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