Okay so as we all have experienced at some point in time over the past years/year: SOLAR is an absoulte annoying mess. Getting into it takes hours and even then the glitches ensure you don't always have the most satisfying experience in choosing courses. Alot of people here also have work during Summers so camping out online till wee hours of the night isn't a brilliant idea at all!

While Registration Servers are an issue in many universities I personally assume that Mac's must be one of the more worse ones since it even lacks the most basic course registration tool: Waitlists, which leads to people randomly trying out Solar at random times in hope of landing a course.

And as things stand just about everyone on Macinsiders has complained about it at some form or the other! Infact this years Solar Compalints thread has over 700 posts! But complaining on Insiders never really gets stuff done(the admin isn't here) nor can we just walk into the registrars office Tony Montana style and kick some butt. So the possible next option is to use the MSU for lobbying the the admin. The MSU might have a few PI issues and alot of people here might not be **** biggest fans, but the fact of the matter is that it is a multi million dollar organization committed to serving student interests. While alot of people here sadly don't see it, the MSU does alot of lobbying and this years VP Education's main platform point was local lobbying instead of concentrating far too much in OUSA/CASA.

Getting to the point, I randomly today recalled reading on Insiders that there was a rough draft version of an updated MSU Operating Policy(in other words a set of rules/regulations that define the MSU's stance over an issue for a long period of time) and being a member of Operations I decided to go to the MSU office and consult the VP Admin and Vp Ed regarding this, after a disucssion with them I suppose I am somewhat ready to start updating the Operating Policy about registration systems.

However the problem is that the current one dates back to 2000 and was at a time where SOLAR was apparently the next best thing since sliced bread, exponential increase in student volumes and a false dawn later, the current operating policy is actually lol-worthy and wayy obsolete!

So I would request all readers to contribute what they would like to see in the new policy and if possible do so in a manner that can be directly used in the policy language. If you read through the copy of the current policy you probably might get a fair idea of what it should look like, remember its very easy to criticize and much harder to make constructive change!

"We must be the change we wish to see in the world.
Gandhi"

I have always talked about transperancy and student involvement beyond the small SRA/MSU bubble, this is actually my second project I am putting up for public evaluation/input(the first one didn't get a single response on Macinsiders/Facebook :(); the third one is secret for now!

So Let's be having you!

http://www.msumcmaster.ca/content/do... %20Policy.pdf

----------------------------------
Registration System Policy

Introduction
The registration procedure that a university has in place is fundamental to ensuring the ease with which students can plan their course/workload, make fee payments, and inquire with regard to "course status" or "drop and add" policies. An initial assessment of the registration procedure currently being used at McMaster raises several issues of key concern, many of which can be addressed by both short and long-term improvements to the existing system. These improvements must be designed to meet the needs of a growing student population, particularly with the double cohort, provide benefits to the university, and must also be geared towards eliminating many of the perceived problems inherent in the present system.

Strengths of the Existing Registration System
McMaster’s current registration system has many features that have worked well in the past and can continue to work well in the future. Some of these strengths include:
1. The relative ease with which students can fill out and send in their registration forms or drop them off at the university over the summer. These forms may also include "Drop and Add" forms (with the exception of those for capped courses).
2. Registration is open for a long period of time (particularly for undergraduate students who are free to register at any time during the summer months).
3. In the event that course conflicts arise they can most often be quickly and conveniently resolved by fax.
4. Resulting course problems or difficulty in contacting the Registrar’s Office during registration periods have been minimal in the past.
Any plan involving changes or improvements to the existing registration procedure should bear the aforementioned principles in mind and attempt to preserve and/or incorporate them into these changes.

Principle I: The registration process should be as easy as possible.

Principle II:

The registration window should be open for as long as possible.

Principle III:

Registration conflicts and problems must be able to be easily detected and resolved.

Good work Huzaifa. What does the commissioner have to say about this?

Also what kind of priority is this particular O.P? I assume the Operations committee has planned to get a whole list of O.P's revised (as well as some other stuff I'm sure) and rarely this goes to plan. I'm wondering if this particular policy is going to be a top priority.

How often does Operations meet?

Originally Posted by .:callen:.

Good work Huzaifa. What does the commissioner have to say about this?

Also what kind of priority is this particular O.P? I assume the Operations committee has planned to get a whole list of O.P's revised (as well as some other stuff I'm sure) and rarely this goes to plan. I'm wondering if this particular policy is going to be a top priority.

How often does Operations meet?

I just emailed the Commisioner(Amanda Stevens) regarding this right now, we have actually had a meeting in June/May(The next one is in September) but this wasn't discussed or mentioned in our year plan at all; I just sort of had a random thought today while I was in the MSU office for other stuff about reading something about this on Insiders a few weeks ago, Temara Brown posted it I think(since I believe she was on Operations as well last year) if she reads it she might have more information.

But unless an SRA member on the committee decides to join up in September I will pursue it on my own, I am actually doing another "secret" important-ish project completely on my own in collaboration with a PTM(can't say which), the Commissioner does get updated whenever I feel there is important information but other then that I prefer to work alone since I get much much more work done that way, nor have I so far felt the need for any guidance from Committee. But that's mostly because I don't know how committees divide work up, I'm just getting a head start on stuff before the academics hit me. I haven't seen the goal/end result pattern of last years Operations Committee so I can't comment on their effectiveness but I have heard off the record comments regarding goals fizzling out for a number of committees or more likely people running out of time because of studies and the projects not getting carried over during transition. Hopefully I can change that

Great Work!

They have changed webCt to elm... so why not make changes to SOLAR while they're at it.

SOLAR is probably a giant money hole which isn't used for 9 months of the year, except for some very intense times for registration, course stuff and to check marks. It probably costs too much, and makes no sense, for the school to buy a server that can handle the load for those particular instances, when the majority of the year has SOLAR pretty dormant.

Go research the costs.

Originally Posted by huzaifa47

I just emailed the Commisioner(Amanda Stevens) regarding this right now, we have actually had a meeting in June/May(The next one is in September) but this wasn't discussed or mentioned in our year plan at all; I just sort of had a random thought today while I was in the MSU office for other stuff about reading something about this on Insiders a few weeks ago, Temara Brown posted it I think(since I believe she was on Operations as well last year) if she reads it she might have more information.

But unless an SRA member on the committee decides to join up in September I will pursue it on my own, I am actually doing another "secret" important-ish project completely on my own in collaboration with a PTM(can't say which), the Commissioner does get updated whenever I feel there is important information but other then that I prefer to work alone since I get much much more work done that way, nor have I so far felt the need for any guidance from Committee. But that's mostly because I don't know how committees divide work up, I'm just getting a head start on stuff before the academics hit me. I haven't seen the goal/end result pattern of last years Operations Committee so I can't comment on their effectiveness but I have heard off the record comments regarding goals fizzling out for a number of committees or more likely people running out of time because of studies and the projects not getting carried over during transition. Hopefully I can change that

Hey Huzaifa,

I know that updating the Registration Systems Policy is one of the goals that Amanda has for the year, and which is included in her YearPlan (a brief version of which can be found here. I'm glad to see that you want to tackle it - quite frankly it's embarassingly out of date. However, I'd encourage you to keep the Operations Committee in the loop, and to work with them on this rather than working in secrecy. I'm sure that other committee members will have input on this project as well, and certain ideas that they want to see incorporated into the policy review.

Also, don't underestimate the value of guidance from the committee. There are four other people on there who can act as great resources to you, and as a team you're likely to accomplish alot more than as individuals.

Once committees start meeting regularly in September, things will likely be divided up and the overall direction of the committee for the year will be set. Good to see you preparing, though!

Originally Posted by emtee10

Hey Huzaifa,

I know that updating the Registration Systems Policy is one of the goals that Amanda has for the year, and which is included in her YearPlan (a brief version of which can be found here. I'm glad to see that you want to tackle it - quite frankly it's embarassingly out of date. However, I'd encourage you to keep the Operations Committee in the loop, and to work with them on this rather than working in secrecy. I'm sure that other committee members will have input on this project as well, and certain ideas that they want to see incorporated into the policy review.

Also, don't underestimate the value of guidance from the committee. There are four other people on there who can act as great resources to you, and as a team you're likely to accomplish alot more than as individuals.

Once committees start meeting regularly in September, things will likely be divided up and the overall direction of the committee for the year will be set. Good to see you preparing, though!

Hi Matt, I'm not sure how to reaaallyy explain it but it is the nature of the other project I am pursuing that I cannot reveal details of it before it is "ready"(The workings and directions of it have changed many many times so far so its complicated) to other SRA members and MSU members. It is actually a project that comes under some other PTM but I am working on it in collaboration because of a certain Operating Policy that allows me too!

However the commissioner does know very much of the other project(she is in touch with the PTM who is in charge mostly and me to a lesser extent) and I have emailed her about this one as well today.

But as far as this one is concerned, I am more then open to suggestions and input since it is different in nature, that is exactly why I put it up on MacInsiders since alot of people have opinions and criticisms regarding SOLAR. Unfortunately though I do not meet the other members again till September, I'll try email obviously though!

Originally Posted by deadpool

SOLAR is probably a giant money hole which isn't used for 9 months of the year, except for some very intense times for registration, course stuff and to check marks. It probably costs too much, and makes no sense, for the school to buy a server that can handle the load for those particular instances, when the majority of the year has SOLAR pretty dormant.

Go research the costs.

I do realize that, but there could possibly be solutions like for example having a new server that also houses other University Information systems during the rest of the year.

Another Option is to have something like Interstage by Fujitsu to move away from a client server into a web based module that can possibly be obtained on seasonal contracts. Those things can handle much much more then any physical server. However such intricacies shouldn't directly be the concern of the MSU I suppose. It is the University's descision in the end, the position paper just sets a guideline/stance for future Batches of MSU.

But as I mentioned before that isn't my main concern at the moment atleast, setting a particular stance regarding official "recommendations"(Lik e asking for a new server) would be tricky and way out of the committees hand, it would be SRA territory. The more important step here is to update the embarrasingly obsolete policy itself to reflect where we stand today regarding registration systems, its obviously more boring but it has to be done!

However if anyone has any information regarding possible solutions or recommendations(like the waitlist system perhaps) then feel free to put them up!

During the course registration period, instead of having to log into SOLAR and select a course to check if its availability, why not have something where the status of course(s) is regularly updated. It could be featured on MUGSI. Then students wouldn't have to waste so much time by having to click on every single course, wait, then select the course code, and wait again for the course status to load. It could also show how many available spots the courses currently have. And it could have an option where students can add a number of courses they would like to keep track of and whenever the status of any of these courses changes, they get notified by email. This would be very convenient as many students don't have the time to log into SOLAR several times a day as suggested by the university just to check if a course is available or not. That way more students will have a chance to take the courses they are interested in, instead of ending up with something they didn't originally want just because what they had planned to take was full.

Originally Posted by tiger

During the course registration period, instead of having to log into SOLAR and select a course to check if its availability, why not have something where the status of course(s) is regularly updated. It could be featured on MUGSI. Then students wouldn't have to waste so much time by having to click on every single course, wait, then select the course code, and wait again for the course status to load. It could also show how many available spots the courses currently have. And it could have an option where students can add a number of courses they would like to keep track of and whenever the status of any of these courses changes, they get notified by email. This would be very convenient as many students don't have the time to log into SOLAR several times a day as suggested by the university just to check if a course is available or not. That way more students will have a chance to take the courses they are interested in, instead of ending up with something they didn't originally want just because what they had planned to take was full.

Oh yeah! I actually did see most of the solutions you just provided at Uoft's Rosi registration system. It does actually show how many spaces there are in a class and how many are left and so on before you even attempt to choose a certain course! Similarly if you are on a waitlist I believe you get an email where a spot is opened up for you and held for a small period of time. I think alot of these options are to do with programming and can be obtained at a lower cost then getting a more powerful new server. Even if SOLAR does get overloaded on registration days, the experience could be much better if we implement some helpful extra options.

If I'm not wrong SOLAR in its functioning has been pretty much the same right? Which if true would be pretty wierd given the fact that technology since 2000 has changed so very much!

Oh really, Uoft has these options? I had no idea lol. It would be great if Mac could work out something like that.

This was supposed to be George Farjou, former SRA Health Sci's project from last year's ops committee. Contact him to see where he got.

Originally Posted by temara.brown

This was supposed to be George Farjou, former SRA Health Sci's project from last year's ops committee. Contact him to see where he got.

Yeah I looked him up on FB yesterday and messaged him, lets see! :S

According to the former Commissioner(Andrew) he did come up with a rough draft, but it was way way to rough and needed alot of work, I suppose the term ran out at that point for the committee :S

But ummm is that all you know about it Temara? Like do you recall random instances where the committee discussed it during a meeting?

We never discussed that one.. he didn't come to meetings with it so I never saw the draft.

We did also discuss the Exam schedulling policy and there were a lot of good ideas there that never got done either. =(

Well, Good news and MAJOR Bad News. Chris Martin(Vp Ed) updated me today about the sitdown the BOD recently had with the Registrars office regarding the registration issue and apparently and I quote: " A New system will cost 20-30 Million Dollars"
YES MILLION!

Soo that pretty much is out of the question to get a new system!

The next step I rationally came up with is to tinker with the programming in the current system and find ways to streamline the whole process internally. Waitlists and a software that shows you how many spaces there are in a certain section and how many are left without you having to choose a course and see a Full/Open are a couple of possibilities. Does anyone else have any recommendations to the current system? I suppose irregardless of the rising student numbers, the number of people being let in/out and SOLAR Crashing would remain the same and even get worse and in the current climate 20 Million is unfeasible. But we could lobby for software improvements at a lower cost. If I am to include that in my recommendation list in the policy I need input!
Anyone?!