Mik Mikitik just completed a very productive WebEx meeting with one potential vendor and is now cautiously confident that WDFW can have affordable, efficient online registration for hunter education students by the end of this year. Remember, online registration for students will be an option instructors decide upon--not one they are forced to live with.
A number of vendors have invested substantial resources into development of winning products/services. No application contains all of the online features staff and instructors want or need, but we have found a vendor that believes "Everything is possible." This is the kind of development team we need to make our dreams become online realities.
Various vendors feature all of the "basic" elements of any online registration system--super-user controls, administrative controls, instructor controls and student controls--which don't mean anything in today's whiz-bang world of e-wonders. What we need to distinguish the competition are an absolute commitment to hunter education, a strong service support record behind the product line, and a `can do' willingness to build applications that our fit end-user needs (rather than one which molds the user into an off-the-shelf product).
There is a lot of thought and process required before we arrive at the final online registration solution, but the benefits--to hunter education staff, instructors, and students--make it all worthwhile. Costs won't be insignificant, but they will be realistic and affordable.
Instructors will have an opportunity to help us craft a best-in-class online product/service, and several instructors have agreed to assist in reviewing proposals and offering suggestions for improvements. At this point there's nothing visual to offer instructors but there should be something available for review in the month(s) ahead.
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2 comments:
HOW WILL THIS ON-LINE REGISTRATION AFFECT CLASS FEES, I.E. WILL THEY BE PAID MONTHLY, END OF SEASON?
HOW WILL THE VARYING FEES CHARGED BE HANDLED.
WHAT ABOUT THE NO SHOWS - WILL THOSE CLASS FEES STILL BE PASSED THROUGH TO THE INSTRUCTOR GROUPS?
WILL THIS END ALL IN PERSON SIGN-UPS E.G. AT SPORTS SHOWS ETC.?
Good questions all; exact answers will depend upon the legislation expected to be approved during the upcoming legislative session. In general, however, here is what I envision:
(1) Registration fees would be redistributed to instructors during the month the course is conducted. There may be an option to request advance fees, providing it complies with laws and auditing regulations.
(2) Registration fees would not vary--they would be uniform throughout the state. Again, this is subject to a final legislative determination.
(3) "No-shows" are a problem statewide and the registration fee paid by "no-shows" would still be credited to the teaching team(s).
(4) Online registration is an option for instructors to consider--one that offers many benefits. However, if instructors prefer to use existing "bubble forms" and follow the current standard registration procedures, they may do so. The choice will remain with the local instructors. (NOTE: While instructors may choose to use either online or standard registration procedures, they will not be able to mix/match them within one class. Registration will either be online for all students in a given class or using current "bubble forms.")
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