UC Santa Barbara Policy 5539
Policies
Issuing Unit: Administrative Services Date: February 1, 1985
ACADEMIC SCHEDULING OF CLASSES AND CLASSROOMS
I. REFERENCES
None.
II. POLICY:
To assure the best use of classroom resources and to eliminate
conflicts which affect classroom use and/or student schedules,
classrooms for scheduled instruction and examinations are to be
scheduled by the Registrar in consultation with department
chairpersons.
For scheduling of classrooms which comply with the guidelines below,
room priority will be as follows: (1) courses which satisfy
requirements for degrees, (2) required courses in enrollment
impacted areas, (3) service courses which are prerequisites for
other courses, and (4) all other classes. (For guidelines on use of
classrooms for other than regularly scheduled instruction and
examinations, refer to UCSB Policy 5548, Facility Scheduling During
Regular Academic Year and Break Periods, or Policy 5551, Facility
Scheduling During the Summer Months.)
A. General Guidelines:
1. Rooms shall be assigned so as to best match room capacity
with course enrollment.
2. Initial assignments will be made on the basis of
anticipated enrollment being equal to or greater than 80
percent of room capacity.
3. Normally, basic 3-4 unit courses must be scheduled for
three 50-minute periods per week (as M-W-F of T-TH-S), or
two 75-minute periods per week (as T-TH). In general, the
75-minute classes should be restricted to T-Th. Three-hour
seminars will be scheduled after multi-day courses are
scheduled and one-hour discussions will be scheduled last.
4. The 50-minute periods for three days per week must start
on the hour; a schedule for the start of 75-minute period
for two days per week is indicated in Attachment A.
5. Courses which do not follow the pattern in 2, 3, and 4,
above, should be scheduled in clusters. (For example, if
the Department has three courses, each of which meets for
three lecture hours plus one discussion hour, the
discussion periods should be scheduled at the same hour
(time) on different days.)
6. Generally, prime time for class scheduling is from 8 a.m.
until 6 p.m. (i.e., last class to end at 6 p.m.). The
periods between 9 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. are reserved for 50
minute or 75-minute type classes; classes which exceed 50
of 75 minutes shall be scheduled at 8 a.m. or after 3:15
p.m. Once all other courses are scheduled within the prime
time period, variations to this may be scheduled.
7. Evening classes will be clustered with regard to site and
time in order to recognize security and energy
considerations.
8. Specialized facility needs shall be considered after the
matching of rooms to enrollment. Specialized uses which
underutilized space will be scheduled at less popular
hours, or after other needs have been met.
9. Courses will be scheduled as close to the teaching
department as possible, but proximity cannot take
precedence over other considerations.
B. Resolutions of Problems:
The Registrar and department chairpersons are the primary
persons responsible for resolution of conflicts. If conflicts
cannot be resolved by them, the affected Dean/Provost will be
consulted to make a determination.
C. Changes:
Classes and examinations are to be held at the times and places
officially scheduled by the department chairperson and the
Office of the Registrar.
1. Permanent changes in class scheduling must be officially
approved. Approval shall be at the discretion of the
department chairperson and the Office of the Registrar.
All approved changes shall be made a matter of public
record.
Instructors wishing to change class times and/or places
must make application to their department chairperson. If
approved, the chairperson will forward the change request
to the Office of the Registrar for action. If, for any
reason, the request cannot be accommodated, the registrar
will set up a meeting with the instructor and the department
chairperson to discuss alternatives. The procedure to
be used is the same as above.
2. Student instruction has the campus' highest precedence and
consequently each instructor and teaching assistant is
responsible for keeping instructional appointments at the
assigned times and places. If on some occasion there is a
compelling reason why an instructor cannot meet his/her
classes, e.g., illness or a conflicting professional com
mitment, the instructor shall arrange with the department
chairperson to have a substitute instructor for the class
or arrange for a make-up section. If circumstances arise
making it necessary for the teacher to vary the time
and/or place of a particular class meeting, the instructor
shall notify the department chairperson in addition to
informing his/her students.
It is the responsibility of the department chairperson to
be aware of class and examination changes and to deal with
any which appear to be inappropriate or unjustifiable. The
chairperson should consult with the appropriate
Provost/Dean in case of doubt or need.
For questions or comments regarding the format of the above information, please contact webcontact@ucsbuxa.ucsb.edu.
Last Modified By: HMW, 5/21/97
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