Expanded weekend classroom hours during finals week

Finals week begins Thursday, December 17. The last day of exams is Wednesday, December 23. General purpose classroom hours will be extended on Saturday, December 19, and Sunday, December 20, to meet the needs of students and faculty during finals week. Weekday hours remain unchanged during finals week and after finals exams week, we will return to our standard operating hours.

Saturday, December 19: All general purpose classrooms will be open from 7 a.m.- 10:00 p.m. to accommodate scheduled final exams and student study.

Sunday, December 20: All classrooms in weekend buildings will be open from 7 a.m.-10 p.m. to accommodate students for official University study days. Weekend buildings include the following:

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

Please note building hours may vary from standard classroom hours. Be sure to carry your U Card with you at all times. For more information about specific building hours, visit the individual building details page via the Campus Maps website.

Calculating required instructional time per course credit

Each semester hour of credit requires 15 hours of class time. An hour of class time refers to the 50-minute block of scheduled instructional time. Some classes may have more instructional time based on the content and/ or mode of instruction but classes cannot have less instructional time.

For example, the expectation for instructional time for a 2-credit class during the typical 15-week semester would be 1,500 minutes (2 credits x 15 weeks x 50 minutes).  The class could meet two times per week for one class hour, or once per week for back-to-back class hours. See chart below for further variations using University standard class time blocks.

Time outside of class will always be expected, but formal instructional time must meet  Instructional Time per Course Credit policy and should be differentiated from Expected Student Academic Work per Credit. The Class Scheduling policy outlines standard time options by number of credits offered (section B9).

Classes not meeting the instructional time per course credit policy are currently being reviewed and will be asked to increase the instructional time for the class, adjust the credits the class is being offered at, or (as a last resort) cancel the class. Ideally we can work out a solution for these classes!

The expectation for total instructional time for a class applies to all academic terms. Classes scheduled during A-term, B-term, summer session or any other special terms have the same expectation for total instructional time per credit. A 2-credit course would always be expected to have 1,500 minutes of total scheduled instructional time, regardless of session.

For a standard 15-week semester, see the chart below to calculate the class time required for a class.

	1-credit  (15 hours)	2 credits  (30 hours)	3 credits  (45 hours)	4 credits  (60 hours)	5 credits  (75 hours)
	Meet one time per week for standard 50-minute time block.	Meet two times per week for standard 50-minute time blocks.	Meet three times per week for standard 50-minute time blocks.	Meet four times per week for standard 50-minute time blocks.	Meet five times per week for standard 50-minute time blocks.
		Meet one time per week for two back-to-back, standard 50-minute time blocks.	Meet two times per week for two, standard 75-minute time blocks.	Meet two times per week for two back-to-back, standard 50-minute time blocks.
			Meet one time per week for three back-to-back, standard 50-minute time blocks (Fridays or evenings only).
Standard calculation	1 credit x 15 weeks x 50 minutes	2 credits x 15 weeks x 50 minutes	3 credits x 15 weeks x 50 minutes	4 credits x 15 weeks x 50 minutes	5 credits x 15 weeks x 50 minutes

Review fall 2015 final exam schedule

The fall 2015 final exam schedule for general purpose classrooms continues to be available for review in Astra Schedule. If you have not already, please confirm your department’s exam schedule and forward room locations to instructors to ensure they know the location of their final exam. Find out more about what you can do to ensure the greatest accuracy »

Will any of your classes meet during spring break week (1163)?

If you schedule a class that plans to meet in-person, on-campus during Spring Break next semester (1163), you must notify OCM Software Help (OCMSoftwareHelp@umn.edu) by Tuesday, December 1, 2015, to ensure that a room assignment is retained during Spring Break (March 14-18, 2016).

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 2016.  All class section meetings during that timeframe will then lose their room assignments in Astra Schedule.

Grade entry deadlines and reminders

Fall 2015 grades (full semester) are due on Wednesday, December 30. A complete list of grading due dates is available online. How-to guides and grade entry best practices may be found on the One Stop’s Final Grade Reporting web page.

Classes meeting during spring break week (1163)

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

Please note: If you schedule a class that plans to meet in-person, on-campus during Spring Break next semester (1163), you must notify OCM Software Help (OCMSoftwareHelp@umn.edu) by Tuesday, December 1, 2015, to ensure that a room assignment is retained during Spring Break (March 14-18, 2016).

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 2016.  All class section meetings during that timeframe will then lose their room assignments in Astra Schedule. 

Confirm room assignments for spring semester (1163)

Room assignments for spring 2016 (1163) are available on the Class Search. Please review assignments for your department to ensure all classes requiring a general purpose classroom have been assigned. If a class does not need a classroom assignment, please notify ocmsched@umn.edu. 

OCM only finds a general purpose classroom for classes with a blank Facility ID in CCS. If the Facility ID field is populated, OCM will not actively look for a classroom for your class. This includes being populated with a virtual space, such as ROOM000TBA or AHCROOMTBA.

  

Room assignments are subject to change prior to the start of the term. While this usually only affects a small number of classes, OCM encourages instructors to verify their classroom assignment before the first class meeting.

Spring 2016 Auto-enroll waitlist process begins November 23

The auto-enroll waitlist process for the Twin Cities campus will begin Monday, November 23 and will run through the first day of the session. Students can add themselves to a waitlist through the first day of the session.

If you encounter any issues with waitlisting or the auto-enroll process, please contact the ASR Training & Support Team at srhelp@umn.edu. More information on how students can add themselves to a waitlist can be found in this guide.

Class permission numbers and override settings

Class Permission numbers were created in batch for the Twin Cities campus on October 19. These permission numbers will only override Requisites Not Met and Consent Required.

When you go into the Class Permission page, you will see this:

In the Defaults area, it appears that permission numbers have all of the available permissions checked, however, this is misleading.
 

To see what each permission number will override, click on either the Permissions tab or the "show all fields" icon to see the following:  

If you need permission numbers to override Closed Class or Career Restriction, check the appropriate box for that permission number.
 

If you have any further questions, please contact us a srhelp@umn.edu or 612-625-2803.

Improvement made to CCS facility ID field

Effective Thursday, October 29, the facility ID field (room assignment) in CCS will be automatically dropped upon page save if you make a change to the following fields:

• meeting pattern date range
• days of class meeting
• times of class meeting
• increase of enrollment capacity that exceeds room capacity

Class Search tool feedback requested

Since the upgrade of the student information system, concerns have risen about the new Class Search tool. In order to improve the class search and registration experiences for the University community, please complete a brief survey by Nov. 23. The survey is part of a multifaceted approach to understand how the class search can serve a variety of needs. Take the survey >

Review fall 2015 final exam schedule

Updated November 18, 2015:
The fall 2015 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.

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

• Is Exam = Yes
• Term = Fall 2015
• Subject = Select the subject(s) you schedule
• Campus = Mpls/St Paul

4. Click “Search” at the bottom of the filters.
5. To save your filter selections for future use, click on the save button on the bottom left-hand side of the page.
6. Export the list to Excel by using the icon at the bottom of the page.

Common Exam room assignments are available to review in this google spreadsheet.

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? Contact ocmsched@umn.edu.

Questions about final exam policy?

• Fall 2015 final exam regulations
• Fall 2015 final exam times
• Fall 2015 common exam times
• University final examination policy

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!

Scheduling update live
An annual update on everything scheduling: policy, classroom renovations, timelines, upgrade impacts, how to get the room you need, and more. This is a must-see session.

• Scheduling Update presentation

Astra Academics refresher
Astra Academics schedulers are invited to join the Academic Support Resources Training and Support team for a refresher session on entering classroom assignments using Astra Academics. We will demonstrate the process and have plenty of time for questions.

• Class Scheduling Cycle handout
• Get to know Astra Academics handout
• Assigning rooms in Astra Academics handout
• Astra Academics refresher presentation

Everything CCS: Encore SR Help workshop session
Schedulers are invited to join the Academic Support Resources Training and Support team & OCM Scheduling Team for a CCS user review workshop. We will revisit some of the CCS processes that changed as part of the upgrade and have plenty of time for questions.

• No powerpoint available

Orientation to academic scheduling
Are you new to academic scheduling? Perhaps you are an experienced scheduler looking for a refresher? Plan to attend this session as we walk you through University policies and procedures that relate to scheduling. All processes from A to Z will be covered. This session is perfect for those brand new to the world of scheduling.

• Academic Scheduling orientation presentation

That’s a wrap: Roundtable with the Scheduling team
Do you have a burning question that hasn’t been answered during Scheduling U? Not able to make it to a session you had hoped to attend? Bring all your lingering questions to this open forum. We’ll discuss best practices, data organization, and tips and tricks to help you schedule efficiently. This is an opportunity for schedulers to network and exchange practical experiences and challenges about their scheduling process.

• No powerpoint available

Tools for the academic scheduler
Scheduling decisions are strongest when supported by clear, concrete facts. This workshop will show you how to access data from multiple sources that is already at your fingertips using the Reporting Center, Class Scheduling Distribution Summary, Astra Schedule, and more.

• Academic Tools presentation

Waitlists: Let’s take it from the top
Schedulers are invited to join the Academic Support Resources Training and Support team for a user overview workshop. Not only will we cover processes to setup and maintain waitlists, but also the issues and resolutions that were encountered with waitlists at the beginning of this term.

• No powerpoint available, but an encore presentation will be held on Wednesday, November 18 at 11:00a.m. Watch your email for an invitation soon!

CCS Open Initial Build now available for fall 2016 (1169) and spring 2017 (1173)

Collaborative Class Scheduling (CCS) in PeopleSoft is available for fall 2016 (1169) and spring 2017 (1173) class schedule production.

The following resources for scheduling classes are available:

• Class scheduling distribution summary
• Class scheduling policy FAQs
• General academic scheduling resources

Queued registration begins November 10 for Spring 2016

Spring 2016 registration begins for students admitted to degree and certificate programs on Tuesday, November 10. Please review classroom assignments for your department to ensure all classes requiring a general purpose classroom have been assigned. Room assignments for spring 2016 are available on the Class Search.  

Room assignments are subject to change prior to the start of the term. While this usually only affects a small number of classes, OCM encourages instructors to verify their classroom assignment before the first class meeting.

What’s open in CCS?

Fall is a busy time to be a scheduler! You can always refer to the Production Calendars to determine upcoming dates and deadlines by term and to review the levels of access available during each period. The following periods are now available in ECS:

• Fall 2015 - CCS Open Emergent Changes
• Spring 2016 - CCS Open Emergent Changes
• Summer 2016 - CCS Closed
• Fall 2015 - CCS Open Initial Build
• Spring 2017 - CCS Open Initial Build

Process for deleting classes in CCS

In CCS, schedulers do not have the ability to delete an individual class section. 

During CCS Open Initial Build: Schedulers should cancel class sections that will not be offered (historically, these are the sections that would have been deleted). OCM Scheduling will run a query daily to delete the classes that have been canceled the prior workday.
During CCS Open Emergent Changes: Schedulers should still cancel classes that will no longer be offered, but they will not be deleted by OCM Scheduling. 

Please note: Changing the enrollment capacity to zero and checking the "no print" box in CCS will not cancel a class, delete a class, or release the classroom assignment. Always cancel a class that will not be offered for a given term.

Batch Class Permission Info for Spring 2016 (1163)

As a reminder, when permission numbers were created for Twin Cities classes on Oct. 19, the 'Permission Valid For' check box was not checked for Closed Class. In effect, this means that permission numbers will continue to override if the requisites for a class are not met or consent is required, but will not override if the class is full. For departments using waitlisting, this will help prevent students on the waitlist being inadvertently bypassed by a student with a permission number.

More information on class permissions can be found in the Class Permissions UPK topics (by clicking 'Help' from a PeopleSoft page) or by contacting the ASR Training and Support Team, 612-625-2803 or srhelp@umn.edu.

Scheduling U workshops: 10/26-10/30

Scheduling U will take place Monday, October 26 - Friday, October 30. Session dates, times, and descriptions may be found on the OCM blog. 

Workshops will cover scheduling policies and practices, Astra Academics, CCS, waitlists, tools available for your use and much more. Sessions will be lead by Scheduling staff and ASR trainers. No registration is required.

View all session information.

Fall final exam rooms are limited

Please continue to notify Scheduling if a course section will not require a general purpose classroom during finals week. Email ocmsched@umn.edu with the subject line "Fall 2015 Final Exam" and the designator/section number(s) in the text.

Space is very tight on campus and any chance we have to release a classroom to be used by another exam is much appreciated. 

Reminder: OCM only schedules final exams for classes that meet in general purpose classrooms. Final exams for classes that meet in departmental space need to be scheduled within the department.

• Final exam regulations, Fall 2015
• Fall 2015 final exam schedule
• Fall 2015 common exam times
• Scheduling Examinations, Final Examinations, and Study Days policy

Topic Courses resources for schedulers

In June, the Office of Undergraduate Education worked with Academic Support Resources and class schedulers to develop materials that explained the principles and processes of Topic Courses. The results of those efforts are available online for schedulers to view when needed. The two documents outline the guiding principles of topics courses, review the processes for getting a topic courses approved and active in ECAS, and a step-by-step guide for schedulers who manage these types of courses in the class schedule.

Scheduling U begins on October 26

All schedulers should plan to attend the annual scheduling workshop series, Scheduling U. This year Scheduling U takes place October 26-30. Whether you are new to course scheduling or are a pro, there is a session for you during Scheduling U. Workshops are open to any University staff member. 

Scheduling update live

An annual update on everything scheduling: policy, classroom renovations, timelines, upgrade impacts, how to get the room you need, and more. This is a must-see session!

• Monday, October 26, 2:30-3:45 p.m. -- Ford Hall 115 (East Bank)
• Wednesday, October 28, 1:00-2:15 p.m. -- Humphrey 50B (West Bank)
• Thursday, October 29, 10:15-11:30 a.m. -- McNeal 144 (St Paul)

Astra Academics refresher

Astra Academics schedulers are invited to join the Academic Support Resources Training and Support team for a refresher session on entering classroom assignments using Astra Academics. We will demonstrate the process and have plenty of time for questions.

• Thursday, October 29, 1:30-2:45 p.m. -- Bio Sci 12 (St Paul)

Everything CCS: Encore SR Help workshop session 

Schedulers are invited to join the Academic Support Resources Training and Support team & OCM Scheduling Team for a CCS user review workshop. We will revisit some of the CCS processes that changed as part of the upgrade and have plenty of time for questions.

• Monday, October 26, 8:45-10:00 a.m. -- Bio Sci 12 (St Paul)

Orientation to academic scheduling

Are you new to academic scheduling?  Perhaps you are an experienced scheduler looking for a refresher? Plan to attend this session as we walk you through University policies and procedures that relate to scheduling. All processes from A to Z will be covered. This session is perfect for those brand new to the world of scheduling.   

• Tuesday, October 27, 1:00-2:15 p.m. -- Blegen 240 (West Bank)

That’s a wrap: Roundtable with the Scheduling team

Do you have a burning question that hasn’t been answered during Scheduling U?  Not able to make it to a session you had hoped to attend?  Bring all your lingering questions to this open forum. We’ll discuss best practices, data organization, and tips and tricks to help you schedule efficiently. This is an opportunity for schedulers to network and exchange practical experiences and challenges about their scheduling process. 

• Friday, October 30, 2:30-3:45 p.m. -- Bruininks Hall 432B (East Bank)

Tools for the academic scheduler

Scheduling decisions are strongest when supported by clear, concrete facts. This workshop will show you how to access data from multiple sources that is already at your fingertips using the Reporting Center, Class Scheduling Distribution Summary, Astra Schedule, and more. You will also learn more about how some 

• Friday, October 30, 9:45-11:00 a.m. -- Appleby 303 (East Bank)

Waitlists: Let’s take it from the top 

Schedulers are invited to join the Academic Support Resources Training and Support team for a user overview workshop. Not only will we cover processes to setup and maintain waitlists, but also the issues and resolutions that were encountered with waitlists at the beginning of this term.

• Tuesday, October 27, 8:45-10:00 a.m. -- McNeal 10 (St Paul)

Roll forward for fall (1169) and spring (1173) semesters

Class data entered into CCS rolls forward from the same term in the previous year (e.g., fall 2015 to fall 2016) as a convenience to schedulers. We will roll forward the fall 2016 (1169) and spring 2017 (1173) semesters on Monday, October 19. This happens two weeks prior to CCS Initial Build Open period to allow for data clean up to take place behind the scenes. As a reminder, classes with the following criteria will not roll forward:

• Cancelled sections
• Tentative sections
• Topics classes
• Classes with zero enrollment for the last 2 like terms (excluding directed studies and research)

Do you need a classroom for that final exam?

Fall 2015 final exam room scheduling will begin September 25. OCM only schedules final exams for classes that meet in general purpose classrooms. Final exams for classes that meet in departmental space need to be scheduled within the department.

Email ocmsched@umn.edu with any class sections that do not require a classroom during finals week. Use “Fall 2015 Final Exam” for the subject line and the course and section number(s) in the body.

• Final exam regulations, Fall 2015
• Fall 2015 final exam schedule
• Fall 2015 common exam times
• Scheduling Examinations, Final Examinations, and Study Days policy

Confirm "Auto-Enroll from Waitlist" indicator for classes

Earlier this summer CCS schedulers were advised to consider unchecking the “Auto-Enroll from Waitlist” checkbox, on the Enrollment Control tab in CCS, as a workaround to a problem we were experiencing with waitlists. That waitlist issue was fixed in late July.

Before October 19 (when information from the 2015-16 schedule rolls forward to 2016-17), class schedulers should review their fall 2015 classes and re-check the “Auto-Enroll from Waitlist” checkbox on classes where it had been unchecked. If the “Auto-Enroll from Waitlist” box is left unchecked, students on the wait list will not be given priority over students not on the waitlist for seats that become available in the class.

Unexpected power outage causes classroom disruptions

On Monday, October 5, 2015, there was a power outage on the University of Minnesota's Minneapolis campus that caused classroom projection systems to malfunction. It's estimated that this outage affected approximately 50 classrooms in over a dozen buildings, including:

• Akerman
• Armory
• Blegen
• Burton
• Cooke
• Carlson
• Ford
• Humphrey
• Lind
• Murphy
• Rapson 

The Office of Classroom Management has successfully reset the projection equipment and will continue to resolve the few remaining issues. Working in conjunction with U of M's Facilities Management team, investigations have begun to try and determine how to minimize the impact of unplanned disruptions in the future. We apologize for the inconvenience and any negative impact to you, your students or classes.

Please contact OCM at 612-625-1086 if you encounter any issues with your classroom functionality.   

OCM Hiring Classroom Condition Monitors

"Inspected by Students, for Students"

• Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes to keep your classroom operational? 
• Are you looking for hours that are easy to fit into your class schedule? 

The office of Classroom Management is now hiring University of Minnesota students to visually inspect general purpose classrooms to determine readiness. Responsibilities include capturing data, resolving correctable issues, and reporting deficiencies that may negatively impact classroom functionality. If you have strong attention to detail and a desire to make a positive difference in students' lives, please email the OCM Operations unit at ocm-ops@umn.edu for more information.

Fall final exam room scheduling to begin soon

Fall 2015 final exam room scheduling will begin September 25. OCM only schedules final exams for classes that meet in general purpose classrooms. Final exams for classes that meet in departmental space need to be scheduled within the department.

Email ocmsched@umn.edu with any class sections that do not require a classroom during finals week. Use “Fall 2015 Final Exam” for the subject line and the course and section number(s) in the body.

• Final exam regulations, Fall 2015
• Fall 2015 final exam schedule
• Fall 2015 common exam times
• Scheduling Examinations, Final Examinations, and Study Days policy

Summer 2016 CCS period 1 opens Tuesday, September 29

Collaborative Class Scheduling (CCS) in PeopleSoft will be available Tuesday, September 23 for May/summer 2016 (1165) class schedule production. The following resources for scheduling summer session courses are available:

• Academic session dates by term
• Class schedule production instructions
• CCS production calendar
• General class scheduling tools

Confirm room assignments for spring semester

Room assignments for spring 2016 (1163) are available on the Class Search. Please review assignments for your department to ensure all classes requiring a general purpose classroom have been assigned. If a class does not need a classroom assignment, please notify ocmsched@umn.edu. 

OCM only finds a general purpose classroom for classes with a blank Facility ID in CCS. If the Facility ID field is populated, OCM will not actively look for a classroom for your class. This includes being populated with a virtual space, such as ROOM000TBA or AHCROOMTBA.

  

Room assignments are subject to change prior to the start of the term. While this usually only affects a small number of classes, OCM encourages instructors to verify their classroom assignment before the first class meeting.

Releasing reserved seats for fall (1159)

If reserved group seats have not been released by departments, OCM will do so for fall 2015 (1159) on Friday, September 4. Reserved group seats are always released the Friday before the first day of class each semester.

You may choose to release reserved seats prior to September 4 to increase enrollment. Guidelines for the Management of Reserved Group Seats are available to help department schedulers determine the appropriate release date. For questions on how to release reserved seats, contact the Student Records Training Team.

Are you offering that class this fall 2015?

There are a large number of classes in the fall 2015 (1159) class schedule that have a room assignment but no enrolled students (or fewer than 6 students enrolled). If you do not plan to offer a class, cancel the class in CCS as soon as possible. Changing the enrollment capacity to zero and checking the "no print" box in CCS will not release the classroom assignment.

Notify OCM Scheduling if you need assistance to cancel a class or moving a small class to a departmental space.

Fall final exam room scheduling to begin soon

Fall 2015 final exam room scheduling will begin mid-September. OCM only schedules final exams for classes that meet in general purpose classrooms. Final exams for classes that meet in departmental space need to be scheduled within the department.

Email OCM Scheduling with any course sections that do not require a classroom during finals week. Use "Fall 2015 Final Exam" for the subject line and the course and section number(s) in the body. 

Additional helpful resources:

• Final exam regulations, Fall 2015
• Fall 2015 final exam schedule
• Fall 2015 common exam times

Save the dates for Scheduling U

All schedulers are encouraged to attend Scheduling U this fall to learn about new information regarding scheduling. Sessions will be held October 26-30, 2015. Offerings will take place on both Minneapolis and St. Paul campuses. More details will be announced soon.

ASR Training Team feedback request

The ASR Training Team is looking for your feedback on one of their training tools. Please take their two-minute survey on the User Productivity Kit (or UPK, for short) - even if you've never used it or heard about it before, because that's important feedback, too.

Reminder: Finding a Class List

For faculty, instructors, and their assigned proxies, the class list and roster information can be accessed through the "Teaching" tab of the new MyU. This opens a list of courses, which can be clicked through to open the Faculty Center and access class rosters either through the class roster icon, that looks like a group of people, or tab. This information can be downloaded to Excel by clicking on the table icon with the red arrow, or printed by clicking the "Printer Friendly Version" link at the bottom of the page. Learn more with the PeopleSoft Faculty Center guide »

Online classes now get "Online" room designation

Online classes previously had their room designations set to Room TBA or No Room Required in the Facility ID field in CCS. This has been updated, and now all Completely Online classes are designated "Online" for their room assignment, so that when a student uses the Class Search this information will display clearly in the list of results. Please share this information with faculty, staff and instructors in your departments.

Welcome to fall semester 2015!

Summer classroom renovations and updates

Several general purpose classrooms received environment or technology updates during the summer, including the following:

·         Major renovations: Ruttan B25, Blegen 317, and Mayo C231 received new furniture, finishes, and lighting updates.  Blegen 245 and 255 were combined to create a larger room.

·         Technology feature upgrades were completed in more than 60 rooms. Room features can be found on the room inventory page.

o   Improvements include: wide-screen video projectors, HDMI input cables, and class capture output connections.

·         New learning spaces added:

o   Thirteen Mondale Hall classrooms were added to the inventory and updated with newer video projectors.  

o   Mayo C231 was added to the inventory and renovated as noted above.  

o   Blegen 317, Appleby 204, and Ford B53 were converted to classrooms and received finish updates.

o   Two more Computer lab classrooms were added to the inventory and are supported in partnership with OIT.

                                                                                                                              

Remember to locate your classroom assignment

Room assignments for fall 2015 are available on the Class Schedule. Please note: room assignments are subject to change prior to the start of term. While this usually only affects a small number of classes, verify your classroom assignment before the first class meeting. If you have specific questions about your room assignment, contact your department scheduling coordinator.

Resource for classroom searches

The General Purpose Classroom Search allows you to view the classroom inventory. You can filter by campus, building, capacity, and/or feature. You can also view room details, including capacities, layout, photo, links to campus maps, and room schedule.

Classroom technology instructions and videos

The classroom technology instructions for each building provide a list of equipment and additional features, as well as a representative image of the instructor station in each classroom. Orientation is available upon request for those who want to learn more about the technology features. For any questions, contact OCM Classroom Support.

Contact us

OCM is available to help with any questions, concerns, or comments regarding general purpose classrooms or central student study spaces. Contact us via the Classroom Support Hotline at 612-625-1086 or classrm@umn.edu.

OCM staff are available for classroom and scheduling-related calls Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Messages left at the hotline are monitored by an on-call manager after hours.

2016-2017 Class Scheduling Production Calendar

The 2016-2017 CCS Production Calendar is now available.

Please note that some of the dates are still tentative. The production calendar will be updated as academic calendar dates across all system campuses are finalized. If you have not added it already, you can add the Class Schedule Production Calendar to your Google calendar. With this option, you can be sure that important scheduling dates are always available.

Fall 2015 class cancellations

Remember to cancel classes with no enrollment for fall 2015 (1159). This will ensure the room assignment is released and the class is accurately displayed on the Class Schedule.

Room assignments for fall (1159)

Room assignments for fall 2015 are available on the Class Schedule. Please review assignments for your department to ensure all classes requiring a general purpose classroom have been assigned. Contact Scheduling with any questions about general purpose classroom assignments.

Additional reminders are available on the OCM blog »

Releasing reserved seats

If reserved group seats have not been released by departments, Academic Support Resources (ASR) will do so for fall 2015 (1159) on Friday, September 4. Reserved group seats are always released the Friday before the first day of class each semester.

You may choose to release reserved seats prior to September 4 to increase enrollment. Guidelines for the Management of Reserved Group Seats are available to help department schedulers determine the appropriate release date. For questions on how to release reserved seats, contact the Student Records Training Team.

Where to find training resources

As we head into the fall semester, you may find yourself completing tasks (such as placing a class into a departmental classroom or cancelling a section) for which the process changed during the Upgrade. The ASR Training and Support team has posted Upgrade-related training materials on their web page for your reference. You'll find guides to Astra Schedule, Faculty Center, Collaborative Class Scheduling, and more.

Also remember to use the UPK for support while working in PeopleSoft Campus Solutions. If you've not used the UPK before, get started with this great tool by checking out the UPK quick start guide.

Summer classroom renovations, additions and updates

Several general purpose classrooms received environment or technology updates during the summer, including the following: Major renovations:

• Ruttan B25, Blegen 317, and Mayo C231 received new furniture, finishes, and lighting updates. Blegen 245 and 255 were combined to create a larger room.
• Technology feature upgrades were completed in more than 60 rooms.
• Improvements include: wide-screen video projectors, HDMI input cables, and class capture output connections.
• New learning spaces added: thirteen Mondale Hall classrooms were added to the inventory and updated with newer video projectors. Mayo C231 was added to the inventory and renovated as noted above. Blegen 317, Appleby 204, and Ford B53 were converted to classrooms and received finish updates.

Resource for classroom searches

The Office of Classroom Management (OCM) has a resource to search for classrooms. The General Purpose Classroom Search allows you to find classrooms that meet your specifications. You can filter by campus, building, capacity, and/or feature. You can also view room details, including capacities, layout, photo, links to campus maps, and room schedule.

Confirm your room assignments for fall semester

All room assignments for fall 2015 (1159) have been made. Review assignments for your department on the Class Search to ensure all classes requiring a general purpose classroom have been assigned. Contact Scheduling with any questions about general purpose classroom assignments.
Reminders:

• The Office of Classroom Management (OCM) only finds a general purpose classrooms for classes with a blank Facility ID in CCS. If the Facility ID field is populated (including a virtual space such as ROOM000TBA), OCM is not actively looking for a classroom for your class.
• Please encourage instructors to verify their classroom assignment before the first class. While it usually only affects a small number of classes, room assignments are subject to change prior to the start of term.
• Changes to room assignments do not generate automated emails. If you change a room assignment, you must notify instructors and students directly.
• Room assignments are subject to change prior to the start of the term. While this usually only affects a small number of classes, the Office of Classroom Management (OCM) encourages instructors to verify their classroom assignment before the first class meeting.

Cancelling classes for fall 2015

There are a large number of classes on the fall 2015 (1159) class schedule with a room assignment but no enrolled students. If you do not plan to offer a class, cancel the class in CCS as soon as possible. Simply changing the enrollment capacity to zero and checking the "no print" box in CCS will not release the classroom assignment. The class must be cancelled directly in CCS.

For classes with low enrollment that you plan to cancel, email ocmsched@umn.edu to process your cancellation. If your college requires collegiate approval for cancellation with low enrollment, refer to your college procedures. Remember to always notify enrolled students directly prior to requesting a class cancellation.

Changes to Scheduling Completely Online Classes

Students and others using the Class Search may wish to search for only those classes offered in a completely online format. The manner in which class schedulers set up completely online classes, so that they are searchable on this criterion, has changed slightly.

Beginning no later than the Spring 2016 schedule, CCS schedulers should enter the following information on UM CCS Maintain Schedule of Classes Basic Data tab when scheduling a completely online class:

• Location: OFFCAMPUS
• Instruction Mode: CO (Completely Online)
• Course Attribute: ONL (Online)

Those using the Class Search will then be able to search for completely online class offerings by selecting “Online Class” as the Course Attribute, or “Completely Online” as the Mode of Instruction.

Room assignment changes are possible if changing a meeting pattern or enrollment capacity

If making changes to a class meeting pattern or enrollment capacity after a classroom has already been assigned, schedulers will notice that the classroom assignment does not immediately drop from the meeting pattern’s Facility ID display. Rather, OCM monitors changes to meeting patterns and enrollment capacities to make sure that classrooms do not double book or exceed the maximum capacity following a change. Classes needing a General Purpose Classroom reassignment will receive one. Schedulers can be proactive by checking the room calendars and capacities in Astra Schedule prior to making these changes in CCS.

Entering instructors on multiple meeting pattern classes in CCS

CCS schedulers should take care when entering instructors for multiple meeting pattern classes. Incomplete entry of instructors can result in some pitfalls to grade roster access and the students' academic schedules on MyU.

When scheduling classes with multiple meeting patterns, make sure to have an instructor with Grade Approve access entered onto each of the meeting patterns. This ensures that instructors with grading responsibilities have access to their grade rosters when it comes time to enter the grades.

When using an Instructor Role of Primary Instructor in CCS, be sure to enter a Primary Instructor for each meeting pattern of multiple meeting patterns classes. Doing so ensures that all meeting patterns are correctly displayed for the enrolled students on their academic schedules in MyU.

Class Search for spring 2016

To facilitate the registration for our newest undergrads, Class Search is modified for spring 2016 (1163) to display only undergraduate classes that are open for freshmen full year registration (FRFY).

If your classes do not have the class attribute FRFY, they will not show up in the Class Search until summer orientation is completed and fall term begins, September 8, 2015. However, you can still find them in the Class Schedule Summary Report in the Reporting Center, or in Course Enrollment Status in Student Center.

You may notice classes without the attribute FRFY have Stop Further Enrollment status on the Enrollment Control page. An ASR nightly process puts Stop Further Enrollment status on all non-FRFY classes. Once fall term begins, ASR will return these classes back to Active status, and they will again be listed on the Class Search.

Reminder: Check WiFi access in departmental classrooms

Are you scheduling classes in departmental conference rooms or classrooms? The UMN Office of Information Technology wants to ensure that all academic spaces have adequate WiFi coverage in time for the fall semester.

To help do that, it's important for faculty and staff members to take a few minutes to check the classroom's access to the "UofM Secure" WiFi network. If you identify any classrooms with inadequate coverage, please contact OIT Technology Help at 612-301-4357 or mark the location using UMN IT's online WiFi feedback tool: WiFi.umn.edu.

Astra Schedule upgrade completed

Astra Schedule system upgrade is now complete. Please note: Users should clear their browser history before logging into Astra Schedule.

Highlights of the upgrade include:

• a significant increase in the speed and functionality of the scheduling grid calendar views
• direct links to the scheduling calendars from the Astra homepage
• customization options for the scheduling grid calendars
• more streamlined event request forms

If you have questions about the upgrade or experience errors, please email ocmsoftwarehelp@umn.edu.

Astra Schedule software upgrade

Astra Schedule will undergo a planned system upgrade on Friday, July 10. Access to Astra Schedule will be completely unavailable during the upgrade.

The system will be unavailable from Thursday, July 9 at 10:00 p.m. through start of business on Monday, July 13. This upgrade does not affect PeopleSoft or CCS. Updates on the outage will be available on the University's IT Service Status page.

After this upgrade, users will notice a significant difference in the speed and functionality of the scheduling calendars views.

If you have questions about Astra Schedule, please contact OCMSoftwareHelp@umn.edu.

Wifi access reporting

Moving classrooms as part of Tate renovation?
Please share this information with faculty and instructors displaced by the Tate renovation project to help ensure WiFi access in new classrooms before fall.

The renovation of the Tate Laboratory of Physics is underway and will temporarily displace many Tate classes into departmental classrooms. Because some of those departmental classrooms have not been regularly used for classes, it's possible that many may not offer effective WiFi access, depending on their location and other factors.

Help identify classrooms in need of WiFi access
The UMN Office of Information Technology wants to ensure that all classrooms have adequate WiFi coverage for classroom use in time for the fall semester.

To help do that, it's important for faculty and staff members to take a few minutes to check the classrooms' access to the "UofM Secure" WiFi network.

If they identify any classrooms with inadequate coverage, they should contact Technology Help at 612-301-4357 or mark the location using UMN IT's online WiFi feedback tool: WiFi.umn.edu.

Because of the potentially large number of affected departmental classrooms and because updating the WiFi system is time consuming, the earlier these classrooms are identified, the better chance they have of being WiFi-enabled by fall classes.

Schedulers action item: Please alert faculty and staff to check classrooms
If you are a scheduler planning to move classes into departmental classrooms, please share this message with the faculty and staff members with whom you work as soon as possible.

Note: The process for identifying room assignments has changed since the start of the spring semester as part of the upgrade to PS 9.0. To locate current room assignments, faculty or instructors should visit the Faculty Center in MyU.

Topics Courses resources for schedulers

In response to recent questions and concerns about Topics Courses, the Office of Undergraduate Education has worked with Academic Support Resources, course schedulers, and others to collect questions and develop written materials to explain the principles and processes.

• The first document outlines the guiding principles around topics courses, and explains the review processes for getting topics course shells and individual topics titles approved and active in ECAS.
• The second document gives step-by-step instructions for schedulers who are managing the offerings of topics courses in the class schedule.

Please review the documents and contact oue@umn.edu with any questions or comments. Your feedback is important to us as we continue to improve these resources.

Expanded weekend classroom hours during finals week

Finals week begins Saturday, May 9 with the first study day. The last day of exams is Saturday, May 16. Classroom hours will be extended on Saturday 5/9, Sunday 5/10, and Saturday 5/16 to meet the needs of students and faculty during finals week.

Saturday, May 9 and Sunday, May 10: All classrooms in weekend buildings will be open from 7 a.m.-10 p.m. to accommodate students for official University study days. Weekend buildings include the following:

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

Saturday, May 16: All general purpose classrooms will be open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. to accommodate scheduled final exams.

After final exams week, we will return to our standard operating hours.