Taking The Guesswork Out Of Course Requests

Elizabeth Means

When I was in high school, I remember the sense of anticipation that came while browsing my school’s course catalog. In addition to signing up for the required core courses like Geometry or AP US History, there was the buzz of choosing which electives to pursue. For me, Journalism was always an immediate selection (which eventually landed me in the role of editor of the school paper in my senior year). Another memorable class was the highly sought-after History of Film which involved a semester of analyzing classic motion pictures. And if the school would have allowed it, I would have spent all four years in the darkroom taking Photography.

When it was time to make our selections, every student received a course request slip. We wrote down our requests, collected the required signatures, and handed them off to our advisors. But a school of roughly 2,200 students means roughly 2,200 course request slips. Yikes. I can only imagine the logistical scheduling nightmare that must have been!

Luckily for you, the Course Request feature in Blackbaud’s education management portfolio allows this entire process to be completed online. Keep in mind, the feature looks different based on the user’s role. For example, students will need to browse the available courses and enter requests, while teachers may need to provide course recommendations for their students.

In our new instructor-led course, Demystifying Course Requests, you’ll explore the Course Request feature as a student, teacher, advisor, and manager. You can find it in this Learning Path. Sign up today and set your school up for scheduling success.