Hey, y’all! I’m Sarah Wells, CASIE’s Senior Registration Manager. I’ve been with CASIE since 2013, and in that time, I’ve seen just about every kind of registration misstep, mishap, and mistake. I’ve also seen how a little bit of information upfront can save a lot of time and headaches later.
Registration seems simple enough: find the workshop you need, enter your information (or your teacher’s information), add your school and billing information, submit, and you’re done.
But anyone who has registered for PD, particularly on behalf of a teacher or a school, knows it can sometimes be a little more complicated and cumbersome than that. And lots has to take place before you even click that “Register Now” button.
What happens if you don’t know who will attend yet? What if someone needs to change workshops? What if you realize the name or email on the registration is incorrect? Do you have to pay at the time of registration? How do you approach group registration? And why does it matter which email address you use?
Over the coming weeks, I’ll be answering these questions and more in a new Registration Best Practices mini-series.
The goal is simple: to help make the registration process easier to navigate and help you avoid some of the most common issues that can come up before, during, and after registration.
Many registration problems are preventable simply by knowing what to expect and understanding how to navigate the inevitable changes to your staff and PD needs.
So, what will I cover?
Throughout the series, we’ll take a closer look at registration topics including:
What to Know Before You Register
- A few things to check before you begin, including teacher availability, workshop dates, format, pricing, and registration deadlines.
Understanding the Registration and Payment Process
- What happens after you click “Register,” how payment is processed, and what to expect once your registration is complete.
Registering When You Don’t Yet Know Who Will Attend
Strategies for schools and organizations that need to secure a spot before they know exactly which individual will participate.
Registration Changes and Transfers
- Turnover happens, and PD requirements are ever-evolving. So, what do you do when someone needs to move from one workshop to another? What if the person who registered is no longer at the school? And why is it important to make those changes correctly
Attendance, Transcripts, and Transfers
How attendance is recorded and how it connects to the documentation participants receive after completing a workshop.
School Transcripts and Certificates
How individual participant records and school records work together, and what schools should know about maintaining accurate professional learning records.
Why Your Email Address Matters
Your email address isn’t simply connected to one workshop registration. It is tied to your contact profile, which contains your registration and PD history with CASIE.
We’ll also address some of the other questions and situations that commonly come up throughout the school year, because if I’ve learned anything in my years at CASIE, it’s that there’s always a question I haven’t thought of yet!
Whether you are registering yourself, managing PD for your school, or registering participants on behalf of others, this series is designed to give you practical information you can use every time you register with CASIE.
So, stay tuned! I’ll walk through the process one step at a time and share some best practices to hopefully make registration easier, more accurate, and a little less stressful.
And, of course, I’m always here if you have questions, run into an issue, or just aren’t sure what to do next. Registration can feel like a lot sometimes, so please don’t hesitate to reach out. You can always reach me directly at registration@casieonline.org.
