11/09/07
As the hectic weeks of enrollment come to a close, so do the issues with the new online registration portal My Baker.
The system endured the last wave of students Tuesday as Baker’s freshmen signed in to register for spring and interterm classes.
The biggest problems experienced with My Baker occurred when students were not able to enroll in classes taken repeatedly each semester. However, many problems students found aggravating were the business office or registration holds, which were problems unrelated to the technical issues experienced.
Web Services Administrator Toby Ebel sympathized with the frustrations of students, but said it was difficult to know what problems would arise with a new system like My Baker.
“This was our first time with this new portal software, and you’re always going to have problems the first time,” he said. “With a system this complex, it would be hard to anticipate all of the problems.”
With staggered enrollment, it was the seniors who ran into the majority of the problems early last week.
“I’m so sick of My Baker,” senior Alex Riester said. “Just when I was getting used to Campus Connect, they change it. My Baker messed up my class time, put me in women’s track and field, and nothing works on it. Thank God for the registrar.”
Senior Kelly Ochs was also unsure of the need to switch systems
“I do not think that it is any worse or any better than Campus Connect,” she said. “So, I’m not really sure why we changed to a different system.”
Ebel explained the change was not as sudden as it seems to students but was a long time in the works. He said Campus Connect was definitely out-of-date as it was 17 years old.
“The student information system changed, so we had to change the web interface from Campus Connect to the My Baker portal,” Ebel said. “We didn’t change this on a whim or to inconvenience students. We did this because it needed to be updated.”
As the week progressed, enrollment went more smoothly as the technical staff fixed problems that students noticed.
“We take problems as we hear about them and what is the most pressing need,” Ebel said. “If our in-house IT staff can’t fix it, then we go directly to CMC, the company that made the software.”
Ebel said next semester students should be able to enroll in all their courses with less difficulty. In the meantime, if there are still problems, students can call the help desk at (785) 594-4544, or visit the records and registration office.