Overview

Registration is typically the first interaction students and judges have with your regional fair through the YSC Portal. While the system is designed to be user-friendly, participants may occasionally encounter issues during the registration process. This article outlines common registration problems and provides practical solutions to help regional coordinators troubleshoot effectively.

Student Registration Issues

Issue: Students Can't Find the Registration Link

Solutions:

• Verify you're sharing the correct registration link from your event page
• Check that the link hasn't been truncated in emails or documents
• Ensure your event is set to "Active" in the event settings
• Create a short, memorable redirect URL for easier access
• Add the link prominently to your regional fair website

Issue: Registration Form Not Appearing

Solutions:

• Confirm your event's registration dates are set correctly
• Verify that registration is currently open (check start/end dates)
• Clear browser cache and cookies or try a different browser
• Ensure JavaScript is enabled in the browser
• Test the link yourself to confirm it's working

Issue: Students Get "Registration Closed" Message

Solutions:

• Check your event settings to verify registration dates
• Extend the registration end date if needed:
  1. Go to Assets > Events
  2. Find your event and click Edit
  3. Update the "Student Registration End Date"
  4. Click Update Event

Issue: School Not Found in Database

Solutions:

• Advise students to try alternative spellings or the official school name
• Search using partial names (e.g., just the unique part of the school name)
• If a school is truly missing, email YSC support to add it:
  1. Collect the school's full name, address, city, province, and postal code
  2. Contact YSC with this information
  3. The school is typically added within one business day

Issue: Cannot Add Project Partner

Solutions:

• Both students must first create their own accounts and start registration
• The first student should complete their registration through the "Project Information" stage
• The first student then shares their "Project Code" with their partner
• The partner enters this code in their own registration under "Project Information"
• If the code doesn't work, verify both students have selected the same fair

Issue: Projects Not Appearing in Regional Fair

Solutions:

• Remind students they must complete ALL registration steps, including the final "Confirmation" step
• Check if they completed any custom surveys you created
• Verify the students submitted their registration (status should be "Region Submitted")
• Confirm you've added submitted projects to your regional fair:
  1. Go to Assets > Projects
  2. Select projects with "Region Submitted" status
  3. Choose "Add to Regional Fair" from the dropdown

Judge Registration Issues

Issue: Judges Can't Find Registration Link

Solutions:

• Ensure you're sharing the judge-specific registration link from your event page
• Create separate, clearly labeled links for student and judge registration
• Include the link directly in email invitations to potential judges

Issue: Incomplete Judge Registrations

Solutions:

• Send reminder emails to judges with incomplete registrations
• Check which specific sections are incomplete and provide targeted guidance
• Create clear instructions with screenshots for completing registration
• Offer assistance via phone or email for judges who are struggling
• Consider setting up a virtual help session for multiple judges

Issue: Judges Not Appearing in Approval List

Solutions:

• Verify judges have completed all registration steps
• Check the Judges section for registrations with "Incomplete" status
• Look in the Users section to see if the judge account exists but registration is incomplete
• Contact the judge to ask them to complete their registration

ProjectBoard Integration Issues

Issue: Projects Not Linking to ProjectBoard

Solutions:

• Confirm ProjectBoard is set to Required or Optional in your event settings
• Ensure students have created their ProjectBoard projects while in Public mode
• Advise students to refresh their Project Board tab after creating their project
• If a project doesn't appear for selection, students should:
  1. Return to ProjectBoard (using the link in their YSC registration tab)
  2. Verify the project is set to Public
  3. Return to the registration and refresh the page

Issue: ProjectBoard Projects Not Visible in Portal

Solutions:

• Projects must be in Public mode to be visible to the Portal
• Have students check their privacy settings in ProjectBoard:
  1. Open their project in ProjectBoard
  2. Look for the toggle switch between Public/Private
  3. Ensure it's set to Public
  4. Save any changes and return to registration

Issue: Students Can't Create ProjectBoard Account

Solutions:

• Explain that ProjectBoard accounts are automatically created through the Portal registration
• No separate ProjectBoard login is required
• Students should use the ProjectBoard link within their registration
• Clear browser cache and cookies if integration issues persist

Technical and Access Issues

Issue: Login Problems After Registration

Solutions:

• Verify the email and username being used
• Check for typos in the email address or username
• Use the "Forgot Password" option to reset credentials
• Ensure caps lock is not enabled
• Try a different browser or clear browser cache

Issue: System Timeouts During Registration

Solutions:

• Advise users to save regularly during registration
• Recommend completing registration in one session
• Suggest using a reliable internet connection
• Have users prepare all information before starting

Issue: Access Denied Messages

Solutions:

• Verify the user is logging in with the correct account type
• Check that your event is active and registration is open
• Ensure the user meets eligibility requirements (e.g., grade levels)
• Contact YSC for persistent access issues

Communication and Prevention Strategies

Proactive Communication

• Create a detailed registration guide with screenshots
• Send clear instructions to schools and potential judges
• Provide a FAQ document addressing common questions
• Offer registration help sessions before deadlines
• Share contact information for technical support

Registration Deadline Management

• Set internal deadlines earlier than actual cutoffs
• Send reminders as deadlines approach
• Consider a brief extension if needed
• Monitor registration progress regularly
• Reach out proactively to incomplete registrations

Getting Additional Help

For issues that persist despite troubleshooting:

1. Document the specific issue with screenshots if possible
2. Note the steps already taken to resolve the problem
3. Contact YSC support through the Help Centre
4. Provide detailed information about the user and issue
5. Follow up with the participant once a solution is found