Jacksonville State University (JSU) recently faced a big decision: embrace its Student Information System’s (SIS) native registration functionality or invest in course scheduling software designed to create a student-centered academic planning and registration experience.
To make this important decision, JSU undertook a head-to-head comparison of each solution’s registration experience (from the student’s perspective). Their evaluation confirmed that students would have a more streamlined experience using a tool designed to specifically alleviate common registration barriers.
“Civitas Learning has made the registration process easier, and the transition from our native SIS to a student-centered academic planning and registration solution was basically flawless.”
— Emily White, Registrar
Jacksonville State University
JSU’s Registrar team identified three key ways Civitas Learning’s student-centered scheduling capabilities would significantly improve the registration experience, including:
- Accommodating seamless completion of registration-related tasks in a few clicks
- Delivering straightforward, customizable instructions and messages within the course schedule
- Empower students to easily build conflict-free schedules with a mobile-friendly interface
1. Accommodating seamless completion of registration-related tasks in a few clicks
The first step of JSU’s registration process asks students to review and accept a statement outlining their financial responsibility once they register for courses. One must-have for JSU’s Registrar team was a platform that would allow students to easily complete this step.
The Civitas Learning Academic Planning and Registration capabilities provide a seamless way for JSU students to review and submit the financial responsibility statement before registering for classes. Because students are accustomed to quickly submitting forms and completing transactions online, providing an easy way to complete these pre-registration action items clears an institutional barrier to student enrollment.
2. Delivering straightforward, customizable instructions and messages within the course schedule
To help students make informed decisions as they plan for the upcoming semester, JSU strives to provide all the information students need within the course schedule. Course details such as instructional modality, fees, and the part of the term in which the course is offered are critical. Other elements that might be standard at other institutions, like the campus where the course is taught, don’t apply at JSU. By customizing the information presented in the schedule, the Registrar helps students easily gather the necessary information to complete the scheduling and registration process.
After implementing student-centered scheduling with Civitas Learning, JSU’s Registrar team noted they received fewer phone calls and emails than in previous semesters from students confused by error messages when registering. Clear messaging helps students resolve registration errors more quickly, easing their stress and anxiety over the registration process. It also helps ease capacity constraints for advisors, the Office of the Registrar, and other staff involved in supporting students through the registration process.
By delivering straightforward instructions, customized information, and easy-to-understand messages, JSU provides a better scheduling and registration experience for its students.
Empowering students to easily build conflict-free schedules with a mobile-friendly interface
Students’ lives are complex and often include employment, caregiving, commuting, and campus engagement, such as athletics and other activities. Civitas Learning’s scheduling capabilities allow students to view all viable course schedules that meet their needs, making it easier to choose the one that works best for them. The tool helps students balance their schedule by adding breaks to better plan classes around other responsibilities.
By choosing a mobile-friendly platform like Civitas Learning, JSU made scheduling and registration tools accessible to students on any device. Many students use their phones as their primary technology device, so ensuring that important processes like registration are accessible across devices contributes to a better student experience and removes another registration barrier for students.
Making it easier for students to build the perfect schedule reduces students’ stress over the registration process. If students visualize next semester going well because their schedule works with their other responsibilities, they’re much happier with their experience and are more likely to feel like the institution cares about their success.
Student-Centered Scheduling is an Investment in Student Success
JSU’s student-centered evaluation of the scheduling and registration experience revealed an opportunity for the institution to invest in student success beyond traditional student success initiatives. Providing an easy way for students to complete registration-related tasks and easily find information reduces registration-related questions for JSU’s students, making the registration process less stressful for students and staff.
Empowering students to build a conflict-free schedule with a tool designed to optimize the scheduling and registration experience is an easy way for institutions to remove common barriers to enrollment and build rapport with students.
Simplified Scheduling Boosts Persistence by 5-7%
Heidi Musick, Senior Manager of Customer Development
Heidi is the advocate, liaison, and relationship representative for Civitas Learning's Academic Planning and Registration customers. She works directly with stakeholders across Civitas Learning's nearly 300 Academic Planning and Registration customers, helping them ensure the success of the Civitas Learning Platform within their institution. Before Civitas Learning, Heidi worked in change management, implementation, organizational restructuring, and relationship management.
