Course Scheduling Guidelines 

Draft guidelines for managing the extremely complex process of developing a semester's (and academic year's) course schedule have been developed by the Provost's Course Availability Taskforce, with the goal of achieving a more effective schedule with more equitable and transparent allocation of space.

Portions of these guidelines have been "piloted" in the Spring 2007 schedule. It is intended that they will become fully implemented with the Schedule of Classes for Fall 2007, recognizing that departments may adapt to them at differing speeds.

The driving principles from the latest draft of the Guidelines are:

1. Utilize standardized time zones as the most effective and efficient way to ensure the maximum use of the instructional week and to facilitate the scheduling of facilities.
2. Develop a balanced schedule so that each academic unit offers a class schedule distributed across time zones throughout the full week.
3. Rotate course offerings into different times and days over the two semesters of an academic year
4. Established and known priorities should drive the assignment of specialized rooms.
5. Limit changes to the schedule of classes after student registration begins.
6. Resolve scheduling discrepancies as timely and efficiently as possible.
7. Responsibility rests with the academic department, with oversight responsibility by the dean, for producing a schedule that follows these University Guidelines of balance and provides maximum access to students.
8. Efficient classroom space management is a University goal that can be pursued by maximizing classroom resources and institutional flexibility in offering a schedule of classes.

Please visit the latest draft of the Guidelines for an indepth description of these principles.

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