On-Line Course Catalog Helps Build Best Schedule

No more heinous Friday classes. No more grueling labs at the crack of dawn. No more accidentally picking four classes with final exams on the same day.

Thanks to the Course Decision Assistant, an on-line course catalog created by Digitas, students can pick and choose classes according to preferred department, semester, meeting days, times and exam dates--without thumbing through the 787-page printed catalog.

The on-line catalog can be accessed from the comfort of one's dorm room with the touch of a button (http://www.digitas.harvard.edu).

The idea for the Course Decision Assistant came about when Digitas Technology Director Chung-Chieh "Ken" Shan '99 visited Digitas President Alexander Y. Wong '98-'99 this summer, lamenting the tedious process of searching and selecting his classes.

Over the next four days, Shan and Wong downloaded the course catalog, formatted the document--"the most annoying part," according to Shan--and designed the Web pages.

"Now I can do interdepartmental searches and [find classes at] a specific time," Wong said, noting the online service gives students "the freedom to choose" courses without hassle.

First-year seminars and graduate department courses are listed. And despite oft-heard complaints by science and math majors about early morning classes, it's possible to find an amazing number of department courses on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11 a.m. or later.

If the search yields no matches, the Course Decision Assistant flashes a frustrating blank.

"Sorry, none of the courses satisfies your criteria," the screen says, suggesting the student return "to the search form to find more."

Digitas leaders say the program has been a public relations coup. Aside from the student computing group's own postering in the Science Center and the Yard, the Freshman Dean's Office announced its availability in the Yard Bulletin.

Wong said the Web site has been accessed 390 times.

Shan says he hopes to integrate other services into the on-line course catalog guide, including getting the CUE Guide on-line or combining catalog information with course recommendations from the on-line CONFI Guide, which is produced by The Crimson.

"Maybe we could just make it so that you type in the key word 'gut' and all these gut [courses] will pop out," Shan said

"Maybe we could just make it so that you type in the key word 'gut' and all these gut [courses] will pop out," Shan said