Prerequisite Processing
- Sara Cook
Contents
Enrollment Management Tools for Prerequisite Processing (How it all works)
Course Prerequisites
Score Prerequisites
Instructor or Department Approval Requirements
Level Limitations
Major Limitations
Approval Overrides
Course Alias
Checking Prerequisites on STAR
GOLD Messages
Dealing with students and some examples
A. ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT TOOLS FOR PREREQUISITE PROCESSING (HOW IT ALL WORKS)
Most prerequisites are established through the Master Course Approval process. Course and Score prerequisites can only be set in this way. Major limitations, Level limits and Instructor/Department approval can be specified for a quarter during the Schedule production process, as long as they are more restrictive than the prerequisites set for the Master Course Approval.
B. COURSE PREREQUISITES
1. PREREQUISITE OVERRIDE BY THE DEPARTMENT CONTROLLING THE SUBJECT AREA OF THE REQUIRED COURSE.
If the student is denied admission for failure to meet the prerequisites, but they have taken the course equivalent at another school. The student should take either a transcript or a grade report from the other school showing completion to the department that monitors the required course. Math prerequisites should go to the Math department., etc. The Math department can enter via the "Y" screen that the student has met the equivalent of a specific Math class at "XYZ" school. By virtue that the Math department has entered the data, it is good for any course that has that Math course as a prerequisite now and in the future.
To designate another school’s course as equivalent to UCSB’s, for prerequisite purposes only:
From STAR Menu, Select the "Y" screen, enter.
Enter the student’s perm. number, enter. Screen will show prior department approvals for that student.
Designate the other school or a starting letter of alphabet, enter. A selection screen will appear with the schools listed alphabetical.
Select the school from the list, then press enter.
Go to Add Course screen (PF4).
Under the school selected at the top, enter the course ID of equivalent course at the other school.
Go down to the UCSB credit area and enter UCSB’s Course ID and the Dept. abbreviation.
Enter PF2 to return.
After course equivalent is entered, student can use GOLD to register.
To record the prerequisite equivalent without specifying the source school:
From STAR Menu, select the "Y" screen, and press enter.
Enter the student’s perm number and press enter. Screen will show prior department approvals for that student.
Go to Add Course (PF4).
Scroll down to the UCSB credit area and enter UCSB’s Course ID and the Dept. abbreviation, then press enter. The department abbreviation will cover all subject areas listed for that department.
Press PF2 to return.
After course equivalent is entered, student can use GOLD to register.
2. PREREQUISITE OVERRIDE BY THE DEPARTMENT CONTROLLING THE COURSE.
The department that teaches the course may also allow the student into the class by three methods.
Designate prerequisite course approvals for individual students via the "Y" screen according to the instructions above. Departments should note that the override will only apply to prerequisites for courses taught in that department. They will not apply to courses not under the control the subject area for the required course
Designate approval for a group of students via the "C" screen by pressing the PF4 key (See instructions below.)
Provide the student with an Approval code for the class. (See instructions below.)
3. PROVISIONAL ENROLLMENT
Students will be provisionally enrolled in a course if they are currently enrolled in the prerequisite for the class. Lists will be prepared for the departments showing students who were provisionally enrolled. At the end of Final grade processing, students will be dropped from classes in which they were allowed provisional enrollment if they failed to make the required grade. The student will also be dropped if an incomplete is recorded. Departments will be sent lists showing all students that were dropped. The student is notified of the drop via Umail. A student who is given an Approval code will not appear on provisional list.
4. PREREQUISITE STATUS
The "Student Prerequisite Status" report can be run by the department at any time from the STAR reports menu. Provisional Prerequisite lists show students who were admitted either because they are currently enrolled in the prerequisite for a course or because they took the prerequisite during a previous quarter and got a failing grade. The provisional lists will not show students that were admitted to the class via Approval codes or those that legitimately met the prerequisite requirements in previous quarters. At grade processing, when drops occur, any student that had failed in that graded quarter or in a previous quarter will be dropped. Running the list after the 5th day of instruction will show students that are newly registered since the drops have occurred. These may be students who have re-registered after being dropped or students who registered late and had failing grades in prerequisites previously. Department representatives should use these lists as an enrollment tool. Students who have failing grades from previous quarters should be advised to drop unless they are expecting a grade change soon. Department representatives may also drop these students via STAR.
C. SCORE PREREQUISITES
Scores work the same as taking a course for a grade. To enroll the student must have a >/= score on a designated test or placement exam.
Below is a small sample of Score Types and Areas. For others not listed below, please review the tables in STAR.
Type Area Translation
UCSB AD Algebra Diagnostic Test
UCSB BA Ballet Placement
CEEB CH Chemistry
UCSB CH Chinese Language Placement
AP 31 Computer Science A
AP 33 Computer Science AB
AP 36 English Lang. & Comp.
AP 37 English Literature & Comp.
UCSB FR French Language Placement
AP 66 Mathematics — Calculus AB
AP 68 Mathematics — Calculus BC
AP 69 Mathematics — AB Sub score
UCSB M3 BA Music: Freshman Audition
ACT SS Social Studies
TOEF WA Writing Ability
Scores can be tracked on individual students by going to the "E" screen, "Student Exams" or by going to the STAR — Admissions Menu.
Updating Scores for students through STAR
Selective individuals in certain departments will be granted update capability for Scores, Placement Exams and Auditions. These department representatives will be able to Add or Change scores directly in STAR. Scores are updated as follows:
From the STAR main menu, select the E "Student Exams" screen, and press enter
Enter the student’s Perm number
To Change an existing Score, from the "Exams Display" screen, select the UCSB exam controlled by the department from the list, and press enter
From the Exam Maintenance screen, change the score, press enter to update or PF9 to delete
To Add a new score, after entering the student’s Perm number, from the "Exams Display" screen select PF4 (Add exams)
From the "Exam Maintenance" screen,
Enter the Test type (UCSB in most cases)
Enter the Test Area (2 letter abbreviation provided by the Registrar’s office, for example: FR for French, SP for Spanish, etc.)
Enter the Exam date, (Month ,Year)
Enter the Score (For language placements, enter scores that represent the placement level, not the exam score.)
Press Enter to update
PF5 to return
Once the prerequisite score has been entered, the student may use GOLD to register.
To submit an electronic list of scores, instead of individually entering them, send an email with the scores attached to regsystems@sa.ucsb.edu.
D. INSTRUCTOR OR DEPARTMENT APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS
Approval required prior to registration.
Any time there is an "I" or a "D" symbol on a course, prerequisite checking will not go any further even if courses are coded in the prerequisite table. "I" and "D" symbols always require an approval code for admission to the class.
Approval required to finalize registration.
For the Prerequisite tables to work and for students to appear on approval lists to finalize their registration, change the "I" symbol to a "2" or a "D" symbol to a "3". These changes can be made without a new Master Course Approval. Symbols "2" and "3" do not require approval codes. These only warn students that departments will check and that they are subject to being dropped if the prerequisites are not met.
E. LEVEL LIMITATIONS
Level limits are designated in Master Course and enforced through Curriculum. This designation will only effect a student’s ability to enroll. A student will not be dropped due to class level once they are enrolled.
"Upper Division Only" allows the following class levels to be admitted:
JR, SR, LM, SB, SP, SS, MA, UC, PF, P1, P2.
"Freshmen only" allows the following class levels to be admitted:
FR, SP, LM, SS
"Seniors only" allows the following class levels to be admitted:
SR, LM, SB, SP, SS, MA, UC, PF, P1, P2
"Not open to Freshmen" allows the following class levels to be admitted:
SO, JR, SR, LM, SB, SP,SS, MA, UC, PF, P1, P2
For other definitions contact the Office of the Registrar - regsystems@sa.ucsb.edu.
In some situations, where the prerequisite is to be "a certain class level or to have taken a certain course", these class levels will be coded in the prerequisite tables.
F. MAJOR LIMITATIONS
Departments can restrict enrollment based on major through the Master Course Approvals and, when more restriction is needed, on the Schedule Proof. On the Schedule Proof, departments can specify majors to be admitted (ex. +Math, +Econ) or majors to be excluded (ex. -Math). Departments cannot mix pluses and minuses (ex. +Econ, -Math). Pre-majors must be listed separately. Prerequisite checking will look at the specific major abbreviations that are coded to determine which majors are allowed. Major and department abbreviations can be viewed on the STAR Table menu. Like class levels, this designation will only effect a student’s ability to initially enroll. If the student is allowed into the class via approval code or by "C" screen approval, they will not be dropped later for failure to meet the prerequisite.
G. APPROVAL OVERRIDES
1. TO DESIGNATE APPROVAL OVERRIDE FOR A GROUP OF STUDENTS OR FOR AN INDIVIDUAL:
This type of approval overrides all prerequisites for the course including courses, scores, majors, levels and Dept./Instructor approvals.
Select "C" screen from the STAR menu and press enter
Enter the course enroll code, press PF1 (update mode) to go to the "Course Section Update" screen
Select PF4 (List) to go to the "Prerequisite Approval Override" screen
Enter student perm numbers, press enter to update
Verify student names and press enter again to save
Press PF5 to return
Once entered, the student can use GOLD to register.
2. APPROVAL CODES
An approval code will override all course limitations including, prerequisites for the course, closed classes and full classes.
Approval codes are distributed to the department teaching the course prior to registration. (Approval codes come on sheets printed by the Registrar’s office or they can be produced 1 at a time directly at the department office)
Once the student has an approval code they can use GOLD to register.
3. CREATING ADDITIONAL APPROVAL CODES ON STAR
Approval codes are initially created during the scheduling process for a given quarter. Star can be used create additional codes, provided the number of codes is within the limits enforced by Blue/STAR.
Select "C" screen from the Star menu, enter
Enter the course Enroll code, PF1 update. (This will bring you to the "Course Section Update" screen)
In the field designated "Approval Codes", you may increase the number of approval codes for a class up to 10% over the maximum capacity of the room. This is determined by the following formula:
Current enrollment (Registered students)
+ Approval codes not already used
+ New codes you wanted
Total can’t be more than 10% over capacity of the room.
To create an individual Approval Code for 1 student, Use PF6- 1 approval. A pop up window will appear with an approval code designated. Copy the number down for the student. When you are finished you will see that the number of approval codes issued for the class has increased by one.
Seeing which approval codes have been used and canceling approval codes.
Select "C" screen from the Star menu, enter
Enter the course Enroll code, PF1 update. (This will bring you to the "Course Section Update" screen)
Select PF8 Approvals
A list will display showing the students that have used approval codes. (You can cancel approval codes from this screen as well.)
To cancel unused codes, put a "Y" in the cancel column next to the code, then enter.
PF5 to return
H. COURSE ALIAS
The course Alias file keeps track of previous and ‘other’ names for courses. These relationships are primarily identified during the Course Approval process (Courses renamed, Cross-listed courses, etc.). Approved aliases are used for more than prerequisite checking. They are also used for repeats and degree requirements. For an alias that is appropriate for prerequisite purposes only, i.e. enough content overlap for prerequisite satisfaction, but not a true alias, contact the Office of the Registrar - graduationmatters@sa.ucsb.edu.
If a prerequisite is coded with a particular Course ID, the Course Alias program is designed to also look at the course alias table to see if the student has taken the alias for that course. If s/he has, it will allow enrollment in the class. The Course Alias file is visible in STAR from the Table menu (T Screen, #5).
I. CHECKING PREREQUISITES ON STAR
Departments can view how course prerequisites are coded in STAR by either running the report "Courses with enforced Prereqs" or by checking course by course through the Schedule of Classes option ("C" screen). This report only shows the course and 3 course prerequisites.
Courses in which the prerequisite is upper or lower division standing, consent of the instructor or department, or in which specific majors are designated are not viewable through the prerequisite screens but are viewed under the MCA (PF7 key).
CONCURRENT LISTINGS:
A course that can be taken concurrently is designated in STAR as Concurrent = Yes or Same Qtr = Y depending on the screen.
Designating concurrent along with oper$% and a grade will allow the student to be either enrolled in the prerequisite simultaneously or, if they have already taken the prerequisite, it will screen the students out that don’t meet the grade that you have indicated.
Departments cannot code concurrent enrollment in the lecture and lab at the same time. Only one of the two can be coded as concurrent. The student must enroll in the lecture first and then concurrently enroll in the lab. If they try to enroll in the lab first, they will get the message "Prerequisite not met".
Course Alias:
Course Alias can be viewed from the Table menu on STAR.
Grade designations:
If the prerequisite course requires a grade of C or better, the system will assume a grade of P or better. If no grade is designated, the system will only check to see if the student has taken the prerequisite course.
Shortcuts in prerequisite coding:
To streamline the computer processing, the system will reduce the number of courses that may need to be searched. For example, if the prerequisite for Course "B" is completion of Course "A" and the Prerequisite for Course "C" in the same series is completion of Courses "A" and "B", we will designate the prerequisite for Course "C" as Course "B" only. It will be assumed that the student completed Course "A" in order to get into Course "B".
Wildcard searches:
To allow the program to search for any course within range, STAR has a wildcard search option. For example:
Psy * stands for any lower or upper division Psych course.
Chem1* stands for any upper division Chem course.
For questions about course alias, please contact graduationmatters@sa.ucsb.edu.
J. GOLD MESSAGES
Students attempting to enroll without the designated prerequisites will not be allowed in the class and will be given the message: "According to our records, you do not meet the prerequisite for this course. If you believe this is an error, please see the department." If the student is currently enrolled in the prerequisite and is registering for a future quarter, the system will allow the student to register. The message these students get is: "Enrollment in this course will be provisional pending completion of prerequisite courses."
K. DEALING WITH STUDENTS AND SOME EXAMPLES
EXAMPLE 1.
In this example, the student took a Math class at Allan Hancock, which is a prerequisite for a Physics class. The student went to the Physics department representative to get into the class. Physics could go to the "Y" screen and could override the course prerequisite for that individual student. Because Physics did it instead of Math, it would only apply to courses taught by the Physics department.
EXAMPLE 2
In this example, a student is a few units short of being classified a junior, because some of their transfer units have not been recorded yet. He wants to get into a Music class that is for upper division students only. He needs to go to the Music department and can be put into the class by either the "C" screen, or he can be given an approval code.
EXAMPLE 3.
In this example, the student took a Chemistry class at SBCC, which is a prerequisite for his MCDB and EEMB classes. The student went to the Chemistry department representative to get this class approved as a prerequisite. Chemistry could go to the "Y" screen and could enter that this course is equivalent to a UCSB course. Because Chemistry did it instead of MCDB, it would apply to any other courses, no matter what department.
EXAMPLE 4.
In this example, the student has taken courses at a foreign university. He wants to enroll in a French class that has a prerequisite. He goes to the French and Italian department and they verify that a combination of the courses he has taken will meet the prerequisite for the course. Since the course equivalency is prerequisite for future French classes he plans to enroll in, as well as the current class, they enter the data on the "Y" screen, rather than give him an approval code. Since it is not one course that is equivalent but several, they enter their approval without designating courses for the original school.
EXAMPLE 5.
In this example, the student wants to enroll in a Music course that requires an Audition as well as completion of a particular course. He goes to the Music department to arrange for the audition. Assuming he has already completed the course requirement, once the audition is completed, the Music department will send the Registrar’s office an Email indicating the Audition score. Once that score has been recorded in the student’s score file he can register. A department can track student’s scores from STAR (Admission’s Menu or the Student Exam Menu).