On top of the usual frenzied atmosphere that comes with scheduling courses, students now have a new policy to take into consideration.
The Office of the Provost announced in October that prerequisites will be enforced for January interim and spring 2014 course registrations. The policy means students will not be able to register for any course that they do not already have the prerequisites for, as listed in his or her current schedule of classes.
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs David Glassman said the decision was made last year by the Council of Academic Deans.
“The implementation date [spring 2014] was determined according to the time needed to develop the computer programming necessary to check student records during registration,” he said.
If students meet the prerequisites for a certain course, or are currently enrolled in the prerequisites, they are allowed to register for the course.
If they do not meet the requirements, students must choose a different course to replace the one they don’t meet, or request an override.
Glassman said the policy change will still allow students who are taking a prerequisite this semester to register for a class in the spring that requires that prerequisite.
“If at the end of the current semester the student fails the prerequisite course, the student will be notified, as well as the instructor, and the student may be asked to select a different course,” he said.
So far, Glassman said he has heard positive feedback from faculty supporting the idea of enforcing prerequisites prior to registering for a class.