Summer registration started at 7a this morning. I set my alarm for 6:45a so I’d have time to stumble to the bathroom, brush my teeth and all that jazz before the mad rush to sign up for classes started. I started trying to login at 6:50a. Who knows, maybe the server clock is faster than my clock, right?
No such luck. I get a server error. So, I keep trying every few minutes — and continue to get errors. I reboot my computer, clear my cache and all kinds of fun stuff. Still no love. I check the help desk website, but they don’t have any announcements posted. Finally, I try to call the school. “I’m sorry, our offices don’t open until 8a.” Great. I resolve to wait, and try to sort through some old email to kill time.
I keep trying to access the registration page, but it’s still down. Finally, 8a rolls around and I call the school just to be greeted by, “I’m sorry, nobody is available to answer your call now. Please hold.”
This message repeats itself every 30 seconds for 45 mins.
Long story short? I finally get to register at 8:50a when the website comes back up. But, at least I’m registered!
May Mini-mester:
Life Span Growth/Development - Starts May 12 and ends May 26
Summer II:
Anatomy & Physiology II - Starts July 11 and ends Aug 17
After this summer, I will only need to take Microbiology to finish my support classes for the nursing program. Woo!
Alliance of Free Blogs - I found You Know You Wanna while searching for kitty porn. No, that's not a typo.
I remmeber the first day of my Anatomy & Physiology class and was shocked when I realized what was lying under the sheets in the back of the room. I never would have expected cadavers at a 100 level class, nor in what was essentially just a classroom with really good air conditioning
Comment by Briani — April 10, 2006 @ 4:38 pm
Seriously?! There were really cadavers in your A&P class? Wow. We are not even dissecting in mine. Well, we might do a rat in A&P II to study muscles, but I heard they don’t do it during the summer sessions.
Comment by Jaxia — April 10, 2006 @ 4:40 pm
Am I the only one ancient enough to remember standing in line for registration? As in, driving up to school and standing in line with thousands of others in a swirling pit of humanity? Or in graduate school, being able to register over the phone was a vast improvement?
Comment by JSS — April 10, 2006 @ 5:10 pm
JSS - I remember registering over the phone and it was a new and “exciting” (the school’s word’s not mine) way to get your classes. It was rolled out after I had been there 1 quarter which wasn’t bad since I was able to register for classes that quarter well in advance as an incoming freshman. It would have been so much nicer online. OF course we didn’t even have student email at that time
Jax - Yep, A&P 101 had cadavers. it was a higher level class that did the dissection but we used them for all the muscle identification. Not only that, but there was weekly open lab with the cadavers. Not that these were the best specimins in the world. We got the ones that the University of Washington didn’t want to use in their programs. So in addtition to being dead they were all in pretty bad shape. I think of the 3 we had there was 3 artificial knees, 1 artificial hip, one guy was wheelchair bound, a couple permanently implanted heart shunts and whatnot.
Comment by Briani — April 10, 2006 @ 5:45 pm
Yes, I remember standing in LONG lines to register for classes. When they introduced telephone registration, it WAS exciting! Of course, I finished my first undergraduate degree before the Internet was even invented (or at least before email was “mainstream”), so I was amazed at how much easier everything was when I went back to school in the late 90’s.
I guess Jaxia’s story is more proof that we live in the age of instant gratification. By the time our nieces and nephews go to college, actually attending classes in person will probably be the EXCEPTION. Everything online, no human interaction. Progress?
Comment by SK — April 10, 2006 @ 6:03 pm
I will probably finish up my degree online without ever needing to set foot on campus. While not instant it is convenient. It is interesting to see how many legitimate schools are having classes online that will roll into a degree. This was once the domain of diploma mills and fakes.
Of course the downside is not being able to check out co-eds and it makes it harder to attend parties
Comment by Briani — April 10, 2006 @ 6:11 pm
Overall, I think it’s a good thing. I think there are invaluable lessons to be learned through the college “experience” and there are certain subjects that really require a hands-on approach. But, if it’s just about academics, most people can learn just as much online.
I took my first online classes this Spring. It was great! I could “go” to class any time and never had to worry about finding a parking spot. I’ve been to enough frat parties to last me a lifetime and I have my very own co-ed right here at home, so it’s all good for me!
Comment by SK — April 10, 2006 @ 6:30 pm
I was talking to some students working on their master’s of library science last week and was amazed at how many classes they could get online. There did seem to be a consensus that even with the web classes, it is helpful to have some of the face to face classes, especially reference. Another comment was made that some professors did not adapt their teaching style to the electronic realm, which hindered the learning process.
I’ve taken brief classes for work online, but I can’t imagine having multiple graduate level courses just online. My brother teaches different math courses via distance learning and says that it’s hard sometimes to know if the students are really getting the concepts, but that having virtual chalkboards and two way video communication helps.
My God, I think I sound like an old fogey!
And yes, I remember when telnetting and using Gopher were really cool technologies! Upgrading to a 9600 baud modem from a 2400 baud modem was really cool (and expensive).
Off to find my rocking chair,
JSS
Comment by JSS — April 10, 2006 @ 7:06 pm