USC should offer more course facts before registration


Fall 2019 class registration has come to an end, but the stress and deliberation on course planning continues unabated. 

As USC strives to revitalize its reputation in academic quality, it is necessary to examine students’ learning experience. The way students engage in academic learning lays the foundation of the educational environment. To boost academic excellence, the University should refine the class registration system and offer students more course  information.

It is common for college students to feel anxious during course registration. Many classes, especially entry-level core and general education courses, fill up instantly, and the alternatives may not fit one’s needs. Students might not find the classes that work for their schedules familiar or interesting. With access to more course information, students would be better equipped to  assemble feasible class schedules.

In fact, class scheduling is a pressing issue nationwide. A report on higher education scheduling by Ad Astra Information Systems revealed that only 30% of classes in four-year private schools effectively meet the students’ demands. The data speaks to more than just class enrollments. Some classes are overloaded because they appeared easy to students at first glance. 

If more information, such as work requirements and research opportunities, is disseminated, students may reconsider course-related decisions. Effective class scheduling is vital for satisfactory academic performance and reducing the time to graduate. Therefore, the consequences of inadequate understanding or incentives for the class can be detrimental to students’ levels of performance and academic progressions.

USC’s web registration page also presents a few problems since it presents very limited descriptions. This short description is straightforward yet problematic. For many required courses, especially the upper-levels, succinct descriptions are inadequate for students to fathom the course objectives, which only adds to the stress of registering. 

Syllabuses sometimes do live online, but students are forced to find them on another website, and sometimes they are not posted until classes start or are never posted at all. Though students can look for external resources, such as asking others who have taken the class before or emailing the professors directly, the information they obtain should be readily attainable, preferably through the web registration system. 

Simply put, USC should maximize the efficiency of class scheduling and give more official and objective course information on the web registration site so that students can refer to before clicking the “Add to myCourseBin” button.

Admittedly, class scheduling is a very complicated process, especially in USC where student dynamics are exceptionally diverse and interdisciplinary education is encouraged. However, the more complex and ambiguous the class scheduling is, the more essential it becomes for students to fully understand the courses. Without adequate and meaningful information, it is hard for students to produce rational and beneficial class schedules. As college students, we are expected to be responsible for our own academic schedule. Nonetheless, the University’s endeavors to improve the class registration system should be equally and simultaneously called upon. By improving its class registration system, USC opens a new perspective to embrace and corroborate academic excellence, helping its students become more independent and critical decision-makers.