Swapping and dropping a course in the new Student Information System

Want to swap an English class for PSYC 200? Or maybe you want to switch your engineering elective? When it comes to registering for courses, students have been known to change their minds.

The good news is that the new Student Information System (SIS) will allow you to drop and swap a course right from within your My Student Centre self-service dashboard.  Registration for summer 2015 started last week and, with undergraduate registration for the 2015-16 regular sessions approaching on March 25, now’s the time to refamiliarize yourself with all the things you can do in the new online system. Graduate registration starts April 16.

“It’s really easy now!” says Karlene LaCombe, a third-year bachelor’s student in the Department of Marketing. “You can drop a course in just a few clicks, so it’s pretty straightforward. Swapping takes a few more steps, but it’s not difficult.”

LaCombe, who works on the SIS HELP brigade, recommends students consult the how-to guides on the SIS student hub. They take you step-by-step through a variety of tasks, including dropping a course, swapping a course and the much-anticipated automated waitlist function.

“Keep in mind that the waitlist isn’t an automatic entry into a course,” says Bradley Tucker, associate vice-president of Registrarial Services and the University Registrar. “Some courses don’t have a waitlist, and if they do, getting on a waitlist doesn’t guarantee you a seat in the course.”

Nonetheless, Tucker adds, the waitlist tool is a leap ahead in terms of process improvement during registration.

DNE and DISC details

Because automated waitlisting is new to Concordia, it’s important to review what it means in relation to the DNE (Did Not Enter) and DISC (Discontinued) dates. These course withdrawal deadlines can be found at Term Dates and Deadlines.

“If you get on a waitlist for one or more courses, but you later change your mind, then you need to remember to remove yourself from the waitlist,” says Catherine Bolton, Concordia’s vice-provost of Teaching and Learning, who recommends students read the how-to guide about removing your name from a waitlist. “If you don’t remove yourself and you are automatically enroled, you will be responsible for paying the associated tuition fees once the DNE date passes.”

Consequences for being unintentionally enrolled after the DISC deadline could be more severe, as students will also receive a grade for the course.

Waitlist deadlines

The deadline for all waitlists is the day before the DNE date for each term.

“After this deadline, you will not be able to register for a waitlist and any waitlists that you are currently on at that time will be cancelled,” says Bolton.

For example, if the DNE date is January 20, then as of January 19, you will not be able to add yourself to any new waitlists. Additionally, any waitlists you are already on will be cancelled.

Word to the wise

In the meantime, marketing student LaCombe is filling her cart on My Student Centre with courses for fall 2015.

“When undergraduate registration opens on March 25, the courses I want are already loaded in my cart,” says LaCombe, smiling. “I’ll just click ‘enrol’.”*

(*) Please note, some departments require students to see an advisor before registering. Other students need to clear their student accounts. A service indicator (red circle with a line through it) at the top right needs to be removed from these students’ records before they can register.

Get ready for upcoming registration by reading the how-to guides under Course Registration on the SIS student hub.