Banner allows to students to self-register for courses

For the first time, students can self-register for classes using the portal extension Banner.

This is the first semester students are using Banner for registration since it replaced USD’s old portal extension, WebAdvisor. Brittany Schultz, an academic advisor, said she has grown to like the new system and said she thinks it was an easy transition for students to make.

“At first, it seemed like it would be very overwhelming learning a completely different way of doing my job. I dove right in and am embracing the new system and new features,” Schultz said. “I love the search feature for students and the plan ahead feature. It has a weekly time plan for students to visualize how the times of their classes fit together.” 

Banner allows students to browse course sections, class times, search for different professors and build a schedule to fit them. Students are directed to the Banner website by clicking on the “registration self-service,” tab in the MyUSD portal.

Carter Larson, a first-year elementary education major said he was also excited about the new program and picking out his own schedules.

“I felt like I had more independence in what classes I took. I knew what to do because my advisor took me through the process step by step, so I was able to get the classes I wanted,” Larson said. 

Other students, like Haley Pederson, a sophomore business management major, said choosing their schedules around faculty is her favorite feature.

“I liked signing myself up so I could choose the professors I wanted, and I also liked how I could see my schedule being made,” Pederson said. “I was happy I was able to figure out how to work it and get the classes I wanted.”

Although the transition was embraced by most, changing from the old WebAdvisor system made some advisors and students apprehensive. Now, Schultz said, it is just getting people familiar with its features and how to navigate it. 

“I am still learning but with changing systems comes changing our approach.  By nature I am a positive person so I am doing my best to immerse myself in the new features,” Schultz said. “Most features I really like and a few are just different, which takes some time getting used to. Habits can be hard to change but it can give us an opportunity to evaluate how we’ve always done things and to make improvements.”

The Banner service was put into service on March 18 for honors students and early registration and is now open to all students.