full class. The class can only hold 12 students due to resource limitations.

Even though the space constraints are known, somehow the system cleared them or a faculty member signed a form to approve their registration.

48

Determining enrollment caps for a course in relation to physical space of a classroom is crucial for course scheduling.

Chapter 3: Opportunities

49

Course Bulletin

Online Course Catalog Academic Calendar | Faculty/Staff Directory | My UArts Portal

The University of the Arts Nov 03, 2010

2010-2011 UArts Undergraduate and Graduate Course Catalog

Catalog Search Enter Keyword

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Catalog Home About UArts Colleges Departments by College Liberal Arts Division Faculty Academic Calendar

Course Catalog

Undergraduate Degree Requirements Programs and their Requirements Majors, Minors and Concentrations (A to Z)

2010-2011 UArts Undergraduate and Graduate Course Catalog

The University of the Arts 320 South Broad Street Philadelphia, PA 19102 215-717-6000 1-800-616-ARTS http://www.uarts.edu CEEB code 2664 Title IV code 003350 To learn more about the University of the Arts go to the About UArts page.

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POLICIES AND PROCEDURES —Academic Options —Academic Progress and Student Responsibility —Enrollment and Registration —General Information —Grading Policies —Graduate Student Policies —Graduation Requirements —Student Information and Communication —Transfer Credit and Course Equivalency Student Affairs Student Judicial System Student Financial Services Tuition and Expenses Admission Policies and Procedures Division of Continuing Studies Digital Technology at UArts

The course catalog and bulletin are accessible in multiple ways with different interfaces.

50

HELP

Administration and Board of Trustees My Catalog Pages All catalogs © 2010 The University of the Arts. Powered by the acalog™ academic catalog management system (ACMS™) .

Registrar

Issue 5: Bulletin & Catalog The University Bulletin and Catalog tend to create more confusion than enlightenment. For starters, the catalog lists all classes offered

by UArts. Which is a necessary document for UArts to offer. But it also lists classes that the university used to offer but no longer does.

or sent to them by their advisor), students soon realize one or more of the classes they were considering as an elective aren’t offered in the coming semester.

When initially scheduling the coming semester, students frequently check the course catalog, the most easily accessible of the two. In the catalog, students can read more detailed course descriptions, helping them decide on what to take. The issue is when they try to register or check the bulletin (once it is released

Chapter 3: Opportunities

51

Advising

Issue 6: Advisor Training Few departments facilitate advisor training. Training is not standardized or enforced by UArts, and the advising model actually changes from department to department.

Most departments only have four fulltime faculty members.

Approximately 20% of these faculty are new to the advising model and don’t necessarily understand the processes and procedures instilled that accurately guide students through the registration process.

There are a few departments, however, with their own advising standards that focus their efforts on cross-advisor training. The Music Department, for instance, holds a “black-out day” in which they set aside an entire day for advising where all professors are present and students have the opportunity to 52

contact and speak with any teacher.

Students can either schedule an appointment or wait for availability on a first-come first-served basis.

new advisors greater confidence in their techniques.

However, this is just one department’s story. Across the The day also doubles as an advisor campus, advisors are not guiding training bootcamp. Senior advisors sit the student education as well as they with novice advisors to help answer could. Teachers passively approve more complicated enrollment issues student requests rather than talking that may arise. This process promotes with them about future goals or the spread of knowledge and gives educational concerns.

“Advisors should be doing more holistic advising but we don’t have any way to ensure compliance” – Department Chair

Only few departments have instilled crossadvisor training.

Chapter 3: Opportunities

53

54

Advising

Issue 7: Transfer Students Transfer students are a great source of diversity to the university. Students interested in transferring into a program at UArts are typically from two-year programs who want to complete their bachelors degree or students who feel UArts would compliment their artistic objectives.

“They can’t fit in the program... but they would add great diversity to students’ education.”

– Department Chair

But transferring in from an outside program can be difficult. Other schools don’t have the same standards or requirements in their core classes. This forces the Department Chair to closely interview prospective transfer students and see if they’ll need to take additional courses.

These comparisons can be tasking and it is the role of the Chair to decide what classifies as an appropriate substitution and what does not.

Transfer students usually experience a more difficut advising and registration process.

Chapter 3: Opportunities

55

Course substitution requires knowledgable and experienced advisors.

56

Advising

Issue 8: Course Substitution

“The advisor has authority to determine substitute courses...

Being able to determine substitutions is important.“ – Advisor

Course substitutions can be performed if, for instance, a senior in her last semester is three credits shy of graduating. And when researching her degree audit, the advisor uncovers an overlap in material from an elective the student took and the core class from which she withdrew or never had.

However, the ability to determine adequate substitutions is a learned skill. It is similar to deciding whether the curriculum from another university can be accepted when trying to integrate a transfer student.

Although slightly different, Deans have the ability to accept the grade of “D” as passing. This is only an acceptable procedure in unique cases. Like when a student shows that she can excel, but may have had a rough semester, where, she let an elective fall to the wayside.

Chapter 3: Opportunities

57

Advising

Issue 9: Students & Advising A student’s undergraduate career is guided by three things. First is the major program in which she is enrolled. The stated program outlines the core classes needed for graduation. Second is the student’s interest in elective courses. And third, possibly the most important, is the advisor’s foresight to analyze the student’s potential and help her make the best elective decisions possible.

“I think students don’t take it seriously sometimes...

A quarter of them just don’t get advised at all.”

– Advisor

58

If an advisor knows his student personally, then he understands her potential for success. And with that knowledge, the advisor should be able to guide the student towards or away from particular educational difficulties.

In the end, it is, however, the student’s choice and responsibility in exactly what classes she enrolls. The student needn’t ever take a core class, as the only true restrictions she’d encounter are prerequisites, class caps and semester credit counts. If a student wanted to, she could register for four electives a semester, but would never complete the degree requirements for graduation.

Chapter 3: Opportunities

59

Advising

Issue 10: Leave & Withdrawal It has become clear that many students do not understand the schedule for which taking a leave of absence or withdrawal adhere.

And try to take a leave of absence or withdrawal when university guidelines state that this is not permitted, and, instead, the student needs to take a letter grade of “F” rather than “W”.

Is this a factor of poor information delivery by the advisors or a lack of attention to detail by the student body? In both scenarios, students either do not care about the semester timeline or haven’t absorbed (read) the information.

60

In addition to following appropriate timelines, are the requirements upon returning to UArts. Taking a leave of absence is a time sensitive procedure.

Students may not be gone from the university longer than one semester, and if they are absent past this period they need to apply for readmission.

Based on this requirement, it becomes difficult for students whose programs are very linear in structure.

Cross-department communication appears to be lacking at UArts.

As stated by the Deans, the Leave of Absence form should not be accessible by students since it is the Registrar’s decision if a student is of good academic standing to even be considered for taking a leave, on the contrary though, the form is very much available.

A Sophomore leaving in her Fall semester and returning in what should have been her Junior Fall semester needs to integrate completely with the prior year’s Freshman. Otherwise, the student would be at a great disadvantage.

“I want to be able to advise and navigate [leave of absence] students even if they are not here.”

– Advisor

Chapter 3: Opportunities

61

The complexity of scheduling is worsened by unintuitive methods and the lack of deparment communication.

62

Scheduling

Issue 11: Course Scheduling A standardized weekly layout labeled the grid was created so all university classes would begin and end at the same times.

Originally, the grid was based on the following rules: • Days begin at 8:30am

Due to the lack of university-wide rules dictating when core, liberal arts or elective classes are scheduled, departments are not forced to construct their schedules to allow students an easy way of scheduling classes outside their program.

“I'm moving and

There has been chatter around the university pertaining to shorter class • No Wednesday courses scheduled from11:30am - 1:00pm times with a greater number of class instances. Many oppose this, though, • 10 minute travel time between because it is valuable to have a couple of hours in a class for critiques and classes object building.

There are informal rules in place, however studio classes are scheduled in the afternoon, from 1:00pm 3:40pm, and liberal arts classes should be scheduled in the morning from 8:30am - 11:20am. Some departments follow these informal guidelines, but others cannot.

trying to make my electives work for people, but unless something comes down from the university saying ‘This is when electives are,’ there is not much we can do" – Department Chair

Chapter 3: Opportunities

63

Scheduling

Issue 12: Grid Conflicts Various conflicts affect the student’s ability to schedule a comprehensive class layout.

Often the student’s work schedule does not fit her class layout and she needs to work hard to keep up with the busy class schedule.

“[The student] schedules are intensely busy.”

– Professor

Also, due to the rigidity of certain departments’ class schedules, it becomes difficult for the student to fit liberal arts elective courses into her semester.

The Music department, for example, has ensemble auditions during the first month of a semester. These auditions are not finalized until after the Drop/Add period.

At this time, the student needs to reformulate her class layout around the ensemble class. This means that a liberal arts elective she may have received a cap override for must now be dropped.

64

Students sometimes have difficulty registering for courses because of constant scheduling conflicts .

Chapter 3: Opportunities

65

Digital System

Issue 13: University Tools A majority of university tools have migrated from paper forms, pamphlets and books to a digital network of information and form completion.

This progression was necessary to increase efficiency, decrease the use of paper items and allow for a greater number of individuals to easily access UArts information.

“...There are a lot of different UArts digital systems have been haphazardly networked information sources... It’s a lot to together. There are multiple sources for the same keep up with.” information, zero consistency in visual language or – Advisor

66

layout of the differing sites. And above all, the user interface is confusing, impractical and difficult to grasp.

Not to mention layouts, appearances and locations of information can and do change without community wide acknowledgement.

Wiki

Portal

Sakai

WebAdvisor

There are many university tools with different and un-intuitive interfaces.

Chapter 3: Opportunities

67

Digital System

Issue 14: Degree Audit The degree audit is an important document in any collegiate institution. It houses the students academic profile and is used to ensure adequate completion of required credits for graduation.

However dry the information may be, it is important for this information to be clear, concise and easily navigated. “Sometimes, because of the way Instead, the UArts Degree Audit is formatted in an it’s formatted, people don’t see archaic fashion as if it were created on a typewriter and certain things.” distributed to students through the USPS. Numerous faculty and students have issues reading and understanding the content of this form. And the reasoning is not due to the cryptic speech or absurd tone of the document. It is simply due to it’s unapproachable layout.

68

– Faculty

Chapter 3: Opportunities

69

Chapter 4

Proposal A three step proposal has been derived from all prior research and focuses on most, but not all opportunity analysis.

Through the implementation of the following phases, UArts and it’s students will be able to focus their efforts on more important areas of education.

70

71

Three Phase Strategy Forms

Email

Office of the Registrar

Exceptional Drop/Add Form

Only use this form to add courses if taking over 18 credits or to override prerequisites.

1) Obtain Instructor signature for each course adding to override prerequisite 2) Obtain Dean of College signature only if taking over 18 credits.

3) Return form to Registrar’s Office.

Sec. #

Credits

Instructor Signa

ADD

Course #

Phase 1: Email Redesign A guideline for constructing emails from the Registrar in a more digestible manner

Phase 2: Form Redesign Redesigning select forms to better fit the current school policy and to alleviate confusion

STUDENT SIGNATURE

The opportunities presented in this book reflect various degrees of miscommunication and unintuitive design of physical forms and digital systems. Through the synthesis of detailed and comprehensive research, including data extraction of interviews and surveys, an overarching design solution should be considered to justly satisfy the needs of UArts and the student experience.

72

DATE

A comprehensive overhaul of the UArts enrollment experience is being proposed through a three-phased approach. These phases were determined based on feasibility and the collective influence they will have across the enrollment process. The individual phases touch upon different aspects of the identified opportunities (but not all), and are ultimately dependant on the prior phase.

ADVISO

e.

System Please Print Clearly:

STUDENT NAME: Last, First Middle

YEAR/SEMESTER

STUDENT ID#

MAJOR

FOR OFFICE USE Input By:

OR SIGNATURE

Course #

Sec. #

DROP

ature

Date:

Credits

CREDITS before drop/add

TOTAL CREDITS

Phase 3: System Redesign An intelligent online system that integrates all current digital systems

DATE

DEAN SIGNATURE

Required only for 18+ Credits

DATE

Chapter 4: Proposal

73

Opportunities Addressed As previously stated, the following phases do not contribute to all of the opportunities presented in the prior section. This guide shows which element of enrollment each proposal affects and the opportunity in which it helps address.

74

Registrar

Advising

Scheduling

Digital System

Phase 1:

Email

Drop & Add Students & Advising University Tools

Phase 2:

Forms

Confusing Forms Drop & Add Students & Advising

Phase 3:

System

Drop & Add Signatures Advising Training Courses Scheduling University Tools

Chapter 4: Proposal

75

Phase 1: Email Redesign Drop & Add

Students & Advising

University Tools

Old

New

The distribution of registration and advising information is extremely important for students. All information can be found online, but the Registrar’s Office is responsible for sending emails to remind students of their responsibilities.

and delivery of information through the use of varied font sizes and weights that reinforce the importance of information. Also included is a visual timeline with which students can use to better absorb required dates and information.

Current Registrar emails have a unified structure, but tend to be very text heavy and lack an informational hierarchy. Students become easily lost and don’t pay attention to the important details.

These templates should help guide the Registrar’s Office to construct emails that convey only the required information.

The first phase proposes a new structure to the Registrar’s emails. The structure offers a clearer layout 76

Old

New

Students can better understand an email due to a strong hierarchy of information and new visual elements

Chapter 4: Proposal

77

Phase 2: Form Redesign Confusing Forms Drop & Add

Students & Advising

UArts has a multitude of forms that enable students and faculty to complete any number of registration or clerical issue. Throughout the years, a majority of these forms have become available online. However, the process of form submission is still performed offline.

Many forms, such as Leave of Absence and Withdrawal are outdated and lack instructional clarity. Students and faculty often become confused about which form to use and how to submit the forms upon completion.

The following redesign is the first iteration of what should be a continued practice. Deeper investigation and involvement from the Dean and Registrar’s Office is expected to further conclude the design process.

Integrating the form submission process digitally should also be considered.

A brainstorming session will be moderated by the MID team with select members of the UArts community who are in closest contact with form decisions. This session will uncover all the antiquated form issues as well as dive The second proposal phase is to redesign confusing and into a more complex and revealing calendar focused on antiquated form structures. In so doing, the forms should form deadlines and informational layout. convey easily absorbed information while matching current school policy.

The Leave of Absence, Withdrawal and Drop/Add form were specifically examined with a focus on their functions and the purpose of requested signatures.

78

Chapter 4: Proposal

79

Phase 2: Form Redesign Drop/Add Form Regular Drop/Add can be done online.

Instruction not clear.

No need for three sheets.

Old Office of the Registrar

Please Print Clearly:

Directions to Student 1) Obtain Instructor approval for each course you are adding or dropping.

2) Obtain Departmental Advisor and/or College Dean approval.

3) Return form to Registrar’s Office before the end of the Drop/Add period.

Distribution: White-Registrar, Canary-Student, Pink-Departmental Advisor.

STUDENT NAME: Last, First Middle

YEAR/SEMESTER

STUDENT ID#

MAJOR

Drop/Add Form .

Sec. #

Credits

Instructor Signature

DROP Original Credits: Total Credits after Drop/Add:

Course #

ADVISOR SIGNATURE

DATE

STUDENT SIGNATURE

DATE

Instructor signatures are not required for dropping courses.

80

Old

Sec. #

Date:

Credits

Instructor Signature

ADD

Course #

FOR OFFICE USE Input By:

DEAN SIGNATURE

Required for 18+ Credits

DATE

New Office of the Registrar

Please Print Clearly:

Exceptional Drop/Add Form Only use this form to add courses if taking over 18 credits or to override prerequisites.

1) Obtain Instructor signature for each course adding to override prerequisite.

2) Obtain Dean of College signature only if taking over 18 credits.

3) Return form to Registrar’s Office.

Credits

YEAR/SEMESTER

STUDENT ID#

MAJOR

FOR OFFICE USE Input By:

Instructor Signature

Course #

DROP

Sec. #

ADD

Course #

STUDENT NAME: Last, First Middle

Sec. #

Date:

Credits

CREDITS before drop/add

TOTAL CREDITS

STUDENT SIGNATURE

DATE

ADVISOR SIGNATURE

The current Drop/Add form has multiple unnecessary and outdated items. For starters, the process has been fully migrated online, and the form is no longer necessary.

DATE

DEAN SIGNATURE

Required only for 18+ Credits

DATE

Finally, there is no need for an instructor to sign off on a student dropping his class. This is not a university requirement or departmental rule.

The new form eradicates this section to deter the student The Drop/Add form should be relabeled as “Exceptional from performing additional tasks.

Drop/Add Form.” The Exceptional Drop/Add form is used when a student has over18 credits for the semester In conclusion, the new Exceptional Drop/Add form will create less confusion, help streamline the Drop/Add and requires a Dean signature to add a class or needs to process and force students to flex the digital capabilities override a prerequisite. that have already been integrated.

In addition, the form instructions are no longer accurate.

A student does not need instructor approval to drop a course (1), does not need advisor or Dean approval to drop a course (2), and there are no longer white, canary or pink colored copies as the form is no longer a carbon copy form (3).

These instructions have been modified to reflect the actual requirements in the above proposal.

Chapter 4: Proposal

81

Phase 2: Form Redesign Leave of Absence Form Old

REQUEST FOR LEAVE OF ABSENCE DATE ISSUED

Only students in good academic standing are eligible to request a Leave of Absence.

Eligibility to be confirmed by the Office of the Registrar Academic Standing___ Transcript___ Current Schedule___

Name:

UARTS ID#:

Permanent Address:

Street

__ Check here if

this is a change of address

City

State

Zip Code

Telephone

� Undergraduate

� Graduate (Graduate students who have begun a thesis or final project are ineligible. See reverse for information)

Major:

Last date of attendance:

Expected semester of return: SEMESTER/YEAR

Reason(s) for request:

__ General/Personal Complete column A

__ Medical Complete column

B

Student Signature:

Date:

A Required Signatures - GENERAL LEAVE OF ABSENCE An approved General Leave of Absence indicates that the student may resume their studies at the conclusion of the Leave (maximum 1 semester). A student who fails to register at the conclusion of the approved Leave must apply for Readmission.

Student must obtain the following signatures: 1. Department Chairperson/Director __ Exit Interview Completed Initial: ________ Date:________ 2. Financial Aid Exit Review

Initial: ________ Date:________

82

To be completed by the Dean of Students: 1. Financial Aid [Check with Financial Aid regarding how this withdrawal will impact Financial Aid status] Initial: ________ Date:________

Initial: ________ Date:________

3. Student Billing __ yes __no, reason_________________________________

Dean of College would talk to the student and approve the leave. Form should be submitted personally.

B Required Signatures - MEDICAL LEAVE OF ABSENCE An approved Medical Leave of Absence indicates that a student may attend classes once appropriate medical documentation has been received and verified by the Dean of Students (maximum 1 semester).

4. Library Clearance __ yes __ no, reason________________________________ Initial: ________ Date:________

2. Student Billing Clearance [Check with Finance to verify any balance]: __ yes ___no, reason__________________________ Initial: ________ Date:________

3. Library Clearance __ yes ___no, reason___________________________ Initial: ________ Date:________

Dean of College

GENERAL LEAVE OF ABSENCE ___ APPROVED

Dean of Students

___ APPROVED ___NOT APPROVED

___NOT APPROVED

Convert to Withdrawl

Initial: _______ Date: ________

Assignment of “W” grades to all courses (available only when leave is granted for current semester): ___ APPROVED ___ NOT APPROVED

Dean of College Signature

Office of the Registrar

Date

___ Coded

Initial:

MEDICAL LEAVE OF ABSENCE

Initial: _______ Date Effective: ________

Assignment of “W” grades to all courses: ___APPROVED Dean of Students Signature

___NOT APPROVED Date

Date:

Students should obtain the following signatures and submit form to Dean of Students Office.

New The “Request For Leave of Absence” form has not been updated since it’s creation.

There are no inconsistencies in regulations, but a form refresh is in order. Further clarification of signatures will help the parties involved to better understand their roles.

Interview data suggested the Dean’s were not completely clear of their role in signing a Leave of Absence form. In speaking with the Registrar’s office, it is the responsibility of the Dean to have a final interview with the student.

The choice was presented to remove their responsibility from the form.

The Deans, however, requested to maintain their involvement to ensure the student understands the repercussions of her departure.

Further clarification is to be added for a Medical Leave of Absence.

Signatures are only to be obtained by the Dean of Students if the student is medically unable to obtain signatures.

REQUEST FOR LEAVE OF ABSENCE DATE ISSUED

Only students in good academic standing are eligible to request a Leave of Absence.

Eligibility to be confirmed by the Office of the Registrar Academic Standing___ Transcript___ Current Schedule___

Name:

UARTS ID#:

Permanent Address:

Street

__ Check here if

this is a change of address

City

State

Zip Code

Telephone

Undergraduate

Graduate (Graduate students who have begun a thesis or final project are ineligible. See reverse for information)

Major:

Last date of attendance:

Expected semester of return: SEMESTER/YEAR

Reason(s) for request:

__ General/Personal Complete column A

__ Medical Complete column

B

Student Signature:

Date:

A Required Signatures - GENERAL LEAVE OF ABSENCE An approved General Leave of Absence indicates that the student may resume their studies at the conclusion of the Leave (maximum 1 semester). A student who fails to register at the conclusion of the approved Leave must apply for Readmission.

Student must obtain the following signatures: 1. Department Chairperson/Director __ Exit Interview Completed Initial: ________ Date:________ 2. Financial Aid Exit Review

B Required Signatures - MEDICAL LEAVE OF ABSENCE An approved Medical Leave of Absence indicates that a student may attend classes once appropriate medical documentation has been received and verified by the Dean of Students (maximum 1 semester).

Unless medically/ physically uncapable, student must obtain the following signatures: 1. Financial Aid [Check with Financial Aid regarding how this withdrawal will impact Financial Aid status] Initial: ________ Date:________

Initial: ________ Date:________

3. Student Billing __ yes __no, reason_________________________________ Initial: ________ Date:________

4. Library Clearance __ yes __ no, reason________________________________ Initial: ________ Date:________

2. Student Billing Clearance [Check with Finance to verify any balance]: __ yes ___no, reason__________________________ Initial: ________ Date:________

3. Library Clearance __ yes ___no, reason___________________________ Initial: ________ Date:________

Dean of College GENERAL LEAVE OF ABSENCE [Final Interview Required] ___ APPROVED ___NOT APPROVED

Dean of Students MEDICAL LEAVE OF ABSENCE [Final Interview Required] ___ APPROVED ___NOT APPROVED Convert to Withdrawl

Initial: _______ Date: ________

Assignment of “W” grades to all courses (available only when leave is granted for current semester): ___ APPROVED ___ NOT APPROVED

Dean of College Signature

Office of the Registrar

Date

___ Coded

Initial: _______ Date Effective: ________

Assignment of “W” grades to all courses: ___APPROVED Dean of Students Signature

Initial:

___NOT APPROVED Date

Date:

Chapter 4: Proposal

83

Phase 2: Form Redesign Withdrawal from University Form Old

Students can just email Registrar Office with UArts email account for personal withdraw.

Students should obtain the following signatures and submit form to Dean of Students Office.

10th week:

84

New MEDICAL WITHDRAWAL FROM THE UNIVERSITY DATE ISSUED

Students should complete this form.

Dean of Student is only responsible to complete this form when student is medically/ physically uncapable.

Name:

UARTS ID#:

Permanent Address:

__ Check here if

this is a change of address

Street City

State

Zip Code

Telephone

Undergraduate

Graduate (Graduate students who have begun a thesis or final project are ineligible. See reverse for information)

Major:

Last date of attendance:

Expected semester of return: SEMESTER/YEAR

Reason(s) for request:

Student Signature:

Date:

Required Signatures - Student must obtain the following signatures unless medically/ physically uncapable: 1. Financial Aid [Check with Financial Aid regarding how this withdrawal will impact Financial Aid status] Initial: ________ Date:________

2. Student Billing Clearance [Check with Finance to verify any balance]: __ yes ___no, reason_______________________________________________________

Initial: ________ Date:________

3. Library Clearance __ yes ___no, reason_______________________________________________________

Initial: ________ Date:________

MEDICAL WITHDRAWAL FROM THE UNIVERSITY Appropriate medical documentation must be received and verified by the Dean of Students.

Dean of Students [Final Interview Required]

MEDICAL LEAVE OF ABSENCE

___ APPROVED ___NOT APPROVED

Assignment of “W” grades to all courses:

___ APPROVED ___NOT APPROVED

Dean of Students Signature

Office of the Registrar

___ Coded

Initial:

Initial: _______ Date Effective: ________

The “Withdrawal from the University” form is actually completely unnecessary, there is currently no need to submit a form to withdrawal. If the student wishes to withdrawal from UArts, all she must to do is email the Registrar’s Office stating her withdrawal. The Registrar will then complete the students declaration.

With that said, the “Withdrawal from the University” form should be renamed to “Medical Withdrawal from the University.”

A medical withdrawal requires the student to provide “medical” documentation upon readmission to the university.

The form has been redesigned to eliminate the general withdrawal components and only display information unique to a medical withdrawal.

As with the Leave of Absence form, the student is responsible for obtaining signatures if medically and physically able.

Date

Date:

Chapter 4: Proposal

85

Phase 2: Form Redesign Graphic Calendar W1

W2

W3

W4

W5

W6

W7

W8

Drop/ Add, Late Registration

W9

W10

Advising for next semester

W11

W12

W13

W14

W15

Open Registra- Drop/ tion for Add for next next semester semester

Leave of Absence No academic penalty

Grades of “W”

Medical leave only, Grades of “W”

Not permitted, Convert to Withdrawal, Grades of “F”

Withdrawal from the University No academic penalty

Grades of “W”

Not permitted unless academic extenuating circumstances exists, Grades of “F”

To start and alleviate the misunderstanding of the UArts also felt it could evolve to help improve other areas of thinking as well. timeline, a graphic calendar has been created. The calendar illustrates important dates of which the student must be aware before, during and after class registration.

The calendar should be used in all email from the Registrar’s Office and on the back of applicable forms. Increased distribution of the calendar will help information retention from the student body.

Visually representing this schedule and the repercussions for not meeting deadlines drives home the importance of submitting forms by the stated deadline.

The clients were very appreciative of this calendar and immediately felt it would help alleviate headaches. They 86

“I wanted to share my enthusiasm about the visual calendar you included...

This is really excellent and has revealed possible ways to clarify and streamline the processes...”

MEDICAL WITHDRAWAL FROM THE UNIVERSITY Guidelines Please read the following carefully. If you have any questions regarding this form, or would like to check your enrollment status, please contact the Office of the Registrar at 215-717-6420.

Please note that the University does not recognize non-attendance in classes or non-payment of tuition as the equivalent of, or grounds for withdraw from the University.

Students who have withdrawn and wish to resume their studies at a later date must submit a Request for Readmission Form and application fee to the Office of the Registrar in accordance with University policy and deadlines, as stated in the catalog. If a Student is granted a medical withdrawal he/she must provide “medical” documentation to the Dean of Students indicating that they may resume their studies before they can register and/or attend classes.

Date Effective is the date of separation from the University that will be noted on the transcript.

LEAVE OF ABSENCE Guidelines

Calendar: • Prior to the start of the semester until the end of the drop/add period: Please read the following carefully. If you have any questions regarding this form, or wouldpenalty, like to check your enrollment No academic considered a dropped course and will not be listed on the student's transcript. status, please contact the Office of the Registrar at 215-717-6420.

• After the end of the posted Drop/Add period to the end of the tenth week of the semester: An approved General Leave of Absence may be taken for one semester only and gives student the right to resume their studGrades ofthe ‘W’ (Withdrawal) to appear on transcript. ies at the conclusion of the Leave with no further conditions. An approved Medical Leave of Absence may be taken also for one • After end ofleave the tenth semester only and indicates that a student may return to classes at the end the of his/her onceweek: appropriate medical documenareat not permitted unless extenuating circumstances exist.* tation has been received and verified by the Dean of Students. Students whoWithdrawal fail to register the conclusion of annon-academic approved GradesReadmission of ‘F’ (Failure) to appear transcript.of a requires the on submission Leave will be required to apply for readmission in order to return to the University.

Request for Readmission Form and application fee to the Office of the Registrar in accordance with University policy and deadW1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6 W7 W8 W9 W10 W11 W12 W13 W14 lines.

Graduate students may take a maximum of one semester Leave, either sequentially or as needed, over the course of their studDrop/ Add, ies. Once a student has completed his or her coursework, and the Master’s thesis or graduate project has begun, Late graduate students are not eligible for a Leave of Absence. Graduate students who have not completed their thesis must Registration register for the ‘Thesis Continuation Fee’ each semester until completed.

Date Effective is the date of separation from the University that will be noted on the transcript.

Withdrawal from the University Date Effective is determined by: • General Leave: Date that Request for Leave of Absence Form is issued, as indicated by the Office of the Registrar No academic • Medical Leave: Date determined by the Dean of Students Grades of “W” penalty

Advising for next semester

W15

Open Registra- Drop/ tion for Add for next next semester semester

Not permitted unless academic extenuating circumstances exists, Grades of “F”

Students are not permitted to take a Leave of Absence from the University after the end of the seventh week of the Fall or Spring semester, (or the second week of either Summer session) in which they are enrolled, except when non-academic exten*For more information, please refer to the current University Course Catalog. Students should consult with the Student Billing uating circumstances exist. In such cases, the request may be converted to a Medical Leave of Absence, and appropriate docuOffice or current UArts Catalog for a Refund Calendar. mentation must be presented to the Dean of Students.

Last updated: 11/20/10 Please note the following policies regarding withdrawal from courses.

• Prior to the start of the semester until the end of the drop/add period:

No academic penalty, considered a dropped course and will not be listed on the student's transcript.

• After the end of the posted Drop/Add period to the end of the tenth week of the semester:

Grades of ‘W’ (Withdrawal) to appear on transcript.

• After the end of the seventh week:

Leaves are not permitted unless non-academic extenuating circumstances exist.* Grades of ‘F’ (Failure) to appear on transcript, if after the tenth week of the semester.

W1

W2

W3

W4

W5

W6

Drop/ Add, Late Registration

W7

W8

W9

W10

Advising for next semester

W11

W12

W13

W14

W15

Open Registra- Drop/ tion for Add for next next semester semester

Leave of Absence No academic penalty

Grades of “W”

Medical leave only, Grades of “W”

Not permitted, Convert to Withdrawal, Grades of “F”

A visual calendar illustrates important dates for easier understanding of UArts policy

*For more information, please refer to the current University Course Catalog. Students should consult with the Student Billing Office or current UArts Catalog for a Refund Calendar.

Last updated: 11/20/10

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Phase 3: System Redesign Course Catalog Drop & Add Signatures Advising Training

Courses Scheduling

University Tools

Due to university-wide confusion on where to find information and how to interact with the multiple digital interfaces offered by UArts, a proposal has been formulated to rehaul the current digital system.

Administration Board of Trustees.

These link back to the UArts website. But while switching back and forth between the main site and the UArts Info Center, there is no loss of visual language.

The UArts Info Center integrates the The visual consistency increases the user experience and decreases Course Catalog, Bulletin, Student confusion and frustration.

Registration, Degree Audit and enables professors to schedule class times and locations through a unique and user friendly user interface.

The screenshot on the right shows the course catalog concept. Users can scroll their mouse across the multiple available degree programs to queue the course list for that program. Course descriptions are then expanded as the mouse rolls over the class name.

To the left is the expanded navigation bar. The course catalog is publicly available for all prospective students and faculty. The “Course Catalog� tab includes access to UArts specific information; including the Faculty List, Academic Calendar, Degree Requirements and Offerings, Policies and Procedures, Student Affairs, Financial Services, Admissions, Digital Technology and the

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The Info Center integrates all information from the UArts catalog

Old

New

This is a demonstration of how to view course information on the UArts Info Center

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Phase 3: System Redesign MyUArts Record Once logged into the system, user based credentials filter what tabs are available. The “MyUArts Record” tab gives the student immediate access to key information pertaining to their current academic status.

The most current bulletin appears on login and by default shows the student’s declared major.

The main body functions very similar to the Course Catalog, however there is an additional layer of information next to each class. The class information is categorized by four different pieces of information: All course and student information would be joined in a database via

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unique tracking codes. These joins would allow the bulletin to provide information based on individual student status and major declaration.

These additional pieces of information give the student access to view what classes they have taken, need to take and can take.

Complete No Permission

R

Requirement

E

Elective

The Info Center offers a more intelligent way to view a course bulletin based on the student profile

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Phase 3: System Redesign MyUArts Record (continued)

With a built in calendar, planning course schedules become very intuitive

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Advisor approval can be done paperless and instantly

The student can drag and drop available classes into their temporary schedule on the left pane of the window. By doing this, a temporary class schedule will begin to appear.

The student can then see how different class options work.

There are both calendar and list views for the temporary class schedules. Allowing for multiple entry points to dissect the information.

Below the course scheduling functions are “Register for Selected Classes” and “Advisor Approval” buttons. The advisor approval function is only available to advisors.

When the student references her class selection in her advisor meeting, the advisor can click this button, enter his login information and approve the student’s class schedule.

The class registration button is only available upon the students priority enrollment date, which automatically registers the student for her classes.

If a particular class is full, the student is notified and will need to adjust her schedule accordingly.

The student can link out to her degree audit from here as well, to ensure she is meeting all requirements of the degree.

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Phase 3: System Redesign Degree Audit The updated degree audit maintains consistency in delivering information in a visually contextual way. This newly designed degree audit shows a snapshot of the student’s status via a credit based progress bar.

The progress bar states both the total number of earned credits and total number of remaining credits. Under the progress bar is the students current GPA. This is a great view for the student to better understand her progress at UArts.

Many UArts tools have not been updated for the individual of 2010 and as such, loose the reader’s attention.

Old

The main body of the page details past and current years of the student’s academic life. Detailing her completed classes with the letter grade received. It also represents the number of required credits for a given semester and the number of credits successfully completed.

With these details, the student can easily see her undergraduate career progress. Simple visual details like these give the mind and eye more entry points to grasp the information.

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The above screenshot shows the current state of the UArts Degree Audit. The cluttered text-based layout complicates the user’s ability to absorb necessary information

New

The Degree Audit can be shown in a more visually contextual way

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Phase 3: System Redesign Transparent Scheduler The Transparent Scheduler is only available to the Department Chair and is designed to improve the chair’s ability to layout his class schedule across both the grid and the department floorplan.

Restrictions are implemented to limit editing and viewing of only the Department Chairs department information.

The system is very dynamic. It displays all available classes offered by the department in a scrollable list, with the ability to add, subtract and edit course details. Once a course is selected, it can be assigned a time and day on the calendar.

The initial view will show the chair his building and floor plan. This will be a new way too look at and edit class schedules. The floorplan displays the maximum number of students allowed in a room and room availability.

In the opposing view the Department Chair can click different days or times to see floor availability. And inversely, can click a room to see it’s availability in the week view. These tools will help deter issues of finding needed space and alleviate the inability to quickly schedule multiple scenarios.

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Department Chairs have the ability to schedule courses using the Info Center

The floorplan provides a more clear and intuitive way to schedule courses

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Phase 3: System Redesign Transparent Scheduler (continued)

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Visually seeing when and where courses are scheduled greatly eases the scheduling process

When editing or adding a class, the Department Chair has the ability to set the time and day of that class as well as the room in which it will be held. Clicking on a grid block allocates the length of time the class will be held and places the class in that timeslot. When a timeslot is highlighted, the floorplan changes to reflect the classes availability for that day and time.

As rooms are scheduled, they become gray to show the unavailability of that space. Once all possible options have been exhausted, and the Department Chair needs to find a room to fit that one other class, he can navigate to another floor in his or another building to see if any rooms are available.

Departments must allocate a room as available for outside department use. As some classrooms are built for specific studios, this layer of information is a necessity.

An additional function was added to help the Chair schedule around particular courses. By double clicking a timeslot, the window to the right appears as a list of all classes in the university that have already been scheduled for that given time and day.

Being able to see what courses are scheduled helps Dept. Chairs plan courses better to avoid grid conflicts

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Phase 3: System Redesign Transparent Scheduler (continued)

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The last function of the Transparent Scheduler is “Bulletin Generation.” Once the Department Chair has completed scheduling all classes, he can choose to generate the bulletin. This notifies the database that all classes have been scheduled and the bulletin is ready to be published.

It also sends copy to the Registrar’s Office for auditing purposes.

Note:

The current hurdle in enhancing the processes and procedures of registration is a lack of unique joins between the degree audit, course catalog and bulletin.

Therefore it becomes necessary for all classes to be assigned a unique identification code from which different tables of information can be connected in a database schema. This simple upgrade will create the connection between degree audit, course catalog and the bulletin.

The only way in which this phase can be implemented is through the investment of a customized database.

Submitting course schedules to the Registrar’s Office is just one click away

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Chapter 5

Future Steps The three phased proposal is a huge step in enhancing the student and faculty experience at UArts. These phases are not, however, shutting or locking any doors. That would be the opposite of what design is about.

Design interaction should not cease at UArts, forward thinking faculty should drive future iterations, updates and changes that continue to evolve and better the UArts experiences.

Outlined in this section are thoughts on the next steps that would help continue design sensibilities.

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Looking Forward Overall, advisors have lost their ability to advise students in more comprehensive manners due to the short amount of time they spend together. Approximately 65% of meeting time is now focused on finding a schedule that works best for the student rather than analyzing the student’s goals and helping sketch out future plans. Once the student and faculty are provided with simpler and more robust ways of formulating schedules, advisor meetings can focus on student careers.

An excellent by-product of this system is the increase of employee moral. By providing a solution for scheduling problems, a massive headache is alleviated for advisors and chairs so their time can be better spent in other facets of their department.

With these implementations, the future of the advising model can be modified to focus on the student, elevating the quality of advising.

Advisor training should become less technical due to the simplified interface of the UArts Info Center.

A sight unseen is the process by Training can be more professional which faculty schedule rooms and and educate advisors about the times for classes. This will only classes offered, the academic become more difficult as UArts flattens its hierarchical class structure structure, and the policies at UArts.

(CAD, CMAC, CPA). Implementing To further enhance the implemented a system to allow faculty a more system, automated emails can be efficient way of handling their blasted to students during particular scheduling conflicts will better the overall teaching and advising abilities. times of the registration process. The

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automation of emails can be based on time and action. When a certain date approaches, a static email will be sent out to students as a reminder to schedule advisor meetings. Also when a Department Chair updates the bulletin, an email can be sent informing students of the bulletin update.

These implementations improve the daily work tasks of Advisors, Chairs and the Registrar by leveraging the power of the database.

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Conclusion

Jenny’s Future On October 12th, Jenny received an email from the Registrar’s office. She was immediately surprised by the format of the email. It was different than most university-wide emails. She didn’t necessarily need to read through the email, it was very visual. There was a timeline showing the schedule of the coming months and one peculiar link, which initially concerned her.

“Register for selected classes” link.

“This is a great system,” thought Jenny. All she needed to do was schedule a time to meet with Marco.

Jenny focused some time on her degree audit as well.

It featured a clear graphic detailing the number of credits taken and the number of credits left to complete.

Jenny was not familiar with any “Info Center” and feared Overall, the degree audit was easy to digest. It visually that registration may be a challengwwe, especially if she listed her different semesters and the classes she took.

She could also see which classes were required for the had to learn a foreign interface! coming semester, and easily click out to the bulletin for Jenny’s curiosity got the best of her, and she immediately scheduling options. clicked the mysterious link. It brought her to an Jenny met with Marco the following week. Although elegant website. The layout was simple yet complex - it seemed like a mass of important information was at her he was new at advising, the meeting went without a hitch. They logged into Jenny’s Info Center to view the fingertips... Jenny soon realized it was. schedule she had proposed. After reviewing her choices The course catalog was one click away from the bulletin. and making a few edits and substitutions, Marco gave Integrated into the list of departments was a simple and Jenny his advisor approval. almost fun way to choose her major. The bulletin then automatically listed which classes Jenny was able to take The layout was simple yet complex (based on pre-requisites and her degree audit status).

- it seemed like a mass of important The bulletin also listed which classes were required or information was at her fingertips... elective.

Jenny soon realized it was.

The system was intuitive, informative and extensive.

Jenny realized all she had to do was click the class section in which she had interest and it would be added to her Jenny and Marco now had the rest of their advising time personal schedule. to talk about her academic plan and how the classes she was taking were helping her achieve her goals She quickly sketched out her preferred class layout as she while attending UArts. This was important to Jenny explored the new system. Jenny even had a few options as she was concerned with getting the most out of her available incase certain classes hit their caps before her undergraduate career. priority registration time. All she needed to do now was meet with Marco (Jenny’s advisor), obtain advisor Jenny explained that she wanted to focus some of her approval and wait for priority registration. When she studies on crafts, but had not been able to register for became able to register all she’d need to do is click the any crafts classes in the past. It did seem, however, that 106

she would be able to get into the throwing elective.

Seeing that all she needed to do was log into her Info Center and click “Register for Classes,” Jenny felt at ease with her abilities to get into the classes of her choice.

Jenny left her advisor meeting feeling great about the progress her and Marco made. She was able to speak with Marco about her undergraduate career and gain feedback on how she could best schedule her remaining two years at UArts.

November 14th arrived and Jenny jumped onto her computer to register for classes. She logged into the Info Center clicked “Register for selected classes” and was immediately registered for her core courses. Jenny would need to wait for the general enrollment date to register her electives.

prevented numerous headaches, allowing them to focus on the problem at hand rather than how to accomplish said headaches.

Once they finalized their decisions, the chair was able to generate the bulletin with one click. This extracted all the information they just created in the format required by the Registrars Office. From there they could print, save and “Submit to Registrar.” No additional content creation was necessary.

The Info Center was now ready for the Illustration majors to take charge of their next semester.

Rewind to October 11, 2010. Marco sat down with the Department Chair before the advising period to walk through the newly implemented scheduling tool. Previously, scheduling the Grid was done using whiteboards, Excel and even Adobe Illustrator to visually show each day. These processes were time consuming and tedious, but they got the job done.

The Info Center was everything they needed. Once the Department Chair signed in, they could see all available classes for their department with the option to edit the details or add and delete a class.

Once all class data was up-to-date, they could start moving classes around on a digital floor-plan by day, time and location. Although unable to schedule a senior studio, the system allowed them to navigate to other floors and buildings to find an open classroom.

A few floors up was a classroom designated as available for outside use. The Info Center allowed them to easily schedule the senior studio class in that room. Scheduling the Grid is typically a time consuming exercise, but with the Info Center, Marco and the Department Chair were much more productive. The system’s simplicity Conclusion: Jenny’s Future

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Glossary Advisor

A full-time or adjunct faculty member of a department who also has the responsibility to help students to select courses and engage in short- and long-term educational planning.

Bulletin

A comprehensive document provided by the Office of the Registrar that shows the meeting times for every class scheduled for a given semester.

Organized by department, it shows the section, title, amount of credits, meeting days and times, faculty, prerequisites and other restrictions associated with each course. Currently, the bulletin is formatted as a textbased table in a PDF document.

CAD

College of Art and Design, one of the three colleges at the University of the Arts.

Catalog

A comprehensive document provided by the Office of the Registrar that shows the course requirements associated with each degree. It also shows the academic calendar, policies and procedures for enrolled students, and additional information about student financial services, university libraries and other aspects of the university. Currently, the course catalog is formatted as a text-based PDF. There is also a text-based online version that includes descriptions for each course offered by the University.

CMAC

College of Media and Communication, one of the three colleges at the University of the Arts.

Course Substitution

A function that allows a student to satisfy a course requirement with the credit earned from a different course of equivalent value/content, as determined by the department chair. Occasionally a student may not be able to enroll in the exact course required for the degree program, or the department may recommend an alternate course to better suit a specific academic goal. In these cases, the student is to request an approval for a course substitution from the department chairperson or program director.

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CPA

College of Performing Arts, one of the three colleges at the University of the Arts.

DataTel (Colleague)

UArts’ business enterprise system, developed by Datatel, Inc., which is used to manage major administrative functions across the University. Colleague is divided into three main functions: Student (Recruitment, Registration, Accounts Receivable, & Financial Aid); Financial (Purchasing & budgets); Human Resources (Personnel & Payroll).

Degree Audit

A text document viewable from WebAdvisor that shows a student’s completed courses and grades as well as the incomplete courses required by the degree program. Dean - A head of a college or division in a university.

Department Chair

A senior academic who is the head of a department.

Drop /Add Form

A form for students who wish to drop or add a class to their schedule the during drop/add period.

Enrollment Cap

The maximum number of students allowed for one course.

Grid

A set of guidelines meant to standardize the structure of the weekly schedule throughout the university. Departmental chairs use the Grid to arrange their class schedules.

ImageNow

A document imaging and management tool developed by Perceptive Software, Inc that allows the capture, organization and management of data.

It allows department chairs and administrators to scan, file, retrieve, print, fax, or distribute electronic objects, including forms and degree audits.

Leave of Absence Form

A form provided by request for students who wish to take a semester away from school for personal or medical reasons.

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Glossary (continued) Portal

An online hub meant to serve as a one-stop gateway for students and faculty to access the various tools used by the University. It includes links to email, Sakai (a courseware management program), the Office of the Registrar’s website, and WebAdvisor.

Prerequisite

A prior condition required to register a certain course.

Registrar

An official in a university who handles student records and registration process.

WebAdvisor

A channel of the portal that grants students, staff, and the community access to the UArts databases. This channel is used by students to execute tasks relating to registration, including browsing the course catalog, searching for course sections, registering for classes, and viewing class schedules.

WebAdvisor gives students access to their degree audit and the ability to view or edit other aspects of their academic profile. WebAdvisor also provides the student with financial information such as billing statements and remittance forms.

Wiki

An online information center that allows the various offices with in the university to share content with students, faculty, and staff. Its role is to provide general information to the UArts community. Although, like the Portal, it provides access to resources from the Office of the Registrar, it does not provide the registration and communication functions that the Portal offers.

Withdrawal Form

A form for students who wish to withdraw from school for personal or medical reasons.

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UArts Enrollment Team MID 2nd year Deng-Shun Chang Mike Smith MID 1st year Wan-Ting Chang Nicolas Coia

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Director Jonas Milder Instructor Mark Havens Doug Bucci

Special Thanks!

Thanks to all the members of the UArts community that contributed to this project: Michael Nash Adrienne Stalek Krishna Dunston Peter Stambler Chris Myers Charlie David Kettner De Angela Duff Dr. Annette DiMedio Jayme Guokas Karl Staven Mark Tocchet Michael Grothusen Mark Campbell Michelle Wall Rande Blank Susan Viguers Tony Guido Margaret Kip O’Donnell Marilyn Del Valle-Santiago Jeffery Kisler Lakiesha Sanders Shawn Green Jacqueline Manni

Provost Associate Dean, College of Art and Design Assistant Dean, College of Performing Arts Dean, Liberal Arts Chair, Graphic Design Director, Ira Brind School of Theater Arts Chair, Fine Arts: Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture Interim Director, Multimedia Chief Advisor, Music Administrative Assistant, Media Arts Chair, Media Arts Chair, Illustration Co-Chair, Foundation Co-Chair, Foundation Assisstant to the Director, Music Interim Director, Master of Art Education Director, Book Arts/Printmaking Chair, Industrial Design Registrar, Registrar Assistant Registrar, Registrar Record Manager, Registrar Receptionist, Registrar Data Clerk, Registrar Student Data Coordinator, Registrar

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