Classroom Scheduling: A Classroom Scheduling: A Creative Approach to a VERY Creative Approach to a VERY Common ProblemCommon Problem

Bruce W. CunninghamBruce W. Cunningham

Assistant Vice Provost and University Assistant Vice Provost and University Registrar Duke UniversityRegistrar Duke University

2013 AACRAO Annual Meeting 2013 AACRAO Annual Meeting

San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco, California

Duke – Some Duke – Some Interesting FactsInteresting Facts 14,591 students; 6,484 undergrads About 3,200 classes every semester 114 Registrar controlled classrooms – 154

totals (Not including labs) Two campuses in Durham – East and West

campus Duke Marine Lab in Beaufort, NC and

Duke-Kunshan University in Kunshan, China

Hosts Full Frame Documentary Festival and American Dance Festival every year

The Need for ChangeThe Need for Change

Duke had the same problem many institutions have – too many classes offered in “prime time”

Limited choices for students Limited room availability/poor room

utilization General dissatisfaction with course

scheduling

The ProblemThe Problem

More than 65% of course offerings at prime time (10 AM – 2 PM)

Had guidelines for spreading out offerings, but no enforcement

Virtually no classes before 9 AM Very few classes on Friday, especially

Friday afternoon

The SolutionThe Solution

Provost appointed a faculty led committee to propose a new course scheduling policy

Membership included deans, student affairs staff, athletics staff, Vice Provost, University Registrar, students, and several faculty

Primary goal was to spread course offerings across the day and across the week– Increase course options for students– Improve room utilization

The PolicyThe Policy

PolicyPolicy

Time periods, including “nested” time periods to facilitate flexibility between two day and three day per week offerings

Added more MW time slots and new WF time slots (have since added MF as another 2-day alternative)

Started the day at 8:30, with a goal of adding several classes at that time

PolicyPolicy

Critical component is ENFORCED scheduling constraints

No more than 50% allowed in prime time Balance between various meeting

patterns to force better spread across week

Enforcement of constraints via the Departmental Schedule Validator (DSV)

Time SlotsTime Slots

TIME PERIODS: Monday through Friday (note the “nesting” of 50-minute courses within 75-minute courses)

75 minute classes 50 minute classespd. 1) 8:30-9:45 8:45-9:35pd. 2) 10:05-11:20 10:20-11:10pd. 3) 11:45-1:00 12:00-12:50pd. 4) 1:25-2:40 1:40-2:30pd. 5) 3:05-4:20 3:20-4:10pd. 6) 4:40-5:55 4:55-5:45pd. 7) 6:15-7:30 6:30-7:20pd. 8) 7:30-..... 7:30-....

Time SlotsTime Slots

All classes, regardless of length, must begin at the official starting times

All classes meeting in 75 minute sessions must start at the times in the first column

All classes meeting in 50 minute sessions must start at the times in the second column

Classes not meeting for either 75 minute or 50 minute sessions (e.g. a one day per week, 150 minute class) must start at one of the official starting times

Meeting PatternsMeeting Patterns

Monday/Wednesday/Friday - for 50-minute classes that meet three times per week

Monday/Wednesday, Wednesday/Friday, Tuesday/Thursday, and Monday/Friday - for 75-minute classes that meet two times per week

One day per week classes may be scheduled on any day of the week, but must start at one of the standard starting times

ConstraintsConstraints

Departments may schedule UP TO 50% of all of their classes below the 700 level during periods 2-4 (“prime time”)

ConstraintsConstraints

Classes meeting three or more days per week or, for two days per week, in MW, WF or MF pattern must constitute AT LEAST 40% of all departmental course offerings below the 700 level– Number of MW classes must equal

number of WF classes

ConstraintsConstraints

Departments may schedule UP TO 50% of their classes below the 700 level in the T/TH meeting pattern

Other PointsOther Points

For purposes of the percentage constraints, cross-listed courses count only for the department “owning” the course

No TBAs for day and time are to be submitted, with the exception of independent studies

Schedules must be validated through the end of early registration

ChangesChanges

Several changes have been introduced, based on departmental feedback

– MF two day per week meeting pattern

– Use of “Wild Card” Can be out of validation by one constraint Departments found it hard to maintain

validation so they are being encouraged to validate and use the wild card only when needed

– Eliminated once-per-week classes restriction

The Departmental The Departmental Schedule Validator Schedule Validator (DSV)(DSV)

The DSVThe DSV

Software written “in-house” to assist departments in “validating” schedule submissions

Partially integrated with PeopleSoft New version introduced for Spring

2007 scheduling cycle – written in “Ruby on Rails”

Uses component interface Continuous enhancements

The DSVThe DSV

Departments must submit schedule via the DSV, after “validating”

Software designed to allow departments to either enter individual courses or upload entire schedules from spread sheet or via previous semester “roll”

Departments can check validation in the DSV, as they build their schedule, and find out where problems exist

The DSVThe DSV

When schedule is complete, and valid, department submits schedule, and Office of the University Registrar (OUR) receives e-mail

OUR uploads departmental submissions from DSV via component interface

Schedule changes are made and submitted via DSV

Questions?Questions?

Contact Bruce Cunningham at:Contact Bruce Cunningham at:bruce.cunningham@duke.edu

Policy statement:Policy statement:http://registrar.duke.edu/faculty-staff/http://registrar.duke.edu/faculty-staff/

course-schedule-policycourse-schedule-policy