Even if they technically pass, students may fail classes if they don't take the required pre-requisite courses.
University Senate passed a motion on Thursday to possibly install a pre-requisite tracking system for the whole university that would prevent students from enrolling in incorrect classes.
"Now when students go to the request system, there is nothing in place to weed out the classes that a student is allowed to take," University Senate chairman Bruce Hozeski said.
Hozeski said there is software available, or the university can develop software, to eliminate the problem. Joe Losco, chairman of the Department of Political Science, said it might be possible for university to fix the current software to provide a tracking system. or it could install new software.
However, University Senate discovered the new software might not allow students to enroll in a class mid-semester, since they won't have completed their pre-requisite class when the request period begins.
Hozeski said Ball State University doesn't want to keep students from registering for that classes until they finish the prerequisite classes they are enrolled in.
"The problem is how do you develop a system in which students will be able to enroll in the next required courses during the course request period in the previous semester," Hozeski said.
Students enrolling in classes they are not yet prepared for
because they haven't taken the required classes has been a problem for a while, Losco said, but Senate is now beginning to address it. It began discussing the issue last school year.
Eliminating students from enrolling in classes they are not yet prepared for will save the university money, and it will keep students from having to re-take classes.
"We are trying to save money but we are also trying to save students from taking more classes and not being able to graduate," Losco said.
Individual departments in the university has implemented software to restrict students from enrolling in classes before receiving department approval. Faculty Council chairman Mark Popovich said a university-wide system would save money because it wouldn't have to use different software in each department.
No one knows how much the software will cost, Popovich said, but after the motion is sent to President Jo Ann Gora she will send it to its appropriate area. Then its cost and implementation can be decided, he said.
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