New chairs should be as familiar as possible with the department’s internal procedures for creating the schedule. Some departments have outlined protocols, while others may rely more on informal practices. In either case, the chair seeks to prepare the schedule with fairness and equity and to effectively balance student needs, program needs, and faculty preferences as well as the department’s participation in the Core Curriculum, Honors Program and LLC/TLCs.
The Dean’s Office informs department chairs of the deadline for submitting the class schedule each semester. The schedule is prepared and submitted approximately one year in advance (for example, the schedule for Fall 2018 is submitted at the end of the Fall 2017 semester). The Dean’s Office provides materials to assist in the schedule preparation.
Example Memo and Scheduling Instructions
The actual submission of the class schedule to the Dean’s Office is done through the Academic Scheduler Tool. Please read the Academic Scheduler User Guide before using the tool for the first time.
Occasionally, the Dean's Office will contact a chair and ask that a new section of a course be opened to accommodate student enrollment/demand. If a new section is to be opened for any reason, Dean's Office approval must be sought and an Instructional Reserve form submitted.