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Starting with fall semester classes, all recommendations of the Classroom and Academic Scheduling Task Force are in effect. The changes include use of the new daily scheduling grid and 15-minute pass times between classes. Additionally, all functions related to the scheduling of classrooms are now managed by Assistant Registrar for Academic Scheduling Sabrina Miller, who joined the Registrar’s Office this summer. Ruth Pierre, formerly part of the scheduling team in Capital Planning and Space Management, is now part of the team in the Registrar's Office.

“Consolidation of the Academic Scheduling function enables a more efficient process, and our new structure allows for a holistic view of our scheduling procedures,” said Miller. “Over this first year, we will closely monitor the impact of the new scheduling protocol and will work to identify areas for continued improvement going forward.”

A standing committee, appointed by the provost, has been established to consult and advise with the Registrar’s Office and Office of the Provost on all matters related to class and instructional scheduling. The committee will also play an oversight and coordination role in academic scheduling, including development of policies, procedures, and recommendations for both short- and long-term planning; and, as appropriate, elevate matters to relevant standing faculty committees, such as the Institute Undergraduate Curriculum Committee (IUCC), the Institute Graduate Curriculum Committee (IGCC), and Student Regulations Committee (SRC).

“The committee will include faculty and staff from all six colleges as well as administrative units that work closely with academic scheduling,” said Steven Girardot, associate vice provost for Undergraduate Education. “While the task force did great work in getting us to this point, there are more discussions we need to have and issues we need to tackle.  A standing committee will be able to engage in strategic and long-term planning and ensure that the priority remains focused on supporting students in their path to graduation.”

For the upcoming 2017-18 academic year, Girardot and Professor Joe Hughes, who co-led the 2016 task force, will serve as co-chairs. In following years, the chair will be elected annually from among the faculty representatives on the committee.

Other recommendations included a technology audit to assess potential technology investments that support class scheduling, registration, and related analytics. A scheduling tool for students is also under development. This tool, once implemented, will help students optimize their schedules. It would interact with the student information system, improving the registration experience. Additional technology and software are also being considered by the Registrar’s Office. Finally, within the new Registrar’s Office academic scheduling team, a second new position will be dedicated to analyzing data and scheduling information to inform decisions.

The steam whistle schedule will be adjusted to coordinate with the new classroom schedule.

The Registrar’s Office website provides details on the new procedures and scheduling grid templates. Found at http://registrar.gatech.edu/scheduling/fall-and-spring-scheduling.php, the site includes information about final exam guidelines, requests for off-grid class scheduling, and requests for common final examinations. 

Questions, comments, and concerns about class scheduling can be sent to: scheduling@registrar.gatech.edu.