Devoted schedulers can stop checking their computers hourly: eLion is debuting an application that will notify them when a seat becomes available in a full class section.
The "course watch list" tool will become available to students on March 24 and allow them to compile a list of closed classes they wish to take. A notification will then be e-mailed or text messaged to students when a slot becomes available.
The application will be directly linked up to the scheduling system, notifying students within moments if a seat becomes available, University Park Undergraduate Association Committee Chairman Sam Loewner said. Available seats are updated hourly on the current system.
Students who have already scheduled next semester's classes will be able to use the course watch list when it becomes available next week.
While administrators and student leader considered creating a waitlist option instead, Senior Associate Registrar Karen Duncan said students were more supportive of a watch list approach, as they felt it would provide an equal opportunity to claim open spots.
Students have called for this tool for years, she said -- some have even paid for private services like Course Sniper to notify them of course availability changes. UPUA members and university officials worked together to build the eLion upgrade.
Vaidehi Bhat, an engineering student, said she and her fellow classmates in the College of Engineering have had trouble getting spots in some of the classes required to obtain an engineering degree. Bhat (senior-industrial engineering) previously resorted to using a third party service -- Lion Schedules -- to ensure a place in the classes she needs.
While she said the new application will likely be helpful to many students, she thinks it should be restricted to general education requirements to avoid depriving seats from students who may need the class for their major.
"I know people who have delayed taking English 202 for two semesters," Bhat said. "Some take it online to avoid the hassle of scheduling."
Duncan said she is aware that students have had issues with scheduling classes in the past and said the application should be useful in combating some of these problems.
Though the application may lead to more user traffic on eLion, especially during the drop/add period, Duncan said this shouldn't lead to a system crash or any additional technological problems.
Loewner (senior-political science) said it was important to provide students with a useful service like this at no additional fee.
"I'm proud of Academic Affairs for the diligence they've shown on these issues," Loewner said. "It's rewarding to say this is a service our constituents wanted and now it's available."
