Master Schedule Development Toolkit

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The Gateway – Student Records office facilitates the development and publication of the master schedule each academic year. We utilize CourseDog, a robust scheduling software, to seek faculty feedback and manage the schedule throughout the development phases and to manage the schedule once it is published. Each fall, we will establish a timeline (see below) for the development of the upcoming academic year’s master course schedule. Included in this timeline will be critical dates and expectations through each phase of the schedule development to ensure the schedule is published by the first Monday in March of each year.

This webpage contains a collection of support documents designed to assist faculty and program directors in the yearly development of a robust course schedule that aligns with the college’s strategic plan and meets the diverse needs of our students. Whether you are a seasoned pro or new to this process, this toolkit provides valuable guidance and resource material to support the schedule development process.

Master Schedule Timeline

Dates are subject to change depending on whether additional time is needed in any phase.

Planning Phase (Enrollment Management)

Dates: 9/30/24–10/18/24
Action Items
  • Roll-over 2024-2025 course schedule (summer, autumn and spring) in CourseDog.
  • Assess course schedule for curriculum changes: new courses, updated contact hours, inactive courses, etc.
  • Review extended campus programming to verify course offerings.
  • Confirm department schedulers/ faculty leads for CourseDog access; review email templates.
  • Draft Schedule: Review and update course days/times, instructional modality, etc. Review course cancellations from prior year to determine re-scheduling. Assess course schedule for additional sections needed based upon enrollment trends. Update online course capacities.

Development Phase

Dates: 10/21/24–11/15/24
Action Items
  • Open schedule in CourseDog to department schedulers and lead faculty to review and submit change requests.
  • Workflows will be disabled and changes will be implemented without review by academic deans and/or registrar. Any questionable requests will be addressed with requestor and/or appropriate dean.

Review Phase #1

Dates: 11/18/24–12/13/24
Action Items
  • Schedule opens for additional review by all full-time faculty, academic advisors, and enrollment navigators for academic year.
  • Can request changes, additions or deletions using workflow, which includes review/approval by academic dean and registrar’s office.
  • Registrar to connect with OFA, C-TEC and KTC to request schedule for contract courses.

Review Phase #2

Dates: 1/20/25–1/31/25
Action Items
  • Review curriculum committee approvals and update course info accordingly (course number changes, new courses, inactive course, etc.).
  • Faculty re-review after curriculum committee updates.

Review Phase #3

Dates: TBD
Action Items
  • Academic Affairs and Enrollment Management leadership will review the final scheduled prior to publication.

Finalize & Publication Phase

Date: 3/3/2025
Action Items
  • Publish 2025-2026 academic schedule. Registration dates will be posted in February 2025. Registration for summer/autumn opens in March; spring registration opens in September.

Maintenance Phase

Date: Ongoing
Action Items
  • Once the schedule is published and registration is open, the goal is to minimize changes to published courses.
  • Any requested changes will be reviewed by the academic dean and enrollment management team to determine impact on whole schedule and/or student enrollment.
  • Course sections may be added based upon enrollment demands. Waitlists will be monitored regularly by the registrar and requests for course capacity increases and/or new sections will be submitted accordingly.
  • Course cancellation assessments will begin approximately 30 days prior to the start of the semester. Final cancellation target date is 1 week prior to start of the semester.
Examples of why schedule change requests may be submitted:
  • Errors: incorrect instructional minutes, incorrect instructional method, incorrect course capacity, course length incorrect (term vs. semester).
  • Overlaps: conflicts with commonly scheduled courses (according to plan of study and/or student scheduling behavior)
  • Room issues: conflicts with space, lack of room availability.
  • Faculty Assignments: course days/times may be changed to optimize staffing courses and/or allow for additional time for travel as needed.

CCP

Due: April 1
Action Items
  • Courses requests for embedded courses taught by high school instructor and/or COTC faculty (at the high school) due by April 1.

Resources

  1. Guide for Master Schedule Development
  2. Credit Hour Guidelines
  3. Instructional Methods Definitions
  4. Time Grid for Summer by Credit Hour
  5. Time Grid for Autumn and Spring by Credit Hour
  6. CourseDog Training

Contact

Need help with CourseDog? Contact Michelle Armas, assistant registrar for curriculum and scheduling, at armas.7@mail.cotc.edu.