Loyola’s new records system, LORA Self-Service, currently has no option for students to view course syllabi.

Students are now left confused, as they are unable to properly evaluate courses before registering for classes, according to Laura Jayne, the director of student services for Loyola’s college of music and media. Spring 2023 registration begins on Monday, Nov. 7.

However, Jayne said that students still have the option to email professors, whose courses they are considering taking, to ask for a copy of the class syllabus.

“I know that students have been frustrated without being able to see a syllabus during registration,” Jayne said.

She went on to say that, because everyone learns differently, it is important that students know a course’s general structure before registering for any particular class. For instance, Jayne said, some students have difficulty taking tests, so they would do better in classes in which final grades are not entirely based on test scores. Such information is available on class syllabi.

Loyola’s University Registrar Kathy Gros said that syllabi are unavailable because there is no option to upload these documents on the university’s new record system. She added that the school is currently exploring options to make syllabi more easily accessible to students.

According to Gros, the easiest way for students to view course syllabi right now is through Canvas, but this is only an option if professors have already uploaded this information. Additionally, students must already be enrolled in a class in order to access its Canvas page.

Gros said that the school’s information technology department has compiled previous syllabi into a Google Drive. But Gros said the file is “huge” and therefore might make syllabi difficult to access.

As such, the university’s IT department is currently working on compiling a smaller and “easier to manage” file containing course syllabi from the past academic year, Gros said.