When freshman arrive on campus in the fall, everything is new--new room, new friends, new freedom. But one less thing will be a surprise, as incoming students can now set their schedules from home over the summer.
For the first time, incoming freshmen will register for their classes using ACES Web instead of filling out an electronic form that assigned them fairly randomly to classes. Each matriculant received a packet of information in the mail this month that included a workbook explaining how to use ACES Web to select and enroll in courses. The site will go live for those brand-new Blue Devils June 1.
"The main thought was that we wanted to engage the students from the beginning in the system that they would be using as a Duke student," said Robert Thompson, dean of Trinity College. "The benefit is they would actually know what their courses were on the way in."
The hope, officials say, is that giving incoming freshmen early access to ACES Web will cut down on the stress of schedule changes in the fall, in addition to allowing students to familiarize themselves with the site on their own time.
"It used to be that when you got on campus, you would go to the Bryan Center to pick up a package with your schedule, and there may be very little correspondence in your package between what you thought you were enrolled in and what you were actually enrolled in," Thompson said. "That often started people off with a negative attitude, and we want to start students off with a positive attitude. It's part of our overall effort to make advising more effective."
Although many upperclassmen have expressed their frustration with ACES in the past, Thompson said introducing freshmen to the system with the workbook will provide them with a better framework for understanding how to navigate the site, explore course offerings and build a schedule.
Registration windows will open the week of July 12-16, and freshmen will be able to modify their schedules until July 30. During that time the University will have staff on-call to field any questions the students might have while registering. After July 30, incoming students will not be able to change their schedules until after they have met with their pre-major advisors during Orientation Week.
Another potential benefit, Thompson said, is that a student's first advising meeting during Orientation Week will become more effective.
"What'll happen is when students get on campus and they meet with their advisors, most of them will already have worked out their courses," he said. "It'll advance the process considerably--much less switching after they get on campus."
At their annual training over the summer, pre-major advisors will receive information about the registration changes and guidelines about what progress their advisees should have made with ACES Web, noted Laura Schlosberg, assistant to the dean of Trinity College.
Although no feedback is available because incoming freshmen cannot yet access the registration site, she said the switch is a direct reaction to students' needs.
"It was a response to what students were used to from using the Internet, [with the availability of] real-time information, and other schools' students could do this," Schlosberg said.
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