A Revolution in Academic Advising at a Texas Community College

By ERIK LORDS

Orientation by CD-ROM and mandatory attendance help turn around a deficient program

It's the last -- and most chaotic -- day for students to register for classes at Richland College. But Noelle O'Hart, a sophomore business major, isn't panicking.

As she thumbs through a course catalog while standing in a long line at the advising center, Ms. O'Hart jokes that at another college she attended, orientation and registration were akin to a painful day at the dentist's