Course Scheduling Procedure

Course Scheduling ProcedureCentralized Course Scheduling

  1. Roles and Reponsibilities
    • Course Schedulers
      • Review course schedules and make edits in consultation with the program coordinator, department chair, or dean.
      • Maintain edits in both Banner and the Course Change Form when appropriate. 
    • Space Management
      • Keep academic room information in Reserve West current and detailed so that all end-users are aware of room specifications, its capabilities and contents.
      • Actively search for ways to streamline functions in the scheduling and room assignment area, as well as within the university. In addition, they will work with colleges, schools, and departments to match scheduling needs with available classrooms.
      • Prepare reports which summarize and analyze course enrollment distributions in relation to classroom utilization.
      • Work with the Office of the Provost, Facilities Development & Sustainability, and Information Technology Servicesto plan classroom renovations, equipment needs, and provide for meeting the changing needs of students and faculty
      • Synchronize and optimize course sections into Reserve West to determine room locations.  
  2. Course Scheduling Process
    • Course Editing/Building Period: The Registrar’s Office will roll the semester from the previous-like semester for both Fall and Spring semesters. Summer schedules will be built from scratch by departmental schedulers. Banner access is given to colleges/departments to make edits, delete courses, or add courses. No room assignments should be made in Banner with the exception of pre-designated rooms listed below.  
    • Clean-Up Period: Room preferences are set (i.e. room type, general location, ADA requests) and the schedule is reviewed by the Director of Space Management.  
    • Blackout Period: NO changes to course sections can be made during this time. The Academic Scheduler will spend approximately one month optimizing courses into EMS (Reserve West) to begin room assignments for a particular semester. The Director of Space Management will work with each college and/or department to review room assignments and make adjustments to the schedules based on room utilization and student needs. This process will occur at least one month prior to the start of student registration in order to ensure all courses have room assignments and that classroom space is being utilized appropriately.
  3. Optimization Information
    • Preferences are established on the back end of Reserve West/EMS. (i.e. RCOB courses get first preference to Richard’s Hall, COE courses get first preference to Education Center & Coliseum).
    • Courses are optimized into classrooms by the software based on the following components:
      • Course capacity (enrollment or course cap)
      • Area preference
      • Instructor back-to-back
  4. Rooms Available for Centralized Course Scheduling: All academic rooms, officially designated for instruction, will be available to schedule in Reserve West for centralized scheduling and optimization. Conference rooms that are not designated for instruction (i.e. Dean’s Office or departmental conference rooms) are not included in this process. Restricted rooms are also not included in this process.  
  5. Pre-designated/Restricted Rooms: The following courses may have rooms assigned in Banner due to the limited/restricted spaces available for these types of courses: 
    • Newnan Campus
    • Nursing Specialized Space
    • Biology Specialized Space 
    • Science Labs
    • Computer Labs
    • Music Specialized Space
    • Art Specialized Space
    • Exercise Labs (Yoga, Weightlifting) 
    • Theater Classrooms (Martha Munro, Old Auditorium)