Course Scheduling

Professor speaks to his class in language lab, CAS
Professor Scott Hartley, wearing protective glasses, talks with students in the lab, CAS

The primary objective of class scheduling is student access to required classes by optimizing space utilization throughout the week. Equally critical is a scheduling plan so faculty can remain vibrant, current, and active in their research pursuits.

Toward these ends, the following guidelines are used by the University for scheduling:

  • Spread utilization throughout the week and across all times of the day;
  • Match section enrollment to room capacity;
  • Utilize standard timeblock meeting patterns;
  • Align faculty needs with classroom technology.

Scheduling Policies

  1. Timeblock Adherence: Miami University classes should meet in an approved scheduling timeblock based upon the “Standard Timeblock Model.” The timeblock form and a template for developing a departmental schedule are available from the Office of the University Registrar.
  2. Spread of Classes across Timeblocks: Departments must distribute full term and sprint classes utilizing all timeblocks throughout the day as much as possible without reusing previously scheduled day timeblocks. See scheduling guidelines and policy.
  3. Final Examination Week: Please consult the section on Examinations in this manual as well as the Oxford Campus Final Exam Week Schedule for information including Group Exam guidelines, moving exam times, and student exam time conflicts. All Miami campuses utilize the same final exam grid.

General Procedures

  1. Approving the Class Schedule. Approval rests with each division throughout all steps of the process, including after each term’s schedule has been developed and registration has begun. Consult the appropriate division for specific guidelines.
  2. Coordinating Offerings. Departments should consult with one another and across divisions to coordinate the scheduling of classes shared between and among various student majors. A “Common Courses Report” serves as a reference document and is available upon request from the Office of the Registrar.
  3. Course Requests and Changes. All course requests and changes must be made to the registration offices via email from the departmental secretary or scheduling coordinator, with the approval of the division. The process includes term scheduling and registration timelines which outline dates and deadlines for schedule development and registration deadlines based upon approved timeblocks and part of term (sprint) dates.
  4. Reports. Various reports will be generated by the Office of the Registrar to provide data regarding issues—such as the spread of classes across days—and distributed to the departments, divisions, and Provost throughout the process in support of the Class Scheduling Policy.

Room Scheduling

Academic classroom room scheduling, which is a unit in the Office of the Registrar handles the scheduling of all rooms across the University for classes, examinations, final examinations, review sessions, workshops, orientation, meetings, conferences, and special events. Records and registration offices on the regional campuses schedules those locations.

Room requests are made online on the Office of the University Registrar’s website. Emergency and same day requests must also be requested via the online room request form.