Spring 2021 final exam scheduling

Final exams for spring 2021 will take place Thursday, May 6 - Wednesday, May, 12, 2021 with Study Days on Tuesday, May 4, Wednesday, May 5, and Sunday, May 9. All rules set forth in the Final Exam Regulations apply to all online and in-person final exams. The date and time of final exams should be listed in the class syllabus.

All Remote Instruction (online synchronous) and Online Classes (online asynchronous) final exams will be conducted online.

All In-Person Classes and Blended Classes final exams will default to being conducted online due to space constraints created by physical distancing in classrooms. However, classes scheduled as In-Person or Blended may choose to request an exception to allow for their final exam to be held in-person using the Final Exam Change Request form.

The Final Exam Change Request form must be submitted for all changes to final exam date, time and location, including in-person exam requests. Form deadline for spring 2021 is March 15, 2021.

Guidelines for online final exams are as follows:

• 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, May 6, 2021.
• All asynchronous classes holding asynchronous online exams should ensure the due date for their exam is no later than Wednesday, May 12, 2021.

For reference:

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

May/Summer 2021 CCS open

CCS is currently open again for the May/Summer 2021 (1215) term to make changes to classes before registration begins on February 25, 2021.

As it was in fall 2020 and spring 2021, for summer 2021 we are using the class formats identified in the Class Format Guide. Instructors can choose their modality. Additionally, ECAS updates are not required for modality changes that are meant to be temporary. 6' physical distancing will be enforced in classrooms (see Room Search for current capacities).

Check spring term instructor assignments

You can have a positive impact on your classes when you enter complete and correct instructor information. This includes deleting past instructors no longer teaching that class. Entering instructors in CCS gives them access to their class rosters, Canvas site, and grade rosters (at the end of the term). Students also benefit from knowing who their instructors will be as they begin the semester.

CCS schedulers should please verify the following instructor information for spring (1213) on the UM CCS 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.

Fall 2021 and spring 2022 CCS roll forward

Normally, class data entered into CCS rolls forward from the same term in the previous year. However, with the disruptions of last year, it was decided to roll forward fall 2019 into fall 2021 and spring 2020 into spring 2022. We are hoping that using the 2 years prior term data will more closely mimic how classes will be taught and scheduled in the upcoming semesters. More information about class modality is forthcoming after further discussions by the administration.

• New classes created for fall 2020 or spring 2021 would not have rolled forward. You’ll need to schedule those sections again, starting in the UM CCS Schedule New Course page.
• We may have inadvertently rolled forward some inactive or canceled classes. If you see a class/subject that should not be scheduled anymore, please email ocmsched@umn.edu to let us know.
• Fall 2021 and spring 2022 will open to schedulers on January 25, 2021 to begin scheduling.

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 or the instructor 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. A similar message was sent to instructors.

Class Permission insights

With all of the virtual classrooms for spring 2021, we expect some instructors to give permission to students to register for a full class. Permission numbers, however, do not override a closed class unless they have been modified to do so. Here are some helpful tips and reminders regarding Class Permissions:

• Permission Numbers are created to override Requisites, Consent, and Time Frame (to register during the 2nd week of term).
• Individual permission numbers can be modified to override a Closed Class.
• Instructors do not have access to modify permission numbers.
• Department schedulers and some student services staff do have access to make these updates on the Class Permissions page in PeopleSoft.

For more information, check out these user guides from SRHelp@umn.edu.

Class change communications to students

Academic Support Resources (ASR) is considering different options for keeping students informed when changes happen to their schedules between when they register and when those classes begin. We’ve heard from students who want to know about changes to:

• instructor information
• meeting day(s)/time
• meeting location of a class
• class format (e.g., completely online to in-person)

We would like to hear from you about the work around class changes after registration begins for a semester (when they are requested, how they are completed). When you have a moment, please fill out this survey.