How To Bid for Classes in OPUS
Getting Started:
Go to https://www.opus.emory.edu/
1. Login with your OPUS ID and Password. If you have trouble logging in, help is available from Computing - Tanisha Hill or the lab in Cox Hall.
2. Once you are logged in, select "Academics", then “Graduate Business Bidding”,
3. and term (5089 for Fall 2008, 5091 for Spring 2009).
4. The Bidding Class Entry screen is displayed. Scroll across and down, if necessary, to view the entire screen.
a. Back = takes you back one screen.
b. Search = takes you back to the search screen.
c. Insert = inserts a new class request row.
d. Delete = removes a class selection, see below.
e. Reset = will clear a row of information without saving the information.
5. Enter the information for each of your Primary and Alternate Classes. You must enter the 4 digit OPUS number for each class. If you want to use bid points, you must enter the number of points. If you have an alternate, please list its 4 digit number. The credits, associated labs, grading and other fields can be left blank.
6. Click “Insert” to get an additional row and enter the next class.
7. Save when you are finished.
During your bidding period, you may change your bid as often as you like. Bids will only be sent to the registration system when bidding closes for your class. All bids are processed after bidding closes for your class. This means that getting your bid in early gives you no advantage.
Using your Bid Points:
You will be allotted 60 points to bid on your classes. You will need to use all 60 points for your bids to be accepted by the bidding system. Students will be assigned to a course based on the combination of their class priority level and the points they allot. Courses are scheduled in the following order:
Starting with the course with the highest number of points on your schedule:
1. Primary choice course (and section).
2. If this is closed, the system uses alternate course or section entered on the same line as the primary course listed by the student.
3. If none are listed, or if all alternates listed are closed, the system randomly chooses an open section of the primary choice course if one exists.
4. If all possible alternate courses/sections are closed, the student receives a “dummy” course. This is a placeholder only, and can be deleted once drop/add is open.
5. The process then starts again on the course with the second highest number of points.
The computer does not know the difference between core and elective courses. It will not place you in a core course above an elective if they conflict in time and you have more points on the elective. If you did not get a section of a core course, you must rearrange your schedule during drop/add.
Example:
Here is an example to demonstrate how the bidding will work.
Sample Course Schedule
1111 BUS 513 Managerial Accounting MW 8:15 - 9:30
1112 BUS 513 Managerial Accounting MW 10:00 - 11:15
1113 BUS 513 Managerial Accounting MW 1:00 - 2:15
1121 BUS 636 Entrepreneurship TT 10:00 - 11:15
1122 BUS 547 Brand & Prod Mgmt TT 10:00 - 11:15
1131 BUS 514 Financial Statement Analysis MW 10:00 - 11:15
1132 BUS 514 Financial Statement Analysis MW 11:30 - 12:45
1133 BUS 514 Financial Statement Analysis Th 6:30 - 9:30 pm
1141 BUS 649 Marketing Strategy MW 11:30 - 12:45
1142 BUS 649 Marketing Strategy MW 2:30 - 3:45
1151 BUS 628A Investment Banking TT 11:30 - 12:45
1152 BUS 628A Investment Banking TT 1:00 - 2:15
1161 BUS 635 Multinational Enterprise Strat TT 11:30 - 12:45
Scenario:
A second year MBA student has the following requirements for next semester’s schedule:
· Must take Managerial Accounting
· Top priorities for electives are Financial Statement Analysis and Investment Banking
· Would also like to take Multinational Enterprise Strategy
· Wants to take one Marketing elective
Number / Course /Day
/Time
/Points
/ Alternate1152 / Investment Banking / TT / 1:00 – 2:15 / 24 / Left blank
1132 / Financial Statement Analysis (FSA) / MW / 11:30 – 12:45 / 15 / 1131 (FSA at 10 am)
1142 / Marketing Strategy / MW / 2:30 – 3:45 / 12 / 1161 (Multinational Enterprise Strategy)
1161 / Multinational Enterprise Strategy / TT / 11:30 – 12:45 / 9 / 1122 (Brand Mgmt)
1112 / Managerial Accounting / MW / 10:00 – 11:15 / 0 / 1113 (Mgr Acct at 1 pm)
Total Points Used / 60
Here is what the computer will do. It looks for class with most points listed – and tries to place student in that course first.
1. If Investment Banking at 1:00 is full, then it will put the student into the other time. If both are full, it will give the student a "dummy course" meaning that you have an unscheduled course for 3 hours. You would have to pick up an additional course in drop/add.
2. Goes to FSA next. If the 11:30 is full, then it knows to look at 10:00 next, because it was listed as an alternate. If you left this blank - it would randomly choose a time that is open for FSA.
3. If Marketing Strategy is full, instead of the other time - which conflicts with FSA, it will look for Multinational Enterprise Strategy. This allows the alternate to take on the points of the primary course and elevates your next elective in the scheduling.
4. Just in case you get Marketing Strategy, you still want Multinational Enterprise included in your bids. So it’s a good idea to include Multinational Enterprise as a primary course on the next line. If you got Multinational instead of Marketing Strategy, when seeing Multinational as a primary, the computer will go directly to your alternate. You should list a completely different course in this case. By listing another marketing course, you can accomplish your goal of one marketing course.
5. You are indifferent to what time you take Managerial Accounting - and 2 of the sections fit fine in your schedule, so you bid 0 points.
Additional Tips on Bidding:
· Talk to your classmates, so you can get a sense of which classes are going to be the most popular, and will need more points to get them on your schedule.
· Look at the number of spaces available in a class / section to help you decide how many points to bid. During bidding, refer to the latest schedule from the Registrar’s Office for the number of available spaces. First years – be sure to look at the revised class schedule, once the second years have completed their bidding. The number of spaces available in each class will have changed. Think about your own priorities for the upcoming semester, and adjust your bids accordingly.
· Core classes are scheduled so there are enough spots for everyone to take the class who needs to take it. As such, the only reason you should use bidding points on a core class is if you have a strong preference for the TIME you take that core class. Examples: avoiding an early morning class, selecting a specific section since it is the only section that does not conflict with your particular elective choices.
· It is fairly uncommon to have a waitlist for a class, but it does happen. If we do have to start a waitlist, the MBA Program Office, the Registrar’s Office, and the Faculty work together to either open additional spaces, or let people on the know when a spot has opened up that they may take. By the end of the drop/add period, all waitlists are resolved.
Once Drop/Add Opens:
· Bid points are no longer used. If you find an open space in a course, you can add it to your schedule.
· You may make as many changes as you like, until the drop/add period closes on the Friday of the first week of classes.
· You will need to look up the available spaces directly in OPUS, as this number will change as soon as someone adds or drops a class. You can do this through a class search in OPUS.