Is there a class on your schedule that is just not working out? Well, now Cabrini College offers an online program for course withdrawals. Life just became a whole lot more convenient.
Students will not have to complete the traditional process of filling out a withdrawal form, meeting with their faculty adviser and finally delivering a signed transcript to the registrar’s office. Instead, withdrawing from a course can be as easy as the click of your mouse.
Chris Socienski, sophomore management information systems major, said, “This will be much more convenient, but I don’t know if I will trust the computer.” He later added, “I’ll probably use it anyway. I have to drop history.”
The new program will allow students to contact their faculty adviser online through an automatic email. Then the adviser will either approve or request the student to “See Adviser.” Lastly, the email will be sent to the registrar’s office for completion and they will notify the student, adviser, and professor of the withdrawal.
Nancy Hutchinson, director of cooperative education and career services, said “I would want to have a conversation with the student, and exhaust all possibilities before they made the decision to withdraw from a class.” In addition, Hutchinson said, “As an adviser I do not want to lose the personal contact with a student. I am in favor of the new program if it simplifies the process and helps various offices. If not then we will just have to go back to the drawing boards.”
The success of the new online course withdrawal system is going to be placed on the shoulders of faculty advisers checking their emails on a regular basis. Joseph Coyle, associate director of admissions, said, “A part-time faculty adviser might not be able to check his email regularly. This would be okay if a student tried to withdraw from a course early on, but a problem if time was running out.”
Another problem students could run into would be regretting that they actually withdrew from the course. M. Frances Harkness, the assistant registrar, said, “If students withdrew spontaneously and then think it’s a mistake we can work with them to change it. Sometimes in the heat of the moment students withdraw due to fear of failure.”
Dr. Nicholas Uliano, assistant professor of Spanish, said, “Virtual contact with the adviser is an important first step in the new process-as there may be times in which a face-to-face meeting may still be necessary. However, I see the new online course withdrawal system as a positive step in the facilitation of routine course withdrawals.”
