Lehigh’s continuous efforts to ensure that the registration process flows smoothly are finally paying off. After making several much-needed improvements to its hardware and servers, Lehigh is fully prepared for a successful spring 2015 registration period.
According to Greg Skinner, Lehigh’s web and mobile services manager, “Connect Lehigh” is one of the main reasons why registration will run smoothly this year.
Launched this past summer, Connect Lehigh is a new and improved way for students, faculty and staff to log onto Banner, which permits access to personal information and student services, such as registration.
“Connect Lehigh has (fewer) obstacles from a tech standpoint,” Skinner said. “It was developed so that students can navigate directly to Banner without having to go through all the steps on the Portal.”
Connect Lehigh is also mobile-friendly, meaning students can use it to register for their classes on a smartphone or tablet.
This is the first time that Connect Lehigh is being used for registration purposes, and Skinner believes that it will make the whole process faster and better overall.
“There are multiple servers behind Connect Lehigh,” he said. “If one fails, the system won’t crash because another would just take its place. Because of this, Connect Lehigh is a reliable method for students to use when registering for classes.”
Banner itself has also experienced some new developments. According to Manny Pena, director of enterprise systems at Lehigh, the university “recently upgraded Banner’s hardware and installed a new IBM server.”
Those who were at Lehigh during the fall 2012 registration period may remember when the system “crashed,” leaving many students locked out of Banner and unable to get their first pick of classes.
“In 2012, there were problems that we weren’t sure of,” Pena said. “Since then, we have upgraded the system and made several changes to fix the problems. Now it’s working well.”
Stephanie Kaplan, ’16, recalled her experience during registration her first year in 2012, saying it was a disaster.
“I received the wrong alternate PIN from my adviser, and by the time I got the new correct one, I was locked out of the system,” Kaplan said.
While many students have similar stories about the failures of registration in the past, things have been running smoothly in recent years.
“Before the registration period begins, we check to make sure everything is running correctly and that there are no known issues at hand,” Pena said. “Monday’s registration, I heard, went very well.”
Emil Gnasso, the university registrar, agrees. He said the system works for the most part.
“It’s not perfect, but the technology side has gotten a lot better,” Gnasso said.
There are many misconceptions and rumors about the best method to use when registering for classes. Some students choose to use the secure login, while others just use Portal. Also, some opt to stay in their residence halls, while others venture to buildings around campus at the registration time of 7 a.m. to use a wired Internet connection.
“I recommend that students login to register through a university computer because the speeds are better than the wireless connection,” said Roy Gruver, director of Technology Management Services.
Gruver mentioned his team is in the process of updating the Wi-Fi signals in various locations around campus.
“The Wi-Fi is now very stable, unlike it was a couple weeks ago,” he said. “Maginnes, Packard, FML, STEPS, Linderman and Mohler have recently updated connections. The UC, Chandler Ullman, and residence halls may not be as fast.”
Technologically speaking, registration periods are the two busiest times of the year. The amount of people logging onto Banner and Portal at the same time far exceeds what occurs on a daily basis. For this reason, registration is at 7 a.m. because it’s the time when Portal gets the least amount of use.
“We assume that the only people logging on at that time are doing so for registration purposes,” Skinner said. “If registration was later in the day, it would be even slower.”
While many students say they dread registration, they may be taking the changes that have been made for granted.
“We’ve come a long way since the problems that occurred in 2012,” Gnasso said.
Various offices on campus have been working to continue to improve the registration process and the technology at Lehigh in general.
“We are continuously working to improve the registration process,” Skinner said. “Expect new and better things to keep coming.”
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1 Comment
At any rate, it’s good to see that the registration system is getting some attention. Hopefully, these upgrades will improve the experience for both students and faculty. They certainly are improvements that are long overdue.