Registration Permits (Permission-of-Instructor Process)
VIP directors and/or instructors can optimize team size and composition by not allowing open registration for VIP courses, but by limiting registration through registration permits or by a permission-of-instructor process. This allows the director/instructor to maintain a mix of majors, as well as a balance of sophomores, juniors and seniors. This balance ensures younger students are available to continue in the program, creating continuity from semester to semester.
In the application/permit process, students apply through a website to join teams of their choice. When an application is approved, a permit is issued to the student, enabling them to register for the specific course and section for which the student was approved. If an application is rejected, the student can apply for another team. By requiring permits to register, you can optimize the composition of the teams, including the total number on the team, the number of students from each year, and the number of students from each discipline sought by the team.
Requiring students to pick a team to join before the semester begins – as opposed to joining the program and then selecting a team the first week of the semester – ensures that teams can start/restart their operations the first week of classes. This is critical for scaling to a large number of teams but also streamlines operation for smaller numbers of teams.
Returning Students
Students who have been on a VIP team one semester and apply to join the same team the next semester are automatically approved. The only exception to this policy, and it is a very rare exception, is when that team’s adviser requests that a specific student not be allowed to participate again.