Course Waitlist Instructions

What is the overview of automated course waitlisting?

How will I know what position I am on the course waitlist?

What happens when there is a spot that opens up?

What is the process with Linked courses?

What is the process with cross listed courses?

What is the process with reserved seats?

What is the process with restrictions?

What if I have a hold that prevents registration?

How can I check if I have holds on my account?

Where is my @rdc.ab.ca email account?

What are the changes to existing policy?

What is the overview of automated course waitlisting?

The responsibility to waitlist for a course is the students.  This is done from your personal web account during on-line registration. This document provides step by step instructions on how to waitlist for a course.  This process will only use your RDC email account to notify you to take action. You must monitor your @rdc.ab.ca email account to ensure it is not full and to ensure you receive the email notice to register.  There is 24 hours to register in the class after you receive the email, if you do not register the open spot goes to the next person on the wait list.  The waitlist ends approximately one week before the start of class (for winter term it is before the college closes for the Christmas break).  During the Christmas break, Spring waitlist notifications will be shut off. These will resume the first day of business at the College in January.

If upon registration (see the web registration documents for details) you receive this error: “Closed - # Waitlist” or “Open - # Waitlisted” or “Reserve Open - # on WL” or “Open - # XLST Waitlisted” or “Reserve Closed - # on WL”, under Action select “Waitlist”.

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How will I know what position I am on the course waitlist?

You can see your waitlist position in the Student Detail Schedule (under Student Services, select Registration, and then select Student Detail Schedule). In this case you are the first in the waitlist queue and once you are notified, the Notification Expires will have information in it.

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What happens when there is a spot that opens up?

You will now wait for a spot to open up. Once it does, you will receive an email, please note that it is from course.waitlist@rdc.ab.ca and the Subject reads “Course Notification for ###” (### being the CRN or Course Reference Numbers).

If you do perform a drop via web, you have up until the end of your notification expiry to make other changes and your spot is held for 24 hours.  Once you receive the email notification you will see on the Student Detail Schedule the Notification Expiry has a date and time. You have until this time to register.

To register, select Registration, Add/ Drop Classes, select Term, from the Action list, select “Registered Web”, Submit Changes. Once the Status says **Registered Web**, you are registered in the class.

If the 24 hour period expires with no action from you, you will be dropped from the waitlist and the next student in line will be notified.  To get back on the waitlist you would have to put yourself back on the waitlist at the bottom of the list.

Connect to the web registration error messages for explanations of specific error messages.

If you have any questions, you can email: coursewaitlist@rdc.ab.ca.

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What is the process with Linked courses?

These are lecture courses offered that have associated labs and/or seminars attached to them. These labs and/or seminars are listed separately on the timetable. For these courses, you must register for the lecture, lab and/or seminar all at the same time.  If you try to register in all three components of a linked course and it is full, you can only waitlist on the lecture:

Once you receive the email from RDC indicating that you can now register in the lecture section of the linked course, you need to follow these steps:

1.  Find an open lab/ seminar section.
2.  Register in all 3 courses at the same time; that is, change the lecture under Action to **Registered Web**,  add the lab and the seminar CRNs under the Add Classes Worksheet. 

If the lab/ seminar that is open does not fit your schedule, you will have to try another combination (if available), go back onto the waitlist or as a last resort see an advisor.  You will be dropped from the lecture after the notification period expires. 

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What is the process with cross listed courses?

Are also referred to as twinned courses and are defined as sections of different courses offered at the same time, same room and same instructor. The course name, number and section distinguish these courses from one another.  You can only waitlist for one of the cross listed courses at a time.

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What is the process with reserved seats?

Reserved seats are when a course has seats reserved for specific programs. If a seat opens under the reserved rule, only the reserved program code can be notified and allowed to register.  If a seat opens under the open portion of the course the first person on the waitlist will be notified.  This process is manually controlled by Registration staff due to system problems.  Registration staff will register students and send a confirmation email to your @rdc.ab.ca account.  Reserved courses are the only ones which will be monitored by registration staff.

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What is the process with restrictions?

Restrictions are when a course is restricted to a particular program, for example KNSS 250 CRN 892, in the timetable comments section there would be a statement “Kinesiology” or “KNSS”. These restrictions may be removed at a later date. The other type of restriction is when it is a permanent restriction, for example Nursing 395, in the timetable comments section there is a statement of “BSNR Only.” Both of these types of restrictions are treated the same way. If there is a restriction of any sort, only those programs that are defined will be allowed to register or waitlist until the restrictions are lifted – watch the timetable, once they are lifted the comments will be removed from the online timetable.

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What if I have a hold that prevents registration? 

If you have a holds on your account that prevent online registration you will need to come to the Registration desk for assistance.  You will need an Add/ Drop form or a Course Registration form with an Advisor or chair person signature.  As you cannot register or waitlist from your personal web account, front desk staff can either register or waitlist you in the course.  Registrar’s Office (RO) front desk staff can only help in situations of a registration hold (cashier’s or library holds need to be cleared up by those areas first before online registration can occur).

Once the email notification is received, you have to come back to the registrar’s office for assistance within 24 hours of receiving the email or you can reply to the email (again within 24 hours) to indicate your interest. 

The RO will only process email notifications if you were notified when the RO was closed and you responded to the email notice within 24 hours. The RO will not honour old notifications. If the notification period has expired and there are other students on the waitlist, front staff can only add you back onto the waitlist. They can then re-order the priority for you to the top of the list.  This re-ordering process can only occur if you have a hold and you followed this process.

If you are a UC Collaborative student, go to the Program and Advising Coordinator for assistance.

Any changes in payment by the action of registering, needs to be monitored and actioned by you.

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How can I check if I have holds on my account?

From your personal web account, select Banner Online Services, go into Student Services, Student Records, View Holds.

If you have any further questions, come to the RO to seek clarity.

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Where is my @rdc.ab.ca email account?

Your @rdc.ab.ca email account can be accessed once you are logged into the Loop. On the top right side of the screen, the   icon will take you directly to your @rdc.ab.ca account. See below.

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What are the changes to existing policy?

Exclusions from this process include apprenticeship courses, continuing education courses and most CAPP courses.  CAPP courses will be managed by the chair. Any questions or desire to go into a CAPP course should be address to the program chair.  Individual computer modules courses will be able to waitlist automatically (i.e. CMPT 071, 072, 073, 076, 083, 084, 086, 091 and 092).

Policy: Waitlist end date is approximately 2 weeks before classes start.
Change: The waitlist end date is going to be one week before classes start or the last working day (i.e. for Winter term it will be before the college closes). After the waitlist is dropped, any open spots in courses can be filled by the first person to register. 

Policy: Anyone can waitlist on a full course, even if it’s a temporarily restricted one.
Change: The ability for anyone to waitlist will only occur once the restrictions are lifted.

Policy: For reserved courses, any student may waitlist once the course is full.
Change: The ability for anyone to waitlist will only occur if there is still room under the open seats waitlist total.

Policy: Visiting Nursing students who want to take a RDC course were admitted to the program of Unclassified and were allowed to waitlist for the desired course.
Change: Visiting Nursing students who want to attend a RDC course will be waitlisted for the RDC nursing program. The particular course registration will be managed by the nursing department advising Registration that the visiting student can/ cannot be enrolled.