The new online registration system for group fitness classes has had what RecSports Coordinator for Fitness Ambre Sheehy calls a "learning curve."
Students like 18-year-old advertising freshman Amanda George have had problems registering for classes online.
"One time, I forgot to hit the ‘checkout' button, so my name didn't get added to the list," she said. "I had to wait in the standby line."
Sheehy said about 20 percent of students registering for classes had this problem during the first two weeks after the Oct. 24 implementation of the system.
Now, she said, less than 5 percent of students have these problems.
Sheehy attributes the problems with registration to the process itself.
Some students think they have completed the process when they click the "save registration" button, but the process isn't complete until the "checkout" button is clicked.
"[The registration process] is confusing at first, but now I understand it," George said.
A registration guide is available for students at recsports.ufl.edu.
Public relations junior Hannah Leach, 20, said that despite having made the mistake of not clicking the "checkout" button, she thinks the online registration guide has been clear in its instructions.
"If you follow the directions, it's pretty straight-forward," Leach said. "I like the program. I can just show up for the class without having to wait in line."
She also said the system can motivate students to attend the fitness classes.
Students who fail to show up for a fitness class without canceling their registration are given a warning for the first and second offenses.
Participants are blocked from registering for group fitness classes for five days during their third and all subsequent offenses.
Sheehy said about seven students have been blocked from attending fitness classes thus far.
Despite problems with the registration process, Sheehy said that in the first staff meeting after the implementation of the system, fitness instructors have mentioned they've had an increase in class attendance.
"A lot more people than I had anticipated are using the system," she said.
