New Kiosk System Makes Waiting Easier For Students
New Technology: A student uses a kiosk machine at North Campus. The device runs an electronic ticketing program that allows students to sign into lines for Financial Aid, Advisement, the New Student Center, Admission, and the Testing Center.
A new touchscreen kiosk system at Miami Dade College is making students lives less stressful. First implemented at the Kendall Campus in February, the device runs an electronic ticketing program that allows students to sign into lines for Financial Aid, Advisement, the New Student Center, Admission, and the Testing Center.
The system give students the freedom to not be confined to a line, allowing them to handle other issues while they wait.
More than 40,0000 students have used the new system since its February implementation.
“We’re happy with the number of students using the system and taking to the technology,” said Tim Walker, the chief information officer at MDC’s IT department. “It’s working great.”
At the kiosk, students can queue into the system with either their social security or student ID number before selecting the department they want to visit first.
They are then given the option of receiving a text message that will let them know their place in line. If the student opts into the text message notification, they will receive their number in line and their approximate wait time.
If you opt out of the text message notification, there are visual display screens that broadcast the order of the ticketing system.
“One of the issues that we’re having is that students are registering for several areas at once to see who sees them first and that is kind of messing up the system,” said Cecilia Puccini director of Admissions and Registration at North Campus. “The idea is that you take care of your first need then you get queued into the next area directly.”
The system allows students to be queued into another department with a similar place of time already waited.
“At first I was a little lost,” said Maria Perez, a dual-enrolled student from Florida International University who was registering for the spring term. “But it was very easy to use, although many people here still seem a little frustrated.”
The College attributes many of the issues to an adjustment period.
“There’s going to be growing pains, but we expect things to level off soon,” Walker said.
Currently only the Kendall, InterAmerican, and North Campuses have the new kiosk system, but it is expected to arrive at all MDC campuses by the end of the school year.