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Academic Scheduling Quick Tips

Faculty and Staff

For questions regarding academic scheduling, please contact the Academic Scheduling team at academicscheduling@vanderbilt.edu. Access to the Campus Planning Interface tool is available here.

Class Reserves

Departments may choose to use reserved seating on the schedule. A class schedule that used reserved seating in the past, will roll over with the reserved seating previously used. When building the schedule in the CPI you will want to check the reserve requirement group, cap enrl, start, and end date.

If you would like to add a new reserve, please type the request in to the ex: "reserve all seats for AADS majors"

For combined classes, reserves cannot be programmed on the combined sections table. Reserves can only be programmed for an individual class. When classes are combined and they both have reserves, we need to make sure that all programming is done in advance of registration. The combined engine has priority so there may be hiccups from time to time.

To review class reserves, academic scheduling can provide a detailed spreadsheet with the reserve groups, caps, and effective dates. Please schedule a time for the review to occur prior to registration.

Combined Classes vs Shared Spaces

Combined Classes: Any class section that has already been created on the schedule may be combined with other classes that have also been scheduled as long as the meeting patterns (dates, times, locations, Instructors) are the same. The Combined Sections Table will control the combined enrollment and waitlist capacities. Combined classes will also have a single roster in Online Grading and will be combined in Brightspace. Each combined section will need a note on the schedule.

The combined capacity and class capacities do not need to match and are at the school’s discretion. If each class has a capacity of sixteen and the combined capacity is sixteen, the first sixteen students who register will get a seat. If one class has a capacity of nine and the other class has a capacity of seven, only nine students from one class and seven from the other will be able to register for the sixteen seats.

When building the schedule in the CPI, please add to the Notes: “Class will be combined with XYZ.” A note must be added to the schedule so students can see the combined total in YES. In YES a class could appear open even if it is not. For example, if one class fills to the combined capacity and the other class does not, the one that did not fill will appear open because the YES service indicator is looking at the class capacity and not the combined section capacity.

Shared Spaces: Unlike with combined classes, classes that need to share a space will be marked in the virtual EMS as sharing a space, but no note will be placed on the class. Shared space classes will maintain separate class rosters in Online Grading and will not be combined in Brightspace. When building the schedule in the CPI, please add to the Notes: “Class will share a space with XYZ”

Room Preferences

  • “Standard Room Preferences” should be used to enter an area, building, or room preference. A&S only - If you plan on using a departmental room, this is where it needs to be notated. Select the building and room number.
  • “Room Not Required” should only be used if a class has a meeting pattern and it will not meet on Vanderbilt property. For example, if the class meets on Mondays
    between 2:10 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. at a local non-profit.
  • Do not use “Publish in PeopleSoft Room” or “Require PeopleSoft Room.” Room assignments do not exist in PeopleSoft. Selecting either of these options will cause the system to error during the room assignment process.
  • The “Same Room” option should be used if a course has two or more different meeting patterns (e.g., Monday 4:10 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. and Tuesday/Thursday 11:10 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.) and it needs to meet in the same room. This may also be used for instructors teaching back-to-back.