Classroom Scheduling
Welcome to classroom scheduling!
Efficient use of university classroom and laboratory space ensures student access to essential courses, aiding in timely graduation and supporting students' educational goals.
Maximizing academic space utilization.
Allocating academic space in an equitable way.
Adapting space assignments during construction phases to minimize displacement and disruption of pedagogical needs.
Classroom scheduling is part of the schedule build process every term for classes that require a meeting space.
Classroom Scheduling Steps
Steps used to assign a course to classroom are determined by the term and schedule type of the course:
Classroom Scheduling Tools
SZASECT is a Banner interface used to make changes to courses that do not require Chair or Dean approval; changes are immediately visible in Banner.
CBAS, the Course Build Approval System, is the tool used to add and edit courses by term with changes that require Chair and Dean approval; once approved, courses are processed by the Registrar’s Team and placed into Banner.
Course Term File, CTF: The CTF provides details on courses built in Banner and can be used to check accuracy and for missing course information by department or college. The CTF shows what has been committed to Banner.
25Live serves as the University scheduling system for
- courses committed to Banner to be viewed.
- event space to be requested and viewed.
Glossary
Course: Details reside at the catalog level and include information such as title, level, description, course learning outcomes/performance objectives, pre and co-requisites, and type.
Class: A course from the catalog that has been built into a schedule and is available for registration for a particular term. A course may be offered as a class several times a term.
Section: Section differentiates more than one instance of the same class offered in the schedule within the same term.
Term: Term refers to the academic calendar and/or length of classes offered. A term might be a semester (such as fall and spring) or a summer session. A term may have an 8-week course offering or another period of time less than the full semester or summer session.
Classroom Scheduling Process: Each term follows a schedule build timeline which includes classroom scheduling. Steps include requesting a Large Classroom, Priority/Partition Assignments, Pre-Assignment Requests, and Technology Assisted Scheduling, TAS.
Large Classrooms: Associate Deans accept requests for several of the largest general classrooms on campus (seating 60+ students); Belk Library 114, Belk Hall 119, Howard Street Hall 102 and 103, Greer Auditorium, and Sanford 102.
Partition: Classrooms identified as eligible for priority scheduling by an academic department.
Priority/Partition Assignments: Departments assign their courses to their partition spaces. Assigning classrooms to departmental partition spaces can be done through CBAS or via SZASECT (prior to the running of TAS).
Pre-Assignment Requests: Courses that require classroom space outside of a department’s partition can be requested for consideration by the Associate Deans in the Pre-Assignment step. The pedagogical needs of the course must be made for essential classroom features such as computer lab set-up, required equipment, or other specific room features, and presented in the justification. Use the Pre-Assignment Google form to make the requests.
TAS: Technology Assisted Scheduling, TAS, is used to locate classroom assignments for courses without a space after all other steps of classroom scheduling are completed. 25Live, our University scheduling system, houses an algorithmic tool called the Optimizer which is used to make these classroom placements. Courses will be placed into a classroom or be categorized as not placed or impossible to place.
Schedule types for TAS: LEC = lecture, LAB = laboratory, SEM = seminar, WEH = Web Based-Hybrid (50-89% Web), WLH = Web Hybrid-Primarily Lecture (<50% web) These schedule types represent the ones requiring a meeting space and are subject to the classroom scheduling process and Technology Assisted Scheduling, TAS.
Academic Support Event Type: Use the Event Type, Academic Support, in 25Live when students and faculty need access to classrooms outside of scheduled class time. Examples of Academic Support reservations are maker space access, study time for lab practical exams, practice sessions, rehearsals, stage or lab set-up and clean-up, assignment preparation, and co-curricular involvement such as club meetings.