The following topics address questions that have been frequently asked over the years. If you have an FAQ topic you would like to have addressed here, please contact Marc Pline at marc.pline@biology.gatech.edu (Disclaimer: While every effort has been made to insure that the following information is accurate and timely, it should never be construed as authoritative.)
Banner | Course closed | Course restricted | Link error, linked courses | Overloads | Permits | Prerequisites | Teaching (undergraduate student assistant) | Variable hour courses
- BANNER
- Banner is the software system that runs virtually every computerized administrative function on campus, including OSCAR (Online Student Computer Assisted Registration).
- COURSE CLOSED
- See Overloads.
- COURSE RESTRICTED
- See Permits.
- LINK ERROR, LINKED COURSES
- Courses composed of one or more lecture sections and multiple recitation or lab sections may be "linked" in the Banner computer system to allow flexibility in scheduling and registration. Linking allows a student to register for one of many different permutations of lecture and lab. In the printed OSCAR and on OSCAR Web, a notation appears beneath the lecture section of a course stating, "You must also register for one of the following...," showing you which labs are available with this lecture section. When you register for such a linked course, you MUST submit the computer reference numbers (CRNs) for the lecture section and the lab section AT THE SAME TIME. Otherwise, Banner will think that you are trying to register for only half of a course, and it will give you a Link Error.
- OVERLOADS
- When a course lecture section or lab section fills up during registration, Banner closes that section. Many schools anticipate that popular courses will fill up, and they will set aside one or more seats for students who were shut out of the course but who "must get in" for any number of reasons. As with registration, the early bird gets the worm. If you are closed out of a section, first try to rearrange your schedule so that you can take a different section of the same course that's not closed. If that doesn't work, quickly go to the school offering the course and request an overload. Most schools require your physical presence to request an overload; each school handles them differently. You can find out if you received an overload by checking your "Registration Status" online.
- Don't sit back and wait. In many courses, the number of registrants fluctuates constantly during registration. If you don't get the overload you requested, monitor the numbers as often as possible and you may be able to grab a seat when one becomes available.
- "Request for Overload" forms for biology courses may be found shortly before and during phase one and phase two registration on the door of Room 321, Cherry Emerson. Courses that require the instructor's signature on the overload request form are posted on the door.
- Almost all overload requests are granted within twenty-four hours if overload space is still available. Overloads are issued for forty-eight hours only. Requests are not taken over the phone or by e-mail.
- Important: You must still register for the course if you receive an overload.
- PERMITS
- There are at least seven categories by which schools may restrict access to courses, and it is up to each school to decide on a case-by-case basis if you are to be allowed into a restricted course. Most restrictions are indicated in OSCAR beneath each course title. Most "permit-required" courses are those that require a professor's personal approval because they involve working in their lab. Other courses may be restricted to specific majors or class levels such as freshmen only, or no freshmen allowed. If you feel that your circumstances warrant being allowed into a course regardless of restrictions, you must request a permit from the professor or school that is offering the course. You will note that this is a request, and as such may not be given. But then again, you might get lucky.
- Graduate Courses: If you are an undergrad who has received a permit to take a graduate course, you must go to the Registrar's Office to be registered for the course. You can find out if you received a permit by checking your "Registration Status" online. "Request for Permit" forms for restricted biology courses may be found shortly before and during phase one and phase two registration on the door of Room 321, Cherry Emerson. In general, you need the signature of the professor who will be teaching the course before attaching the completed form back to the door of Room 321. Requests are not taken over the phone or by e-mail.
- Important: You must still register for the course if you receive a permit.
- PREREQUISITES
- Many biology courses require that you have already taken other lower-level courses so that you will have the knowledge necessary to understand the concepts presented in the course. There are some rare situations when a professor will allow you to take a course without having had the prerequisite course(s).
- "Request for Prerequisite Override" forms may be found shortly before and during phase one and phase two registration on the door of Room 321, Cherry Emerson. If the professor approves, have them sign it. Then return the form to the door of room 321. An override will be entered as soon as possible, and you may register for the course. Requests are not taken over the phone or by e-mail.
- If you have taken all prerequisite courses and Banner is not recognizing them, fill out the form on the door of Room 321 and leave it on the door. A professor's signature is not required. An override will be entered as soon as possible and you may register for the course. Requests are not taken over the phone or by e-mail.
- TEACHING (Undergraduate Student Assistant)
- The Laboratory Manager occasionally hires qualified undergraduate students, typically juniors or seniors who have exhibited a desire and an ability to teach, as student assistants to help conduct one or two lab sections. Responsibilities are essentially the same as a graduate teaching assistant and include attending weekly prep meetings, composing introductions to the lab exercises and presenting them to the lab students, working closely with the students in lab, creating and administering quizzes, grading lab reports, and maintaining lab grade records. Compensation can be either monetary or in the form of credit hours. Contact the Laboratory Manager if you're interested.
- VARIABLE HOUR COURSES
- Variable hour courses are indicated in OSCAR under the CR HRS (credit hours) column as a range of hours, usually one to twenty-one, or one to nine. Generally, the professor with whom you will be working determines the number of hours for which you will be registered. You should consult with him/her before registering.
- When you register online for a variable hour course, the default number of credit hours is one. At the bottom of the Add/Drop Classes page, click on the "Change Class Options" link to change the number of credit hours.
If you have questions about the School of Biological Sciences that you feel would be of interest to current and future biology majors, please submit them to Marc Pline.
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