Classroom usage during fall 2020 finals week

General purpose classrooms (GPCs) will remain unlocked and have the same hours (typically M-F 7:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.). During fall finals week, we will be scheduling all GPCs and GP computer labs to be used as student study spaces. Students can use the space for studying or for taking a final exam. This ensures all students have access to space during final exams. No events or construction will be scheduled at all during finals week.

S/N grading basis to be added to all TC UGRD classes

The S/N grading option will be added to all fall 2020 and spring 2021 Twin Cities UGRD classes. At this time, this is for Twin Cities UGRD classes only. However, that may change. Students who want to change their grading basis must do so by January 6, 2021 by emailing One Stop Student Services.

Thank you to those who had previously sent in emails to ocmsched@umn.edu to have the grading basis changed on their classes.

Review spring 2021 room assignments

All room assignments for spring 2021 are available on the Class Schedule. Please review assignments for your department to ensure all classes requiring a general purpose classroom have been assigned.

Please note the following:

• If you notice a class without a room assignment, notify ocmsched@umn.edu.
• Remind instructors to verify their classroom assignment before the first class, as room assignments are subject to change prior to the start of the term.

May/summer 2021 CCS closes December 11, 2020

CCS is still open to update classes for May/summer 2021 (1215) until December 11, 2020. At the end of day on December 10, we will close CCS to make central room assignments. Please update all class sections prior to CCS closing on Friday, December 11, 2020.

Make final changes to spring 2021 classes by Monday, January 4

It is imperative to make final changes to fall classes as soon as possible, but no later than Monday, January 4, 2021. Late class changes can negatively impact students financial aid eligibility, retention, and degree progress. It is the department’s responsibility to make changes prior to this deadline.

Changes that should be made by January 4 include the following:

• Credit changes of any kind (e.g., reduction, addition, variable to set, set to variable, etc.)
• Grading basis changes of any kind (e.g., A-F only to S/N only, S/N to A-F only, etc.)
• Class cancellations
• Career changes
• Repeat allowance updates
• Component changes

After January 4, ASR will formally review each class change requested. Many changes are not directly accommodated after students are enrolled and financial aid has been disbursed.

How do I make the change requests?

Changing credits

• If choosing a set number of credits for a variable credit class, request your changes by emailing ocmsched@umn.edu.
• If a reduction or addition to course credits needs to be made, submit your changes through ECAS.

Changing grade basis, career, component, and/or repeat allowances

• Submit your changes through ECAS.

Canceling a class with low enrollment

• Change the Class Status to “Stop Further Enrollment”
  (on the Enrollment Control tab of CCS).
• Notify all enrolled students directly and offer alternate options.
• Email ocmsched@umn.edu to process your cancellation (and drop students).
  Note: If your college requires collegiate approval for cancellation with low enrollment, also refer to your college procedures.

Canceling a class with zero enrollment:

• Change the Class Status to “Cancelled Section”
  (on the Enrollment Control tab of CCS).

Waitlists for spring 2021

As a reminder, the auto enroll process will run for the last time the day before a session begins, and the waitlists will be deleted the first day of the session. For spring, the auto enroll process will run for the final time on January 18, 2021 for all regular sessions and 1st half of term classes. The waitlists will be deleted on January 19, 2021.

If you wish to keep a record of who was on the waitlist for a class, and in what order, we suggest saving a copy of the list prior to its deletion. Also, if you want those formally waitlisted students to be able to register before other students, add departmental or instructor consent to that class section. Students would need to obtain a permission number before they register, and those permissions could be given to the students on the waitlist first.

New Room Search tool

During the Thanksgiving holiday, OCM launched a new Room Search website. It has a new look and layout, the ability to select multiple filters, and the ability to send a URL with the applied filters. Hopefully, you’ve had a chance to check it out. If you have any questions or comments on the new website, please let us know at classrm@umn.edu.

Classroom usage after Thanksgiving holiday and finals week

General purpose classrooms (GPCs) will remain unlocked and have the same hours (typically M-F 7:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.). Classes will remain “scheduled” in their current classrooms, and instructors may choose to use the classrooms to broadcast or record classes. We will not be keeping track of which instructors are using rooms and which instructors are not. Students may continue to use classrooms for study spaces when the classroom is not in use. They can also use other study space areas, which can be found on Study Space Finder.

During fall finals week, we will be scheduling all GPCs and GP computer labs to be used as student study spaces. Students can use the space for studying or for taking a final exam. This ensures all students have access to space during final exams. No events or construction will be scheduled at all during finals week.

Review spring 2021 room assignments

While OCM is still working to assign classrooms for all classes, most room assignments for spring 2021 are available on the Class Schedule. Most classes that needed a general purpose classroom have received one. Please review assignments for your department to ensure all classes requiring a general purpose classroom have been assigned. 

  Please note the following:

• If you notice a class without a room assignment, notify ocmsched@umn.edu ASAP, so we can work to find a classroom.
• Remind instructors to verify their classroom assignment before the first class, as room assignments are subject to change prior to the start of the term.

Adding the S/N grading basis for fall 2020 and spring 2021

As a reminder, instructors were sent this email informing them that they could update the grading basis for their classes to allow for S/N grades without going through the ECAS approval process. They were instructed to inform their department schedulers if they want to make this change.

This grading basis change is allowable for both fall 2020 and spring 2021 classes and can be made at the section level.

What do you need to do?

1. Please continue to take in these requests from the instructors in your departments.
2. Email ocmsched@umn.edu by November 13 with the following information:
1. Term
2. Subject
3. Course #
4. Section #
5. Instructor (name or ID)
   *If a class is combined, please include all subjects, course numbers, and sections included in the combined section.

We will change the sections to the OPT grading basis, which allows the student to choose between A-F, S/N, or Audit.  If you would like to make long term changes to your grading basis, this can be done in ECAS.

Spring 2021 session date changes

The Regents approved to move spring break for both the UGRD and GRAD career students to take place from April 5 - 9. This change for UGRD, GRAD, and LAW did affect the dates for the upcoming 1st and 2nd half term classes and have been updated as indicated below. A complete list of session dates may be found online.

• First Half of Term (session 009): 1/19/2021 - 3/8/2021
• Second Half of Term (session 010): 3/9/2021 - 5/3/2021

Room Search Tool: Update Nov. 25

During the Thanksgiving holiday, OCM will be launching a new Room Search website, and while the URL will remain the same, you will notice some big changes. These changes include a new look and layout, the ability to select multiple filters, and the ability to send a URL with the applied filters.

May/summer 2021 CCS closes December 11, 2021

We are currently in CCS Open Initial Build for May/summer 2021 (1215) until December 11, 2020. At the end of day on December 10, we will close CCS to make central room assignments. Please make sure to update all class sections prior to CCS closing on Friday, December 11, 2020.

Important request regarding grading basis changes for fall 2020 and spring 2021

Today, instructors were sent an email informing them that they could update the grading basis for their classes to allow for S/N grades without going through the ECAS approval process. They were instructed to inform their department schedulers if they want to make this change.

This grading basis change is allowable for both fall 2020 and spring 2021 classes and can be made at the section level.

What do you need to do?

1. Please take in these requests from the instructors in your departments.
2. Email ocmsched@umn.edu by November 13 with the following information:
   1. Term
   2. Subject
   3. Course #
   4. Section #
   5. Instructor (name or ID)
      *If a class is combined, please include all subjects, course numbers, and sections included in the combined section.

We will change the sections to the OPT grading basis, which allows the student to choose between A-F, S/N, or Audit.

Instructors were also sent this email yesterday, October 29, asking them to finalize the modality of their classes by November 9. Hopefully, most of this work has been done already.

If you have any questions, please contact us at ocmsched@umn.edu.

Review spring 2021 room assignments

While OCM is still working to assign classrooms for all classes, most room assignments for spring 2021 are available on the Class Schedule. Most classes that needed a general purpose classroom received one. However, we are still working to find room for others. Please review assignments for your department to ensure all classes requiring a general purpose classroom have been assigned.

Please note the following:

• If you notice a class without a room assignment, notify ocmsched@umn.edu ASAP so we can work to find a classroom.
• Remind instructors to verify their classroom assignment before the first class, as room assignments are subject to change prior to the start of the term. Also, be aware that many instructors will be teaching in buildings that may be new to them. Know that we made every effort to get classes into the buildings they normally teach in, or at least, we assigned buildings close to it.
• If you plan to schedule classes in departmental space, please notify ocmsched@umn.edu if it means a general purpose classroom can be released, or if you need any assistance.

Departmental spaces and labs for spring 2021 reminder

Classes in departmentally controlled classrooms, labs, and specialized department rooms were not rescheduled by OCM. However, these spaces must still comply with physical distancing guidelines.

• If you need assistance in determining the physical distancing capacities for your departmental classrooms, please submit a request to the online Space Management Request form.
• The Space Management department will contact you shortly after receiving the request to review in further detail.

Spring 2021 session date changes

The Regents recently approved to move spring break for both the UGRD and GRAD career students to take place from April 5 - 9. Currently, the professional schools are still deciding on their spring break dates. This change for UGRD and GRAD did affect the dates for the upcoming 1st and 2nd half term classes and have been updated as indicated below. A complete list of session dates may be found online.

• First Half of Term (session 009): 1/19/2021 - 3/8/2021
• Second Half of Term (session 010): 3/9/2021 - 5/3/2021

Astra server upgrade

There will be an upgrade to the Astra server on October 28, 2020. Astra will not be available to make any changes from 7:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. on that day.

Spring 2021 CCS extension - Oct. 2nd

Numerous departments have expressed that more time is needed to update spring classes due to the 6 ft. physical distancing guidelines still in place and instructors still determining their modality for their courses.

Departments now have until the end of the day on October 2, 2020 to edit their spring schedules in CCS. All General Purpose Classrooms (GPC’s) for the spring semester have already been released.

Classes will be assigned rooms using Requested Room Capacity. Make sure to adjust the requested room capacity on your classes as necessary. This is particularly important for classes offered in a mixed format where only a fraction of the students attend in-person each day, while the rest are online and students rotate which day they attend in-person.

Please try to limit shifting class times from previous terms so students’ degree progress is not negatively impacted due to required courses offered during overlapping times. We will be reaching out the week of Oct. 5-9 if we notice some concerns. Please see the UMNTC Spring 2021 class setup guide for additional help.

Add Class Notes

Pre-formatted class notes in the 5xxx range that need to be added to meeting patterns based on teaching modality (in-person, blended, remote, or online) are new for spring 2021. Please refer to the UMNTC Spring 2021 class setup guide for details.

If the modality of the class changes, please remember to change the note number or delete the class note.

By adding a pre-formatted class note based on the modality of the class, an attribute will automatically be added to the class which allows students to search for classes by modality in Schedule Builder.

Specific requests and enrollments over 30

You may send in specific classroom requests to ocmsched@umn.edu, but we will not review requests until the week of Oct. 5. We will make every attempt to give departments their preferred classrooms, but you should be prepared to have some classes in rooms you normally do not use.

Also, if you are planning on offering an in-person class with an enrollment capacity of more than 30, please let us know, and we will try to accommodate a classroom.

Please email ocmsched@umn.edu with any additional questions (sooner rather than later)!

Reminder: Fall 2020 final exam scheduling

All final exams for fall 2020 will be conducted online. All rules set forth in the final exam regulations apply to all online final exams.

• All synchronous classes holding synchronous online exams will follow the published Standard Final Exam Schedule.
• All synchronous classes holding asynchronous online exams should ensure the due date for their exam is not earlier than the published Standard Final Exam Schedule day/time.
• All asynchronous classes holding synchronous online exams should take their final exam on Thursday, December 17, 2020.
• All asynchronous classes holding asynchronous online exams should ensure the due date for their exam is no later than Wednesday, December 23, 2020.

The Final Exam Change Request form is due by October 2, 2020. It must be used by any class that has a need to change their final exam date, time, and/or room.

• Final exam regulations
• Final exam schedule
• Final Exam Change Request form
• Scheduling Examinations, Final Examinations, and Study Days policy

Spring 2021 CCS Scheduling Update by 9/25

As of now, we can expect the same 6 ft. physical distancing guidelines to be in place for this upcoming spring term. This means that classroom availability for in-person classes will be significantly limited, and room capacities will remain reduced.

Additionally, CCS is scheduled to close on September 25, 2020 for spring semester room assignments. Please review your classes and make changes accordingly.

If you have any questions regarding spring 2021 class setup, please reference:

• Spring 2021 class setup guide
• UMNTC Spring 2021 class scheduling FAQs

Please email ocmsched@umn.edu with any additional questions (sooner rather than later)!

Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Guidelines for classrooms

These are the latest guidelines from the MDH for classroom activities. Keep in mind:

• This new guidance does not change the EO 20-74 25-person cap requirement for other indoor U non-class "activities," which "includes, but is not limited to, testing, short-term training programs, student services, advising, internships, clinical rotations/placements, customized training, internships, campus visits, programs, and all research activities and functions." That cap remains at 25 persons.
• This new guidance does not change the EO 20-74 mandate applying to other social gatherings, as stated in the new guidance: "Social gatherings not associated with a class or structured event/meeting must not exceed 10 indoors or 25 outdoors." Those caps remain in place.

Room layouts

Each general purpose classroom will have an updated room layout to accommodate for safe, 6-foot physical distancing. Seats that are designated for students will be identified with a floor decal, while other unusable seats will be labeled with a “Do not use” sign. Examples of 6-feet physical distancing layouts for various room types can be found on OCM’s 2020 explanations and guidelines.

Maximum room capacity

In order to accommodate physical distancing, the maximum capacity for each general purpose classroom has been reduced. Each classroom will have a maximum occupancy sign at its entrance, as well as an additional sign next to the new room layout.

Classroom access

Right now, classroom doors with card readers are only accessible via UCards for faculty and staff. Classroom doors will return to the normal unlock schedule starting September 8, from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

If instructors want to get into their assigned classroom before classes begin, please have them contact ocmevent@umn.edu to reserve the room for a given time. Technology is still being installed in classrooms and reserving the room will prevent disruptions in this process. If an instructor would like additional information on the technology in the room they will be teaching in, please direct them to the Equipment instructions on the OCM website.

Study Space Finder

As students return to campus this fall, areas, such as study spaces, libraries, classrooms not in use, and lounges, will be made available so that students will have various areas to study and attend classes, whether their course is online, remote, or blended. To find these areas, students should be directed to the Study Space Finder.

Students can also view each classroom schedule using the QR code on the classroom sign in the hallway to see if a general purpose classroom is available.

Make final changes to fall 2020 classes by Friday, August 28

It is imperative to make final changes to fall classes as soon as possible, but no later than Friday, August 28. Late class changes can negatively impact student financial aid eligibility, retention, and degree progress. It is the department’s responsibility to make changes prior to this deadline.

Changes that should be made by August 28, 2020, include:

• Credit changes of any kind (e.g., reduction, addition, variable to set, set to variable, etc.)
• Grading basis changes of any kind (e.g., A-F only to S-N only, S-N to A-F only, etc.)
• Class cancellations
• Career changes
• Repeat allowance updates
• Component changes

After August 28, ASR will formally review each class change requested. Many changes are not directly accommodated after students are enrolled and financial aid has been disbursed.

How do I make the change requests?

Changing credits

• If choosing a set number of credits for a variable credit class, request your changes by emailing ocmsched@umn.edu.
• If a reduction or addition to course credits needs to be made, submit your changes through ECAS.

Changing grade basis, career, component, and/or repeat allowances

• Submit your changes through ECAS.

Canceling a class with low enrollment

1. Change the Class Status to “Stop Further Enrollment” (on the Enrollment Control tab of CCS).
2. Notify all enrolled students directly and offer alternate options.
3. Email ocmsched@umn.edu to process your cancellation (and drop students). Note: If your college requires collegiate approval for cancellation with low enrollment, also refer to your college procedures.

Canceling a class with zero enrollment

• Change the Class Status to “Cancelled Section” (on the Enrollment Control tab of CCS).

Fall 2020 cleanup: Combined sections

Please review combined sections (two class sections being taught at the same time, the same way, and with the same instructor) scheduled for fall 2020 to ensure that the classes’ data matches. Specifically, make sure that the combined classes’ Basic Data tab location field and instruction mode field are the same.

Any mismatched data can be confusing to students. For example, avoid setting up classes where one section is set up as location = OFFCAMPUS and instruction mode = CO (Completely Online), combined with a class section where the location = TCEASTBANK and instruction mode = P (In-person).

Fall 2020 cleanup notes

Please review any free format notes entered in CCS for fall classes to make sure they are accurate. Specifically, make sure to check that any mention of class modality is up to date. Starting in late August, free format notes will be visible to students in MyU, and we want to make sure they're able to understand how their classes will be taught.

Confirm room assignments for fall 2020 (1209)

Room assignments for fall 2020 are available on the Class Schedule. Make sure to review assignments for your department to ensure all classes requiring a general purpose classroom have been assigned.

Please note the following:

• Classes with zero and low enrollments are continuing to be centrally monitored if they are assigned a general purpose classroom. If a class is no longer being offered or if you need assistance moving a class to a departmental space, email ocmsched@umn.edu as soon as possible.
• If you notice a class without a room assignment, notify ocmsched@umn.edu immediately, so we can work to find a classroom.
• Remind instructors to verify their classroom assignment shortly before the first class, as room assignments are subject to change prior to the start of the term.

Waitlist Changes for fall 2020

As a reminder, the waitlist process is changing slightly starting fall 2020. Going forward, the auto enroll process will run for the last time the day before a session begins, and the waitlists will be deleted the first day of the session. For fall, the auto enroll process will run for the final time on September 7, 2020 for all regular sessions and 1st half of term classes. The waitlists will be deleted on September 8, 2020.

If you wish to keep a record of who was on the waitlist for a class, and in what order, we suggest saving a copy of the list prior to its deletion.

Correction: Pre-formatted Class Notes and Class Attributes

In the July 22, 2020 issue of Scheduling of Update, we introduced two new pieces of functionality, pre-formatted Class Notes and Class Attributes, which will help students understand class teaching modality by adding details to Class Search, Schedule Builder, and students’ MyU schedule. Unfortunately, the instructions we provided for using these functions were incorrect and should be disregarded.

Going forward, you only need to add the pre-formatted Class Note and the corresponding Class Attribute will be added to the class automatically overnight.

To add a pre-formatted Class Note:

1. Go to UM CCS Maintain Schedule of Classes page > Notes tab.
1. If there is an existing Free Format Text Note, add a row.
2. Next to the Note Nbr field. Use the magnifying glass to look up and select the teaching modality of the class.
3. Review the populated text.
4. Save.

Using pre-formatted class notes is optional for fall 2020. However, it will be highly encouraged for spring 2021.

Student Data Inquiry (SDI) training update

Academic Support Resources has been reviewing and reformatting the Student Data Inquiry (SDI) training course content in order to make it more efficient for learners and easier to keep up to date. The new version of the course will be available in Training Hub by the end of August 2020. Only new PeopleSoft Campus Solutions users will be required to take the course. One notable change is that the FERPA compliance training course will be a prerequisite to SDI for new users. If you have any questions, please contact the OTR Training and Support Team at srhelp@umn.edu.

Thank you to our schedulers!

You all had to adjust the fall schedules to account for 6-foot physical distancing in a short amount of time. Thank you for getting so much of this work done before we started to assign general purpose classrooms! We appreciate all of the coordination this effort took from our colleges, departments, and instructors. Thank you!

Review fall 2020 room assignments

While OCM is still working to assign classrooms for all classes, most room assignments for fall 2020 are available on the Class Schedule. Most classes that needed a general purpose classroom did receive one; However, we are still working to find room for others. Please review assignments for your department to ensure all classes requiring a general purpose classroom have been assigned.

Please note the following:

• If you need to adjust enrollment capacities/requested room capacities, please contact ocmsched@umn.edu, and we will work with you to find available space.
  
• If a class was assigned to the incorrect campus bank, please contact ocmsched@umn.edu, and we will work with you to find available space.
  
• We are aware that some classes held during peak times have not been assigned a room. We will continually review our unplaced classes to try and accommodate a classroom.
  
• Classes with zero and low enrollments are continuing to be centrally monitored. Please review enrollment capacities for classes, as we still have many classrooms available that can seat 15 or fewer students. Email ocmsched@umn.edu as soon as possible if the enrollment has been adjusted, if a class will no longer be offered, or for assistance moving a class to a departmental space.
  
• Remind instructors to verify their classroom assignment before the first class, as room assignments are subject to change prior to the start of the term. Also, be aware that many instructors will be teaching in buildings that may be new to them. Know that we made every effort to get classes into the buildings they normally teach in, or at least, we assigned buildings close to it.
  
• If you plan to schedule classes in departmental space, please notify ocmsched@umn.edu if it means a general purpose classroom can be released, or if you need any assistance.

New Facility ID: Remote

A new Facility ID of “Remote” has been created and has been added to all remote classes. As a reminder, remote classes are those coded in CCS as Completely Online (CO), which have set days and times in their meeting pattern as they are being taught synchronously via Zoom.

Previously, we used a Facility ID of “Online Only” or “Online” for remote classes. Going forward, we will only use the “Online Only” and “Online” Facility ID codes for classes that are Completely
Online (CO), with no set days/time. We hope this change will provide more clarity for students regarding a class’ teaching format.

Canceling classes for Fall 2020 with zero and low enrollments

Classes that will not be offered need to be cancelled in CCS as soon as possible and before the start of the term, as noted in the Course Enrollment Limits and Cancellation policy. Failure to cancel a class has a direct impact on students’ financial aid eligibility and degree progress. Please do not try to do workarounds to hide the class from the schedule.

To cancel classes with low enrollment, please do the following:

1. Change the Class Status to “Stop Further Enrollment” on the Enrollment Control panel of CCS.
2. Notify enrolled students directly to offer alternative options before requesting a class cancellation.
3. Email ocmsched@umn.edu to process your cancellation.
4. ** If your college requires collegiate approval for cancellation with low enrollment, please refer to your college procedures.

To cancel classes with zero enrollment, change the Class Status to “Cancelled Section” on the Enrollment Control panel of CCS.

Departmental spaces and labs for fall 2020 reminder

Classes in departmentally controlled classrooms, labs, and specialized department rooms were not rescheduled by OCM the week of July 6, 2020. However, these spaces must still comply with physical distancing guidelines.

• If you need assistance in determining the physical distancing capacities for your departmental classrooms, please email classrm@umn.edu.
• If you have ANY open availability in your department classrooms after making adjustments, please contact ocmsched@umn.edu to work with our office, so we can add additional classes to those rooms.

Physical distancing example

We are placing chair signs in classrooms to guide appropriate physical distancing. This photo shows one classroom setup. Signs have been added to chairs where students should not sit. More information on what to expect in general purpose classrooms can be found on our 2020 explanations and guidelines web page.

Fall 2020 user guide and FAQ

If you have any questions regarding fall 2020 class setup, please continue to reference:

• Fall 2020 class setup guide
• Compilation of UMNTC fall 2020 class scheduling FAQs

Please email ocmsched@umn.edu with any additional questions (sooner rather than later)!

Fall 2020 CCS closed week

Departments have until the end of day on July 2, 2020 to edit their fall schedules in CCS. All General Purpose Classrooms (GPC’s) for fall semester have already been released, and CCS will be closed the week of July 6 — 10 to start the re-assigning of classrooms again.

Classes will be assigned rooms using Requested Room Capacity. Make sure to adjust the requested room capacity on your classes as necessary. This is particularly important for classes offered in a mixed format where only a fraction of the students attend in-person each day, while the rest are online and students rotate which day they attend in-person.

You may send in specific classroom requests to ocmsched@umn.edu, but we will not review requests until the week of July 6, 2020. We will make every attempt to give departments their preferred classrooms, but now more than ever, you should be prepared to have some classes in rooms you normally do not use.

Departmental spaces and labs for fall 2020

• Department classrooms: Classes in departmentally controlled classrooms will not be rescheduled by OCM the week of July 6,2020. These spaces will be compliant with physical distancing guidelines.
• If you need assistance in determining the physical distancing capacities for your departmental classrooms, please email classrm@umn.edu.
• If you have ANY open availability in your department classrooms after making adjustments, please contact ocmsched@umn.edu to work with our office, so we can add additional classes to those rooms.
• Labs and specialized department rooms: Classes in these specialized spaces (i.e. labs) will not be rescheduled by OCM the week of July 6, 2020. These spaces will be compliant with physical distancing guidelines.

Spring 2021 CCS changes

In an effort to let you focus on adjusting your fall 2020 schedules, the spring 2021 CCS Closed dates have been moved to September 25 — October 23, 2020 (see production calendar updates). While we are still awaiting information regarding the format of spring 2021, you should tentatively plan for it to be similar to fall 2020.

Fall 2020 class schedule updates and setup guide

We are still awaiting final approval for fall 2020 instruction, but some class schedule changes can happen now.

We know that many of you are making plans already at the department and collegiate level. While we expect further guidance to continue to be shared, we want to let you know that we are planning behind the scenes to ensure a smooth transition. As of now, we want to share information about classroom size and layouts, changes to scheduled classes, and the academic calendar, so you can prepare and begin to make changes now.

Classroom size and layouts

• Classroom capacities will be reduced by at least 75% to allow for 6’ physical distancing.
• Updated room capacities and layouts for general purpose classrooms are published on OCM’s Room Search.
• Note: If you filter by Room Type = General Purpose Classroom, only 5 of our classrooms seat 50 or more students at reduced capacity.
• OCM has released all of the currently assigned general purpose classrooms for fall 2020. In early July, classrooms will be reassigned centrally to incorporate the newly reduced capacity classroom spaces.
• Labs and departmental spaces will also adhere to 6’ physical distancing. These updates will be managed at the department and college level.

Schedule of classes updates For fall 2020 currently scheduled classes, changes can be made as soon as you know how a class will be taught. Please make sure to adhere to college-specific processes prior to making updates.

• You can change an in-person class to an Online (asynchronous), Remote (synchronous) online, or Hybrid (HyFlex) delivery method if it is the preferred teaching method of the instructor. HyFlex delivery methods allow for a combination of in-person and online/remote content. An example of HyFlex would be having small face-to-face sections scheduled in classrooms paired with asynchronous online lectures.
• Make changes directly in CCS to update Instruction Mode, Location, and Meeting Pattern as appropriate (see fall 2020 class setup guide).
• ECAS updates are not required for fall 2020 to move online if it is not a permanent change (confirm with your college to determine if additional processes should be followed).
• You can decrease the enrollment capacities of your classes, keeping in mind that changes should not preclude seniors from completing major-specific requirements in order to be on track for graduation.
• Reduced classroom capacities and availability will make it important to realize that not all classes will be able to meet in their first choice classrooms.
• Departments are encouraged to consider evenings and Saturdays if adding additional class sections to allow for physical distancing.
• Departments should also consider evenings and Saturdays if lab classes consider increasing in-person instructional time in order to finish by Thanksgiving.
• Day and time changes should not be made as they will impact already enrolled student schedules and may create conflicts. Enrolled students need to be notified directly by the department of any meeting pattern changes.

Academic calendar Departments should prepare to:

• Switch to remote instruction after the Thanksgiving holiday
• Provide all final exams remotely

Please contact ocmsched@umn.edu if you have any questions. We know there is still a lot of ambiguity, and we appreciate your patience.

Grade rosters for summer 2020

Similar to spring 2020, students will have a longer period to request a change in grading basis for summer 2020. Therefore, we will cease creating summer grade rosters until a later date(s). These dates are still under discussion, but will probably be dependent upon the session. We will let you know once we have a firm plan.

If an instructor needs a grade roster to be created early, please send a request to srhelp@umn.edu, and they will manually create a roster for you.

Making changes to variable credit/grading basis

With May/summer session nearing and fall registration underway, it is imperative to make final changes to classes requiring set credits and/or changes to grade basis. After financial aid has been disbursed, the grading basis and the number of credits for a class cannot be altered.

If you need to change the number of credits for a class from a variable number to a set number, email ocmsched@umn.edu. If you need to make a change to the grading basis of a course, submit it directly through ECAS.

Use the Auto Enroll from Waitlist checkbox in CCS for summer and fall 2020

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 the following two functions:

• Triggers the Auto Enroll from Waitlist process if a seat is available.
• Gives priority to students on the waitlist, so open seats are not taken by other students (before Auto Enroll from Waitlist runs).

Designating classes eligible for freshman full year registration

Freshman Orientation will soon be underway on the Twin Cities campus, where students will register for both Fall 2020 and Spring 2021.

Spring 2021 classes eligible for Freshman Full Year Registration are designated by the Course Attribute, “FRFY Freshman full year reg,” in the CCS Basic Data tab.



Classes with the attribute are open for registration, but only to students with the “FRFY Freshman Full Yr Registration” Student Group on their record.

If you discover your department missed applying the FRFY attribute to a class, the CCS scheduler should add the attribute in CCS. A daily query identifies those with a newly added FRFY attribute, and the requisite stopping them from registering for the class is removed to allow freshmen to register.

Summer 2020 (1205) class cancellation process

The direction from Provost Croson has been to encourage units to consider expanding its summer offerings, particularly for high-demand undergraduate courses, as an opportunity for students to make progress on their degree. As a result, we will be altering the review process for summer cancellations.

Please still email all class cancellation requests to ocmsched@umn.edu. Cancellations with student enrollments will be escalated for review by the Associate Deans and the Vice Provost prior to being processed in PeopleSoft. Your requests may take longer than usual to process, but we will work to have them reviewed as efficiently as possible.

Spring 2021 (1213) CCS date changes

Historically, we have closed CCS for Spring 2021 in late April in an effort to ensure room placements for all the Freshmen Full Year Registration classes prior to orientation. While registration for freshmen will still begin in June, we know you are busy juggling multiple priorities during this time. To make the process easier this year, CCS will stay Open for Spring 2021 through May 31 and will be closed from June 1, 2020 to June 30, 2020.

Summer 2021 (1215) roll forward

Class data entered into CCS rolls forward from the same term in the previous year (e.g., summer 2020 to summer 2021) as a convenience to schedulers. Typically, we would roll this data forward in September, but due to the ever changing schedule for summer 2020, it rolled forward on Thursday, April 9, 2020. This will ensure that when planning for May/Summer 2021, you will have better data to work with for your schedules. The 2021-22 Production Calendar will be available in late July. You will have access to 1215 in CCS in October 2021.

CCS is Closing Early for Summer 2020

Good afternoon,

President Gabel shared yesterday that upcoming summer term classes (for undergraduates, as well as for graduate and professional students) across the University system will be conducted through alternative instruction. We recognize that the transition to alternate instruction will be challenging, and we are here to work with you on setting up your classes.

To ensure the accuracy of online class setup, we are closing CCS for class setup for summer 2020 (1205) on Wednesday, April 8, 2020. You will still have access to add/change instructors via UM Class Instructor Setup (Curriculum Management > Schedule of Classes > UM Class Instructor Setup). All other class updates should be submitted to ocmsched@umn.edu.

Note: ECAS Approval for online delivery is NOT required for summer 2020.

Room assignments for summer classes will be removed this week, and OCM Scheduling will update your classes to an online delivery mode (as applicable).

If any changes are needed for a Summer 2020 class, email ocmsched@umn.edu. In the subject of the email, please include the term, subject, course number, and section number. In the body, let us know what is changing.

Some examples of changes:

• MTG Pattern: (e.g., days and times in synchronous or indicate “No Mtg Pattern” if asynchronous)
• Enrollment Cap
• Waitlist Cap
• Class Status (e.g., Active, Tentative, Cancelled, Stop Further Enrollment)
• Reserve Seats

This change in process ensures that classes are set up with the most accurate information available for students and that student services fees, financial aid, and tuition are attributed correctly. As always, please let us know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.

Stay well,

Scheduling Unit | Office of Classroom Management | classroom.umn.edu
Academic Support Resources | asr.umn.edu
Office of Undergraduate Education | undergrad.umn.edu/
University of Minnesota | umn.edu

Spring 2020 final grade rosters won't be available until after April 30

The deadline for students to change their grading basis for the spring 2020 term has changed to April 30. This means that final grade rosters will not be created until after that deadline. However, if you or an instructor needs access to a final grade roster before April 30, contact SRHelp@umn.edu.

Spring 2020 final exams

All final exams will be conducted online this semester. For more information, please see the Spring 2020 Final Exams - FAQ. Additionally, visit COVID-19 Academic Planning FAQ for the most recent provost information regarding academic planning.

Summer 2020 scheduling

Summer classes will also be conducted completely online. A message was sent out yesterday that explains the early closing of the CCS pages in PeopleSoft and how to update classes going forward.

Fall 2020 online classes

We understand registration is beginning this week. So class sections that will be offered online for Fall 2020 need to make sure the course is updated in ECAS. (This requirement was waived for Spring and Summer because of our current situation).

If you are offering an online section of a class, and the course does not currently state it can be offered online in ECAS, please update the course for Fall 2020 in ECAS before the start of the semester.

Making changes to variable credit/grading basis

With May/summer session nearing and fall registration underway, it is imperative to make final changes to classes requiring set credits and/or changes to grade basis. After financial aid has been disbursed, the grading basis and the number of credits for a class cannot be altered.

If you need to change the number of credits for a class from a variable number to a set number, email ocmsched@umn.edu. If you need to make a change to the grading basis of a course, submit it directly through ECAS.

Auto Enroll from Waitlist checkbox in CCS

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 the following two functions:

• Triggers the Auto Enroll from Waitlist process if a seat is available.
• Gives priority to students on the waitlist, so open seats are not taken by other students (before Auto Enroll from Waitlist runs).

Policy review

Please review the policy changes for Major Events - Twin Cities and Course Enrollment Limitations and Cancellations and submit feedback as needed.

PeopleTools Upgrade

MyU, PeopleSoft applications, and other related online services, such as ASTRA and ECAS, will be unavailable due to system updates on Saturday and Sunday, April 18 and 19. Service is expected to be restored on Sunday afternoon, April 19.

During the outage, you can get information about the system update on the Service Status website. Since MyU will be unavailable for the duration of the system update, you can access Canvas courses at canvas.umn.edu and University email at mail.umn.edu.

If you have questions about this system update, please contact Technology Help.

Spring 2020 (1203) final exams

The spring 2020 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:

1. Sign into Astra Schedule with your University internet ID and password in the upper right-hand corner of the screen
2. Click on the “Academics” tab located in the top navigation menu
3. Click on the “Sections” link at the top of the page
4. Update the filters in the left column as follows:
• Is Exam = Yes
• Term = Spring 2020
• Subject = Select the subject(s) you schedule
• Campus = Mpls/St Paul
5. Click “Search” at the bottom of the filter column
6. 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
7. 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. Please contact ocmsched@umn.edu if you still have questions on how to review your final exams.

Final exam policy resources:

• Spring 2020 final exam regulations
• Spring 2020 final exam times
• Spring 2020 common exam times
• University final examination policy

Changes to Waitlist Process for Twin Cities Campus

For the upcoming Fall 2020 semester there will be three changes to the waitlist process:

1. The auto enroll from waitlist process will begin running the first day of queued registration (April 9th).
2. The auto enroll from waitlist process will stop running the day before a session begins.
3. Waitlists will be deleted from PeopleSoft the first day when a session begins.

Departments/colleges may want to capture an image of a waitlist before it is deleted for high volume waitlists.

Make final changes to fall 2020 prior to registration on April 9

CCS will open again for emergent changes to the class schedule for fall 2020 (1209) on March 28, 2020. Department schedulers may update class information (cancel, add, or change) directly in CCS.

Queued registration for fall 2020 begins Thursday, April 9, 2020. To ensure students have the greatest success, please make sure to finalize the following information in the class schedule prior to registration:

• Confirm that 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.
• Fall 2020 Classes with Variable Credit Ranges
• 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 minimize student conflicts.

If any of the above information needs to be changed after students have registered, email ocmsched@umn.edu to determine if changes may still be made.

Volunteer request for ASR website usability

A group of students in WRIT 4501: Usability and Human Factors in Technical Communication is conducting a usability test on the Academic Support Resources website on Tuesday, March 24. As a potential user of the website, your participation would be extremely helpful to both the students advancing their studies in usability and ASR improving its website. Some snacks and beverages will be provided at the usability lab.

Date: Tuesday, March 24
Location: Walter Library on the Twin Cities East Bank campus
Time commitment: 30-40 minutes in the evening

Please select your availability if you are interested in participating. Your participation is completely voluntary. Thank you!

Caucus night

Tuesday, February 25, 2020 is caucus night. Per Board of Regents resolution, the University may schedule classes or events on caucus night with the Board’s authorization, however students and/or instructors are permitted to attend their party’s caucus night if they wish. Students must notify their instructor in advance, and instructors are expected to accommodate their requests. If enough students indicate that they will be attending their caucus so that holding class becomes impractical, instructors may cancel the class or make alternative arrangements.

Additionally, the Minnesota Presidential Primary will take place on Tuesday, March 3, 2020. However, voting in a regional, state, or national election is not an unavoidable or legitimate absence. If students wish to vote in the Minnesota Presidential Primary, they must vote outside of scheduled class time.

Final exam scheduling for spring 2020 (1203)

Final exam scheduling will begin shortly.

• If a class will hold its final exam as indicated on the University final exam schedule in its regular general purpose classroom, there is no need for you to contact us. Your final exam will be scheduled centrally.


• If a class is not holding an in-person exam during finals week (Thursday, May 7 – Wednesday, May 13, 2020), please email ocmsched@umn.edu by February 14, 2020.
• Use the subject line “Spring 2020 Final Exam”
• Include the designator/section number(s) in the email text
• Due to the high demand for larger classrooms for finals week, it is especially helpful to know when a large class will not need a classroom for a final exam.


• If a class is requesting a change to the date and time of an exam, or to change or add a location to an exam, submit a Final Exam Change Request form by February 18. You will automatically receive a copy of your final exam change request; and when final exam scheduling is completed, you will receive an email confirmation of the outcome. While the Office of Classroom Management (OCM) does its best to accommodate special requests, there is a possibility that your request may not be fulfilled. Finals may not be scheduled on Spring 2020 Study Days, which are May 5,6 and 10.


• Special clarification on the Thursday-Wednesday final exam week.
• The first day of spring 2020 final exams is Thursday, May 7.
• 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 7, 2020.
• This includes classes that meet multiple days of the week, such as Tuesday/Thursday classes, Monday/Thursday classes, and Monday-Thursday classes.

Reminders:

• If a class is on the pre-approved Common Exams list for the semester, a Final Exam Change Request form must still be submitted in order to assign appropriate classrooms.
• Event requests for classrooms during finals week are not scheduled until after the completion of official final exam scheduling. Submitting an event request through Astra Schedule for a classroom needed for a final exam does NOT increase the likelihood that the room will be available for you.

Final exam resources:

• ASR final exam information
• One Stop final exam times
• Final exam change request form
• Scheduling Examinations, Final Examinations, and Study Days policy

Make final changes to May/summer 2020 (1205) classes prior to registration starts

It is imperative to make final changes to summer 2020 classes prior to registration. For degree-seeking students, summer 2020 registration opens February 27, 2020. Changes made after registration may have a detrimental effect on students.

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. 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.

Fall 2020 (1209) scheduling is in progress

CCS Open Initial Build for fall 2020 (1209) closes February 22, 2020, so we can make central room assignments. Please make any changes by the end of the day Friday, February 21, 2020.

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.

Canceling class sections for Fall 2020

Classes that will not be offered in an upcoming semester must be canceled on the Enrollment Control tab by selecting a Class Status of “Cancelled.” A classroom will not get assigned to a canceled section, which allows the Office of Classroom Management to effectively use their general purpose classroom space.

As a reminder, unchecking the "Schedule Print" box on the Basic Data tab does not cancel a class. Unchecking the box only hides the class from the class schedule, which still allows students to enroll. Astra then assigns a classroom to the class, which will go unused. If you have any questions, please contact ocmsoftwarehelp@umn.edu.

Updated Session Dates page

The Office of Classroom Management (OCM) updated the Session Dates page on their website with a new layout and functionality. The information on the page has remained the same; but now you can select the term you want to see from a drop-down list, and the page will update with that term’s information.

As a reminder, CCS schedulers can use the page to correctly determine which session most narrowly fits a class’ meeting dates. Session selection can impact financial aid, student finance, and registration. If you have any questions or feedback, contact ocmsoftwarehelp@umn.edu.

Astra Schedule Academics

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

• May/summer 2020 and Fall 2020
  For May/summer 2020 and fall 2020, room assignments made in Astra Schedule will be reflected in the Class Schedule the same day.


• Spring 2021 (will be available on March 9, 2020)
  Please note that Spring 2021 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.

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.

Class Schedule Summary Report will display class credits

The number of credits a class is being offered for will be added to the Class Schedule Summary Report by mid-February. This report is found in the Report Center:

1. Log into myu.umn.edu
2. Click Key Links
3. Click Reporting Center
• Find Student Services
• Click the arrow next to Course Scheduling
• Click the Class Schedule Summary Report
• Enter the information you want to see
• You can download the report to Excel by clicking the Excel icon at the top of your search results.

This report has class section information for each scheduled class, which makes it especially useful for schedulers to make decisions about what should and should not be offered for an upcoming semester because they can review it following the roll forward.

You can also easily identify the classes that are variable credits and have them adjusted to a set number of credits if needed. If you need to request a set credit amount, email ocmsched@umn.edu.

Preparing for the start of the term

With January 21 quickly approaching, ASR asks that students, faculty, and staff prepare in advance for the start of the term. Faculty and instructors will receive a welcome message from OCM on January 14. In the message, they will be encouraged to record their classroom assignments in advance and minimize any room change requests. Students will also be encouraged to record their schedule in advance. Because of this, consider sending an email to the students in a class if there is a change in the week before the term starts.

You may also want to consider having a hard copy of your classroom assignments available to reference in case there is an unexpected system issue the first week of term.

Class cancellation policy and spring 2020 deadlines

The last day for spring 2020 class cancellations is January 27, 2020. According to the Course Enrollment Limits and Cancellation policy, colleges (and sometimes departments) maintain policies regarding low-enrollment course sections. Sections may not be canceled after the fifth day of classes for the term. Each college has its own guidelines for canceling low enrollment classes on its website. University best practice is to cancel as early as possible once a decision has been made to ensure impacted students will have an opportunity to register for an alternate class.

For spring 2020 class cancellations:

• If there is no enrollment, cancel the class directly in CCS. This will ensure the room assignment is released and the class is accurately displayed on the Class Schedule. Changing the enrollment capacity to zero and checking the “no print” box in CCS will not release the classroom assignment nor cancel the class.
• If there are students enrolled, notify ocmsched@umn.edu for cancellations and follow collegiate policies. OCM will cancel the class and an automated email will be sent to enrolled students. We still encourage departments to send an email directly to students to let them know of the cancellation and to encourage alternate class options.

Make final changes to variable credit/grading basis

With the spring semester beginning soon, it is imperative to make final changes to classes requiring set credits and/or changes to grade basis. After the term has begun, the number of credits for a class and the grading basis cannot be altered.

If you need to change the number of credits for a class from a variable number to a set number, email ocmsched@umn.edu. If you need to make a change to the grading basis of a course, submit it directly through ECAS.

Auto-enroll from waitlist reminders

Auto-enroll from waitlist stops running for each term/session on a date specified per campus. For the spring 2020 regular session, the last waitlist run for the Twin Cities campus is January 21, 2020.

Filling seats after auto-enroll stops running

After the last auto-enroll run, classes that still have wait lists will typically have an Enrollment Status of “Closed.” This means that the open seats will not automatically fill after an enrolled student has dropped the class. In order to fill these seats, you have two options to choose from based on the method that works best for your department.

Option 1

Give students a permission number to override a closed class using the Closed Class checkbox on the Class Permission page. This option allows you to give permission to wait-listed students, when appropriate. To determine which students need permission, the wait list will be available to you until the end of the add and drop period.

Option 2

On the Enrollment Control tab, uncheck the Auto Enroll from Wait List checkbox, which changes the Enrollment Status to “Open” and allows any student to register for the remaining seat(s) up until instructor approval is required.

Permission number expiration reminder

Permission numbers expire and are deleted at the end of the term/session’s add and drop period. After this time, unused permission numbers will no longer permit students’ enrollment.

Check spring term instructor assignments

You can have a positive impact on your classes when you enter complete and correct instructor information. Entering instructors in CCS gives students access to their online class rosters, Canvas site, and their grade rosters (at the end of the term). Students also benefit from knowing who their instructors will be as they begin the semester.

Css schedulers should please verify the following instructor information for spring (1203) on the UM CSS Maintain Schedule of Classes, Meetings tab:

• Correct instructor
• Accurate instructor role
• Appropriate grading access

Note: all teaching assistants should be entered with a role of "TA." Additionally, undergraduate teaching assistants can not have grade access.

Scheduling Update newsletter frequency reminder

Since December 2019, the Scheduling Update is sent monthly on Wednesdays instead of every other week. We will plan to send the newsletter the second week of each month. If there are important topics that need to be communicated before the newsletter goes out, we will communicate via email.

UPK retirement

The PeopleSoft User Productivity Kit (UPK) help tool, accessed by clicking the "Help" link on PeopleSoft pages, retired on December 29, 2019.

A library of user guides for PeopleSoft Campus Solutions is available on the ASR website to replace the UPK tutorials. The guides, which are housed in Google Drive, document specific processes for staff who use Campus Solutions:

• Scheduling classes
• Updating majors and minors
• Assigning advisors
• Updating student groups
• Posting a transaction

If you have any questions about the new user guides contact the following departments:

• Office of the Registrar at srhelp@umn.edu for questions about student records processes.
• Office of Classroom Management Scheduling team at ocmsoftwarehelp@umn.edu for questions about class scheduling. 
• Student Financials at sfhelp@umn.edu for questions about student financial processes.