User:Adhaki/Sandbox

What is CUNYFirst
Definition- CUNYFirst stands for Fully Integrated Resources and Services Tool that will upgrade towards the future. It is the new system that is replacing eSIMS. It helps to register for class and pay bills. The last program was there for a while a was an old system that could have a lot of the new technology to it. There are still a lot of steps to go along with it because you can’t just create a system and think that everything is going to work out well. It has deferent phases that it is going to go through. With CUNYFirst, you can go into your account and check everything you need to know without calling or emailing or going to see someone for help. That was the reason for CUNY creating this system, so there wouldn't be so many headaches for faculty and students. It will take time for everyone to get used to it but throughout time it will get better and better. Explanation- The purpose of CUNYFirst was to replace eSIMS, develop high security systems, contain weekly updates, arrange for advising, admission, registration, student records/finances (such as allowing students to pay tuition online), and create an easier system for college students overall. New systems are designed for several specific reasons. In the case of telephone registration the intention was to eliminate long lines at the registrar’s office, face to face (punch card) registration, and distressed students. The process was frustrating and students had to repeatedly return to their advisors for adjustments because of filled classes. It became evident that it was necessary to create a new system for some people. This process took some time and because of the limited amount of technology not many options were available. Finally, the idea of the touch tone system was created, it simply allowed any student with a touch tone phone to register after seeing an advisor and creating an outline of necessary classes. The system was simple and just required students to respond to voice prompts, following the path necessary to fulfill requirements for their major. Some of the systems were even multi-lingual giving students the option to choose a language other than English. As colleges increased the use of technology throughout its processes, telephone registration became outdated and more effective technological programs were adapted. During the registration period students usually try to build desirable schedules but when that does not seem possible, hundreds of students may exit the system. This negatively impacts retention, revenue, headcount, and graduation rates. It is noted that when students have trouble registering for classes rather than take a part-time load, some students choose to just simply skip a term altogether. The changes from personal registration to telephone registration and finally to computer based (online) registration led the systems to become interconnected. It would not be a surprise if CUNYFirst encounters a combination of problems just as previous systems did. Some of these problems experienced will be technical issues but others will be the result of students and staff trying to adjust to the new system and its limitations. Background- To give the background of CUNYFirst, we must start by explaining the previous system, eSIMS. eSIMS stands for Electronic Student Information Management System. It was a program for The City University of New York (CUNY) students to register for classes, review their transcripts, semester bill, and school payments. In mid- November of 2010, CUNYFirst was launched at CUNY Queens College and CUNY Queens-borough Community College. Before its launch, CUNYFirst was introduced to a small sample of the university community in June of 2010. At that time a survey was given to them, asking for their opinion about the project that was scheduled to be launched. The results from the survey were used, after the launch, to assemble a "CUNYFirst Core Team", who set up optional workshops for students. The workshops trained the students step-by-step in order to help the students understand the system. The CUNYFirst project will be reviewed in multiple phases over the next five years during which academic structures and enhancements of new modules will be added. The survey took only 10-15 minutes to complete depending on the length of the individual responses. Answers provided were confidential and recorded numerically. The survey itself was managed by the Baruch College Survey Research Unit. After the respondents finished the survey, their data was reported to the CUNYFirst Project teams at the pilot colleges. A weekly memo was sent out to all respondents called "Fridays @ first" which could also be found on the CUNYFirst website with the overall results of the survey. CUNYFirst was included in CUNY’s 2011-2012 budget request. In the CUNY budget it states that to have the best system, other software and technological applications in addition to PeopleSoft and Oracle will have to be used. These applications must be compatible with the PeopleSoft system. Additionally, the system will make it easier for high school students by electronically sharing information with CUNY such as the sharing of transcripts. By taking these steps/measures CUNY anticipates becoming one of the nation’s leading public urban research universities.

Controversy- It is said around that student and faculty aren't big fans of the new system called CUNYFirst. Although it may feel as if students experimenting with CUNYFirst are the only students to have gone through a change, the reality is that they are not alone. The transition from eSIMS to CUNYFirst is only one of the many changes that have taken place throughout the history of college registration systems. New systems are often proposed in hopes of making the lives of college administrators more convenient but primarily making the lives of students easier. Of course any new technological change has its positives and negatives but they have all eventually accomplished their goal with the necessity of time and patience. The system was created during the middle of the year, so if students were going into their final semester of college and were about to graduate they had to learn a new system which just confused them. There were so many issues with it that it just affected students getting into their classes and most students hated the system. Therefore, this was just an annoying process for the whole school to go through to change everything and spend that much money on a system they already had. The timing of the of it what terrible to everyone. The system couldn't keep up with the updates, so if a student paid its bill online, it would still show that they still owe money. There were just a lot of small glitches that would just get frustrating. For freshman who entered the school, they for one semester had to learn eSIMS, and then 5 months later, learn CUNYFirst. For them it wasn't that bad of a change because they are still young in the college world. If the colleges waited until the school year finished then it would have made it easier for everyone to start fresh in the summer and learn the system. People were in a Fall semester, and while doing work for that semester, then would need to worry about this semester during the fall semester so they can make their classes. It was just another problem on student’s heads that shouldn't be there. There are always people that say this system was worth and it and others that say it was the worst thing to be made. I asked a student at queen’s college what he thinks of the system, and he replied saying it killed my life. He told me that he only had one class left to go and was going to take it in the summer 2011. So on the computer it said his enrollment date was at a certain time and day. So he knew which class he had to take and when he was able to do it. He went on his account, signed in and saw the class was still open, and went to enroll and the system wouldn't let him. It was his last class to take before graduating and the system just wouldn't let him enroll. So the following day he went to the department of the class and told them the whole situation. When they went to help the student into the class, they saw the class was full and no more seats are left. There was nothing he could have done and they were not over tallying in the class. So that department put him on the waitlist for that class and now he has to wait to see if he can either finish college in the summer and have to come back for the following semester. This is just one small problem out of many that are occurring with this system. Therefore, this system called CUNYFirst has positive things to it and negative ideas as well. Many people say they shouldn't have brought it in the way they did. It just made the faculty and staff frustrated. During eSIMS, you would be able to call the bursars and registrar’s office for help or questions. When CUNYFirst came around, not one person would answer the phones and you would need to go to school and wait on a huge line to answer a simple question. It created headache for a lot of people but overall in a few years down the line it will probably be worth it for the new students that come into college at that time. But for the students that are in the college right now, they are considered the ginny pigs.