Class Schedule Updates (Fall & Spring Only)
In accordance with the Instructional Space Utilization Policy, all departments on the CU Boulder campus must build and maintain in Campus Solutions their schedule of classes each semester. In order to be given priority consideration during the initial room assignment process, schedules must be finalized by the access end date for the scheduling term, which is prior to registration start.
Class Section Time Distribution
To achieve optimum efficiency and fair utilization of instructional space, all departments must distribute their class offerings across all standard meeting times for centrally-scheduled rooms, departmentally-scheduled rooms, pre-booked rooms and not yet roomed classes at the rate of 65% or less during prime time and 35% or more during non-prime time.
Each department must meet the prime/non-prime distribution by the update access end date for the scheduling term. Priority for centrally-scheduled, including department-priority, room requests will be assigned to each department on the basis of the department’s compliance with the 65%-35% schedule distribution. Departments that do not comply with the 65%-35% schedule distribution will not have their schedules accepted, resulting in un-roomed classes during the scheduling process and potentially significant schedule revisions, including new meeting patterns and/or locations.
Remote classes with day/time meeting patterns should also be distributed across the 65%-35% schedule distribution. Students benefit from a wide distribution of class meeting patterns, regardless of instruction mode.
Prime time includes all instructional minutes scheduled:
- Mon., Wed. & Fri., 10:10 a.m.–3:20 p.m.
- Tues. & Thurs., 9:30 a.m.–3:15 p.m.
Non-prime time includes all instructional minutes scheduled:
- Mon., Wed. & Fri., 8– 9:55 a.m. and 3:35–10 p.m.
- Tues. & Thurs., 8–9:15 a.m. and 3:30–10 p.m.
The preference is for recitations and labs to be scheduled during non-prime times throughout the week to ensure optimum efficiency of space and less disruption to student enrollment in other classes.
Standard Meeting Times
Refer to standard meeting patterns for standard meeting times for Main Campus, Williams Village and East Campus (including CINC).
Meeting patterns for Williams Village and East Campus (including CINC) alternate from Main Campus classes by 30 minutes and require further consideration for bus and student scheduling.
Departments are permitted to schedule a maximum of 65% of their classes using a Monday/Wednesday and/or Tuesday/Thursday meeting pattern, with the remaining classes using a combination of Monday/Wednesday/Friday meeting patterns.
Efficient and Effective Utilization
Ordinarily during prime time, large rooms (seating capacity of 88 or larger) are considered efficiently used when they are filled to 75% or more of room capacity. Normally during prime time, smaller classrooms (1–87) are considered efficiently used when their enrollment reaches 65% or more of capacity.
Occasions may arise when the need for special facilities and the efficient use of space conflict. We recognize that this conflict represents a gray area in scheduling decisions. The Office of the Registrar will seek advice, consider this particular assignment in light of all others, and make a decision after consulting with the appropriate Dean’s Office(s).
Departments should base room and class section size and estimated enrollments on the actual enrollment during the previous corresponding semester, also considering waitlist or degree planner data.
Classes with an enrollment limit at zero two weeks before classes begin will be canceled by Academic Scheduling upon notification to the Department and rooms will be returned to the central pool for scheduling. Departments are not permitted to schedule additional sections that they will eventually cancel in order to reserve prime time and preferred room locations during batch scheduling. This will result in larger numbers of unroomed sections.
Enrollment capacities may not exceed maximum classroom capacities, which are set to comply with fire code regulations. Instructors will be informed if they are out of compliance with the fire code due to excess enrollments and are expected to be in compliance no later than the census date of each semester.
Classroom scheduling is a dynamic process, responsive each semester to both curricular and non-curricular changes and requirements. The assignment of a specific classroom at a particular time during the previous corresponding semester will not automatically result in the continuing assignment of the same room at the same time. Even if the room was efficiently used during the previous semester, all other requirements above must be met before the request will be given priority consideration.
Department-Priority Rooms
Department-priority classrooms are considered centrally-scheduled, and as such, usage must adhere to this policy on prime-time and standard meeting patterns. Failure to do so may result in the department losing their priority on any or all centrally-scheduled rooms.
Departmentally-Scheduled Rooms
All departments are expected to maximize utilization of departmentally-scheduled spaces. This includes ensuring that spaces not scheduled for non-instructional purposes will be used for departmentally scheduled classes in accordance with prime time and standard meeting patterns and percentages listed above before requesting the use of centrally-scheduled classrooms. Underutilization of departmentally scheduled classrooms may lead to a reversion of that space to centrally controlled classrooms.