Course Offerings system updated, feedback wanted on the new system

After many months of collaboration, the Office of the University Registrar and the Office of Information Technology have recently made available an updated version of the Course Offerings system.

This is an exciting development for the Ohio University community. The new version is mobile-friendly and has a more modern interface.

The new version is intended to have the same search options and results as the old (or “legacy”) system, but the interface is now different. There are many reasons for the redesign, but some of the major reasons are to have a modern interface that is more accessible and incorporates responsive design (I.e., more tablet and mobile friendly).

The interface was developed almost entirely by student developers, from a perspective of how they, as students, use the system and want it to look. Additionally, the technology upgrade allows for more flexibility for enhancements in the future.

The search screen on the legacy version of Course Offerings

 
The search screen on the updated version of Course Offerings

 
Course Offerings is a heavily and widely used system, and this change will have a significant impact on the University community. It is used by students, faculty, advisors, and even prospective students to search for and learn more information about what classes are being offered each semester. Given the significant change, this new Course Offerings will roll out in a phased approach.

In the current phase, the legacy Course Offerings remains the default view, but there is a button to “switch to new version” and the ability for a user to switch back and forth between the old and new versions.

In the next phase, scheduled to begin prior to Bobcat Student Orientation, both versions of the system will remain available, but the new version will switch to the default (and still have the option to switch back and forth). This will allow new students to come in and learn only the new system, rather than having a limited experience with the legacy system, only to change it shortly thereafter. Finally, in fall 2022, the legacy system will be retired and no longer available.

Anyone using the new version of Course Offerings is encouraged to provide feedback using the “Submit Feedback” button on the web page. Feedback can also be sent directly to registrar@ohio.edu. Collecting as much feedback as possible will allow for continued improvements to the system in order to best meet the needs of everyone who uses the system.