Classroom assignments, class schedule training and other special course scheduling requirements are handled by Classroom Scheduling in coordination with the requesting office or department. Contact the Registrar's Office Classroom Scheduling with questions.
How to Edit the Class Schedule in CLSS Courseleaf
How to Approve Changes in CLSS Courseleaf
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| DATES | TERM | ACTION |
|---|---|---|
| Dec. 4, 2023 | Summer | Schedule Creation Begins |
| Feb. 5, 2024 | Summer | Schedule Due & CLSS Closes |
| Feb. 6-23 | Summer | Classroom Assignments |
| Feb. 12 | Summer | Schedule Publishes |
| Mar. 6 | Summer | CLSS Reopens |
| Mar. 13 | Summer | CLSS Closes |
| Mar. 18 | Summer | Summer Registration Begins |
| DATES | TERM | ACTION |
|---|---|---|
| Dec. 4, 2023 | Fall | Schedule Creation Begins |
| Feb. 12, 2024 | Fall | Schedule Due & CLSS Closes |
| Feb. 13-23 | Fall | Classroom Assignments |
| Feb. 19 | Fall | Schedule Publishes |
| Mar. 8 | Fall | CLSS Reopens |
| Mar. 25 | Fall | CLSS Closes |
| Apr. 1 | Fall | Fall Registration Begins |
| ROLE | DATES | TIMES |
|---|---|---|
| Schedulers | Wed. Dec 13, 2023 | 2:00 – 3:00 PM |
| Thur. Jan. 4, 2024 | 10:00 – 11:00 AM | |
| Approvers | Thur. Dec. 14, 2023 | 9:00 – 10:00 AM |
| Thur. Jan. 4, 2024 | 2:00 – 3:00 PM |
Teaching facilities are a finite resource; the goal is to maximize room and seat utilization and apply scheduling policies in a consistent and equitable manner. Classroom scheduling is a dynamic process requiring reevaluation of class size, equipment specifications, and pedagogical changes each term. Classroom scheduling practices are greatly enhanced with the use of standardized class meeting day and time patterns.
Departments should distribute their MWF and TR classes equitably throughout the week. For example, if all classes met on Tuesdays and Thursdays, classroom demand would quickly exceed supply and student scheduling options would be very limited. It is important to spread classes throughout all class meeting time periods. While every attempt will be made to assign classrooms as requested, the Office of the Registrar cannot guarantee assignments due to conflicting requests and limited classroom resources. Every effort is made to ensure that classrooms are assigned fairly, used appropriately, and accommodate the University's academic and instructional needs.
The assignment of a specific room at a specific time does not guarantee that room will be reassigned in future terms, even if the room was used efficiently. Faculty members should not expect to use the same space on a continuing basis. To accommodate as many requests as possible, some courses will be assigned to rooms that may not match what was requested. Also, classes using non-standard class meeting times will receive a lower priority in the room assignment process.
Closed classes receive lower priority for room assignments and may not receive a room assignment.
Room features for each class can be requested through CLSS.
Not all classes can be assigned to the day or time requested due to limited space availability. Departments will be notified by the Registrar's Office if courses must be moved to another time or room due to over scheduling at a particular time.
Back to the topDepartments should create a balanced schedule with sections distributed throughout the day and the week, to avoid having too many classes during prime/peak times.
Prime/peak times:Main campus: MTWR from 10:00 AM - 2:50 PM
Downtown campus: TR 10:30 AM - 1:15 PM and MTWR 6-8:45 PM
If over 60% of a scheduling unit's sections are scheduled at prime or peak times, a warning message will display in CLSS:
WARNING: Over 60% of this unit's sections are scheduled during Primetime - this class may not receive a room assignment at the requested meeting day and time due to high demand.
If your submitted schedule triggers this warning, it is a good indication you may not receive all the room assignments you are requesting and will be asked to move some sections to non-peak times throughout the week.
Classroom and Laboratory Seating Capacities
In accordance with the NFPA 101 Life Safety Code, 2012 edition, and the State of Texas Fire Marshall's Office, lecture halls and auditoriums have an occupant load level based on the number of fixed seats and moveable seats designed for the auditorium. Additional seating cannot be achieved through the use of additional folding chairs or desks placed at the back of the lecture hall or auditorium.
Students and visitors in a lecture hall and auditorium cannot be allowed to sit in an aisle space, landing, or on stair steps within the assembly area. This space is considered by fire code to be an exit access corridor and cannot be blocked during the time the assembly area is occupied. Faculty should take responsibility for monitoring and enforcing these fire code requirements to ensure the safety of all occupants of the facility.
In addition, exceeding enrollment beyond the designed seating capacity of a classroom may increase the safety risk in the event of an emergency. Thus, we need to avoid over enrolling students above the capacity of the assigned classroom. The maximum seating capacity of a classroom/space can be viewed by departments in CLSS.
Question(s) about the classroom safety codes can be directed to the Safety Office at fire@utsa.edu.
Back to the topMain campus has a critical shortfall of academic teaching space. To maximize classroom utilization, standard class meeting patterns and times should be used. Non-standard start/end times create schedule conflicts for students. Additionally, especially during the summer term, different parts of terms that don't follow the approved sessions have adverse effects on a student's enrollment verification, Coordinating Board census dates, and on student financial aid.
MW Meeting patterns: Between 7:00 am - 3:45 pm, classes with a MW meeting pattern at the Main Campus are only acceptable for large undergraduate lecture classes with an expected enrollment of 110 or more, or graduate level courses, or four credit hour classes. Undergraduate three semester hour classes with no labs at the Main Campus with less than 110 student enrollment must provide justification to the Office of the Registrar, using the Request for Non-Standard Class Meeting Time.
If a department needs classes to be offered in a non-standard format for pedagogical reasons, approval must be obtained from the Office of the Registrar, using the Request for Non-Standard Class Meeting Time. The form must also be submitted for any non-standard class offering that would result in a new or shortened part of term. The approved form must be received in the Office of the Registrar by the class schedule deadline.
Request for Non-Standard Class Meeting Time
Back to the top
Main Campus |
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Standard Class Meeting Times Undergraduate Classes
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Optional Standard Class Meeting Times for |
To efficiently use academic classrooms space, once a week classes may only be scheduled after 1:00 pm on Monday and Wednesday, using one of the following meeting times:
1:00 pm - 3:45 pm
4:00 pm - 6:45 pm
6:00 pm - 8:45 pm
7:30 pm - 10:15 pm
One day only classes on Tuesday and Thursday should use one of the following meeting times:
7:00 am - 9:45 am
10:00 am - 12:45 pm
1:00 pm - 3:45 pm
4:00 pm - 6:45 pm
6:00 pm - 8:45 pm
7:30 pm - 10:15 pm
Department schedulers should try to balance one day meeting classes throughout the week. Ideally, if a department schedules a one day meeting class on Tuesday at 1:00 pm - 3:45 pm, they will offer another one class meeting on Thursday at 1:00 pm - 3:45 pm. Thus by balancing classes meeting one day a week equally, this will assist classroom scheduling in maximizing classroom utilization.
Back to the topDissertation or discussion sections (classes meeting for 50 minutes, one day a week) should schedule at non-prime class hours (e.g. 7:00 am, 8:00 am, 1:00 pm, 3:00 pm, 4:00 pm, and 5:00 pm).
Back to the top50 minute class standard day patterns, meet three days a week MWF. 50 minute class times are listed below.
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7:00 am - 7:50 am |
12:00 pm - 12:50 pm |
75 minute classes meet two days a week, MW or TR. 75 minute class times are listed below.
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7:00 am - 8:15 am |
4:00 pm - 5:45 pm |
Standard class times are staggered between the two campuses. For example, a normal start time at the Main Campus would be 7:00 am while a normal start time at the Downtown Campus would be 7:30 am. Class times are not staggered during the summer term. If the Downtown Campus has underutilized classroom space available during daytime hours, department chairs may deviate from Downtown standard meeting patterns if necessary. Therefore, MW classes at the Downtown campus may be scheduled during the day.
Downtown class start times should adhere to the following downtown campus Standard Class Meeting Times. The exception is classes which are designated as Interactive Video classes. Where the class video originates from will determine the class meeting time.
Back to the topDowntown Campus | |
Standard Class Meeting Times Undergraduate Classes
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Optional Downtown Standard Class Meeting Times for Large Enrollment Undergraduate Classes (90 students+)
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Classes are expected to use one of the following class meeting times:
7:30 am - 10:15 am
10:30 am - 1:15 pm
1:30 pm - 4:15 pm
5:30 pm - 8:15 pm or
6:00 pm - 8:45 pm
7:30 pm - 10:15 pm
Some departments have numerous one day meeting classes. Those departments should try to balance one day meeting classes between Tuesday and Thursday and at the same start time. Ideally, if a department schedules a one day meeting class on Tuesday at 2:00 pm - 4:45 pm, they will offer another one class meeting on Thursday at 2:00 pm - 4:45 pm. Balancing classes meeting one day a week equally will help classroom scheduling maximize classroom utilization.
Back to the topDissertation or discussion sections (classes meeting for 50 minutes, one day a week) should schedule at non-prime class hours (e.g. 07:30 am, 8:30 am or in the afternoon).
Back to the topMini-Mester - Five Week Term (F,S)
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Ten Week Term (T)
Four Week Term (J,L)
Eight Week Term (8)
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Independent Study, Internship, Master's Thesis, Doctoral Dissertation, and other classes that meet in an independent manner are typically created when the academic roll forward is completed. Additional sections can be added in CLSS by department staff. These sections do not have meeting times. Note: Independent studies must be entered by the deadline given to the departments by the Vice Provost and Dean of University College.
Back to the topRoom features for each class can be requested through CLSS. Special classroom requests can rarely be granted after the initial schedule submission, and particularly after classrooms have been assigned.
Back to the topThe three year enrollment high number is used by the scheduling software to determine the classroom size needed for room assignment. The default size for this field is set to 30 students.
Back to the topIf an instructor has a physical limitation, coordinate with Human Resources and Academic Classroom Scheduling so the instructor's classes are arranged and assigned correctly. Instructors with physical limitations must be identified every semester. For students requiring Special Needs, coordination is required through Disability Services. At times, it may be necessary to change classroom assignments to accommodate the student.
Back to the topFor more detailed descriptions of approved course Modalities, refer to training PDF: Course Modalities
| Modality | Applicable Meeting Pattern | Schedule Type Code | Instructional Method | Campus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Face-to-Face | Traditional in-person course that meets at a scheduled time and location. | AFF | FF | Main or DT |
| Hybrid 1/3 | Traditional courses that meet three days per week. One of the three days, it meets in-person and remainder is online. | AHB | H1 | Main or DT |
| Hybrid 2/3 | Traditional courses that meet three days per week. The course meets two of the three days in-person and remainder is online. | AFF | H2 | Main or DT |
| Hybrid 1/2 | Traditional courses that meet two days per week. One of the two days, it meets in-person and remainder is online. | AHB | HB | Main or DT |
| Online Synchronous | Course meets fully online and all meetings are at the scheduled time. | AIN | OS | 9- Internet |
| Online Asynchronous | Course is fully online without any scheduled meeting times. | AIN | OA | 9- Internet |
| Online Hybrid 1/2 | Traditional courses that meet two days per week. Course is offered fully online. It meets at the scheduled time on one of the two days and remainder is asynchronous online. | AIN | OH | 9- Internet |
| Various, e.g., Independent Study, Thesis, etc. | Non-traditional courses that meetings are arranged between the faculty member and the student. | *FF | ID | Main, DT, or 1OF |
A Hybrid class, as defined by UTSA, is a class in which a majority (more than 50 percent but less than 100 percent) of the planned instruction occurs when the students and instructor(s) are not in the same place.
Important: A class not designated as a hybrid class prior to student registration, will not be allowed to add the hybrid code to it. Once students have registered for these sections, they have done so without the knowledge that these sections could revert to hybrid classes. All hybrid classes should be designated as such prior to early registration. If you want to replace an existing face-to-face section with a hybrid designation, the face-to-face section must be cancelled, the students will be removed from the face-to-face class, and they will need to register themselves for the newly created hybrid class.
Back to the topFor hybrid classes to create classroom space savings and for the University to be able to offer additional academic classes, a hybrid class should be paired with another hybrid class with the same meeting pattern and assigned to the same classroom space. For example: two hybrid classes are scheduled at the TR 0930-1045 time slot; one hybrid class/section will be designated to meet on Tuesdays and the other hybrid class will be scheduled to meet on Thursdays. Both hybrid classes will be assigned to the same academic classroom. Another option is to schedule a hybrid class at a non-peak class meeting time. Paired hybrid courses receive classroom scheduling priority.
Recommendations For Scheduling Hybrid Classes:
One day only Graduate hybrid classes will not increase course offerings unless two hybrid graduate classes can be assigned to the same academic classroom with each hybrid class meeting on alternating weeks.
Hybrid classes must identify which day of the week the class will meet.
Graduate level hybrid courses will require either an online exam or an electronic final project.
If the hybrid class's final exams are performed online, then there is no final exam scheduling issue. However, if paired hybrid classes are sharing a classroom space and both hybrid classes require a comprehensive final exam to be administered in a classroom, this will result in a final exam classroom scheduling conflict.
Essentially, hybrid classes allow the University to offer additional classes within the same classroom space. Therefore, hybrid classes must be paired together so that classroom utilization is not negatively impacted. Ideally, the department will offer multiple hybrid classes and the department will pair these classes at the same class start time but on a different day of the week.
Hybrid classes must be scheduled with a one day a week class meeting pattern. Hybrid classes meeting on a Monday, Wednesday, or Friday will be scheduled for 50 minutes. Classes meeting on a Tuesday or Thursday will be scheduled for 75 minutes. For example:
Monday 9:00-9:50 AM
Wednesday 10:00-10:50 AM
Tuesday 10:00-11:15 AM
Thursday 11:30-12:45 PM
When hybrid classes cannot be paired within the department, the department should attempt to pair their hybrid class within another department in the College. When pairing a hybrid class is not possible for the department, then Classroom Scheduling will attempt to pair the class with another department's hybrid class when reviewing the class schedule.
Paired hybrid classes will be given priority when assigning classroom assignments. The ability to offer more courses in existing space justifies this priority. A traditional classroom based course will be given priority in classroom assignments over hybrid classes which are not paired. However, if instructors wish to meet with their students in a paired hybrid class for a week or two at the beginning of the semester prior to going online, please contact Classroom Scheduling to assign a temporary classroom at a non-peak time for you to meet with your students.
Graduate hybrid classes must identify what dates in the term the class will be meeting in the classroom and identify those dates in the comments of the class. Graduate hybrid classes will be blended with another graduate hybrid class. This means that two hybrid classes will be assigned to the same academic classroom on the same day and time and the two hybrid classes will meet on alternating weeks.
Orientation for internet courses should be held on a Friday, Saturday or a non-peak time to facilitate space utilization.
Another option is to schedule a hybrid class at a non-peak class meeting time to avoid negatively impacting classroom utilization. Hybrid classes scheduled at non-peak class meeting times will not have to be paired with another hybrid class. Non-peak class meeting times are:
UTSA Non-peak Class Meeting Times/Patterns
Main Campus
MWF 7:00-7:50 AM
MWF 8:00-8:50 AM
MWF 3:00-3:50 PM
MW 9:00-10:45 PM
TR 7:00-8:15 AM
TR 4:30-5:45 PM
TR 8:30-9:45 PM
Fridays (4:00-10:00 PM)
Saturdays/Sundays (any time)
Downtown Campus
MWF 7:30-8:20 AM
MWF 8:30-9:20 AM
MWF 1:30-12:20 PM
MWF 2:30-3:20 PM
MWF 3:30-4:20 PM
MW 4:00-5:15 PM
MW 8:30-9:45 PM
TR 7:30-9:45 AM
TR 3:30-5:45 PM
TR 8:30-9:45 PM
Fridays (4:00-10:00 PM)
Saturdays/Sundays (any time)
Ideally, a hybrid class final exam will be conducted online. Graduate hybrid courses will require either an online exam or an electronic final project. If a hybrid class requires a comprehensive final in the classroom, the hybrid class should be scheduled at a non-peak class meeting time and not be paired with another hybrid class to avoid final exam scheduling conflicts.
If hybrid classes are paired and both paired hybrid classes require a comprehensive final in the classroom, the department will designate which paired hybrid class will conduct the final exam on Common Final Saturday at 5 pm. For hybrid classes that are paired with a different department hybrid class, Classroom Scheduling will coordinate between the departments to determine which hybrid class final exam will be conducted on Saturday. Hybrid classes that are scheduled on Common Final Saturday may have students with final exam conflicts with scheduled common finals or with Thursday or Friday evening classes which also have the Saturday 5 pm final exam schedule.
To minimize student final exam conflicts, a designated final exam day and time needs to be established for hybrid classes. Currently, the proposal is for Common Final Saturday at 5:00 pm. At the moment, Thursday evening classes have final exams on Common Final Saturday so as not to conflict with Thursday's commencement.
An Internet class, as defined by the UTSA, is a class which is offered 100 percent online. It may not have any face-to-face sessions, including orientation, laboratory, or final exam.
Important: A class not designated as an Internet class prior to student registration, will not be allowed to convert to Internet. Once students have registered for these sections, they have done so without the knowledge that these sections could revert to Internet classes. All Internet classes should be designated as such prior to early registration. If you want to replace an existing face-to-face section with an Internet class, the face-to-face section must be cancelled, the students must be notified of the change by the department. Students will be removed from the face-to-face class and they will need to register themselves for the newly created Internet class.
Online Campus (ONL) ClassesAn Online class, as defined by the UTSA, is a class which is offered 100 percent online. It may not have any face-to-face sessions, including orientation, laboratory, or final exam. These classes are restricted to students in fully online degree programs (100% of the degree program is offered online).
ONL courses are coded with the Banner schedule type code of AIN and campus code Online Programs Campus (ONL).
Online courses (Campus Code ONL) do not use the Digital Learning Fee. These courses have a program fee entered by the Bursar’s Office.
Often after the initial class schedule room assignments is released, numerous classes are not able to be assigned at the requested time due to the high demand for the particular meeting time. Six weeks before a Fall or Spring semester begins, departments will receive a report reflecting undergraduate courses with no enrollment. Departments will justify if the classroom assignment should be retained or whether the class should be closed immediately thus opening up the classroom. Four weeks before a Fall or Spring semester begins, undergraduate courses with no enrollment will have the classroom assignment removed. Classes on the waiting list will then be given priority to the classrooms made available.
Back to the topAny department owned classrooms that are not assigned to the academic department's classes will revert to the Office of the Registrar to be distributed to other departments requiring rooms for their classes. Other academic departments needing academic classroom space for their academic classes would take precedence over other non-academic uses of 110 classroom space. Therefore, six weeks before a Fall or Spring semester begins, classes which are on the waiting list can be assigned to department owned classrooms if the day and time slot is available. Department owned classrooms should be assigned (to the applicable classes) in CLSS by the department as early as possible.
Back to the topDepartments that have special laboratories or academic classrooms should assign their classes to these rooms first when developing the class schedule. Once classes have been assigned to their own labs or classrooms, then the department can seek additional academic classroom space. Departments must be good stewards when scheduling and not allow their labs and classes to be assigned to general academic classrooms unless absolutely necessary. Department owned special laboratories and classrooms should be assigned by the department in CLSS as early as possible.
Back to the topGuidelines for Courses Offered in a Shortened Format can be found in the Handbook of Operating Procedures in Chapter 2.32 Administration of Courses Offered in Shortened Format https://www.utsa.edu/hop/chapter2/2.32.html .
Courses offered in a shortened format for which the student earns credit hours must meet the guidelines of the Texas Education Higher Education Coordinating Board guidelines for minimum course length: 16 week (45-48 contact hours including a week for the final examination) and also non-contact hour time for out of class learning and reflection.
Shortened format: the elapsed time for a three-semester credit hour course from the first class meeting through the meeting for the final examination is less than 16 weeks.
No three credit hour course shall consist of fewer than nine days of classes offered over a period of time not less than three weeks.
The standards for admission, drop/withdrawal and grading are substantially equivalent to similar courses taught in a normal semester or summer session term format.
Approval Process:
A proposal to request shortened format courses should be approved by the start of priority registration for each term.
Back to the topAll Department chairs will receive an email from the Registrar's Office reporting system to alert them when a class section is full. Department chairs may forward alerts to any staff members or faculty who require this information. Department chairs may open up additional class sections, if needed. Newly assigned Department chairs should verify they are on the Registrar reporting system distribution list. Departments should review the Enrollment Summary Report regularly through the term registration period.
Back to the topThe three year enrollment high number is used by the scheduling software to determine the classroom size needed for room assignment. If an enrollment cap on a course needs to be set below the room capacity for pedagogical reasons (for one semester or permanently), email Classroom Scheduling prior to the deadline to have the class schedule entered into CLSS. Classroom Scheduling will update Banner to reduce the maximum enrollment prior to student registration. The request should include the course subject, number, section, CRN, requested cap, and if the cap should be applied for a single term (include year and term) or for all future terms. If a request to reduce a course enrollment cap is not received by the deadline to have the schedule entered into CLSS, the three year enrollment high number will be used by the scheduling software to assign a classroom. An enrollment cap report is provided below for departments to review and adjust (when required) enrollment caps on certain courses. After rooms are assigned, enrollment caps are set at the capacity of the assigned classroom or to the requested enrollment cap.
Course Cap Report (PDF)
Back to the topReports with no assigned faculty will be sent to the department one week before classes begin. Final determination if a class will be cancelled will be on or before the fifth class day of the semester.
Back to the topDepartments should assign faculty to classes as early as possible, before classrooms are assigned. Classroom scheduling reviews the faculty schedule to find back to back classes taught by the same instructors. Classroom scheduling will try to assign the instructor to the same classroom or at least the same building.
Back to the topCross-listings consist of two or more classes meeting together, in the same room or online, taught by the same instructor. Graduate and undergraduate classes may be cross-listed.
Cross-listed classes are linked in CLSS causing a two-character code to appear in the Cross-List field in Banner/SSASECT. If no code appears in SSASECT, the class is NOT cross-listed and the instructor will not have access to all of their cross-listed classes in Canvas.
Departments should monitor their cross-listed classes in CLSS. If there are errors saving or editing cross-listed sections in CLSS, contact Classroom Scheduling for assistance.
Back to the topInteractive TV classes are taught via two-way audio/video conferencing between UTSA and the Downtown campus, or an off-site location like the Southwest Research Institute. Schedule type AFV is used for one section; schedule type AIV is used for the corresponding, linked, section. All Interactive TV class sections must have comments entered in CLSS. Example: This section is linked to POL 4363.901 via Interactive TV. Classrooms for Interactive TV sections are coordinated through the Learning Technology Office at 458-5858.
Back to the topComputer classrooms are department owned and not scheduled through Classroom Scheduling. Contact individual departments to schedule computer classrooms. After obtaining the computer classroom room assignment, the department should enter the room assignment in CLSS as early as possible.
Back to the topAt the end of each Fall and Spring Semester, one day prior to the beginning of the final examination period is designated as a Student Study Day. Classes do not meet during Student Study Days. Furthermore, Student Study Days are not to be used as dates on which papers are to be turned in, examinations are to be given, quizzes are to be scheduled, mandatory review sessions are to be held, or for any other class related activities, other than office hours. Voluntary review sessions at which no new material is presented may be conducted by faculty on these days. There are no Student Study Days during the Summer Semester.
Reference Student Policies: Final examinations or other evaluative activities are the accepted standard in all organized courses. These exams and evaluations are held at the close of each semester and summer term.
Fall and Spring final exams are held at the times listed in the Final Exam Schedule which appears under Student Resources on my.utsa.edu. Final exams must be given on the dates and times listed in the Final Exam Schedule. During summer terms, final exams are held during the last regularly scheduled class period for the course.
For courses that end at times other than the official last day of classes and for courses that are not classified as organized, such as an independent study or internship, instructors are responsible for providing information to their students and their department chairs regarding final examination requirements.
If a class is not scheduled at a standard class meeting time, you must coordinate with Classroom scheduling to determine the class final exam day and time. Or, the instructor can refer to the Final Exam schedule and locate the closest standard class meeting pattern of the class to determine the class final exam day and time. The published final exam schedule for standard class meeting times chart is on my.utsa.edu. Contact Classroom Scheduling for guidance.
If you have questions about the procedures identified within this document, contact the Registrar's Office Classroom Scheduling.
Last updated March 6, 2024
