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Wednesday, April 19, 2017

CCS closes on April 24 for spring 2018 (1183)

We are currently in CCS Open Initial Build for spring 2018 (1183) until April 23, 2017. On April 24, we will close CCS to make central room assignments.

By the end of the day on April 23, please make sure to:
  1. Work with your faculty and instructors to obtain updated information for the term.
  2. Update class information using the CCS pages in PeopleSoft.
    • Cancel class sections that will not be offered this term.
    • Set realistic enrollment limits and requested room capacities (+/- 10% of last year’s enrollments)
    • Input instructor information and grade access in CCS. 
    • Adjust non-standard class meeting times to a standard time
    • Review classes outside of the Regular Session to make sure it is in the appropriate academic session (remember that classes in the extended regular session are typically not financial aid eligible).
    • Indicate the required room characteristics (technology, seating styles, etc.) needed to facilitate teaching by using the room characteristic codes accessible in the meeting pattern page of CCS.
    • Email ocmsched@umn.edu to add facility ROOM000TBA or NOROOMREQD to all class meeting patterns that will not require any room assignment or that will meet in a small office space.
    • Use Astra Schedule to assign departmental classrooms and labs directly to class sections. If you are not able to get these assignments made in Astra Schedule by the end of the day on April 23, please email ocmsched@umn.edu to make the assignments for you. This will ensure your class is not unnecessarily assigned a general purpose classroom. 
  3. Review the Class Scheduling Distribution Summary Report to assess department/college compliance with distribution of meeting times (no more than 3% in any standard time block) and distribution of meeting patterns (no more than 50% meeting on Tuesday/Thursday).
  4. Avoid scheduling course sections in high demand periods/days.
All room requests sent to ocmsched@umn.edu will be queued until after the batch scheduling run for fall semester has been complete. They will be reviewed in mid-May, and we will try to accommodate as many requests as we can, but we cannot guarantee specific room requests.

PeopleSoft Campus Solutions upgrade underway

The effort to upgrade PeopleSoft Campus Solutions from version 9.0 to 9.2 started the first week in April. This project is on a much smaller scale than "The Upgrade"/ESUP that was completed in 2015. The upgrade to 9.2 will go through June 2018 and will be completed in two phases.

The first phase, the technical upgrade, is an upgrade of the technical platform from version 9.0 to 9.2. This is being done to maintain vendor support for security and regulations as well as to allow for the adoption of future vendor-released functionality. This will be completed September 24, 2017. Students, faculty, and staff will notice little to no changes as a result of this technical upgrade.

The second phase, the functional upgrade, will be dedicated to implementing process improvements and utilizing available delivered tools over several months. During this phase, functionality will be released on a monthly basis rather than one, final launch date. The project will conclude in June 2018.

Training and communication plans on the functional upgrade will be dependent on what functionality is selected to be implemented. This will be determined in the next month or so. You can learn more about the upgrade on the project website.

Friday, April 7, 2017

NGN WiFi upgrade begins April 12

The Next Generation Network (NGN) project at the University of Minnesota will upgrade all components of the University's network, both wired and WiFi, over the next three years. The new network will increase speed and throughput capacity, improve wireless access, and improve security management.


WiFi access point hardware upgrades will begin on the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus on Monday, April 12, 2017. This work will impact every WiFi access point in buildings and structures across campus. Replacement of access points is a bit like replacing a light bulb; the old one is removed and the new one is installed and turned on. Service disruption is expected to be minimal.


The first phase is on the St. Paul Campus, and the schedule is available at it.umn.edu/ngn-schedule. Please note that the NGN schedule is subject to change.


Network access after cutover:
  • Users should begin using "eduroam" for the most user-friendly experience.
  • After an access point has been replaced, available networks will adjust slightly. Users may need to reauthenticate after an access point has been replaced if they are using the "UofM Secure" network. Reauthentication should not be necessary for users connected to "eduroam."
  • The outdated network "UofM" will no longer be available.
  • "UofM-Guest" will be available for guest access, and a new user-friendly portal web page will instruct users how to securely log in. Students, faculty, and staff will be encouraged to connect to eduroam.
  • Students, faculty,, and staff who choose to connect to the "UofM-Guest" network will NOT be able to visit applications or services controlled by central authentication (Shibboleth).
    • For example: MyU, University Google applications, VPN, financial systems, etc. WiFi access to centrally-authenticated controlled applications will only be allowed from eduroam and UofM Secure.


The following are more in depth details of the WiFi Access Point upgrade project:
  • WiFi AP upgrade work will happen during business hours, from approximately 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • WiFi cutover work will be performed all day, every day of the schedule until it is complete. When a building is completed, the contractor team will move to the next building on the NGN schedule.
  • The project team does not expect to perform any building cuts on weekends or holidays. Overtime work is not in scope.
  • The expected individual access point service impact is approximately 15 minutes. If other access points cover that physical space, service impact will be limited.


Classes will be taken into consideration during the WiFi Access Point upgrade project work.
  • During WiFi AP upgrades, the contractors and NGN project field staff will work in classrooms when vacant, based on class schedules provided by the Office of Classroom Management (OCM) and Academic Health Center (AHC) Classroom Management.
  • OCM and AHC will provide access to classrooms and spaces for contractors when needed.
  • Wherever possible, cuts in classrooms will be completed in the early morning.


The NGN project team is doing everything possible to ensure smooth transitions and minimal service disruptions during the project.
  • The Technology Help Desk and Tier 2 support are trained and ready for calls regarding WiFi changes, service disruptions, re-authentication, and/or network name changes.
  • All support issues should be sent through the OIT Help Desk. Explore Technology Help resources at it.umn.edu/contact-us.
  • Post-cutover feedback is encouraged and can be shared with ngn@umn.edu.
  • News and schedules will be posted to the NGN website in a timely matter at it.umn.edu/ngn. You can also follow NGN updates on Twitter at @UMN_NGN.


The NGN project and field teams are committed to making this a smooth experience. If you have specific questions or would like to meet with the project team to discuss the NGN project further, please contact ngn@umn.edu.

Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Make final changes to May/summer and fall 2017 prior to registration

CCS is open for emergent changes to the class schedule for May/summer 2017 (1175) and fall 2017 (1179). Department schedulers may update class information (cancel, add, or change) directly in CCS. As a reminder, changes to meeting time(s) or to enrollment capacities greater than the current room capacity will result in loss of room assignment. If you make these changes, notify ocmsched@umn.edu to determine if a general purpose classroom will still be available.
Queued registration for May/summer 2017 begins Tuesday, April 11 and fall 2017 begins Thursday, April 13. To ensure the greatest success for students, please make sure to finalize the following information in the class schedule prior to registration:
  • Confirm session dates are set to the most reflective session. For reference, view session dates by term here.
  • If choosing a set number of credits for a variable credit class, make those changes before students register by emailing ocmsched@umn.edu.
  • Confirm grading basis. If changes need to be made, submit changes through ECAS.
  • All date, day, and time changes should be made before students register to make sure to minimize student conflicts. 
If any of the above needs to be changed after students have registered, email ocmsched@umn.edu to determine if changes may still be made.

Waitlist setup for summer and fall 2017 classes

There are currently over 300 classes for summer 2017 or fall 2017 which have a Wait List Capacity above zero, but which do not have the Auto Enroll from Wait List box checked.

The Auto Enroll from Wait List box (on UM CCS Maintain Schedule of Classes, basic data tab) must be checked for all sections of the class, including the non-enroll sections, for the class to be picked up on the auto-enroll process. (See screenshot.) If this box is not checked, students on the waitlist will not be auto-enrolled, even if seats open up in the class.



If your department uses waitlists, make sure sections are set up correctly before registration begins.

Summer 2017 registration begins April 11, 2017
Summer 2017 auto enroll from waitlist begins April 25, 2017
Fall 2017 registration begins April 13, 2017
Fall 2017 auto enroll from waitlist begins April 26, 2017

CCS is open for emergent changes to the class schedule for May/summer 2017 (1175) and fall 2017 (1179). Department schedulers may update class information (cancel, add, or change) directly in CCS. As a reminder, changes to meeting time(s) or to enrollment capacities greater than the current room capacity will result in loss of room assignment. If you make these changes, notify ocmsched@umn.edu to determine if a general purpose classroom will still be available.

Queued registration for May/summer 2017 begins Tuesday, April 11 and fall 2017 begins Thursday, April 13. To ensure the greatest success for students, please make sure to finalize the following information in the class schedule prior to registration:
Auto-enroll from waitlist process reminders:
  • As a general rule, the auto-enroll process begins on the first day that sophomores can register and runs through the first day of class for that session.
  • Students can learn more about adding themselves to a class waitlist with this How-to guide that is available on the One Stop website.
  • For staff wanting to learn more about managing a waitlist, view this Quick-start guide (available on the ASR website).
If you have additional questions or encounter any issues with waitlisting or the auto-enroll process, please contact the ASR Training & Support Team at srhelp@umn.edu.

Review room assignments for summer and fall 2017

General purpose classroom assignments for summer 2017 (1175) and fall 2017 (1179) are available on the Class Search. Room assignments are subject to change prior to the start of the term as we work to accommodate all class activity.

Review room assignments for your department, and contact ocmsched@umn.edu if any classes that do not need a general purpose classroom have inadvertently been assigned one.

Please note: Changes made in CCS may result in the loss of your room assignment. Always confirm room assignments after making CCS changes to times, days, class status, enrollment capacities, and requested room capacities.