Guideline for Scheduling Undergraduate Courses

GUIDELINE FOR SCHEDULING UNDERGRADUATE COURSES

Standard Course Meeting Times

Undergraduate courses are scheduled between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. However, to improve the student experience, the Registrar's Office asks that you try to minimize the number of undergraduate courses offered during 4:00pm - 7:00pm to give students more time for activities including: study table sessions, tutoring, student organization meetings, athletic practice and events, and University-wide events. Effective this upcoming Spring and beyond, Gallaudet University’s common time will be on Wednesdays from 12:00 - 1:50.  The time/dates for Common Time was decided, through shared governance, from the Senate Executive Committee (SEC) and the Academic Affairs Senior Administrators (AASA).

The number of hours a week a course meets depends on the number of credit hours that the course requires. For example, a typical 3-credit course, must meet at least three hours a week.

Keeping in mind the credit hours, courses can be scheduled a variety of ways (and combination of ways can be used, if necessary):

• One hour, three times a week
  • Mon-Wed-Fri
• One and a half hours, twice a week
  • Mon-Wed
  • Wed-Fri
  • Mon-Fri
  • Tue-Thu
• Two hours, twice a week
  • Mon-Wed
  • Wed-Fri
  • Mon-Fri
  • Tue-Thu
• Three hours, once a week
  • Fri

Programs and departments need to distribute courses across the schedule to allow students more balance in their schedules as well as flexibility in room reservations.

• All programs, departments and schools scheduling classes in general purpose classrooms must have no more than 60% of their sections offered during peak hours (peak hours are indicated above with an asterisk).
• For every course scheduled during peak hours, an equal number of courses in the program or department must be scheduled during non-peak hours.

Timetable for Peak slots

Classroom Assignments

• Priority for general purpose classroom space will be given to those courses which comply with standard meeting times outlined in this guideline.
• In an effort to utilize classroom size with overloaded classes, all programs and departments need to indicate overload limits in order to remain in original classroom assignments.
• If all sections cannot be scheduled according to enrollment limits and available classroom space, the room scheduler will contact those departments whose courses do not have a classroom and request that they reschedule the times of the applicable sections prior to publication of the schedule of classes or make other accommodations necessary to provide the course.

Process for Approving Course Offerings

• Department chairs should check with other department chairs to avoid conflicts (re: meeting times and room preferences) among courses required for majors/programs.
• Multiple special courses on same topics must be approved by the dean.
• All department schedules must reviewed by the dean for conformity with the guidelines. The dean will consult with their department chairs to make adjustments and to resolve classroom scheduling conflicts.
• Changes in times/days of classes will be accepted up to two weeks prior to start of the semester with department chair's approval. Exceptions can be made for class cancellations or additions due to changes in enrollment.

Process for Revising Course Offerings after the Publication of the Schedule of Classes

• All programs and departments must check with the scheduler in the Registrar's Office about changing class days and times to determine if there are available classrooms to accommodate the new time.
• During the semester, if the instructor knows a particular class will be cancelled, please inform the room scheduler to free up that classroom for any special requests.