OCM Support communication transition

On Nov. 19, OCM transitioned to a new service request system called ServiceNow. Sending an email to ocmhelp@umn.edu will now auto-generate a service ticket.

If you have an email announcement or general communication, please use classrm@umn.edu, or address it to specific individuals within OCM for a faster response. Scheduling inquiries may still be directed to ocmsched@umn.edu or ocmevent@umn.edu and will not auto-generate a ticket. The ocmhelp@umn.edu address should still be used to report a problem in an OCM supported classroom or study space.

The quickest and most efficient way to communicate urgent issues affecting classrooms is to call the Classroom Support Hotline at 625-1086 between 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Technology room checks

Classroom Technical Services (CTS) technicians are completing technology room checks during late fall semester. This biannual maintenance provides a classroom technology check-up, catching problems before they become disruptive to classroom users. Items related to the programming, hardware, and technology environment are all given a thorough investigation during the check.

Save projector lamp life

Quick Tip: Save projector lamp life by turning off the system at the end of your class or event. LCD projector bulbs are changed when they reach a predetermined threshold of use. This prevents class disruption by avoiding an emergency lamp change. As the LCD bulbs are very expensive, the system will automatically turn off after four hours of inactivity, but you can sustain the life of the lamps by at least four hours, if you simply turn the system off when you leave the room.

Mini DisplayPort Adapters added to GPC over winter break

Mini DisplayPort adapters will be installed and available in general purpose classrooms by the start of spring semester 2013. In rooms where there is an HDMI input cable, only Mini DisplayPort-to-HDMI adapters will be provided. All other rooms will be installed with a Mini DisplayPort-to-VGA connection adapter. The adapters will be tethered to the laptop cable at the instructor station which should provide adequate assurance that they remain available in each classroom. Please note that only Mini DisplayPort adapters are being provided. If a device requires a different adapter, classroom users will need to provide their appropriate adapter.

Classroom Support Hotline to have reduced availability on Wednesday, Dec. 12 & Thursday, Dec. 20

The Classroom Support Hotline staff will be attending staff events Wednesday, December 12 from 8 a.m.-12 noon and Thursday, December 20 from 1:30-4:30 p.m.

Messages left on the Hotline voicemail will be monitored (and responded to as necessary) while the Hotline staff are away.

The Classroom Support Hotline operates at 612-625-1086.

Lind Hall Technology Lifecycle Renewal

Lind Hall general purpose classrooms recently completed their technology updates. Features changed by adding new widescreen projectors and HDMI inputs, as well as the removal of VCRs in selected classrooms. For an updated list of room features, check the OCM website. You can learn more about the VCR/DVD retirement plan.

Study space on the go

Get your study on--on the go! You can now find the nearest student study space (GPS Waypoint) on your mobile phone. Check it out! The updated study space page now features space layouts, new photos, and introduces the latest designated space in Skok Hall.

Scheduling Update: Best practice reminders for entering grades

As the grade entry period for fall terms draws near, please review all of your fall 2012 courses to ensure the correct instructor is assigned to each course requiring grades.

Here are a few grade entry tips to keep in mind and share with instructors:

• Mobile devices, such as smart phones and tablets, will not work with PeopleSoft self-service pages for grades.
• The browser (and version of browser) used by the grade enterer can also have an impact on grades entry. Mac users typically have the best success with Safari (note: Safari on an iPad will not work for grades entry). PC users typically have the best success with Firefox.
• Due to the recent PeopleSoft Tools 8.5.2 upgrade, anyone that works with grades, including enterers and approvers, should clear their browser cache prior to the grades entry period in order to ensure they have the most recent version of the grades pages.

Grades can be entered online through the University Self-Service grades pages. Instructors should verify that they have access to all of their assigned grade rosters before the last day of instruction by using the "My Classes" report in UM Reports.

Class rosters and grade entry for courses owned by the School of Public Health are available only through the School of Public Health grading system.

If you know of someone encountering issues with grades entry, please have them call the SR Training Team at (612) 625-2803 or contact them via email.

Scheduling Update: R25 help desk support changes

Effective immediately, the R25 help desk email has been changed toocmsoftwarehelp@umn.edu. Please update your contact list and remove the formeremail.

If you email R25-Support@umn.edu, we will not receive your email. You will also not receive a bounce back notification. Be careful to address all help desk requests correctly. 

This R25 help desk change coincides with a switch of the internal R25 helpdesk ticketing system software from RT to ServiceNow. The process used to respond to requests remains the same.

For scheduling service and support, please use the following email addresses:
Course scheduling help: ocmsched@umn.edu
Event scheduling help: ocmevent@umn.edu
R25 software help: ocmsoftwarehelp@umn.edu 

Scheduling Update: Room assignments complete for spring 2013 (1133)

Room assignments for spring 2013 are available on the One Stop Class Schedule. Please review assignments for your department to ensure all classes requiring a general purpose classroom have been assigned a room. Please note: prior to the start of the term, room assignments are subject to change. While this usually only affects a small number of classes, encourage instructors in your department to verify their classroom assignment before the first class meeting.

Scheduling Update: Review fall 2012 final exams for your department

The fall 2012 final exam schedule for general purpose classrooms is now available for review in the classroom schedule viewer event catalog.

Be sure to look through your department's courses for accuracy. To review final exams, click on the college, followed by subject and the course, then click on the little cross in the box next to "Meetings On or After Today" to review the final exam time and location.

Please forward room locations to instructors to ensure they know where their final exam will take place.

Questions about final exam policy?

• Fall 2012 final exam regulations
• Fall 2012 final exam times
• Fall 2012 common exam times
• University final examination policy

Scheduling Update: Summer 2013 (1135) ECS period 1 deadline soon

The first step to schedule for summer session is reviewing the summer scheduling guidelines. Summer 2013 ECS period 1 closes at end of day November 26, 2012. Please make sure to make all of your summer updates by this time. ECS will be unavailable for summer 2013 scheduling until Wednesday, December 19 while OCM schedules general purpose classrooms.

Holiday Hotline hours Nov. 21-23

Due to the University's Thanksgiving holiday, the Classroom Support Hotline will operate the following hours on November 21-23:

Wednesday, November 21: 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Thursday, November 22: Closed
Friday, November 23: Closed

Messages left on the Hotline voicemail will be monitored (and responded to as necessary) while the Hotline is closed. The Hotline will return to regular operating hours on Monday, November 26.

The Classroom Support Hotline operates at 612-625-1086.

Scheduling Update: November workshop on waitlisting

A workshop from the Student Records Training & Support team will cover setting up and monitoring waitlists, using the auto invite functionality, and some tips and tricks for using waitlisting within PeopleSoft. The workshop will be informational for both current users of waitlists and those considering implementing it within their college/department.

The SR Help workshop will take place on Tuesday, November 20, 11:00 a.m. - 12 noon in B20 Fraser Hall. No prior registration is needed for these workshops. Please note: B20 Fraser is not a handicap accessible room.

Scheduling Update: Scheduling summer 2013 (1135) reminders

If scheduling for summer session, review the summer scheduling guidelines. Summer 2013 ECS period 1 deadline is November 27.

Scheduling Update: Final exam scheduling almost complete

Fall 2012 final exam scheduling is in the home stretch. You can follow the progress here. As a reminder, final exams for classes that meet in departmental space will need to be scheduled within the department. The Office of Classroom Management (OCM) scheduling team only schedules final exams for classes that meet in general purpose classrooms.

Scheduling Update: Transition Guide for PeopleSoft Course/Class project

During the past year, an Academic Support Resources (ASR) committee has worked to make course information easier to maintain, while also increasing the accuracy of reporting and student billing. This data simplification project will aid in the PeopleSoft 9.0 upgrade project. The conversion was done behind the scenes in collaboration with the Office of Information Technology. Changes are effective starting summer 2013. The conversion impacts all University campuses.

You will notice that some fields in ECS and ECAS have fewer options, and one has even been completely eliminated. Refer to the Course and Transition Guide on the ASR website for complete information.

Scheduling Update: ECS period 1 open for fall 2013 (1139) and spring 2014 (1143)

Electronic Course Scheduling (ECS) in PeopleSoft is available for the fall 2013 (1139) and spring 2014 (1143) class schedule production. Remember to delete any course sections that have rolled forward but will not be taking place during either term. You can delete courses/sections in ECS by clicking on the minus button on the Basic Data panel of "Maintain Schedule of Classes."

The following resources for scheduling courses are available:

• Class schedule production instructions
• Class scheduling distribution summary
• Class scheduling policy FAQs