Waitlist Protocol

[Nightshade]

Just curious to know: When there is not an official waitlist at your institution, how do you process requests? I have double the amount of students who wish to take my course next semester based on course limits, but have already overrided limits and accepted students who are majors/minors that need the course, but am wondering how to proceed beyond that? Impassioned emails first? In the order they were received? What is your policy?

[Hegemony]

I just tell the students that a spot may open up at any time, and that the person who jumps on it first gets the spot.  It doesn't have anything to do with my decision-making process, thankfully. They withdraw and register online and I don't have any intervention in the matter, so appealing to me is fruitless, and this also means I don't have to spend a lot of time weighing various claims to need the class.

And I'm thinking the past participle of "override" is "overriden"?

[Vkw10]

It sounds like you want to override the limits. Why? Do the limits serve a purpose, like matching classroom space or facilitating discussion or keeping your grading work reasonable in a writing intensive course?

When I had to decide, before the registration system was set up for waitlists, I would override for majors who needed the course only. If the course was a pre-requisite to other courses, I granted as many requests from majors as I could manage without compromising my ability to teach and provide feedback when grading. If it wasn't a pre-requisite, then only senior majors got overrides. I didn't override for non-majors, because the limits existed for a reason, either to help me provide a good learning experience or to ensure students didn't have to sit on floor during class.

[aside]

Before my institution instituted an automated waitlist, I based my decisions on who needed the course to graduate that semester or the next. Due to my administrative roles, I have had access to resources for verifying which students actually need my course right then.  I also learned that many student claims of need are exaggerated or downright bogus.

[Parasaurolophus]

I take them in the listed order. Anything else seems pretty unfair. I will occasionally make an exception for students in their last semester, however.

But don't go too far above the cap!

[Nightshade]

Thank you all for your advice. And yes, overridden is the word I should have used. I'll blame my error on election brain. :)

[Caracal]

As long as there's no acute issue with classroom space, I usually just let the first person who asks in, unless there's actually a wait list. I often have full classes at the first week, but they almost always seem to be a couple people under capacity a week or two after add drop. There's also almost always a few ghost students on the roster, so one extra student isn't going to be an issue.

[mythbuster]

I don't understand your question. Why wouldn't there be an official wait list?  If we have a wait list and want to let more students in, we ask the registrar to raise the cap on the class. Is that what you are talking about?

[Hegemony]

Here's my problem with letting extra students in before officially enrolled students drop.

1. The class fills up to its cap of 40, which is quite a lot of students to begin with.
2. Three students email me with desperate reasons why they want to enroll but didn't get in before the class filled.
3. I calculate that three of the already enrolled students will drop anyway, so I let the three new students in.  My calculation is that if I let these three in, and three drop, I'll only have 40 students. Sounds good.
4. Three of the previously enrolled students drop and, lightning-fast, three other students grab their places.
5. I thought I'd end up with a class of 40 students, but I have ended up with a class of 43 students.
6. Two of those students I over-enrolled turn out to be troublemakers or slackers who complain about their grades and cause me a ton of trouble.
7. I swear to remember this time never to do this again.

[Cheerful]

Just curious to know: When there is not an official waitlist at your institution, how do you process requests? I have double the amount of students who wish to take my course next semester based on course limits, but have already overrided limits and accepted students who are majors/minors that need the course, but am wondering how to proceed beyond that? Impassioned emails first? In the order they were received? What is your policy?

If you have double the amount of the course cap requesting seats, your department should create a second section for someone else to teach, offer the course again the subsequent semester (if not already scheduled), and/or pay you extra to teach a second section

Are you compensated for each extra student?  Why do you want a class size beyond the override limits?

+1 for Hegemony's post.

Mods:  Discussion thread should be in Teaching section.

[Morden]

Our department has a policy of not allowing students in above the cap (except in rare circumstances--like they were dropped in error and their spaces got snapped up by others). It's just not fair to other students and to faculty in a writing-intensive department.

[Parasaurolophus]

Mods:  Discussion thread should be in Teaching section.

Yes, I think that's right. Moved.

[Nightshade]

Well, this course will be mostly asynchronous, with weekly Zoom discussion sessions, so I don't think it will make a huge difference to have a few more students over the current cap. It is already a pretty small class size, so not a concern when it comes to keeping up with grading. If I can accommodate extra students who have decided not to return to campus for the Spring term, I think I should. We are doing a mix of in-person courses (where no one can enroll over the cap due to social distancing guidelines), and distance-learning classes, which are also in high demand.

[FishProf]

We are being pushed to raise our caps for online courses with Waitlists.

I understand Nightshade's desire to help, but it comes at a cost.  Perhaps several. 

At least one is someone - typically an adjunct - could be hired to fill that demand.  Now they won't.

[the_geneticist]

Our classes have official waitlists.  If any seats open up, they are offered to waitlisted students in their order on the waitlist.
Adding that many extra students is a way to double your grading load, emails to students, etc. without an increase in pay.

Are there reasons the class size is kept small? For example, is it a writing-intensive course or one with student presentations?  Or a class with student-designed projects?  Anything that requires regular, detailed feedback and drafts of a project/paper/etc.?
If so, I'd argue that increasing the class size will have a dramatic negative impact on the student learning experience.  Your time is valuable too.

My personal experience is similar to Hegemony's: No good deed goes unpunished.  Students that add late or are behind and "really need" a class almost always either 1) drop the class anyway or 2) are super underprepared and fail.  And often use up a LOT of your time before 1 or 2 happens.

I'd tell the students that the class is full.  Tell your chair that the class is full and has X number of waitlisted students.