Banner Registration System Upgraded to Improve Student Experience

Registration can be a hectic time for students. Between crafting the right schedule and making sure selected courses satisfy program requirements, the process takes time and effort. Prior registration periods at Georgia Tech also presented a different set of challenges, as students grew frustrated with an outdated online registration system. This year, students can anticipate an improved experience following Georgia Tech’s recent upgrade to the Banner 9 student registration system.  

The upgrade provides students with access to an enhanced self-service system and provides students with new scheduling features and a modernized user interface for desktops and mobile devices.

“The number one thing students have asked me is, ‘When are we getting a new registration system?’” said Megan Dass, Student Government Association (SGA) joint vice president of IT and computer science major.

Dass said that students commonly identified issues with registration during their assigned time ticket slots as well as the system’s outdated interface as primary sources of concern.

In 2021, representatives from SGA met with members of the Office of Information Technology (OIT), the Registrar’s Office, and the Bursar’s Office to address concerns. The teams subsequently established a committee to explore upgrades to the self-service registration system and prioritize improving students' registration experience.

“Improving the student experience continues to be our top priority, so we wanted to make sure students recognized that we heard them, and we were working to address their needs,” said Daren Hubbard, vice president for IT and chief information officer. “Partnering with SGA, the Registrar’s Office, and other key stakeholders, we worked to gather feedback and find the best solutions to improve our students’ experience. With the new enhancements to the system and the positive feedback we’ve received from students in our test groups, I believe we are moving in the right direction.”

Additional goals for the system upgrade include maintaining custom functionality critical to current business processes and adherence to compliance standards.

“We are very grateful for the input from students and the partnership with OIT and others,” said Reta Pikowsky, associate vice provost and registrar. “Our office has been keenly interested in bringing new functionality to the registration system to improve the experience for students. We are also very grateful for the academic advisors on campus who work with us daily to discuss and address issues related to registration. This is truly a collective effort. As with other ventures into new technologies or new functionalities, we will learn as we go and make every possible effort to ensure success.”

Key features of the upgraded system:

• Plan Ahead Tool: Pre-plan schedules, view conflicts, and save registration plans.
• Visual Schedule: View courses in a weekly calendar format to assist with planning.
• Streamlined Lecture, Lab, and Recitation Registration: Students can view linked course components, identify open sections, and register for corresponding sections.

The self-service registration project team, developers, and the Registrar’s Office collaborated with SGA to gather student feedback and complete testing for the upgraded system. The student representatives from this group participated in the testing phase and provided feedback on user experience and input on how to increase student engagement during the launch of the new system.

Registration for the summer term will begin on March 14 for students in OMS programs and on March 28 for the rest of the campus. Students will receive a reminder message prior to their registration time slot to review the available training resources for the self-service registration system.

Tech students are invited to attend a Banner registration system informational session on Tuesday, March 15, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. We will provide a live demo of the system and a Q&A session. Click here to view event details.

Online registration system news and training resources are available at info.oscar.gatech.edu. For additional registration resources, visit registrar.gatech.edu