Using CEDAR
CEDAR is a web app for inspecting unit-level enrollment, program, and course data. It tries to make historical patterns and current snapshots easier to see, with enough context that numbers can be questioned rather than treated as verdicts.
Where to start
If you’re new to CEDAR, start with Dept Dashboard. Select a department and you’ll see current-term course activity, enrollment compared to historical averages, drop-rate context, and student composition.
From there, use the guide below to find the analyses most relevant to your role.
Application overview
Dept Dashboard
The landing tab. Shows a snapshot of a department’s current term: headcount with trend sparkline, courses running above/below historical averages, new courses, missing courses vs. two years ago, early and late drop rates by course, cross-departmental minor overlap, and credit hour production by level.
Best for: chairs, directors, anyone who wants a current-term picture quickly.
Dept Trends
Longer-term department report. Shows program headcount, enrollment history, entry mix, degrees, credit hours, Gen Ed patterns, and course outcomes.
Best for: program review, annual reporting, and historical context for current-term questions.
Enrollment
Section-level and student-level enrollment data with filters for campus, college, department, term, course, instructor, level, and part of term. Sub-tabs:
- DESR — section-level data with crosslist views (home, split-level, crosslisted, away, all)
- Classlist — student-level enrollment records
- Trend Signals — level trends and growing/declining course signals for one department
- Low Enrollment — sections below configurable thresholds; historical concerns mode for future terms
- Trends — multi-year growing/declining course analysis using regression
Best for: schedulers, IR analysts, anyone tracking enrollment patterns.
Regstats
Registration statistics dashboard. Shows courses where registration patterns differ from their own history: enrollment bumps, waitlists, saturation, drops, and possible downstream pressure. Configurable signal thresholds.
Best for: schedulers and college analysts watching live registration pressure during active registration periods.
Enrollment Projections
Saved Spring course-demand projections with aftcast accuracy, confidence, capacity interpretation, population-fit evidence, and section guidance. Open the page from Registration > Projections.
Best for: chairs and college analysts reviewing future section needs.
Enrollment Projections guide →
Pathways
Student-population analysis. Build a population by major, department, preset group, or demographics, then inspect course timing, roadblocks, course sequences, course-to-major patterns, and major changes.
Best for: program review, advising and curriculum conversations, and checking patterns in course-taking or major movement.
Registration menu
The Registration dropdown groups tools used during schedule planning and active registration review:
| Tab | What it answers |
|---|---|
| Regstats | Which registration patterns differ from recent history? Guide → |
| Projections | What course demand and section need does the saved model estimate for the next Spring or Fall? Guide → |
| Open Seats | Which courses have available capacity? Which ran last year but aren’t running this year? Guide → |
| Waitlists | Which courses have waitlist pressure? Who’s waiting by program or classification? Guide → |
Explore menu
The Explore dropdown contains analyses organized around specific questions:
| Tab | What it answers |
|---|---|
| Enrollment | Section- and course-level enrollment across terms, with Low Enrollment alerts. Guide → |
| Headcount | How many unique students are declared in a major/minor/concentration, per term? Guide → |
| Gen Ed | How are Gen Ed courses enrolling, and what grade-outcome patterns are visible? Guide → |
Course Dynamics — the one-course view of enrollment trends, student flows, grade distributions, DFW by instructor type, retention, and sequence comparisons — is on the top-level navbar. Guide →
Retention across courses is documented in its guide but is not in the app yet; for one course, use Course Dynamics → Retention.
Admin menu
| Tab | What it answers |
|---|---|
| Cancellations | Which scheduled sections were cancelled, and how does that vary by term or department? Guide → |
| Data & Usage | What data snapshot is loaded, which mappings need a decision, and how is CEDAR being used? Guide → |
| Changelog | What changed in recent releases? |
User roles quick reference
| I am a… | Start here |
|---|---|
| Department chair | Dept Dashboard → Course Dynamics |
| Graduate program director | Pathways → Course Dynamics |
| Scheduler | Enrollment (Low Enrollment tab) → Regstats |
| Dean / associate dean | Dept Dashboard → Dept Trends → Regstats |
| IR analyst | Enrollment → Pathways → Course Dynamics → Data & Usage |
Notes on the data
Why Numbers Differ Across Tabs →
Questions or suggestions?
Email fwgibbs@unm.edu.