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Academic Planning

Course Scheduling

The Office of the Registrar and the Office of Academic Affairs work in partnership with the colleges and departments to facilitate the scheduling of academic classes. Standard policies and guidelines are followed to optimally utilize classrooms and provide a consistent registration experience for students.

CourseLeaf Section Scheduler (CLSS) streamlines data entry for departments. The tool is used for everything from inputting, editing, validating, approving, and updating course offerings in the class schedule. Each academic department has a team of Schedulers who work with this tool to build the course schedule. CLSS User Guides may be found under the Resources section of this webpage.

 


Schedule Building Timeline

Schedule Building Timeline
TaskFor the Summer/Fall SchedulesFor the Spring Schedule
Schedule building timeline and schedule template distributed to academic departmentsFebruary 2September 16
Registrar's Office rolls the schedule(s) forward

CLSS opens for schedule building (Plan Phase/Design Mode)

January 27

 

February 2

September 16
CLSS closes for making schedule changes (courses will be pushed to the workflow at 4:00 p.m.) March 6September 30
Scheduling proofs distributed from Office of the Registrar (Plan Phase/Refine Mode) March 7October 3
Final schedule changes by 5:00 p.m.March 16October 10
Class schedule available in JagWire (Publish Phase)March 20October 12
Priority registration begins (Registration Phase):March 27

Priority registration begins for Summer/Fall 2023 (Registration Phase):

MON 3/27: Graduating Seniors
TUES 3/28: Military-affiliated, Student Athletes, Dual Credit, DSS, and Honors
WED 3/29: Graduate & Post-Bacc
THURS 3/30: Seniors
MON 4/3: Juniors
WED 4/5: Sophomores
MON 4/10: Freshmen
WED 4/12: Open to all new and returning students
October 24

Priority registration begins for Spring 2023

MON 10/24: Graduating Seniors
TUES 10/25: Military-affiliated, Student Athletes, Honors Program & DSS
WED 10/26: Graduate & Post-Bacc
THURS 10/27: Seniors
MON 10/31: Juniors
WED 11/2: Sophomores
FRI 11/4: Freshmen
MON 11/7: Open to all new and returning students

Meeting Patterns

To maximize classroom utilization, standard class meeting patterns and times must be adhered to. Meeting patterns are built into CLSS and will be available based on meeting type.

Non-standard start/stop times disadvantage students who may not be able to add courses to their schedule due to time conflicts. Additionally, off-grid sections may have adverse effects on a student's enrollment verification, Coordinating Board census dates, and students on financial aid. 

Departments may use the User Defined feature in CLSS to submit and request new timebands. All requests for off-grid sections will be routed to the Strategic Scheduling Team for approval. Department chairs should contact Academic Affairs for more information.

 

Instruction Method

There are four instruction method codes used in Banner. They include:

Instruction Method Codes
CodeTypeDescription
F2FFace-to-FaceFace-to-face courses are delivered through fully synchronous, in-person instruction in an assigned classroom for all students. The faculty member is in the classroom with all students for the regularly scheduled days/times.
HYBHybridHybrid (HYB): Hybrid courses utilize both online and in-person experiences. A hybrid class is designed for the instructor and students to meet in-person part of the time and online other times. 
HFXHyflexHyFlex (HFX): HyFlex courses give students the option of attending sessions in the classroom, participating online, or doing both. Students can change their mode of attendance weekly or by topic, according to need or preference.
OLCOnlineOnline (OLC): An online class is a class designed with the assumption that all students will participate in the main class experience online. Material in these classes may be presented synchronously or asynchronously. Students should refer to the Location to determine if their class is online asynchronous (OLC-A) or synchronous (OLC-S).

Classroom Assignments

Classroom scheduling is a dynamic process requiring reevaluation of class size, equipment specifications, and pedagogical changes each term. Classroom scheduling practices are greatly enhanced with the use of standardized class meeting day and time patterns. Additionally, departments are expected to distribute their MWF and TR classes equitably throughout the week.

Classroom assignments are completed by the Registrar's Office, but classroom preferences can be noted in CLSS in the "Additional Comments" section. Use the Room Attributes features to request specific room types, such as computer classrooms and science labs. 

While every attempt will be made to assign classrooms as requested, the Office of the Registrar cannot guarantee assignments due to conflicting requests and limited classroom resources. Every effort is made to ensure that classrooms are assigned fairly, used appropriately, and accommodates the University's academic and instructional needs.

Room Capacity

Seating capacity has been determined in accordance with state and city safety regulations. Make sure that your enrollment cap for the course is no higher than the total student seat capacity of the room you've requested. If it appears that student demand will surpass the scheduled room, departments should contact CourseLeafHelp@tamusa.edu immediately, before the class grows too large, to determine if alternate space is available. 

Questions regarding room capacity should be sent to Hoyt Garner (hgarner@tamusa.edu)

Computer Classrooms

There are a limited number of computer classrooms available. The Registrar’s Office will attempt to accommodate as many requests as possible. 

Location

The location, usually an on-campus building and room, indicates where the class will meet. If the location is "TBA", refer to the course comment below the section information or contact the department offering the course.

Location Codes
CodeDescription
AUDIAuditorium
BLHBusiness Library Hall
CABCentral Academic Building
CASAPatriot's Casa
ESPHEsperanza Hall
HALLClassroom Hall
MADLASenator Frank L. Madla
MODAModular A
MODBModular B
OLC-AAsynchronous online classes (OLC-A) are taught online, and students are not required to attend class at a scheduled time. All scheduled meetings are optional. Assignments and participation are due at specific times.
OLC-SSynchronous online classes (OLC-S) are taught online, and students are required to attend class during the time posted in JagWire. Although meeting frequency may vary, faculty should start and end classes within the approved time bands.
STEMScience & Technology
VISTAVista Room (CAB 402)

General Information

Resources

CourseLeaf CLSS Support (Login required): https://luc.courseleaf.com/help/clss/

Academic Terms

Specific dates for each academic term can be found on the Academic Calendar. When building a course schedule all terms will be listed as Full Term (FT) unless otherwise noted. Options include:

Academic Terms
Code
Description
FT
Full Term
F8
First 8 Week
S8
Second 8 Week
WM
Wintermester
MM
Maymester 
F10
First 10 Week
F5
First 5 Week
S5
Second 5 Week

Assigning Faculty to Classes Early

Departments should assign faculty early in the schedule building process. Attempts will be made to try to assign the instructor in the same classroom or at least in the same building. Reports identifying classes with no assigned faculty will be sent to the department one week before classes begin. 

Study Days

Each fall and spring semester, two days are designated as Study Days. Classes do not meet during Study Days. Furthermore, Study Days should not be used as dates on which papers are to be turned in, examinations are to be given, quizzes are to be scheduled, mandatory review sessions are to be held, or for any other class-related activities, other than office hours. Voluntary review sessions at which no new material is presented may be conducted by faculty on these days. There are no Study Days during the summer semester or shortened semesters.

Important Terms

Terms
TermDescription
CorequisitesCorequisites Course(s), or other requirements, that a student must take at the same time as another course. Corequisites require curriculum approval. 
Course Prefixes & Course NumbersThe Academic Catalog contains the approved course inventory. Please use this inventory as a reference for current course prefixes and numbers. When adding a new course to the schedule please contact Academic Affairs or the Registrar's Office for the assigned course number. 
Cross-Listed CoursesCross-listed courses are the same course, offered under two different prefixes. Cross-listing occurs during the scheduling process. 
Day

Abbreviations are used to indicate meeting day. Courses that do not list a meeting day are asynchronous and do not require scheduled meetings.

M - Monday

T - Tuesday

W - Wednesday 

R - Thursday

F - Friday

S - Saturday

U - Sunday

TBA - Meeting day to be announced

DesignationsApproved designations include: Writing Intentional, Experiential Learning, Learning Community
PrerequisitesCourse(s), or other requirements, that a student must have taken prior to enrolling in a specific course. Prerequisites require curriculum approval. 
StatusAll courses will be made available unless otherwise noted. Academic departments are encouraged to hide, or "ghost", some high-demand sections during long semesters to ensure new students can register for a full course load once they complete orientation.  
CRN The Course Reference Number (CRN) is a unique 5 digit identifier assigned to a class for registration purposes.
Linked CoursesLinked courses are used to connect sections of the same course when it is required that a combination of these sections be taken concurrently (e.g. lab/lecture classes). 
Special ApprovalsSome courses require special approvals, such as department or instructor permission only. This information should be included when building the course schedule.
Text (Comments)Each course is provided three text boxes to provide important information regarding the course to students. Each text box has a 50-character limit. 
TitleThe published schedule contains the 30-character course title listed in Banner.

Strategic Scheduling Team

The Strategic Scheduling Team is responsible for developing recommendations to modify/improve the existing course scheduling guidelines, including scheduling grids, production timelines, and others initiatives in place to support an efficient course schedule. 

Strategic Scheduling Team
Alana CrawfordInformation Technology Services
Antoinette CurlAcademic Advising
TBDUniversity Access
Durant FrantzenCollege of Arts and Sciences
TBDCollege of Business
Jane MimsInstitutional Effectiveness
Tammy AdamsOffice of the Registrar
Amy LewisCollege of Education and Human Development