Department chairs will be reviewing prerequisite requirements for a new part of Panther Access to Web Services online registration that would stop students from registering for classes for which they have not met the prerequisites.

The Council on Academic Affairs passed the request to Blair Lord, vice president for academic affairs, who said he “would be more than happy” to ask the departments to review their requirements and set up a chart of which classes they want the PAWS system to flag during the Council’s Thursday meeting.

Currently, students can register for classes without meeting prerequisite requirements because no system is in place to stop the registration. The prerequisites are listed in the student catalog, but not in the computerized registration systems.

“We have a prerequisite policy that is not being enforced by all departments,” Larry Helsel, technology professor and member of the CAA subcommittee on prerequisites, said.

In effect, students who take an advanced class without meeting the prerequisite then have to go back and complete the prerequisite, but will not get credit for it toward graduation, Tim Shonk, an associate English professor and chair of the CAA subcommittee on prerequisites, said.

“Some departments may find some prerequisites they don’t use anymore or that are no longer necessary,” he said.

Once the departments review their prerequisites they will prepare a chart of classes they want PAWS to flag. Then PAWS and touch tone registration systems “wouldn’t let students register for courses if they have not met the prerequisites for it,” Shonk said.

“In two years, this could be in place,” Mary Herrington-Perry, assistant vice president for academic affairs, said.