Info for Students

How will this way of scheduling classes affect students?

1) Why did the University change the way classes are scheduled?

  • Click here to learn why this project is important.

2) Will my classes be held in buildings related to my Faculty or program?

  • The scheduling software makes sure the Scheduling Office gives top priority to scheduling classes in buildings that are connected to your Faculty or program in many cases, if that has been requested. For example, engineering courses will be given first priority for placement in McConnell, Frank Dawson Adams and other similar buildings.
  • However, there will be times when the size of a class or other requirements necessitate scheduling a course in a more suitable room and in a building not affiliated with your Faculty or program. Likewise, courses from other programs could conceivably be scheduled in a room located in a building affiliated with your program or Faculty.

3) Will the scheduling patterns or software negatively affect my work schedule?

  • They shouldn’t. Courses will be scheduled according to patterns that will remain consistent throughout the term unless your department has asked for a special timeslot (usually for pedagogical or professor availability reasons) . In other words, if you have a class that meets on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, it will be held at the same time on each of those days. You can organize your work schedule around your classes.

4) I’m in an interdisciplinary program (such as International Development Studies). It’s always been difficult to enrol in the courses I need in order to graduate. Will the schedule improve this?

  • That is our goal. It will take a couple of years to fine-tune the schedule with the help of the academic departments and feedback from students, but one of the goals of coordinating the scheduling activity centrally is to improve students’ access to courses.

5) I heard that some classes might overlap. Is this true?

  • It is possible. With the addition of 1.5 hour time slots, some courses may overlap. We try to ensure required courses and co-requisites do not overlap. If you notice a problem, please notify your department.

6) What are the scheduling patterns?

PATTERN EXAMPLES

Below are examples of the additional pattern days. Note: there are other patterns available, this is just an example of the more frequently used 3x1 and 2x1.5 patterns, and how they have been expanded.

3 X 1 HOUR

  • Monday, Tuesday and Thursday (MTR)
  • Monday, Wednesday and Friday (MWF)
  • Tuesday, Thursday and Friday (TRF)

2 X 1.5 HOURS

  • Monday and Wednesday (MW)
  • Tuesday and Thursday (TR)
  • Wednesday and Friday (WF)

7) Will my classes be held at the same time of day, even when they are scheduled several times per week? I need to be able to schedule my other activities, so this is important to me.

  • Yes they will, unless your department has asked for a special timeslot (usually for pedagogical or professor availability reasons).

8) Was my program, department or faculty consulted about how its courses should be scheduled? How do you know what classes should not be scheduled at the same time or on the same day?

  • Yes. Over a period of 2-3 years, the Project team met multiple times with every department involved in the project. By gathering scheduling requirements, explaining the scheduling simulation outcomes, and provide training, the team and the academic departments invested a lot of time to ensure the scheduling needs of each unit were adhered to in the scheduling process.

9) When will the schedule be available for me to view?

  • March 31, 2015 for returning students is the date when the information will be available to you. Registration for returning students will begin on Tuesday, April 5, 2016.

10) If there are problems and I can’t get the courses I need, whom should I contact?

  • We recommend that you contact the department offering the course or the department of your major program depending on the problem.

 

Back to top