Make final changes to May/summer 2019 (1195) classes prior to registration starts

It is imperative to make final changes to summer 2019 classes prior to registration. Changes after registration has occurred may have a detrimental effect on students. For degree-seeking students, summer 2019 registration opens March 7, 2019.

Submit the following changes directly through ECAS:

• Credit changes
• Grading base changes of any kind
• Drop consent required
• Career changes
• Repeat allowance updates
• Component changes
• Adding topics courses

To make the following changes, email ocmsched@umn.edu:

• Change the number of credits for which a class is offered, from a variable number to a set number within the range

Meeting pattern, requested room feature, instructor, and enrollment capacity changes should all continue to be made in CCS.

For classes that are not planned to be offered, cancellations should be made directly in CCS during CCS Open Initial Build. If a cancellation needs to occur after students have enrolled, email ocmsched@umn.edu. ASR formally reviews class changes made post-enrollment. Many changes are not able to be accommodated after students are enrolled.

Housekeeping tip for Astra event schedulers

Events in Astra Schedule must have an event status of “Scheduled” in order for them to appear on the Astra calendars. Events with a status of “Incomplete” (i.e., those missing Event Type, Customer, Customer Contact, or a room assignment on any meeting) will not display on the calendars, making the room appear available. Therefore, if you attempt to book that room for another event, you will find the room is actually unavailable, because the “Incomplete” event is holding the room.

When creating events, schedulers should take a moment to ensure the event record status is “Scheduled” and the event displays on the calendars. Additionally, schedulers can proactively find and resolve“Incomplete” events they may have unintentionally created by filtering for “Incomplete” events. Instructions for how to find incomplete events in Astra are available at the Astra iCoP website.

Fall 2019 (1199) scheduling is in progress

CCS Open Initial Build for fall 2019 (1199) closes February 28, 2019, so we can make central room assignments. Please make any changes by the end of the day Wednesday, February 27, 2019.

Prior to CCS closing, make sure to do the following:

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 and learning 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.
  
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 class sections in high demand periods/days.

OCM annual report

The 2018 Year in Review for OCM is available on our annual reports and survey page. In the past year, 11,079 classes were scheduled in OCM’s 393 learning spaces, and 39,705 total classes were scheduled system-wide! Featured projects include the Bruininks Hall update and a partnership with the Carlson School of Management. Check out the 2018 report for more numbers and project details.

Special clarification on the Thursday-Wednesday final exam week schedule for Spring 2019 (1193)

The first day of spring 2019 final exams is Thursday, May 9. All classes that meet on Thursdays at 4:00 p.m or later in a general purpose classroom (GPC) will be scheduled for a final exam on Thursday, May 9, 2019. This includes classes that meet multiple days of the week, such as Tuesday/Thursday classes, Monday/Thursday classes, and Monday-Thursday classes. Go to the final exam times page for more information on evening class final exam scheduling.

View the previous blog post for more information on final exam scheduling for spring 2019 (1193).

Astra Schedule Academics

Astra Schedule Academics is available to add departmental spaces directly to your classes for the following terms:

• May/summer 2019 and Fall 2019For May/summer 2019 and fall 2019, room assignments made in Astra Schedule will be reflected in the Class Schedule the same day.
  
• Spring 2020 (will be available on 3/18/2019) Please note that Spring 2020 classrooms and labs assigned to classes in Astra Schedule will not be reflected in the Class Schedule until the following day. Likewise, class changes made in CCS will not be reflected in Astra Schedule until the following day. 

How-to-guides for Astra Academics are available on the ASR Training & Support resources site listed under Astra Schedule.