Imagine it was the first day of the semester at Pierce College and the classroom was filled beyond capacity with students who waited anxiously for the instructor.
The steps to register for classes may seem simple, but successful enrollment into one can’t always be guaranteed due to the high enrollment number of Pierce students.
Methods of adding students vary among instructors. Instructor of English at Pierce, Larry Krikorian, currently in his 28th year at Pierce, required students to present proof of authorization that can be printed out from the Placement Test Center in order to be eligible to take the course.
The students that returned first before capacity was reached were then added to his class.
“The form has to be printed out. Using your phone to show proof is unacceptable,” Krikorian said. “If they don’t come back by roll-taking, then they get crossed off the list.”
Krikorian could have a maximum number of 35 students in his class.
An instructor could only add a few more students due to classroom capacity limitations based on the academic department.
Other options instructors have used include the lottery method. Pierce student Maria Ruvalcaba experienced her teacher make students guess a number between one and 100.
“The teacher asked the students to write it on a piece of paper and turn it in, and the three closest numbers were added to the class,” Ruvalcaba said. “If students didn’t turn in their paper, then they forfeited their chances of being added.”
With the creative freedom to add students that crashed a class, Vice President of Student Services Earic Peters said there would be an updated method to add students.
“Starting fall 2016, we will get rid of the add slip, and everything will be computer generated,” said Peters. “Once the course is filled, a waiting list will be created online based on the order of students that are requesting to add, and that keeps it fair.”
In the meantime, the only suggestions for crashed courses were offered on the Pierce website.
The site recommends that students who intend to crash classes contact the instructor before the semester, show up early the first day of class, and look for other options if the class cannot be added.
