With so many students using the new online registration program MySlice for the first time this week, some problems have arisen with the system.

Overall, however, things have gone pretty smoothly, according to Computing and Media Services officials and students.

‘We are extremely pleased with the MySlice implementation,’ said Deborah Nosky, manager of IT communications and professional development. ‘It’s been very successful.’

MySlice replaced S.C.O.R.E. in late September, to the delight of many frustrated students.

‘S.C.O.R.E. was a pain,’ said Lauren Williams, an undeclared sophomore in The College of Arts and Sciences. ‘The system would always crash.’

While things have been operating relatively smoothly for MySlice, the help line for Computer and Media Services is receiving an average of 100 calls each day. Most students have been confused about using their NetID and password to log in, Nosky said, which is a change from S.C.O.R.E., which required students to log in with their SUID and PIN number.

Other recurring complaints have been MySlice’s compatibility with browsers other than Internet Explorer, Nosky said, and using the ‘Class Search’ feature, which students use to find registration numbers and times.

Along with a relatively small amount of complaints, Nosky said she’s heard several positive comments about the program.

‘The positive feedback has equaled or surpassed the number of complaints,’ she said.

Many students praised MySlice’s speed compared to its predecessor.

‘It’s a lot faster overall,’ said Natalia Izzo, a sophomore finance and marketing major who already registered. ‘It’s easier to use.’

While Izzo didn’t have any problems, some students took more time to register.

Stephani Simmons, a junior consumer studies and psychology major, said she spent about 45 minutes registering for classes on Monday.

‘The help menu didn’t work, so it took me longer,’ she said. ‘I had to call a friend to get help.’

After learning how to search for and enroll in classes, however, Simmons said she likes MySlice.

‘S.C.O.R.E. was slow,’ she said. ‘Sometimes it rejected you for no reason. MySlice is better.’

But MySlice hasn’t won over everyone.

Shawn Spainhour, a senior international relations and political science major, found the program to be more confusing than S.C.O.R.E., especially when trying to see his schedule after he had finished registering.

‘It makes the obvious complicated,’ he said. ‘If you want a day-by-day schedule of your classes you can’t just click on one icon, you have to go through a whole process.’

Nosky believes this is just part of the MySlice learning curve. She expects some students will need some time to become adjusted to the different features of MySlice.

‘When students register next in April, everyone will have used the system,’ she said. ‘They’ll be used to it.’

In the meantime, online tutorials offer help in navigating MySlice, and students can call CMS or the registrar’s office with further questions.

But the Web site itself isn’t always the cause of students’ problems. Some, like Sophie Jewkes, a sophomore television, radio and film major, find the entire registration process frustrating.

‘I thought I had a good (registration) date, but I only got into one class, said Jewkes, who registered Monday. ‘They underestimate how many students want to take what classes.’

Jewkes did say she found MySlice easier to use and liked that she could try to enroll in multiple classes at once, but that didn’t solve the larger problem.

‘MySlice is set up a little better than S.C.O.R.E.,’ she said, ‘but registration still sucks.’

Published on November 16, 2004 at 12:00 pm