Scheduling

Course Timetable

The scheduling of all Diploma courses is the responsibility of Scheduling Services, ORS.

The scheduling cycle for each Fall and Winter semester commences approximately one year in advance. Course scheduling request data is due in Scheduling by the specific dates to be established in Scheduling each year. The official timetable for each semester is published on WebAdvisor two weeks prior to the commencement of the initial Course Selection period for that semester (for Summer and Fall in mid-February, for Winter in mid-September.)

All courses are scheduled according to the Senate approved slot system which allows for 3 x 1 hour slots meeting at the same time on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 2 x 1.5 hour slots meeting at the same time on Tuesday and Thursday and 3-hour evening slots M-F. This basic grid is overlaid with 1x 3 hour slots and slots for other approved class formats (e.g. 1 x 4 hr) in such a way as to minimize course conflicts and maximize efficient use of teaching space. Courses may also be published with time “TBA”. In these cases it is the responsibility of the department/school to communicate first meeting information to registered students prior to the commencement of classes. Prior to the commencement of classes, regular class meeting times may not be assigned to classes published as “TBA”. If a department/school wishes to assign times for regular class meetings after the commencement of classes, registered and (within the Add Period) interested students must be consulted. The times selected for regular class meetings must be unanimously supported by students in a secret ballot, and comply with all scheduling regulations.

The University scheduling day runs from 0830-1730 and 1900-2200; Senate has approved the 1730-1900 “University Time” as a period which shall normally be free of all regular class meetings, labs, and seminars.

Students registered at Ridgetown Campus location should refer to the Registrar's Office for information on Scheduling of courses.

Chair/Director’s Responsibilities

The Chair/Director or the designated Department/School Timetable Coordinator is responsible for the following:

  1. Submitting to Scheduling Services, no later than the established deadline, and as per Scheduling instructions, complete requests for courses to be offered in the subsequent academic year.
  2. Acting as liaison between instructors and Scheduling on all aspects of scheduling, including collecting information relevant to course scheduling from instructors, submitting it appropriately.
  3. Ensuring all courses are offered in the semester and format indicated in Chapter XII of the Diploma Calendar.
  4. Approving the department’s course schedule before publication. This involves checking that no conflicts exist in instructor or program schedules.
  5. Calculating projected enrollments for the subsequent academic year and monitoring enrollments through course selection periods, making adjustments to course capacities and the availability of sections as necessary.
  6. Advising Scheduling immediately of changes to instructor assignments. Where late instructor assignments are necessary, assigning instructors in such a way as to avoid conflicts.

Instructor's Responsibilities

  1. Instructors are responsible for communicating to the Chair/Director or Department Timetable Coordinator, prior to the deadlines established within their department/school, any information relevant to the scheduling of courses in the subsequent academic year.
  2. Instructors are expected to familiarize themselves with rooms assigned to their courses in advance of the commencement of classes.

Registrar's Responsibilities

Scheduling Services, taking into account requests from academic units for preferred class times, creates the university timetable according to the following priorities:

  1. No course conflicts exist in core courses as published in the schedule of studies in the Diploma Calendar.
  2. The number of elective courses available to students is optimized.
  3. Classroom space is allocated to courses on the basis of projected enrolments provided by the offering departments, and in such a way as to maximize the effective and efficient use of teaching space.
  4. No instructor conflicts exist.
  5. Departmental requirements, requested by the Chair/Director or Department Timetable Coordinator, are met where possible.
  6. Scheduling Services will endeavour to keep the 17:30 – 19:00 “University Time” slot free of regularly scheduled classes, using the slot only as necessary, observing the guidelines approved by the Board of Undergraduate Studies (January 31, 2013).

Changes to the Published Course Timetable

Additional Hours/Sections

If it becomes necessary to schedule additional sections by adding lectures/labs/seminars based on course selection numbers, the request for scheduling is to be initiated by the Chair/Director or Department Timetable Coordinator and made to Scheduling Services.

Cancellations and Time Changes

Once the course timetable has been published on WebAdvisor, requests for changes to class meeting times cannot be processed except in emergency circumstances and as approved by the Office of the Associate Vice-President (Academic). To obtain the approval of the AVPA in such circumstances, to change a class meeting time or to cancel a course, the Chair/Director should write via email, providing reasons for the request, to the Coordinator of the Undergraduate Curriculum (CUC), the appropriate Dean, and the Assistant Registrar, Scheduling. After the commencement of Course Selection, the Chair/Director is responsible for ensuring that students are not disadvantaged by any changes. This involves choosing alternate times that are conflict-free for all registered students, and communicating via email to all students the details of any change affecting their schedules.

  • Time changes after the publication of the timetable, prior to the commencement of classes. Changes in scheduled meeting times are approved only in emergency circumstances (see above).
  • Time changes after the commencement of classes. After the commencement of classes, changes to scheduled meeting times are permitted. Changes may be initiated by the instructor with their class, but are normally not made until after the end of the Course Selection/Add period unless the change is to accommodate students who would otherwise be unable to register in the course. Time changes made after the commencement of classes must not create conflicts for any registered students and must have the unanimous written approval of all registered students as determined by a secret ballot. New times must comply with University scheduling regulations and the academic unit offering the course should keep a record of student approval on file. Once approval is obtained, a request for the time change and new room assignment should be submitted by the Chair/Director or Department Timetable Coordinator to Scheduling Services so that the time and room can be updated on WebAdvisor. The instructor is responsible for ensuring that all registered students can attend during the new meeting times and for informing students of new times and room assignments.

Classroom Assignment

Scheduling Services assigns classrooms for regularly scheduled classes in such a way as to maximize the accommodation of enrollment numbers, access to presentation technology and other classroom attributes as requested by the offering department, accommodation of instructor or student disability, and the effective and efficient use of the central classroom inventory.

The Chair/Director or Department Timetable Coordinator should send requests for the assignment of alternate teaching space to Scheduling as required by changing enrollment numbers. Scheduling reassigns classroom space as necessary and as availability permits. Course enrollment must not exceed the capacity of rooms assigned to courses. Until additional classroom space can be assigned, additional students are not registered. (In special circumstances, approval may be granted by the Assistant Registrar, Scheduling for small classroom overloads as part of an overall enrollment management strategy.)

Instructors requesting classroom changes for other reasons should forward their request through their Chair/Director or Department Timetable Coordinator to the Scheduling Reservations Clerk via email. Note that to ensure that highest priority needs are met first, and to reduce confusion on campus at the beginning of the semester, Scheduling cannot accommodate requests for classroom changes in the week preceding the commencement of classes or the first two weeks of classes. Exceptions are made for:

  1. enrollment changes
  2. student/instructor disability
  3. exceptional circumstances as approved by the Assistant Registrar, Scheduling.

Requests made for other reasons will be neither accepted nor accommodated during this three-week period.

If classroom space assigned to a course is not required, instructors should inform their Chair/Director or Department Timetable Coordinator, as soon as possible so that Scheduling can be advised to free the space for other uses.

If rooms are required only occasionally for classes, they should not be held for full semesters, rather one-time or temporary bookings should be made through the Scheduling Reservations Clerk, as below.

Other Classroom Bookings

For non-regularly scheduled classes, meetings, academic conferences, tests, etc. classroom bookings may be made through Scheduling Services by University of Guelph faculty, staff and students. Please send requests by email to orsrooms@uoguelph.ca.