Scheduling Update: Astra Schedule implementation

The Astra Schedule implementation is scheduled to go live Monday, March 18. The new room scheduling software will replace the current system (R25) and Schedule Viewers. There will be a new interface to request general purpose classrooms for events. Course scheduling in ECS will not be impacted by the change in scheduling system.

OCM will offer overview sessions on how to submit a request for classroom space for an event using Astra Schedule. These sessions will be held during the last two weeks of March. Watch for more details in future issues of Scheduling Update.

Scheduling Update: ESUP town hall meetings

In order to find the best possible solutions for the gaps it identifies in Interactive Design and Prototyping (IDP), the Student Records team is establishing regular "town hall" meetings to engage with the students, staff, and faculty involved with affected business processes. These meetings will be held on the second and fourth Friday of each month. The first meeting will be Friday, February 22, 8:30-10 a.m. Each campus will have a location to attend in person as well as an option for connecting remotely.

Scheduling Update: Standard meeting times

All classes should meet at standard meeting times. Please review the standard meeting times chart and the class scheduling policy to see available standard meeting times.

Please note the Request for Approval of Non-Standard Meeting Time/Day form will be discontinued effective fall 2013.

Classes with non-standard meeting times requiring general purpose classrooms will be assigned classrooms on a low priority/space available basis, only after the classes meeting at standard times have been placed. OCM Scheduling cannot guarantee that these classes will be placed in a general purpose classroom.

Scheduling Update: Notes field in ECS

Remember to verify all class notes for your department on the Class Schedule. Class notes from ECS populate in the Class Schedule and roll forward each term. Be sure that the notes associated with your classes are still applicable.

Scheduling Upate: Scheduling classes on multiple campus locations

There has been an increasing trend in departments scheduling classes on multiple campus locations (East Bank, West Bank, and/or St. Paul). Please remember when entering your data for fall 2013 (1139) and spring 2014 (1143) that setting a campus location is a two step process involving two equally important fields.

1. Location field: make sure the location field on the Basic Data panel in ECS is set to the correct campus location (it defaults to East Bank). This is the field that populates on the Class Schedule.
2. Room characteristic: make sure you select East Bank, West Bank, or St. Paul as a room characteristic on the Meetings panel in ECS. This is the field that informs OCM Scheduling where you want the class to meet.

Scheduling Update: Spring 2013 final exam week

Please notify us if a course section will not require a general purpose classroom during finals week. Email ocmsched@umn.edu with the subject line "Spring 2013 Final Exam" and the designator/section number(s) in the email body. This information must be sent by March 12, 2013.

Be sure to submit ASR form 163 or 123 to request a change in time, day, or location of the exam. While we do our best to accommodate special requests, please be aware there is a possibility that your request may not be fulfilled.

Scheduling Update: Monitor your general purpose classroom demand

Before ECS period 1 closes, ensure that you have confirmed that your department is in compliance with the scheduling distribution policies regarding classroom demand. Check this demand using the Class Scheduling Distribution Summary. See the class scheduling policy FAQs for more details on how classroom demand is determined.

A class is not considered part of your department's general purpose classroom demand in the Class Scheduling Distribution Summary if the facility ID field in ECS is populated with a departmentally controlled space or ROOM000TBA or NOROOMREQD. 

Scheduling Update: Departmental spaces for classes

Are you planning to use a department space for your class this fall? Remember to add add it to the "Meetings" panel of "Maintain Schedule of Classes" during ECS period 1. Don't leave the facility ID blank. If you know the class will be held in a departmental space, but are unsure which departmental room it will be held in, insert ROOM000TBA into the facility ID field of ECS.

Scheduling Update: ECS period 1 ends Feb. 20

The last day of ECS period 1 for fall 2013 (1139) is Wednesday, February 20. Remember to delete any class sections in ECS that have rolled forward but will not be taking place during either term. You can delete courses/sections by clicking on the minus button on the "Basic Data" panel of "Maintain Schedule of Classes" in ECS.

You may find the following resources for scheduling courses helpful:

• Class schedule production instructions
• Class scheduling distribution summary
• Class scheduling policy FAQs
• Standard class meeting times