In a year chock full of change for the Muhlenberg community, another alteration rolled around last month: the implementation of Workday Student, a new registration process. Registration for the Fall 2021 semester will not take place on Capstone as so many students are used to; instead, Workday Student will be the new face of Muhlenberg course selection.

The Workday Student project began in 2017, according to Director of Client Support Services Phedra Henninger. After four years of preparing and planning, the project has officially launched. So what should students know about this long-awaited technology before registration begins?

There are tasks to complete before a student can begin to select their courses. First, students should log into Workday Student and complete their onboarding tasks. Then, after the Fall 2021 class schedule has been released on Apr. 15, students should build an “Academic Plan” and submit it to their advisor for approval. This approval is required for all students in order for them to be able to register. 

“Workday Student is a tool. It is not a replacement for the meaningful interactions with faculty and staff,” said Henniger.

Even in the age of hybrid learning, advising meetings are as important as ever. Furthermore, “[The Workday Student] system will provide self service functionality and serve as a central source of data, enhancing processes across campus to better meet the needs of our community.”

Though opinions among students are mixed, there seems to be a consensus on one thing: Workday Student definitely meets those needs more so than Capstone ever did. 

“I personally like Workday a lot more than Capstone,” said Giulia Gerschel ‘23. “The graphics are so much better and generally the information is easier to access. It also has really nice features and overviews.” 

“I’m hopeful that Workday will be more accommodating to the needs of the students than Capstone was, as it often crashed or did not support students’ registration needs,” agreed Sarah O’Sullivan ‘22. 

Aileen Bergin ‘22 said she “heard that there are some really exciting changes that will make it a lot better for getting waitlisted and will help the registration process run a lot smoother, which [I am] very excited about.”

However, there are some reservations about this change, especially from upperclassmen. “As a junior, I am not very excited to learn a whole new system for my last year of college,” O’Sullivan said. 

What’s more, the already accelerated stress of the past academic year makes Bergin feel like this semester is “an inopportune time to learn a new system and have the added stress.” 

Still, she deemed herself “cautiously optimistic” and voiced appreciation for the training sessions offered by the Workday Student team. 

Henninger recommended that students “Come to a lab!” Their office has “virtual labs set up to help students walk through the functionality of Workday Student. The schedule is emailed weekly and we have the training calendar on the Workday at Muhlenberg website.”

There is no doubt that students have plenty to learn before next semester’s registration begins, but the Workday Student team is ready to help and to ensure that this new season of change will be a smooth one.

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