Iowa State is about to join the small throng of universities whose students can register for classes on the Web.

This summer, incoming freshmen will be the first ISU students to register online. The program will be tested at freshman orientation in June as part of a pilot program.

Web registration may be available to all ISU students through AccessPlus as early as this October — in time for spring 2000 registration, said Laura Doering, assistant registrar.

To register using AccessPlus, students must first enter their university PIN number and Social Security number. Students will enter another PIN number to access Touch-Tone registration, Doering said.

Doering said the service needs to be thoroughly tested before it is “put into a full production environment to address any potential problems.”

Karen Zunkel, manager of the College of Engineering Student Services, said the engineering college officials want as many students as possible to try out the new system.

“We have no exact numbers right now. We are still waiting for a number from the Registrar’s Office and [the Administrative Dating Processing Center],” Zunkel said.

Diann Burright, academic adviser for undergraduate students in the College of Business, said only one section of incoming freshmen will be able to register online.

One of the major benefits of online registration, she said, is its ease of use.

“It’s nice for students to use technology to plan their class schedules. It can make the task a lot easier,” Burright said.

Zunkel said rather than listening to what course sections are open, Web registration allows students to see what classes are open.

“With the Web registration you will visually see what courses are available because it’s right there in front of you,” she said. “Touch-Tone is great, but the Web is more interactive. The student can actually see what classes are available.”

Doering said ISU won’t phase out Touch-Tone registration with Web registration. Students will be able to register either way, she said.

The Registrar’s Office and ADP jointly developed the program.

Discussion of Web registration began last June, but much of the development did not occur until this school year, Doering said.