This fall, we said goodbye to Student Central and ushered in what promised to be a new and improved registration system —ConnectCarolina.
Even though there are some benefits to the new interface, it is fair to say that ConnectCarolina’s inaugural season has not exactly been a success.
Trading in the archaic system was a welcome change for most students aged sophomore and above who remember the difficult, albeit familiar, system.
But sporadic functionality and a confusing display have led to widespread criticism–and rightly so.
The old system could not continue to be used by UNC due to changes in federal guidelines regarding financial aid services. ConnectCarolina provides more than just registration services. Its financial aid arm complies with updated federal regulations. Therefore, a switch was necessary.
Still, ConnectCarolina has failed to live up to its full potential. The registration portal used for enrolling in classes had significant performance issues during the start of add/drop period due to high traffic, hardly an opportune time for the site to underperform.
We recognize that structural changes are needed to improve the system, but the changes should be implemented at low-volume times, and certainly not during the first week of school. Specifically, a more user-friendly interface would be a welcome change.
But moving forward, we have no choice but to give ConnectCarolina a chance.
We recognize that it is a new system with new problems and the difficult task of catering to a large university.
