How we schedule courses
The timetable cycle initiates in the fall term when the information for the new terms is created in the system. Our team, in collaboration with units, produces the timetable during the winter term and it concludes by springtime with a functioning schedule. Departments and academic units provide our team with key information, such as the instructor’s unavailability, which we enter into the system to create the most practical schedule for the new academic year.
The University controls all instructional space (1), and the Provost is its steward. All instructional space is added to the central database (Banner and Timetabler). Enrolment Services schedules courses and classrooms centrally for all schools and faculties, excluding courses that are part of the Medicine and Dentistry professional programs (2). The ad-hoc scheduling of space is managed using the central database and functionality.
(1: Instructional space is defined as any physical location used for approved, scheduled classes. Examples of instructional space include but are not limited to, lecture theatres, seminar rooms, classrooms, and teaching laboratories).
( 2: Classrooms and other instructional spaces may be allocated periodically to individual academic units, but the assignments are not permanent. Although academic units have priority in such classrooms, they do not have exclusive use of them. Space may be reallocated as the needs, priorities, and demands of the Faculty, School, or University change).
Technology
Visit the vendor's site for more information about their services and approach, here.
Infosilem - Data Collection Utility (DCU)
As of 2020, DCU, an enhanced version of the system, is our newest acquisition from Infosilem. With the DCU, departments and academic units now enter course information by themselves, among other improvements. The DCU makes scheduling a time-efficient and practical process.
To properly schedule course sections, all departments and academic must provide specific information:
- Course Combination: Data used to block off courses that need to be conflict-free for each term in each year of every program;
- Course Constraints: Specifications for each schedule type (lecture, conference, laboratory, tutorial, etc.) with relevant constraints, for example, a constraint indicating that a laboratory needs to be scheduled in the afternoon to allow time for set-up;
- Department Unavailability information: Academic Units provide us with information regarding Department meetings and any other academic unit activity which are known before March to ensure that course sections are not scheduled during the time of academic unit activity;
- Instructor Unavailability form (Submitted via Minerva): Instructors complete and submit their unavailability forms online via Minerva. This information is vital in ensuring that courses are scheduled on the days/times when instructors are available to teach.
Note: Paper-based forms are no longer accepted. If submission cannot be completed via Minerva, please contact the Class Schedule Team.
For DCU resources, click here
The Human Factor
There is a great deal of computation involved in the scheduling process. The scheduling software takes into consideration an extremely complex set of variables and a great number of constraints. However, our team ensures that the preferences and attributes appear in the scheduling software to create a practical schedule.
Our team works closely with the academic units to understand and incorporate the pedagogical and unique needs that may exist so that the scheduling process is approximately responsive.
The Class Schedule team factors needs and information that individual academic units may not be aware of such as inter- or multi-disciplinary programs.