Text Only

VSU Directory

Select a VSU Department Academic Affairs Access Office Accounting & Finance Admissions Adult & Career Education Advancement Services Advancement, University African American Studies Air Force ROTC Alcohol & Other Drug Education Alumni Relations Art Arts & Sciences, College of Arts, College of the Athletics Auxiliary Services Biology BlazeFM: WVVS (90.9 FM) BlazeNet Board of Regents Bookstore Bursary (Tuition Cost & Fee    Payment) Business Admin. Grad Programs Business Admin., Langdale College    of Business Services Campus Activities Board Campus Alert System Campus Recreation Campus Wellness Career Services Catalogs, Undergraduate &    Graduate Center for Economic Education Chemistry Commencement Communication Arts Communication Disorders Communications Unit Continuing Education Cooperative Education Council on Staff Affairs Council on Undergraduate Research Counseling Center Crime Stats Criminal Justice Curriculum & Instructional    Technology Curriculum, Leadership, and    Technology Department Dance Dean of Students Debate Team Dining Services Disability Services Distance Learning Early Childhood & Special    Education eCore Education, College of Educational Leadership Employee and Organizational    Development Employee Self Service Engineering Engineering Transfer to Georgia    Tech (RETP) English English Language Institute Enterprise Application Services Environmental and Occupational    Safety Environmental Issues Committee Equal Opportunity Programs &    Multicultural Affairs European Council Evening Program Event Services Faculty Development Grants Faculty Research Grants Faculty Senate Finance and Administration Financial Aid Financial Services Food Services Foundation Freshmen Year Experience General Studies Governor's Honors Program Graduate School Graduation Grants & Contracts Greek Life HallNet Health Promotions Health Services Helpdesk, Information Technology HIPAA Policy History Honors Program Hotline Housing & Residence Life HUB Learning Cooperative Human Resources Information Technology Institutional Planning Committee Institutional Review Board for the    Protection of Human    Subjects Internal Audits International Programs International Students IT Helpdesk Journalism Kinesiology & Physical    Education Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base Leadership Programs Legal Affairs Management Marketing & Economics Marriage & Family Therapy Mass Media Master of Library & Info    Science Master of Social Work Program Mathematics & Computer Science Media Center Middle Grades Education Modern & Classical Languages Music Network Services Nursing, College of OASIS Odum Library Off-Campus Credit Program Info One Card Services Organization & Mission Orientation Parent Resource Center Parking & Transportation Peach State Summer Theatre Perspectives Philosophy and Religious Studies Physics, Astronomy, &    Geosciences Planned Giving Planning, Strategic Plant Operations Police Department Political Science President's Office Presidential Search Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) Psychology & Counseling Public Administration Public Services Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) Records Policy Registrar Religious Studies SACS Accreditation Satellite Services Science Seminar Small Business Development Center Social Work, Division of Sociology, Anthropology, Criminal    Justice South Georgia College Entry Program South Georgia Institute Special Education Special Events Spectator Strategic Planning Strategic Planning Database Strategic Research & Analysis Student Affairs Student Conduct Office Student Development Organization Student Employment Student Government Association Student Handbook Student Life Student Organizations Student Success Center Tech Shop Telecommunications Testing Theatre Training and Development University Advancement University Assessment Committee University System of Georgia Valdosta Educators Credit Union Vending Services Veteran's Affairs VSU Foundation VSU TV VSU TV Live VSU Undergrad & Grad Catalogs WebCT Wireless Internet for VSU Women's and Gender Studies WVVS 90.9

Prospective Students | Current Students | Faculty & Staff | Alumni & Friends | Parents & Visitors | BlazeNet

Home > College of Arts and Sciences > Department Head Handbook > Program

PROGRAM

Scheduling Courses/Building a Schedule

One of the most demanding tasks for department heads and directors is scheduling classes, which consists of several important steps.

Planning

To begin the planning process, one must consult with the Office of the Registrar for due dates for the fall, spring, and summer schedules. In general, schedules for the spring are due by mid-August, and schedules for summer and fall are due in early December. These dates are subject to change, but department heads and directors should allow time to begin the planning and the sharing of schedules with faculty members before submission to the Office of the Registrar.

Sources of data for course planning

Before planning a schedule, department heads and directors should consult departmental materials for offering classes and for the number of sections that the schedule will require. Perhaps the most important preliminary guide is the previous year’s schedule. It should give a reasonable indication of what demands were. However, one must analyze those demands in light of how enrollment patterns may have shifted during the year. Department heads and directors also should consult with the Dean about appropriate numbers of course sections.

Developing a two-year rotation for upper division courses, including both service and major courses

A department should have a two-year rotation for all 3000-4000 level courses. This rotation should assure that all required courses for majors are available within that span in the appropriate number of sections. When this rotation is in place, one then decides when the classes should be offered (it is wise to rotate these courses among morning, afternoon, and evening), and which faculty will be teaching those courses.

Scheduling core curriculum courses/anticipating needs

The trickier part of the schedule may be deciding on the number of core curriculum sections needed. Once again, enrollment information is important as well as enrollment figures from the previous semester (particularly for a sequential course).

Scheduling graduate courses

When applicable, departments also should construct graduate rotations as well. In this rotation, department heads and directors may want to schedule courses that vary from their upper-division courses. In that way, all faculty can be utilized to their fullest extent without repetition in a schedule. Another reason to avoid repetition is that some senior undergraduates may be allowed to take certain graduate courses.

Off Campus ( Off Campus rotation)

Department heads and directors also should check the off campus rotation, provided by Continuing Education, to see if a department is scheduled to offer any sections at off campus sites. If so, it will need to make appropriate arrangements for the correct time and the right room.

WebCT courses

Some faculty also may offer courses or parts of courses through other technologies, such as WebCT. Department heads and directors should be aware of any special needs associated with these classes.

Scheduling courses with other departments/programs

A department also may schedule courses in conjunction with other departments and programs. Some of these programs are listed below. Department heads and directors may establish rotations with some of these programs; in other cases, they may contact one another to see if faculty would be available to teach. In these cases, department heads and directors must evaluate departmental needs to see if faculty can be spared. Of course, faculty often enjoy these special courses, which may be nice perks.

• Honors (Honors Course Rotation)
• Perspectives
• Africian American Studies
• Women’s Studies
• Office of International Programs
• College of Education
• College of Business College of Nursing
• Evening Program
• King’s Bay Naval Base *
• Moody Air Force Base *

* Scheduled by the Dean of Faculty at King’s Bay Center

Faculty preferences

Again, department heads should consult with other programs while preparing their schedules. When department heads and directors have completed their schedules, they also should send information to all affected programs, as reminders of how these schedules may affect their students.

Once department heads and directors determine what classes must be taught, they must establish which faculty should teach these courses and at what time. Many find faculty-preference sheets helpful. These sheets may indicate what courses faculty have taught or would like to teach as well as their preferred times. Of course, one cannot guarantee that departments can meet all faculty preferences; however, scheduling an 8 a.m. class for faculty who do not function well at that hour may be problematic. Also, some faculty may have other reasons that make it difficult for them to teach classes at certain times. Department heads and directors should be sensitive to these problems, even if they are not always able to solve them. In addition, department heads also should maintain lists of part-time faculty and should check their availability for the coming semester.

Assigning classrooms/switching classrooms

As they build a schedule, department heads and directors must assign rooms for all classes. They should maintain lists of classrooms normally assigned to their departments and the number of seats in each classroom. As they prepare schedules, they often sort by faculty member, by class sections, and by classroom. In this way, they avoid double booking a classroom or a faculty member. In assigning classrooms, department heads and directors need to be aware of the size of classes as well as any special needs of classes. Classrooms may provide different environments:

• Electronic Classrooms—all students have computers
• Smart Classrooms—the instructor has video and computer
• Laboratories

If department heads and directors need more classroom space, they should contact the VPAA’s office and also report any changes of classrooms to the Dean.

Forms for the Office of the Registrar

The Registrar provides a form for the semester’s schedule. This form includes the following designations: Course Abbreviation, Course Number, Course Section, Off-Campus Sites, Number of Seats, Credit Hours, Days, Cl Lb, Beginning Time, Ending Time, Building, Room, and Instructor. Before sending completed forms to the Office of the Registrar, department heads and directors must share their schedules with the Dean, who may request further revision.

Ordering books

After submitting the schedule, department heads should remind faculty of the due dates for ordering books, dates which are posted on the bookstore’s homepage. If departments order standard texts for larger classes, especially in the core, then departmental secretaries usually place these orders. As soon as possible, department heads or directors should inform the bookstore of any changes of sections.

Course description

When students print schedules from BANNER, they see only a course name. Thus, having faculty write descriptions of their courses—particularly of their upper-division offerings, graduate courses, and PERS/Areas B courses—is quite helpful. Some departments provide hard copies of these descriptions in their offices; many also incorporate them into their homepages. Department heads and directors should solicit these descriptions well before advising week.