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Course Management & Classroom Scheduling

 


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What is the difference between a course and a class section?

 

A class section is an instance of a course offered in a particular semester. A course is a specific unit of curriculum. New curriculum/courses must first be approved via the course action process which is coordinated by the Office of Academic Affairs. Once a course has been approved, an instance of that course (or section) may be added to Banner in a given term along with all logistical information (day/time/instructor) necessary for scheduling. The terms class and section are generally used interchangeably.


Creating a New Course

 

Brand new courses are submitted for approval through their academic college via the annual course action process. (OSU P&P 2-0202).

 

Please visit the Academic Affairs Website for instructions, forms, and supplementary information on course action forms, and check with the academic coordinator for your college for guidance. Once approved, the classroom scheduling team adds the course to Banner. To add a class section of a new course to a particular term, see “How to schedule a new section” below.


Creating a Semester Schedule of Class Sections

 

The drafting process for a new semester class schedule begins approximately one year prior to the start of the new term. The semester draft is simply a copy of the most recent like semester.

 

Departments receive an email from the Registrar's Office announcing the opening of the scheduling period and assigning a deadline. The semester class schedule drafts are downloaded by departments from the Registrar’s University Faculty/Staff Resources SharePoint site (hereafter referred to as SharePoint) and updated using Microsoft Excel. Once all desired changes are made, the Department head sends copies of the Excel spreadsheet to the Academic Coordinator and to Classroom Scheduling via email. The draft process is broken down into the following revisions:

 

  • Initial Draft – Major structural changes to the schedule submitted. Class sections not offered should be cancelled, and new sections should be added. Changes to expected and maximum enrollment figures, day/time/locations of sections, enforced prerequisites/enrollment controls and instructors should be made during this time.
  • Proof – Review updates made to initial draft and correct errors. Structural changes may be possible at this stage but not recommended. Departments should double check all details of the class schedule for accuracy. 

How to Schedule a New Section

 

Once a course has been approved, the department may request to add a section of the class to a term by inserting a row with "ADD" in the place of the CRN to their Draft/Proof.  Section changes requested outside the drafting process (days/times, and so on) should be made through the department head or their designee via email to gurooms@okstate.edu.


Scheduling Exams

 

In general, there are three types of exams: In class exams, common evening exams, and final exams. In class exams are giving during a normally scheduled class period according to the class syllabus. Common exams are evening exams for courses that meet certain criteria (see below), and are given between 5:30-6:30 PM on specific published dates. Approved common evening exams are added to individual class sections, and will be reflected on students' class schedules.  Final exams are comprehensive exams given during the term’s final examination period, according to a published final exam schedule.

 

To request a common final or common evening exam:

 

  • Before requesting a common evening exam, first determine whether the course fits the criteria below for a common exam (also listed on the common exam form):
    • POLICIES GOVERNING COMMON EXAMS- Common hours for evening exams and final exams can be used provided that: 1) the course is multi-section; 2) more than 200 students are enrolled in the encompassed sections; 3) a uniform course outline is followed by all instructors involved; 4) the evening exam is given on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday from 5:30pm-6:30pm ONLY.
    • Requests for common evening exams and common final exams must be made each semester and should accompany course offering information. Room assignments are made (as available) by the Office of the Registrar. Meeting times for common final exams are also setup by the Office of the Registrar and follow the Faculty Council rotation schedule. When common exams conflict with regularly scheduled courses, the regular course must take precedence. Students with such conflicts must be permitted to make-up the exam without penalty.
    • Requests for changes to common evening exams and final exams made after the submission deadline may be granted provided that: 1) Items 1-4 above have been met, and 2) the date, time and location of all common exams are printed in the initial course syllabus, and 3) the change is approved by the Associate Dean and the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs.
  • Review the Common Exam Calendar and choose dates for exams that will not create known conflicts for students. For example, ENSC and PHYS class common exams should not be held on the same date, as students in the ENSC class are highly likely to take PHYS at the same time.
  • Submit a common exam form to the college academic coordinator for approval. The academic coordinator will double check the dates for possible conflicts, and, once approved, forward to the Registrar's Office.

All other final exams will be scheduled by the Office of the Registrar according to the faculty council approved schedule. Instructors who wish to offer a final exam outside this schedule must submit a pre-finals/finals week request form. Additional information about final exams is available in OSU P&P 2-0207.


Scheduling Events or Meetings in General University Classrooms

 

Faculty and staff of university departments and officers of registered student organizations are allowed to request general university classrooms for academic activities and organizational meetings. Off campus groups are not allowed to reserve general university classrooms, and should be referred to a meeting services venue such as the Student Union, the Wes Watkins Center, Willard Hall, or the Conoco Phillips Alumni Center. Food and drinks are prohibited in all general university classrooms.

 

Approved individuals may request an event or meeting in a general university classroom using the event request form or via email to gurooms@okstate.edu. To request a room reservation by email, specify the date(s), time(s) (beginning and ending), room preferences, media requirements, number of people attending, the name of the meeting, along with the nature of the event, and the ID of the scheduler to gurooms@okstate.edu

 

Classes and exams have priority in academic space until one month before the start of an academic term. After that date, reservations for general university classrooms are processed on a first come, first served basis. Exceptions for early scheduling of departmental activities may be requested using the “priority schedule” form. Reservation Requests can only be made one term in advance. The request will then be held to be scheduled as soon as possible.

 

If you have an event scheduled but do not plan to meet or need to change something about your event, please send an email to gurooms@okstate.edu.

 

Applicable OSU P&P:

 


Faculty Seeking Reasonable Accommodations

 

If you are a qualified OSU Faculty member or staff employee with a disability, you may request reasonable classroom instruction accommodation pursuant to the American Disabilities Act (ADA) from your supervisor, chair, dean, or Office of Equal Opportunity by completing the reasonable accommodation form. Contact the OSU Office of Equal Opportunity for details. When possible, this accommodation should be applied before enrollment for the term.

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