Soon I will be registering for classes for the last time in my undergraduate career. I was on PackPortal the other day trying to find the three hour class that I am missing to graduate in May, and something struck me as odd. The Web site was different and I was a little unsure of my own computing competency in navigating it.

First off, let me say for the record that I felt the PackTracks system used during my freshman and sophomore years was perfectly acceptable. It was simple and user-friendly. Sure, it didn’t have a lot of bells or whistles, but it was functional and practical.

My junior year I studied abroad and when I received my NCSU PIN to register for spring semester I was overseas. I signed into PackPortal without any prior warning that the system had changed and it took me hours to figure out how to translate my degree audit to a class schedule, as well as to make sure that I was sufficiently registered.

When I returned to the United States, I got more help with the system from my new roommates who had used it the fall semester prior while I was standing in an actual line to register for classes in Wales.

Snap back to the present, however, and I find the PackPortal site has changed again, and not for the better. It seems each time they change the system, it becomes less user-friendly and more cluttered.

Yesterday I was trying to figure out how to change an extra class to audit and I finally found a page that directed me to call Registration and Records. Although I did wait until the last minute, I found calling the office a bit unnecessary especially considering the previous model allowed me to change the class grading format online. I spent 30 collective minutes on hold presumably because everyone else was having the same issue I was. I eventually reached an operator who solved the problem in about five minutes. I did ask why I couldn’t change my own class schedule online, and the operator told me that the auditing issue is a system glitch which Registration and Records hopes to have fixed by next semester. However, that still leaves the issue of practicality.  

I think it would be prudent of the University when it is looking to change a system, it needs to include the people who will be using it. They did this recently in the decision to change the webmail system and I think that was a great use of user feedback. In saying this, I think that the current setup of PackPortal should be used a trial, because it does take time to get used to any change. However, I feel that after this upcoming registration period, the student body should be given the opportunity to provide feedback on the system. They could possibly include a survey in the class evaluations at the end of the semester.

As far as my own registration goes, looking over my degree audit for the last time to assign my class schedule is bittersweet. Only one spot has pending while all the rest are filled. My only hope is that the next time I sign in to see all of the columns filled, that the layout will be just the same as it is now.