Students Can Waitlist for Microbiology, Math Certification Classes

ACC is introducing a waitlist pilot program to facilitate registration for high-demand classes.

Starting with summer registration, students registering for the following select courses will have the option to join a waitlist once the class fills:

• Microbiology for the Health Sciences (BIOL 2420)

• Mathematics for Middle Grade School Certification I (MATH 1350)

• Mathematics for Middle Grade School Certification II (MATH 1351)

The pilot will expand in fall to additional classes, including all developmental math classes and the Biology Department’s high-demand class “Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology” (BIOL 2404). Tentative plans call for offering the waitlist option to other instructional departments by fall 2012.

“The waitlisting system will be an important tool for moving students closer to graduation,” says Kathleen Christensen, vice president of student support and success systems. “Open seats in high-demand classes are more likely to go to those students with the most credit hours, so they can get the classes they need to graduate.”

Waitlisting provides a systematic approach to adding students to classes that have reached capacity. If a seat opens in a closed class, the first person on the waitlist is notified via their ACCmail account and offered the opportunity to register for the class. This student has until 5 p.m. the following day to take action. If they do not register for the class within the required timeframe, they are dropped from the waitlist and the next student is offered the seat.

“Students will need to monitor their student status carefully and remove any holds that could keep them from registering when they receive an ACCmail notice,” Christensen says.

Waitlisting closes at the end of regular registration, approximately five days before classes begin for most sessions. The last opportunity for a waitlist student to claim a reserved seat is the last day of registration. During the canceled class and schedule change (add/drops) periods, waitlists close and all students have the option to claim open seats.

Students may join a registration waitlist when they attempt to register for a class that is full. When they receive a registration error, they can choose “Waitlist” from the dropdown menu under “Action.” Up to eight students can waitlist for a class. Being on a waitlist is no guarantee students will get class.

For more information on waitlists, visit the waitlist information page.