This coming semester will be a fresh start for the students of UW-Eau Claire, at least when it comes to the registration process.

By the fall, students will be using a brand new degree audit.

The decision to change the degree audit came about two years ago when the school’s system was changed to the current enterprise reporting system known as CampS. The CampS system has features that allow a new degree audit to be created that is more interactive and user friendly. The previous system that was used will no longer be supported.

Registrar Tessa Perchinsky said the change will be happening soon and campus will have to transition to the new audits.

“The old is going away so we have to work with the new,” Perchinsky said.

Perchinsky said the new degree audit has a few new functions that the old degree audit did not have.

The new audit enables students to select the courses they are planning to take using the planner function, and it will map out what classes a student is missing, she said. It also shows a student the classes they are currently enrolled in as well as the classes they have already taken.

Another new function that students will find is the ability to directly register for classes with the new degree audit. Students can also view classes that they can add if they have already enrolled, Perchinsky said.

Though the new degree audit is now viewable online, students that prefer to print their degree audit out will also have the option to do so. The portable document format now has color, which makes it easier to read. The PDF also indicates unsatisfied requirements in red as well as tables and columns for students to view the classes they have already taken.

Academic advisor Kim Wellnitz said the new degree audit is a good tool for students.

“Students should be using the degree audit every semester, as it is their responsibility as a student,” Wellnitz said. “It is also helpful in planning what classes to take as well as to see if that class fulfills the graduation requirement.”

She also said the new PDF version for the new degree audit is much easier to read then the previous one.

Junior Casandra Lee said the audit should be very helpful for her in planning her classes.

“It is a lot easier to navigate now and I have a better understanding of the progress that I have made with my courses,” Lee said.

Planning for a new degree audit began in 2010 and the whole degree review staff has been busy coding out and testing out the audit. Becky Drout, who was in charge of coding the degree audit and working out any kinks, has been busy since then.

“The staff has been doing a wonderful job in getting that up and running because it has really taken a lot of work to transition all the information over,” Perchinsky said.

Students can view the new degree audit by logging in to their MyBlugold CampS account and select the option ‘Degree audit – new’ from the drop down menu.