Spring 2024 final exam room requests

If any instructor in your department is teaching an in-person or blended class and planning to have an in-person final exam, a Final Exam Request form must be filled out to request a classroom to hold the final exam. 

This same form can also be used to inform us of any final exam changes (date/time or alternate seating), with up to five submissions per form. 

The list of scheduled final exams and common exams is available on the Spring 2024 Final Exam and Common Exam Scheduled Rooms spreadsheet.

The deadline for Spring 2024 for these requests is March 29, 2024. 

• Final exam information
• Final exam schedule
• How to use the Final Exam Request form 

Make final changes to May/summer 2024

Registration opens February 22, 2024, for the May/summer term (1245). Please make your final changes to summer 2024 classes as soon as possible. Changes to classes made after enrollment can negatively impact students.

Course changes should be made and approved in Coursedog, which include:

• credit and grading basis changes
• consent required 
• component changes
• topic titles

Class changes should be made in CCS, which include:

• meeting patterns
• instructors and grading access
• enrollment capacity changes
• class cancellations

Classroom assignments for summer 2024 have been completed and are available on the Class Schedule. 

Please contact ocmsched@umn.edu if:

• A variable credit class needs to have a set number of credits for summer 2024.
• A class does not have a room assignment and needs one.

Fall 2024 (1249) scheduling in progress

CCS is currently open for fall 2024 for the upcoming academic year. CCS will close on March 1, 2024, for term 1249 so classroom assignments can be made by OCM. For additional class setup guidance, please refer to the Class Setup Guide.

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

• Review class sessions.
• Check classes outside of the Regular Session to make sure they are in the appropriate academic session (remember that classes in the extended regular session are typically not financial aid eligible).
• Adjust non-standard class meeting times to a standard time.
• Classes using standard meeting times guarantee a GPC classroom if needed and help students build their schedules.
• Input instructor information and grading access on each meeting pattern.
• Instructors must be on each meeting pattern per class to aid with the grading process at the end of the term.
• Find classes with no instructor listed by running the Classes Missing Instructor Information report. Path: MyU > Key Links > Reporting Center > Student Services > Course Scheduling > Classes Missing Instructor Information report.
• Enter the required room characteristics.
• If a certain technology or seating style is needed to facilitate teaching and learning, please indicate that for the class.
• Set realistic enrollment capacities and requested room capacities.
• +/- 10% of last year’s enrollments.
• Cancel class sections that will not be offered.
• Review the Class Scheduling Distribution Summary Report (You will need to log into the University’s network or VPN to view the website).
• Assess department/college compliance with the distribution of meeting times (no more than 3% in any standard time block) and the distribution of meeting patterns (no more than 50% meeting on Tuesday/Thursday).
• Assign departmentally owned classrooms and labs using Astra.
• It’s helpful to let us know which classes do not need GPCs BEFORE we close CCS for the term to assign classrooms.

Email ocmsched@umn.edu to:

• add the facility NOROOMREQD (no room required) to all class meeting patterns that will not require any room assignment.
• add the facility ROOM000TBA (Room TBA) to all class meeting patterns that will meet in a small office space.
• add the facility ONLINEBLENDED to any meeting patterns in a blended (both in-person and online/remote) learning class.

Scheduling System RFP to replace Astra

It has been 12 years since we implemented Astra back in 2012, and while Astra continues to be a work-horse for our campuses, we have been unable to upgrade in recent years leaving us to operate in an outdated version. Because of this, we are having to explore the marketplace to see if there is a better option for Academic Room Scheduling Software.

We are currently in the middle of the RFP (Request for Proposal) process to find a replacement to our current classroom scheduling system. Vendors have submitted bids, and we are currently reviewing those bids. Our goal is to have a replacement vendor chosen by the end of March 2024.

We will continue to update this community with the progression of this project.

CCS user workshops

Please join us for our monthly CCS user workshops. These workshops allow us to connect with our departmental schedulers and review relevant topics.

These workshops are conducted over Zoom on the second Tuesday of the month from 11:00-11:30 a.m. (15-20 minute presentation with time for discussion). 

To attend a workshop, simply add the class schedule production calendar to your Google Calendar:

• Add to U of M Google calendar
• Add to general Google calendar

A Zoom meeting link and materials will be added to the calendar event closer to the day of the workshop. 

Upcoming topics

• February 13th - Class setup complications
• March 12th - Waitlists