Scheduling Work Group Report

1. Scheduling WorkGroup Report Ken Ayoob Dean, College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (CAHSS) Richard Bruce CAHSS Office Manager, Former Psych Department Coordinator & University Senator Jená Burges Vice Provost John Filce Institutional Research & Planning Bella Gray Office of the Registrar Academic Scheduler John Lee Dean, College of Professional Studies (CPS) Ben Marschke Faculty, History Department & University Senator Dale Oliver Math Faculty, Former Chair, College of Natural Resources & Sciences Former Interim Associate Dean Cheryl Satter Biology Department Admin Analyst, former Math and Nursing Departments Coordinator

2. Problemsto Resolve • Improving Graduation Rate/Student Retention • Evidence-Based Problems/Solutions • Ameliorating Class & Space Availability • Reconfiguring the Scheduling Process—Keeping It Simple! • New Process Impacts & Considerations • Vetting with Campus Stakeholders

3. Improving Graduation Rate/Student Retention • Primary concern: 25% of all students reported problems with convenience/availability of required classes (Campus Quality Survey, 2012) • Major classes • GE class • Other all-university requirements • Perk of process: Remove fall registration split by Thanksgiving break. • First & second year students who register after break could feel anxious in registering “late” (though no student registers during the break) • First & second year students with spring classes can talk to their families about the spring semester to garner familial support for continuing their education

4. Evidence-Based Problems/Solutions • Time Usage: 72.7%* of 2012 Classes Started Between the hours of 9 or 3 • Ex: MWF 1500-1550 counts three times for 3:00:00 PM • Day Usage: 67.8% of 2012 Classes had a T, W or R Component; 11.45% of Classes on Friday* *Data based on analysis of start times of classes in Spring 2012 & Fall 2012, including labs

5. Ameliorating Class & Space Availability • Class & Space Availability Problems • 154 Messy, overlapping Scheduling Modules • 72.7% of Class Meeting Times during Congested “Prime Time” • Internal department conflicts • Major/GE conflicts • All-university conflicts • 154 Messy, Overlapping Scheduling Modules

6. Reconfiguring the Scheduling Process & Keeping It Simple • Zones • Before 9:00 AM * • 9:00 -11:00 AM 20% • 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM 20% • 1:00 - 3:00 PM 20% • 3:00 - 5:00 PM 20% • 5:00 - 7:00 PM * • After 7:00 PM * • Scheduling Rules: • There are 7 zones. Courses cannot cross between zones. Exceptions: Labs, Clinically based classes (with approval of appropriate Dean), Graduate Seminars with fewer than 20 students, classes placed in zones 6-7. Undergraduate seminars or lectures that meet for more than two hours must be scheduled in zones 6 and 7. Because of the demand for classrooms in the middle of the instructional day, it will not be possible to schedule sections that meet one day a week except in Zones 6 and 7. • All courses start on the hour except for 80 minute classes beginning at 7:30 AM. (One hour classes may also begin at 8, 10, 12, 2 and 4.) • No more than 20% of a department’s courses may be scheduled in each of zones 2-5. At least 20% must be placed in some combination of zones 1, 6, and 7, and wholly online classes. * Combined 20% of scheduling

7. Reconfiguring the Scheduling Process & Keeping It Simple • Scheduling Rules, continued: • Day of the week patterns are MW, WF, MF, TR, MWF. 4 day per week classes can meet in any four day combination. • Classes must be distributed across all days of the week with no more than half of a department's classes on Tuesday and Thursday, subject to room availability. • All rules above apply regardless of whether a department or Schedule25 controls a room. Departmental classrooms must be madeavailablefor limited general purpose instructional use. • Standing meetings (ICC, Councils of Chairs, University Senate, etc.) must conform to zones as part of university-wide scheduling requirements. • Once assigned, rooms may not be moved without approval of the appropriate college dean. After early registration begins, the following changes to the published class schedule require Dean's approval: addition of new sections, cancellation of scheduled sections, day/time/classroom changes, and capacity decreases/increases. • Enrollment history or anticipated increases for a particular course will be used by Academic Scheduling to determine classroom size, so enrollment limits should be carefully reviewed and adjusted. Departments should base estimated enrollments on the actual enrollment during the previous corresponding term, with an estimated increase no more than 15%. In cases where the department projects a greater than 15% increase, justification must be provided in writing.

8. Reconfiguring the Scheduling Process & Keeping It Simple Starts for Fall 2013 Schedule Build (Beginning Spring 2013) • Scheduling Timeline Currently, the first five weeks are “Departments Plan Schedules” in fall; spring has 3 weeks for schedule planning. Registration in fall is split by Thanksgiving.

9. Reconfiguring the Scheduling Process & Keeping It Simple • Best Practices for Departments • Call for best practices, such as posting schedule for students to review before schedule data entry • Additional tools to allow departments to adjust their schedules to try different configurations to meet zone & day percentages • Conflict Matrix—which courses cannot conflict within a department and across departments

10. New Process Impacts & Considerations • Last half hour of zone “wasted” for 80 minute classes • Time is made up later in the day (large lecture room schedules only change TR to an hour later) • Allows more time for students/faculty to get to next class • Allows more time to empty room before next class • Large lecture utilization must be adjusted—spread throughout the day • Ongoing Review Process every year to allow for changes

11. Vetting with Campus Stakeholders • Meeting Schedules • ICC (Nov 13) • University Senate Executive Committee (Nov 13) • OAA Working Group (Nov 14) • Colleges’ Department of Chairs Meetings (Nov 15) • Associated Students (Nov 26 or Dec 10?) • University Senate (Nov 27?) • Department Coordinators (Dec 7)