Students' problems with U of I
Direct addressed
U of I Direct is currently opening registration
to 250 students in 20 min. increments throughout each day. But while
most students are just finding the time to focus on their schoolwork,
U of I Direct is about to close for the night.
From 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. each week night, the University's online registration
system is closed. Although U of I Direct is a completely computerized
system, it is still necessary that the system is restricted to daily
working hours, according to Barbara Wood, U of I Direct supervisor.
Some students think that U of I Direct closes too early and does not
leave enough time for the registering process. The greatest problem
is that registering becomes increasingly more time consuming as students
register. Classes fill up quickly during the first wave of registration
and become more difficult to schedule.
"It would be nice if I could register when I have enough time," says
Randy Sladek, a freshman in LAS. "I normally don't get around to any
of my work until midnight."
According to Wood, the night hours are set aside to allow time for
maintenance in the system. Although there have been no technical difficulties
this semester, routine check-ups are required in the system to assure
the stability of U of I Direct and prevent any difficulties that might
occur.
Most of the problems within U of I Direct are the result of students
who have waited too long to register. This normally occurs the day
of or the day before classes begin. The system fills up quickly and
it is difficult to sign on because so many users are attempting to
access the system.
The most common complication, according to U of I Direct programmer
Mark Zinzow, occurs when students use the old version of U of I Direct
on Windows. The online registration program was upgraded last June
and is now capable of handling more situations. If the older version
is used, an error message appears and the network address translation
is unable connect to the server.
The new version of U of I Direct is running without any system complications.
Sophomore registration is currently underway and U of I Direct is
gradually opening registration to students based on amount of hours
each student has earned.
Related DI Stories
Technology
overloaded as semester begins (08/25/00)
UI
student's ingenuity could mean easier registration
(02/01/00)
Related Links
U
of I Direct
UIUC CCSO
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