Please contact ocmsched@umn.edu about May/summer classes if:
- a class does not have a room assignment and needs one.
- a variable credit class needs to have a set number of credits for summer 2025.
- a class with enrollment needs to be canceled.
Wednesday, April 2, 2025
May/Summer 2025 updates
Spring 2025 final exams
Final exam week is rapidly approaching for spring 2025. The list of final exams and common exams that have been scheduled is available on the Spring 2025 Final Exam and Common Exam Scheduled Rooms spreadsheet.
If you do not see a class on that list and know the class intends to have an in-person final exam, please fill out the final exam request as soon as possible.
Classroom hours during finals week (spring 2025)
Final exams for spring 2025 begin Thursday, May 8. The last day of exams is Wednesday, May 14. Official University final exam schedules are available online.
- Final exam dates: Thursday, May 8 - Saturday, May 10, and Monday, May 12 - Wednesday, May 14
- Study Days: Tuesday, May 6; Wednesday, May 7; and Sunday, May 11
General purpose classroom hours will be extended on Saturday, May 10 and Sunday, May 11, to meet the needs of students and faculty during finals week. Weekday hours will remain unchanged during finals week. See standard operating hours.
During finals week, weekend classroom and building hours will be adjusted as follows:
- Saturday, May 10 (Final Exam Date): All general purpose classrooms will be open 7:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
- Sunday, May 11 (Study Day): All general purpose classrooms in weekend buildings will be open from 7:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. Weekend buildings include:
- East Bank: Bruininks Hall, Folwell Hall, Keller Hall, 216 Pillsbury Drive, Rapson Hall
- West Bank: Blegen Hall, CSOM, Hanson Hall, Humphrey Center
- St. Paul: McNeal Hall, Peters Hall, Ruttan Hall
- Weekday hours will remain unchanged.
After final exam week, we will return to our standard operating hours.
Be sure to carry your U Card with you at all times. Most buildings will require your U Card for exterior building access.
Fall 2025 (1259) classroom assignments
At this time, we are still working on getting classrooms assigned for fall, and around 10% of classes still need classrooms. Classroom availability for large lecture halls is very limited. We may not be able to accommodate enrollment capacity increases or meeting pattern changes for certain times of the day. Please check with ocmsched@umn.edu before making any changes.
As a reminder, OCM only works to find general-purpose classrooms for classes that are lecture or discussion sections with a blank Facility ID in CCS. If a class is typically held in a specific departmentally-owned classroom, please assign those classrooms to those classes in Astra.
If the Facility ID field is populated, OCM will not actively look for a classroom for your class. This includes populating it with a virtual space, such as:
- ROOM000TBA (room to be assigned) - the CCS scheduler will be adding a departmental or other room to a class section or meeting pattern.
- NORMREQD (no room required) - no room is required for the class section and/or meeting pattern.
- ONLINEONLY (online only) - the class section or meeting pattern of the class will be conducted completely online, so no classroom is needed.
- REMOTE (remote instruction) - the class section or meeting pattern of the class will be conducted remotely, so no classroom is needed.
- AHC000TBA (AHC room to be assigned) - no GPC is needed.
- LAB000TBA (lab section - room to be assigned) - no GPC is needed.
- NO000PRINT - the class section has the “schedule print” box unchecked and a GPC will not be required.
If a class has one of these virtual rooms assigned and it now needs a classroom, contact ocmsched@umn.edu.
*All room assignments are subject to change prior to the start of the term. While this usually affects only a small number of classes, we encourage departments and instructors to verify their classroom assignments before the first class meeting.
Fall 2025 class schedule changes
Queued registration for fall 2025 begins Thursday, April 10, 2025. 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, you can view session dates by term.
- If choosing a set number of credits for a variable credit class, make those changes before students register by emailing ocmsched@umn.edu.
- Confirm grading basis. If changes need to be made, submit changes through Coursedog.
- 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.
TIP: Class permission numbers for fall 2025
The class permission number batch process has already run and created permission numbers for fall 2025 classes. This process only runs once for a semester. What does this mean for newly created class sections? You will need to create permission numbers for those sections. Please follow this guide on how to create permission numbers per class section.
25Live update
We are gearing up for the go-live of 25Live on June 17, 2025. As a reminder, 25Live will become the University’s classroom assignment software, replacing our current software, Astra. Here are some key updates on what is coming up.
Training for 25Live:
- Online training will be available in the Training Hub about a month before go live.
- Training is required if you currently have access to assign departmental rooms to an academic class or set up meetings in departmentally owned spaces in Astra. You will be automatically enrolled and receive email instructions on how to complete the training in May.
- Training is NOT required for people who will request rooms for meetings or classes.
Through June 13:
- Academic Schedulers: continue using Astra to assign departmental rooms to classes for Summer 25, Fall 25, and Spring 26.
- Events Schedulers: continue to schedule events occurring in your departmentally owned spaces. Keep track of events that will be scheduled for July 1 onward, and use those events as practice in 25Live after go-live.
Starting June 14:
- Astra will be available view-only.
Starting June 17:
- All academic and event room scheduling will be done in 25Live.
Tuesday, April 1, 2025
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:
A Zoom meeting link and materials will be added to the calendar event closer to the day of the workshop.
Upcoming topics
- April 8th - CCS: the basics
- May - No workshop
- June - 25Live
- July - 25Live
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
Spring 2025 final exam room requests
Any in-person or blended class that is having an in-person final exam must fill out a Final Exam Request form to request a classroom to hold the final exam (instructor or departmental scheduler can fill out the form). The deadline for spring 2025 requests is March 31, 2025.
The list of already scheduled final and common exams is available on the Spring 2025 Final Exam and Common Exam Scheduled Rooms spreadsheet.
Additional final exam information:
May/Summer 2025 updates
Please contact ocmsched@umn.edu about May/summer classes if:
- a class does not have a room assignment and needs one.
- a variable credit class needs to have a set number of credits for summer 2025.
- a class with enrollment needs to be canceled.
Fall 2025 (1259) scheduling in progress
CCS is currently closed for fall 2025 so classroom assignments can be made by OCM. CCS will re-open on March 28, 2025 for emergent changes before registration begins on April 10, 2025.
Astra is available during this time for departmental classroom assignments. Please assign departmentally-owned rooms to academic classes that will take place in those spaces by March 17th, 2025. This will give OCM a better understanding of actual need for OCM-owned general purpose classrooms.
From March 17–27th, OCM will be assigning GPC classrooms in mass quantities and we ask that our departmental schedulers refrain from logging in to assign departmental classrooms to academic classes in Astra during that time.
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:
A Zoom meeting link and materials will be added to the calendar event closer to the day of the workshop.
Upcoming topics
- March 11th - Waitlists
- April 8th - CCS: the basics
Wednesday, February 5, 2025
Spring 2025 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 2025 Final Exam and Common Exam Scheduled Rooms spreadsheet.
The deadline for spring 2025 for these requests is March 31, 2025.
Make final changes to May/summer 2025
Registration opens February 27, 2025, for the May/summer term (1255). Please make your final changes to summer 2025 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 2025 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 2025.
- A class does not have a room assignment and needs one.
Fall 2025 (1259) scheduling in progress
CCS is currently open for fall 2025 for the upcoming academic year. CCS will be closed by March 3, 2025 for term 1259, 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.
- Tip: 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.
Right-sizing rooms in Blegen Hall
OCM has been reviewing seating density within our General Purpose Classrooms (GPCs) since 2022 due to increased instructor feedback stating classrooms feel cramped when at capacity and are then too small for group work.
There are several rooms in Blegen that effective for fall 2025 will be reduced in seating capacity to facilitate a better environment for learning. Below are the impacted rooms:
This will impact OCM as Blegen Hall is historically a very busy building. There will be some classes that will no longer fit in these rooms, and this will have a ripple effect. As schedulers, it is always important to do the following:
- Be mindful of enrollment capacities on classes.
- Best practice +/- 10%, using your previous terms’ enrollment as your guide.
- Use standard meeting patterns, utilizing ALL standard meeting times per week (including 8AM and Fridays).
Room Search will not be updated with the new capacities in Blegen until summer 2025.
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:
A Zoom meeting link and materials will be added to the calendar event closer to the day of the workshop.
Upcoming topics
- February 11 - Class setup complications
- March 11 - Waitlists
Wednesday, January 8, 2025
Canceling classes for spring 2025 with zero and low enrollments
If you no longer plan to offer a class because of low enrollment, the class needs to be canceled in CCS as soon as possible and before the start of the term. Failure to cancel a class in a timely manner will have negative financial aid and degree progress impacts on students.
Starting Monday, January 13, ASR will formally review each class cancellation request and follow up with colleges/departments regarding specific concerns. This review includes an individual degree progress and financial aid impact assessment of each student currently enrolled.
For canceling classes with students enrolled, please do the following:
- Change the Class Status to “Stop Further Enrollment” on the Enrollment Control panel of CCS.
- Notify enrolled students directly of class cancellation and offer alternative options before requesting the class to be canceled.
- Email ocmsched@umn.edu to process your cancellation.
- If your college requires collegiate approval for cancellation with low enrollment, also refer to your college procedures.
For canceling classes with zero enrollments, no review is required:
- Change the Class Status to “Canceled Section” on the Enrollment Control panel of CCS.
- Click Save.
Reserve capacity seats released for spring 2025
If you use a reserve capacity for a class, remember ASR will release all reserved seats on the Friday before the first day of class each semester. For the spring 2025 semester, all reserved seats will be released on January 17, 2025.
Tuesday, January 7, 2025
Waitlists for spring 2025
As a reminder, the auto enroll from waitlist 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 20, 2025 for all regular sessions and 1st half of term classes. The waitlists will be deleted on January 21, 2025.
TIP: 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.
Spring 2025 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 deadline for spring 2025 final exam requests is March 31, 2025.
May/Summer 2025 CCS open
CCS will open again on January 3, 2025 for the May/Summer 2025 (1255) term to make changes to classes before registration begins on February 27, 2025.
Classroom assignments for summer 2025 are available on the Class Schedule. Please review assignments for your department to ensure all classes requiring a general purpose classroom have been assigned.
Note: If you notice a class without a room assignment, notify ocmsched@umn.edu.
Fall 2025 and spring 2026 CCS open
CCS is currently open for fall 2025 and spring 2026 to start making scheduling decisions for the upcoming academic year. CCS will close on March 3, 2025 for fall 2025 to make classroom assignments.
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:
A Zoom meeting link and materials will be added to the calendar event closer to the day of the workshop.
Upcoming topics
- January 14 - Combined Sections
- February 11 - Class setup complications
Submit any topic ideas to ocmsched@umn.edu.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)