Electronic add/drop system in development

After years of relying on a paper add/drop system, the administration has begun working to upgrade the procedure to the electronic age.

In order to add or drop classes, the current system requires students to collect professors' signatures and turn the form in to the Student Services Office in Dowling Hall. Dean of Undergraduate Education James Glaser hopes to improve this time consuming process using available technology.

"It's not an information technology issue -- the technology exists," Glaser said. "The problem lies in a policy issue. This is a much needed change for the students and the administration."

Glaser said the switch would be part of a series of initiatives to improve administration processes, which have already deployed new methods of online registration and grading procedures.

According to Director of Information Technologies and Libraries Paul Stanton, Tufts handles six to eight thousand add/drop requests per semester. Stanton said since the add/drop process plays an integral part in the University's function, making improvements to the system is particularly important.

Glaser emphasized that no final plan has been developed. "Right now this is a nascent interest in doing something," Glaser said. "There is no game plan."

Even though the idea is still tentative, students and faculty reaction was mostly in favor of the idea. "The idea of having an electronic add/drop system is good," psychology professor Joseph DeBold said. He said a new system could help students circumvent registration conflicts created by separate deadlines for adding and dropping courses.

"Having add/drop online would be so much easier," junior Lexi Shuman said. "With an online system there is a lot less pressure to pick the exact classes you want. You know when classes open up because of drops, and you don't have to deal with the awkwardness of telling professors that you want to drop their classes."

Freshman Daniel Katz agreed. "I think it'd be great. Anything that makes the add/drop process a little more painless and a lot faster sounds like a good plan," he said.

There are some concerns with the new system, including whether students would exploit the new system by repeatedly changing classes.

"I feel as though there might be a torrent of constantly changing schedules that would create an inconvenience for those who are hoping to get into a class and are relying on finding an open spot," junior Jennifer DeNardo said.

DeBold said if every professor is expected to go online and approve students who want to add or drop a course, there could be problems. "Professors forget things sometimes and it is the student's life [that is affected], not the professor's," he said.

Tufts Community Union (TCU) senators will be working to help make administrators aware of these concerns by using polls and other methods to assess public opinion of the new system. TCU sophomore senator Athena Bogis said the group will serve as a link between the administration and students.

"Our role as senators and as students is to provide input on how they're going to make the system," she said. "The administration definitely wants input from students because [the changes will] primarily affect them."

While no time table for execution of the change has been set up, those involved are confident changes will be made. "It's just an issue of brining everyone onboard," Bogis said. "Once we get the ball rolling it should be fine."

"[The Senate] agrees with the Administration that add/drop process should be digitized to minimize costs and inefficiencies in the present system," TCU President Chike Aguh said, "We are still in talks with the administration about what the end product should look like."

Stanton is also eager to begin the project. "We hope to implement [the changes] as soon as possible," Stanton said.