By Jeff Samoray, OU Web Writer

Online class registration, made available to Oakland University students for the first time during the Winter 2001 semester, has been very successful. Prior to the first day of classes, a little over 5,000 students, or 35 percent, registered for their classes via the Web.

“I thought perhaps 20 percent would have used the online registration method,” said Steve Shablin, Registrar. “The numbers and feedback have been very positive. The students know immediately if a section of a course is open or not.”

Web registration is available to all OU students, although incoming freshmen meet with an adviser to select their classes during their orientation session.

With the online system, OU students can register, add and drop courses, view their class schedule, look at their grades from previous terms, see a summary of their financial account and view the schedule of classes. In addition to using the Web, students can still use the touch-tone registration system.

To access the online registration system, students need to click on the SAIL icon in the lower right corner of OU’s homepage and log in to the secured area by entering a student identification number and personal identification number (PIN).

“I thought the (online) system was very easy to use, and very convenient,” said junior Andrew Urban. “As a commuter who lives an hour away, the web registration is a welcomed improvement on what has been traditionally known as a time-consuming task.”

Shablin said he expects more than half the students will use the online system to register for the Fall 2001 semester.

“In two or three years perhaps 70 percent will use the Web to register,” he said. “Ultimately, we’d like to allow students to pay their bills by credit card, make transfer credit evaluations over the web and take care of their business all in one stop. We’re empowering the students by putting information in their hands.”