It is the season for freshman orientation at Iowa State and one of the most important aspects of the orientation process is class registration.

This summer, orientation students will be able to register online for the first time.

Through AccessPlus, students are able to add and drop classes, as well as view their current schedule.

“Right now the system is only open to new incoming students and a few upperclassmen,” said Kathy Jones, registrar in charge of Web registration.

She said the Web registration process was tested before being implemented.

“We wanted to give older students, who have registered by touch-tone before, access to the Web version so we could get feedback from them, too,” she said.

Before Web registration is made accessible to the entire university, some minor alterations will be made, Jones said.

“Some improvements will be made on the system this summer, so it is not absolutely guaranteed that the system will be open to everyone in October,” she said.

The Web system is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and it mirrors the touch-tone system, Jones said.

However, the Web system offers more options than the touch-tone system.

For example, students can browse through department courses and see the current status of their schedules through the Web system, Jones said.

“People like to be able to see what they are doing, and the touch-tone system does not offer this,” she said.

“Each system [Web and touch-tone] has its own advantages. The touch-tone system has had extreme success with very few flaws and is convenient if you don’t have a computer at home, although both systems can be accessed from just about anywhere,” Jones said.

Jan Putnam, associate classification officer, said she has heard only positive feedback about the Web system.

“Students say this is easy — anybody can do it. This system is very available and user-friendly,” she said.

“We give new students a presentation about registration in the morning of the day they will register, and we start helping them register at 9 a.m. Usually, about 100 students are able to register by 1:30 p.m. with the Web system,” she said.

Sarah Scott, an incoming freshman, said registration was “pretty easy.”

“The computer system was self-explanatory, but I have nothing to compare it to since I have never registered by touch-tone,” she said.