Computer Science Department Registration Procedures

Version

Draft 3, 19/9/01

Aims and objectives of the procedures

The registration procedures concern the entry of students into the Computer Science Department.

This includes new undergraduates, returning students, taught MSc students, PhD students, and students taking computer science as a subsidiary subject.

The objectives of the procedures are:

• To provide an informative and welcoming introduction to the department for new students.
• To ensure that an up-to-date record of the address and other relevant personal details of all Computer Science students is held.
• To record the choices of units taken by students and enter their choices in the departmental records. To ensure the completeness and consistency of the records.
• To assign tutors to new students.
• To maintain the records in an easily accessible form and enter changes as needed throughout the year.

Key people

Registration for undergraduate students involves all academic, administrative and support staff, but the key people are:

• The Director of Studies
• The Undergraduate Administrative Assistant
• The Departmental Database Manager

Diary

Summary of the key dates in the registration cycle.

• June: planning for Week 0, room booking.
• July: Handbook preparation.
• August/September: sending out literature to new/returning students
• Week 0: Induction week for new students and registration of all undergraduate and MSc students.
• Week 1/2: Entry/Confirmation of information in departmental records.
• All year: maintentance of records.

Procedures

Planning for Week 0.

• Check the Faculty (both Science and Engineering) timetables for Introductory Week in order to plan the Departmental sessions.
• Book appropriate rooms for registration of students and for the Departmental sessions that take place in Introductory Week. This should be done in Summer Term.

Handbook preparation

See procedures for Handbook Preparation.

Pre-registration mailing to students

• Letter to all first year students on G400, G401, G403 welcoming them to the Department and providing information about registration. This includes information about units which they can take as options. The letter should include
  • Open Units leaflet
  • the Introductory Week timetable
  • the Handbook,
  • a questionnaire to help them choose between the Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Project units
• Letter to all GG114/GG1K students welcoming them to the Department and providing information about registration. The letter should include
  • the Introductory Week timetable
  • the Handbook,
  • a questionnaire to help the student choose between the Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Project units

The letters should be signed by the Director of Studies and should ask the student to inform the Director of Studies of his or her Option Units via email.

Week 0 programme preparation

• Allocate members of staff to registration tasks during Introductory Week.
• Prepare a list of students to be registered for G400/G401/G403 programmes. This should indicate which options they have chosen.
• Prepare a list of students to be registered for the GG14/GG1K programme.
• Prepare a list of students who have pre-registered for the subsidiary units COMS11301 and COMS12302. Prepare a document for signing up subsidiary students to one of the afternoon laboratory sessions.
• Prepare a document listing suggestions for Option Units for G400/G401/G403 students. This should contain the times and locations for when the relevant departments are registering students for these units.
• Prepare the materials for the first Departmental Session with new students (normally on Wednesday morning) which consists of a half hour introduction to the Department followed by about 2 hours of group activities.
• Book the first year laboratory for giving the students an introduction to the computer lab.
• Prepare the material for the second Departmental Session with new students. This is usually more of a social occasion when staff can meet their tutees.

Registering new 1st year undergraduate students

• A member of academic staff needs to be available for students to discuss the choice of unit between the Introduction to Computer Science and the Programming Project units.
• About 4-6 members of academic staff are normally required for registering G400/G401/G403 students. Each staff member should
  1. Check student's unit information on the student's entry in the Departmental Database.
  2. Check whether student wants Introduction to Computer Science or the Programming Project units and amend data accordingly.
  3. Ask student for his preferred optional units and enter into the Database.
     This may already be marked in. If so just confirm choice with student.
     N.B. Check that student has A level Maths. If not then student must take MATH10500 (Maths 1ES) or MATH10600 (Maths 1EM).
  4. Check that student's choice fits with timetable.
  5. Fill in code and name of chosen units on back of registration card.
  6. Send student to appropriate department to register for his/her choice and get a signature alongside the unit on the registration card. Some departments are not registering until later in the week ? see attached sheet.
  7. Tell student to return card to the Undergraduate Administrator.
  8. Check student has timetable.
• One member of staff required for registering GG14/1K students. Students have no choice of units other than whether to take Introduction to Computer Science or the Programming Project units. Amend the Database information as required.

Registering undergraduate returning students

Returning undergraduate students are pre-registered. Students are asked to confirm their choice of units. Each year group is allocated a time for completing this procedure. Staff required to be present at these sessions are

• Head of Department (to welcome the students back)
• Director of Studies
• Year Tutor (to talk about projects, etc.)
• Undergraduate Administrator

Registering new undergraduate students in later years

New students entering directly into years 2 to 4 are registered at the same time as the Department's returning undergraduate students.

Registering subsidiary students

The subsidiary unit COMS12302 has upper limits on the number of students that can be registered for them. Currently this is 80 for COMS12302. The students must be assigned to a particular laboratory session in the week. This allocation must take into account the limits on laboratory classes.

Registering Study Abroad and Socrates students

• Check that the student has registered with the European Office in the University Union.
  
• Check Student Application Form (Department should have this).
  
• Ask student to complete Registration Card.

Make sure home and local addresses are completed.

• Give student a Departmental Handbook and timetables.
  
• Check student's proposed programme.

This may need adjusting. If changes are made then ensure that the student emails his/her tutor in their home university for confirmation that the changes are acceptable.
Normally students should be studying units worth 60 ECTS credits (120 Bristol credit points) for a full year or 30 ECTS credits for one semester. However, if their home university is happy with them doing less then that's OK with us.

• Make sure the student registers with the library and gets a university username for using the university network. The student can then go to Rob Thomas (Computer Officer) for registration on the CS network.

Registering MSc and PhD students

Registration for students on taught postgraduate programmes and registration for PhD research students.

Assignment of tutors

At the Departmental Session involving group work the students are required to complete a questionnaire devised by Dr Belbin for classifying people into different team roles. This information, together with information about their optional units, is used to place students into tutor groups

Entering data on departmental database

• Before week 0, prepare the database for the new year. Refer to the Summer and Autumn examiners' meetings for the Engineering and Science faculties to determine the progress of all students already on the database, transferring students from year 1 to year 2 etc as appropriate.
• Transfer data about new students in bulk from the faculty database of applicants to the department database, using temporary ids, for use during week 0. Augment this with similar information about new students on GG14/1K and where known.
• During week 0: enter questionnaire results and use database information to help in the allocation of tutors.
• Gather information from Dolphin and faculty databases as students get registered with the University, replacing temporary ids with official University id numbers.
• Gather information from the Computing Service databases and personnel about the allocation of usernames for department students, enter it into the database, and pass it to the Unix system administrator to enable students to get computer accounts, email accounts and web access for use during week 0 activities.
• Pre-register students on their compulsory units, by course, including the units taken by CSE students as part of their own programmes.
• As registration cards are handed back, check the information against that held on the database, and register students for their optional units.

Changing and updating information on departmental database

When notification is received of changes such as a change of course or a change of registered units, the database needs to be updated.

These changes need to made as soon as possible, since they affect computer accounts, email addresses, inclusion in email lists, coursework progress lists, etc.

This means that, in cases where the official University or Faculty status of a student changes, the database needs to be changed before the relevant information appears in official databases.

Ensuring consistency and completeness of records

At present, this is achieved by ad hoc means and by vigilance.

• When the Unix administrator registers someone new on the database, the information is passed to the Database Administrator.
• Feedback is sought from lecturers; attendance lists are taken at the beginning of units, allowing gaps in unit registrations to be filled. Students who are apparently not handing in coursework are contacted to see if their registrations should be cancelled.
• People or information missing from the database, or incorrectly entered, are often discovered when something goes wrong, e.g. a student does not receive expected emails, or is unable to submit coursework via the online submission system.