editorial board

With the recent release of the Emory College Spring 2015 Course Atlas, student stress is spiking as Emory prepares for the semi-annual ritual of course selection. We at the Wheel feel that the Course Atlas and the enrollment process as a whole could be
improved in several ways to minimize much of the stress associated with course selection.

Many courses on the atlas have ambiguous titles or lack further description regarding the course’s structure and content. Reading lists, grading rubrics and included concepts – information usually provided on syllabi – are a fundamental part of course selection as they provide details as to what the course truly encompasses. However, a significant number of courses on the course atlas do not provide information other than a title or an incomplete description.

Because of this lack of course-related information, students often enroll in more than their intended class load, since attending the course in person is often the only way to understand the course’s content. Not only is this time-consuming for the individual, but other students interested in enrolling in the course are excluded if the particular section is full.

Professors, department chairs and the Registrar should make a concerted effort to increase the availability of information in the course selection process, especially with tentative syllabi available on the course atlas. Going to multiple courses during the Add/Drop/Swap period to figure out what the course is about only adds to the stress of the process and detracts from students’ ability to take the courses they desire.

Additionally, the College should consider an extension of the Add/Drop/Swap period, as some classes only meet once a week, which may not be enough to determine whether a student wants to stay in the class or not. During some semesters, such as this one, some classes are not even able to meet during Add/Drop/Swap due to national holidays or professor absences; therefore, the College should consider extending the deadline by another week or for classes that are not able to meet.

For the course atlas, academic departments should also attempt to release yearlong course atlases so students can tentatively anticipate what courses are available in the spring when planning their fall semester schedule. Although some departments already do this, we would like to see this become standard practice for courses which departments know will be offered across the College. Additionally, adding a search function for key terms on the course atlas would help students interested in very specific topics.

We also find fault with the early enrollment times granted to Emory Scholars, who receive a merit scholarship based on their achievements in high school. As of now, Emory allows Scholars to enroll for courses before all other students. Although we recognize that this is an effective tactic to attract some of the best and brightest students around the country to Emory, this creates unfair access to courses. Every College student is just as likely to be engaged with and interested in a single course as an Emory Scholar, and Scholars, who are chosen based on high school performance, should not necessarily receive an advantage in college.

Additionally, it creates a hierarchy of students in which the education of a select few is given priority over the remainder of the student body. While the Emory Scholar program is largely a positive scholarship, we recommend Emory reevaluate this specific Scholar privilege of early enrollment and determine whether it is a vital reason that ensures Scholars matriculate to Emory, and not simply a benefit with no impact on Scholars’ decisions to accept.

Looking to course selection alternatives, the Goizueta Business School currently utilizes a bid system that allows the B-School to gather data on course demand, grant students courses on an equal playing field and add new sections for a single course if demand exceeds course capacity significantly. Although we know the B-School’s student body is much smaller than the College, we recommend that the College investigate the possibility of such a system, as it may be more efficient than the current course selection process.

Lastly, adding more permission numbers and applications for courses could help ensure both student commitment to the course and a pre-enrollment guarantee. The Creative Writing Program executes this strategy well, ensuring that its students are those who are genuinely interested in the classes and are not only taking them to fulfill General Education Requirements (GERs). However, if departments follow this model, they should also make these applications accessible online for everyone to increase the openness of opportunity for these classes.

As students begin the enrollment process – some for the last time – we wish everyone luck on getting the classes they want. Godspeed.

The above represents the majority opinion of the Wheel’s editorial board.

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The Emory Wheel was founded in 1919 and is currently the only independent, student-run newspaper of Emory University. The Wheel publishes weekly on Wednesdays during the academic year, except during University holidays and scheduled publication intermissions.

The Wheel is financially and editorially independent from the University. All of its content is generated by the Wheel’s more than 100 student staff members and contributing writers, and its printing costs are covered by profits from self-generated advertising sales.