Review fall 2013 final exam schedule

The fall 2013 final exam schedule for general purpose classrooms is now available for review in Astra Schedule. Please forward room locations to instructors to ensure they know the location of their final exam.

Be sure to look through your department's courses for accuracy. Email the Scheduling Unit at ocmsched@umn.edu as soon as possible if you notice any of the following:

• An exam scheduled for a class that does not require a room
• An exam missing for a class that should have one scheduled
• An exam scheduled at a time or place you did not expect

To review your department's final exams, please follow the steps below:

1. Sign in to Astra Schedule with your University internet ID and password in the upper right hand corner of the screen. 
2. Click on the "Academics" tab located in the top navigation menu. 
3. Click on the "Sections" link at the top of the page. 
4. Update the filters in the left column as follows:

• Is Exam = Yes
• Term = Fall 2013
• Subject = Select the subject(s) you schedule
• Campus = Mpls/St Paul

5. Click "Search" at the bottom of the filters. 
6. To save your filter selections for future use, click on the save button on the bottom left hand side of the page.

Want a few extra tips and tricks for getting around in Astra Academics ? Check out this handout.

Still have questions on how to review your final exams? Contactocmsched@umn.edu.

Questions about final exam policy?

• Fall 2013 final exam regulations
• Fall 2013 final exam times
• Fall 2013 common exam times
• University final examination policy

Room assignments complete for spring 2014 (1143)

General purpose classroom assignments for spring 2014 are available on the One Stop Class Schedule. Review assignments for your department to ensure all classes requiring a general purpose classroom have been assigned a room.

Please note: room assignments are subject to change prior to the start of term. While this usually affects only a small number of classes, please encourage instructors in your department to verify their classroom assignment before the first class meeting.

Catch up with ESUP

Have you visited the ESUP website lately? Spend a few minutes on the site and find current information about the project and how to get involved.

Here are a few items we think you'll like:

• A general overview of ESUP (2:23 minute video)
• Review & offer feedback on the rough draft of the new U of M Portal
• Student Records town hall meeting details and notes
• Sign up to receive The Upgrade bi-weekly newsletter

Thanks for attending Scheduling U!

Schedulers from more than 40 different departments participated in the Scheduling U workshops earlier this month. Thank you for taking the time to join us! The presentations and related handouts are posted on the OCM blog.

Scheduling U presentations

Scheduling U, which took place November 4-8, included several workshops. If you were unable to attend, or would like a fresher, you can view the presentation for each session below.

Scheduling news and notes

Find out about all the new buzz in scheduling! Discussions will include process improvements, final exam batch scheduling, Astra Schedule, upcoming classrooms projects, policy and procedure changes, the new Liberal Education (LE) distribution tool, and more.

Speakers: Sarah Kussow, Nate Meath 

• Scheduling News and Notes.pdf

What's up with ESUP?

The University is upgrading its PeopleSoft systems and reexamining all associated business processes. What does this mean for schedulers? Come to this session to get the scoop and a preview of some changes on the way.

Speakers: Heather Micek, Kate Sophia, John Vollum

• What's up with ESUP.pdf

How to make Astra Schedule work for you

You may already know how to use Astra Schedule to request an event or to view a calendar, but there is a lot more that it can do for you. Learn how to navigate the new system-wide scheduling tool to find information faster by using filters, saving searches, and running ad hoc reports to make class scheduling easier.  

Speakers: Gary Andersen, Renae Faunce, Nancy Killian

Moderator: Christine Mounts

• How to make Astra Schedule work for you.pdf

Back to the basics

If you are new to academic scheduling or simply looking for a crash course, this session will provide all the information you need on scheduling processes, policies, and procedures. Topics covered will include the academic schedule production cycle, ECAS, final exam scheduling, how to navigate the class scheduling distribution summary, getting the room you need, and Q & A with the Student Records training and support team.

Speakers: Gary Andersen, Renae Faunce, Nancy Killian, Sarah Kussow, Robert Wilson

• Back to the Basics Part 1.pdf

  Back to the Basics Part 2 ECS Tips and Tricks.pdf

  
  

What's open in ECS?

Fall is a busy time to be a scheduler! You can always refer to the Production Calendar to determine upcoming dates and deadline by term. You can also add the Schedule/Course Guide Production Calendar to your Google calendar. The following periods are now available in ECS:

Fall 2013 - ECS period 4 
Spring 2014 - ECS period 4 
Summer 2014 - ECS period 2 
Fall 2014 - ECS period 1 
Spring 2015 - ECS period 1

ECS period 1 open for fall 2014 (1149) and spring (1153)

Electronic Course Scheduling (ECS) in PeopleSoft is now available for fall 2014 (1149) and spring 2015 (1153) 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

Still time to attend Scheduling U!

Scheduling U will continue through Friday, November 8. There is still time to attend two workshops! See details below.

How to make Astra Schedule work for you

Learn how to navigate Astra Schedule in a brand new way. Find out how to use the new system-wide scheduling tool to find academic information faster by using filters, saving searches, and running ad hoc reports to make class scheduling easier. This session is full of practical information you can use every day.

• Thursday, November 7, West Bank, 10-11:30 a.m., 140 Blegen

Schedulers Roundtable

From spreadsheets to databases to Post-its, we know that every department has a unique way of preparing their schedule. This is an opportunity for you to exchange practical experiences and challenges about your scheduling process. Bring your artifacts to share! We'd love to see how the magic really happens. The session will be a moderated discussion (rather than a presentation or a succession of speakers).

• Friday, November 8, East Bank, 10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m., 102 Appleby

Sessions are led by ASR trainers and scheduling staff. No RSVP required.