Student Systems Upgrade training available

The first of the Student Systems Upgrade training offerings were released this week. This includes the Student Systems Upgrade Overview that is required for all current users of the student system (i.e., Campus Solutions). You can complete that training online at any time. You may also register for the PeopleSoft 9.0 Upgrade Collaborative Class Scheduling (CCS) training that is required for all ECS users. More information can be found on Upgrade training page for Campus Solutions.

Grade entry deadlines and reminders

Fall 2014 grades (full semester) are due on Tuesday, December 23. A complete list of grading due dates is available online.

Grade entry best practices may be found on the One Stop’s Grade Reporting webpage.

What's open in ECS?

There are a number of terms currently open for editing:

• Spring 2015 (1153) - currently in ECS period 4 to make changes for spring semester
• Summer 2015 (1155) - currently in ECS period 3
• Fall 2015 (1159) - currently in ECS period 1 until February 10, 2015
• Spring 2016 (1163) - currently in ECS period 1 until April 10, 2015

See the scheduling production calendar and available tools for more specific information. We recommend completing all class scheduling for fall 2015 (1159) and spring 2016 (1163) before February 10, 2015 when the system goes offline for The Upgrade.

Scheduling policy basics

If you would like a refresher on the class scheduling policy, refer to the class scheduling policy summary and FAQ. The following information might also be helpful:

• The policy is based on the principle of the fair-use of resources. It aims to:
  • reduce classroom demand for certain days and times,
  • increase scheduling flexibility for departments, and
  • ensure reasonable class access for students.
• There is no requirement to schedule classes at a particular time, although it is required that classes are evenly distributed throughout the day and week.
• The Class Scheduling Distribution Summary illustrates the class demand of a department or college.
• The Liberal Education Distribution Summary illustrates the distribution of classes meeting one or more liberal education requirements.

Classes meeting during Spring Break week

OCM Scheduling now has an automated way to cancel class meetings during Spring Break in Astra Schedule by campus. This will remove those sections from the Scheduling and Activity Calendars and eliminate conflicts when scheduling events.

If you schedule a class that plans to meet in-person, on-campus during Spring Break next semester (1153), you must notify OCM Software Help by Friday, December 12, 2014 to ensure that a room assignment is retained during Spring Break (March 16-20, 2015).

Without notification, we will assume that a holiday break is a holiday break and that none of your classes have in-person, on-campus meetings during Spring Break 2015. All course section meetings during that timeframe will then lose their room assignments in Astra Schedule.

Verify access to grade rosters

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

Due to the PeopleSoft Upgrade in February, this is the last time the current University Self-Service grades pages will be used for final grading. As you provide your faculty and instructors with the following tips, you may wish to include information on how final grading will be changing.

Mobile devices
At this time, smart phones and iPads cannot be used to enter final grades. (The PeopleSoft self-service pages for grade entry are not compatible with mobile devices.) 

Browser compatibility
The browser type and version used by the grade enterer can also affect grade entry. Mac users typically have the best success with the Safari browser (Safari on an iPad will not work for grade entry). PC users typically have the best grade entry success with either the Internet Explorer or Firefox browsers. 

Clearing your cache
All grade enterers and approvers should clear their browser cache prior to the grades entry period to ensure they have the most recent version of the grades pages. Some assistance is available on the grade entry section of the Faculty One Stop web page. 

Where to go for help
If you know of someone encountering issues with grades entry please refer them to the Student Records Training and Support Team for further assistance at (612) 625-2803 or via email at srhelp@umn.edu. The University is closed on December 25 and 26. Although staff will not be available to answer questions on these days, instructors and others may still use these helplines and someone will respond to them as soon as possible.

Expanded weekend classroom hours during finals week

Finals week begins Thursday, December 11, with the first study day. The last day of exams is Thursday, December 18. General purpose classroom hours will be extended on Saturday, December 13, and Sunday, December 14, to meet the needs of students and faculty during finals week. Weekday hours remain unchanged during finals week (see standard operating hours).

Faculty, staff, and students should be reminded to carry their U Cards at all times to gain access to exterior building doors.

Saturday, December 13: All general purpose classrooms will be open from 8:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. to accommodate scheduled final exams. U Cards are required to enter exterior building doors.

Sunday, December 14: All general purpose classrooms in weekend buildings will be open from 8:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. to accommodate students for study day. U Cards are required to enter exterior building doors. Weekend buildings include the following:

• East Bank: Folwell Hall, Keller Hall, Nicholson Hall, Rapson Hall, STSS
• West Bank: Blegen Hall, CSOM, Hanson Hall, Humphrey Center
• Saint Paul: McNeal Hall, Ruttan Hall

After final exams week, we will return to our standard operating hours. Additional studying space during final exam week is available in the University Libraries, Coffman Memorial Union, and the Saint Paul Student Center.