Understanding Permissions

Owned by Susan Dawson
Last updated: Oct 28, 2009Version comment
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Understanding Permissions

With Student Administration, or SA, various rules have been programmed into the system, which drive the registration process.  These rules were built from UMBC academic policies and procedures, and have been reviewed and approved by the SA Team and Committees (which include members of the Registrar's office, Academic Advising, Office of the Provost, and Representatives from academic departments.)   As students register for classes in SA, the rules determine if the student meets the requirements to enroll in the class.  These requirements can include, but are not limited to:

  • Student Specific Permissions
  • Closed Classes
  • Prerequisites for the course not met by the student
  • Undergraduate student tries to enroll in a graduate level class

Though rules are in place to prevent students from registering into classes where they do not meet the requirements for the class, instructors of the class, and selected members from within an academic department, have the ability to bypass these rules to allow students to register for a class.  The process is called Permissions in SA.

Permissions in SA take two forms;  granting student-specific permissions and granting exceptions. 

  • Student-specific permissions are granted for classes that are permission only, i.e., all student are unable to enroll in a class unless their name has been added to the permission list.
  • Granting exceptions are used when a student is unable to register for the class because they do not meet the rules put in place for the class; i.e., the class is full or they do not meet the prerequisites.

Below are strategies for successfully using Permission in SA. 

  • How you assign permissions depends on how your class was setup by your Scheduling Coordinator.  Your class is either Student Specific Permission Only, or it is not.  You know if your class is Student Specific Permission Only if you must grant all students permission to attend your class regardless of the enrollment numbers of the class.
  • If your class is Student Specific Permission Only, i.e., Permission Only, then you must identify each individual student that is allowed to enroll in your class.  You do this by granting permissions using a student's ID number.  Click to view the Granting Permissions quick reference guide and video tutorial.
  • If your class is Permission Only, and the class enrollment is full, then you must follow the steps outlined in the Granting Permissions quick reference guide and video.  In addition to the steps in the training material, you must ALSO select the Closed Class checkbox in addition to the Consent Required checkbox for each student you are allowing to enroll over the enrollment limit for the class.
  • If your class is NOT Permission Only, then you only have to grant students permission to register if the enrollment capacity has been reached for the class, or if the student doesn't otherwise meet the enrollment requirements for the class, i.e., prerequisites.  To grant permissions for this type of class, you must generate permission numbers and communicate the permission number to the student.  The student then uses the permission number that you provided to them when they register for the class.  This is called Granting an Exception to a class.  Click to view the Granting Exceptions quick reference guide and video tutorial.
  • If you are wondering what type of permission you need to grant to a student, use the following table as a guideline.  (The guidelines assume you have opened the Class Permissions for the class.)

If you see this...

Then do this...

Student Specific Permissions Checkbox is checked AND the Generate Button is Inactive (or greyed out) (Permission Only)

You must identify the specific students that have permission to enroll in your class.  Click on the Lookup Icon (magnifying glass) to the right of the ID field to search for your desired student.  Click the "+" sign to add additional students.  Don't forget to SAVE!

Student Specific Permissions Checkbox is unchecked AND Generate Button is Active (or yellow) (Exception)

You must generate permission numbers for your class.  Enter the desired number of permission numbers for your class, click the Generate Button, and contact the student for whom you want to provide the exception and give him/her the permission number.  Don't forget to SAVE!

 
  • If your class has system-enforced prerequisites, and you want to allow a student who does not meet the prerequisites to enroll in your class, you must grant the student a permission to enroll.  Whether you grant a student-specific permission, or an exception, is dependent upon how your class was setup during the scheduling process (see above).  Regardless of the type of permission you will grant for the student, you MUST SELECT THE CHECKBOX REQUISITES NOT MET when you grant the student permission to enroll in the class.
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