Departmental FAQ
Course Building
What section number do I use?
- If the section is being built by the department, section 001 – 599 may be used.
- If the section is for an online course and being built by the department, Continuing Education will assign a section number in the lower 600 series.
- If the section is being offered through Continuing Education, they will assign a section number greater than 610.
- High School Dual Credit courses are the only ones allowed to use section numbers 150, or 240-249.
Do I have to send paperwork to Continuing Education if the department wants to offer an online course?
Yes. Departments should complete a Course Information Form and submit it to Continuing Education. They will verify, code and return to the department for section building.
Where do I schedule classes?
Classes are scheduled in the Ad Astra scheduling system.
Where can I find a list of the available Parts of Term for a semester?
Those can be found here.
What options are available to restrict course sections to particular populations of students?
Those can be found here.
Registration
How late can a student add themselves to the waitlist?
Waitlist registration for regular part of term codes (FH, SH, FT, 1 and EIU) will end the day before classes begin for that part of term, but waitlist registration for special part of term codes will end the last day of the month prior to the start date.
When are waitlists purged?
- Spring & Fall: Waitlists for regular part of term codes will be purged on the first day of class for the term.
- Summer: Waitlists for the summer term will be purged on the first day of class for each official session.
- All terms: Waitlists for special part of term codes normally will be purged on the first day of the month in which they begin.
- Details can be viewed here.
How long after the semester starts may a department add or drop students from a Fall or Spring class?
- Departments can add or drop students from a classes being offered for the full Fall or Spring term through the 10th day of class.
- Requests for adds or drops after 10th day should be sent to the Office of the Registrar at registration@eiu.edu. Late add requests should include a brief explanation on why the student didn’t register by the due date and Department Chair approval.
When does the course schedule become visible for students and advisors?
The spring schedule is usually available beginning September 10th and the Summer and Fall schedules are usually available on January 10th. These can be seen through PAWS or here: https://www.eiu.edu/pawslogin/
When are students assigned alternate PINs?
Alternate PIN numbers are generated and visible to advisors for Spring registration after August 20, and for Summer and Fall registration after January 10.
Banner 9
Are there tools to help learn to use Banner 9?
- ITS Banner Basics webpage with a list of tutorials about using Banner 9 found here.
- Banner 9 navigation guide that has been adapted to EIU’s screens found here.
- Step-by-step guide for a department to add or drop a student using Banner 9 found here.
- Adding an attribute in Banner 9 found here.
