Go to the U of M home page

Pages

Thursday, March 29, 2018

Calendar changes for spring 2019

Starting with spring 2019 (1193), the spring term for Rochester and Twin Cities is changing from 74 instructional days to 70. This change means that fall and spring semesters will have the same length going forward, and there is room for an additional study day for students in the spring term. This presents a slight change for how the A term (session 009) and B term (session 010) are structured.

In 2019, the B term will start the Tuesday before spring break. The benefit to this is that both A and B terms will have seven meeting times for each day of the week. It does mean that there is a gap in instructional time after the first meeting for most classes.
Click image for larger display

Spring 1183 final exams

The spring 2018 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 check your department's classes 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 into 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 = Spring 2018
    • Subject = Select the subject(s) you schedule
    • Campus = Mpls/St Paul
  4. Click “Search” at the bottom of the filter column.
  5. To save your filter selections for future use, click on the save button next to “Search” at the bottom of the filter column on the left.
  6. Export the list to Excel by using the icon located in the middle of the bottom of the page.
Common exam room assignments are available to review separately.

Want a few extra tips and tricks for getting around in Astra Academics? Check out the resources available on ASR’s system support page under Astra Schedule. Still have questions on how to review your final exams? Contact ocmsched@umn.edu.

Final exam policy resources:

Use the Auto Enroll from Waitlist checkbox in CCS for summer and fall 2018

As a reminder, the Auto Enroll from Waitlist checkbox must be checked on both the enrollment and non-enrollment sections of your class for it to be included in the Auto Enroll from Waitlist process. CCS schedulers can find this checkbox on the UM CCS Maintain Schedule of Classes page > Enrollment Control tab.

The checked box serves two functions:
  • It triggers the Auto Enroll from Waitlist process if a seat is available.
  • It gives priority to students on the waitlist, so open seats are not taken by other students (before Auto Enroll from Waitlist runs).

Working with waitlist and class permissions

New and experienced CCS schedulers may be interested in checking out the ASR Training Team’s handout on Working with Waitlists and Class Permissions. It contains information on how these processes work as well as troubleshooting tips.

Change of Employment Status form reminder

If an employee no longer needs access to certain systems, supervisors or key contacts must submit the Change of Employment Status (COES) form to OIT Provisioning and Requests (PAR). Removing someone’s PeopleSoft access will also remove the individual from the Scheduling Update query. A change of status includes:
  • Termination of employment
  • Retirement
  • Death
  • Transferring to a new department
  • Changes in job duties making certain access unnecessary
  • Leave of Absence

Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Spring 1183 final exams

Standard final exams are being scheduled for spring 2018 (1183). The OCM Scheduling Unit is currently working on scheduling common exams and special requests submitted through ASR final exam change request form. While OCM does its best to accommodate special requests, there is always a possibility that your request may not be fulfilled.

After all final exams have been scheduled, detailed instructions for how to review exam room assignments will be sent to schedulers through the Scheduling Update newsletter to verify for their department.

Space is very tight this final exam period. Please continue to notify Scheduling at ocmsched@umn.edu if a spring 2018 course section will not require a general purpose classroom during finals week. Use the subject line “Spring 2018 Final Exam” and the designator/section number(s) in the text of the email.

Final exam schedule and regulations are posted on the Academic Support Resources site.

Verify instructor information

Many classes are on the schedule without an instructor listed. Please input instructor information directly into CCS with accurate role and access type for spring (1183), summer (1185), fall (1189) and spring (1193). This practice ensures instructors will be able to access their online grade rosters at the end of the semester and assists students with complete information when registering for classes. Additionally, please verify all of your classes have the correct instructor assigned.