Simulated registration models the competitive, open registration process used by most traditional institutions.  Simulated registration is performed to assess likely conflicts at registration that might prevent students from getting productive schedules. These conflicts include no seats remaining in desired courses, offering times that don’t align with student availability, and section-to-section conflicts. Once identified, these problems can be addressed in a proposed schedule.  In this way, institutions can directly improve student course access needed for graduation.

 

For institutions performing sectioning in Astra Schedule, the simulated registration process may be used post-timetabling AND post-sectioning to model the impact of last-minute changes (students leaving, late admits, failed courses from the previous term, change of major, etc.) on the schedule.  Performing simulated registration post-sectioning can provide an objective look at the number of sections and seats offered, whereas post-timetabling introduces student availability and section-to-section clash.  Typically, simulated registration will highlight key issues in the schedule where targeted, manual adjustments are needed prior to the start of the term.

 

The Simulated Registration process provides a “sandbox” pre-registration and informs the system of seat, time, and student conflict issues in the existing schedule.  This information can then be used to make schedule re-alignment decisions.  They may choose to add new sections, change times, delete sections with enrollment below the minimum, etc.  These actions can be performed manually using ad hoc section and student scheduling tools.

Process Overview

1.Roll forward a term from the SIS, or generate a schedule using sectioning.

 

2.Create Program Templates.

 

3.Create student availability and load templates.

 

4.Optionally, create a simulated student sandbox.

 

5.Create a new Simulated Registration sandbox file.

 

6.Select either the rolled forward term or an existing sandbox sectioning or timetabling file, and configure setup options and inputs, including student selections.

 

7.Run Simulated Registration.

 

8.The system uses current and simulated student data to pre-register students, using program template input, credit load rules, time availability, and completed credit order.

 

9.The system creates tentative sections to show demand that is not met (due to seats, times, or course conflict issues).

 

10.View results within the Simulated Registration sandbox file, including courses and sections, students, and tentative sections due to seats, times, or course conflict issues.

 

11.Make schedule adjustments to correct issues highlighted in results, including adding sections, removing sections, editing times, and moving students.