Academic Scheduling Services
Scheduling Principles & Objectives
In order to create the campus wide academic timetable for the UBC Okanagan campus that will best accommodate the needs of the Faculties, the following principles have been applied.
Scheduling principles are based on what students need from scheduling to progress through their given program and maximize their engagement and participation in learning activities. Scheduling principles for the timetable are:
- Released early: Personal student timetables are known at least two weeks in advance of class registration.
- Stable: Minimal post-publication changes and minimal scheduling clashes where students follow standard progression requirements published in the Academic Calendar.
- Flexible: Students have access to core courses they need to progress through their degree and a reasonable set of electives.
- The primary purpose of scheduling is to create a timetable for students that aligns with the scheduling principles of early release, stability and flexibility to optimize student attendance and effective participation. The timetable will provide pathways for students to progress through their program for a timely completion.
- The timetable will be optimized to facilitate clash-free enrolment in core courses, in a student’s program of study. While a clash-free timetable cannot be guaranteed, consideration will be given to offering each student a holistic campus experience.
2024 Winter Session Timetable Timelines
What is included in this phase:
Pre-scheduling work required to enable Scheduling Services to build the campus wide academic timetable.
Activities included in this phase:
- Departments to participate in annual meetings with Scheduling Services to review and inform each sessions Programs of Study build.
- Departments to provide responses to the Scheduling Information Collection Survey.
- Departments to provide high quality scheduling requirements using the Web Data Collector (WDC) tool including: course, number of sections, instructional format, term, size, teaching instructor, and other relevant details. In addition, WDC collects the faculty availability details.
Tools utilized in this phase:
- In Person meetings
- ES Survey to Departments (Qualtrics)
- WDC Collection
What is included in this phase:
Departments to review and provide sign off of the validity of scheduling requirements submitted in Phase 1. This is critical to building a holistic campus wide academic timetable.
Activities included in this phase:
- Departments to review scheduling requirements using WDC reports
- Departments to make final adjustments to scheduling requirements using WDC
- Departments to sign off on scheduling requirements submitted in WDC prior to the deadline
- Scheduling Services to liaise with departments if anomalies are identified
Tools utilized in this phase:
- WDC Collection
What is included in this phase:
Scheduling Services applies the campus scheduling rules and takes the information collected in the previous two phases to build the campus wide academic timetable.
Activities included in this phase:
- Scheduling Services to perform data validation and feasibility check
- Scheduling Services uses scheduling requirements from phases 1 and 2 to ensure correct processes are considered
- Scheduling Services to generate pathways and student sets in software
- Scheduling Services applies campus scheduling rules to scheduling requirements collected in WDC
- Scheduling Services follows a sprint process in the software to build the campus wide academic timetable
- Scheduling Services conducts a final review of the academic timetable before proceeding to phase 4
Tools utilized in this phase:
- Scientia
- SISC
What is included in this phase:
Departments to review and respond to the draft timetable produced in Phase 3.
Activities included in this phase:
- Departments to review timetables using the UBCO Online Timetable Web Server
- Departments to review restricted space and prepare for lab placement Sessions in Phase 5
Tools utilized in this phase:
- SISC
- Online Timetable webserver
- UBCO Academic Scheduling Change Request form
- Scientia
What is included in this phase:
Scheduling Services to take information provided in Phase 4 to adjust the campus-wide academic timetable
Activities included in this phase:
- Departments to submit academic scheduling change requests using the UBCO Academic Scheduling Change Request form
- Departments to work with Scheduling Services to adjust and place outstanding unscheduled requirements in restricted space
- Departments to update section Mode of Delivery as required
- Scheduling Services to make appropriate timetable changes
Tools utilized in this phase:
- SISC
- Online Timetable webserver
- UBCO Academic Scheduling Change Request form
- Scientia
What is included in this phase:
Scheduling Services to publish the academic schedule to the public through the Student Service Centre and online course schedule (https://courses.students.ubc.ca/)
Activities included in this phase:
- Scheduling Services to ensure the public view of the academic schedule is enabled
- Departments to submit academic scheduling change requests using the UBCO Academic Scheduling Change Request form
- Scheduling Services to make appropriate timetable changes
- Departments manage course section controls in the SISC prior to course registration
Tools utilized in this phase:
- Online Course Schedule
- SSC
- SISC
- Online Timetable webserver
- UBCO Academic Scheduling Change Request form
- Scientia
