Introduction to Class Scheduling Processes

Revised July 18, 2011 by the User Coordination Group Page 1

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Student Information System

OVERVIEW This documentation is intended to give you an overview of class scheduling and the related SIS

processes. You will learn about the online resources, timeline and contacts for class scheduling as well

as how to navigate to and use the SIS processes that are relevant to scheduling classes for your

department. The processes are as follows:

Process Abbreviation Process Name RNR.D.CATALOG Course Catalog Display

RNR.U.SCHEDULE Class Schedule Update

RNR.R.SECT.SUMM Class Schedule Full Summary Report

RNR.U.CSA Class Schedule Addendum - Courses for Non-Majors

RNR.U.LINK Link Classes Update

SUMMARY OF SIS SCHEDULING PROCESSES RNR.D.CATALOG, the Course Catalog Display, is a seven-page process displaying the parameters of

all USC courses as set up by the Curriculum Office. This is the backbone of all scheduling processes. All

scheduling processes must adhere to the guidelines set up here.

RNR.U.SCHEDULE, the Class Schedule Update, is a six-page process in which all USC classes are

scheduled. Which class will be offered; where will it be taught; who will be the instructor; at what time

will the class be offered, etc. — all are set up in this process.

RNR.R.SECT.SUMM, the Class Schedule Full Summary Report, is a process in which you can print out

a summary of all the sections available in a particular term.

RNR.U.CSA, Class Schedule Addendum — Courses for Non-Majors, is the process to use to submit a

course to be displayed on the Courses of Interest section of the Schedule of Classes page found at

www.usc.edu/soc. This process should only be used once your request to highlight a course on the

“Courses of Interest” has been approved by the Registrar’s Office.

RNR.U.LINK, the Link Classes Update, verifies which classes have been linked to each other in

RNR.U.SCHEDULE. The primary class is listed along with the linked classes which share the same

alpha character. Links may be modified in this process as well.

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PREPARATION

A Great Place to Begin: Section Scheduling Website Your first resource for understanding the whole process of Scheduling is Frank Chang’s email. It

announces that it’s time to get ready for the next session of “open scheduling” and offers you a timeline

and other valuable resources for class scheduling.

Note: If you are the scheduling coordinator for your department, make sure to get on Frank

Chang’s scheduler master email list to get the most up-to-date information pertaining to

scheduling.

One of the most valuable resources to you as a scheduler will be the web page referred to in his email:

www.usc.edu/sectionscheduling.

It covers the history and mission of the Scheduling webpage, as well as offers guidelines, worksheets,

links — all of the resources that you will need in the Scheduling process.

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Know the Class Scheduling Timeline The most current “Schedule of Classes Development Timeline” is also found at

www.usc.edu/sectionscheduling and will be an invaluable resource as you proceed in scheduling classes

for your department. From the timeline provided, you can see that in the summer, classes are initially

input for the following spring; in the winter, classes are input for the following summer/fall. The

schedule of classes is done well ahead of time as classrooms and instructors must be assigned, web-

schedules created, and finally students registered.

First Period (GREEN) - departments can add, change, and delete any section using RNR.U.SCHEDULE.

Second Period (YELLOW) - departments lose the ability to add, change, and delete in RNR.U.SCHEDULE (except for departments that own the classroom space involved in the addition, change or deletion). During the second period, departments may request additions, changes and deletions of sections by emailing the request to Frank Chang (fjc@usc.edu) and cc'ing Fern Iwata (iwata@usc.edu).

Third Period (RED) - takes place after the school’s dean has reviewed and approved the Schedule of Classes. Departments make requests using the Kuali Addition, Change and Deletion Form. Scheduling Coordinators may refer to the Instructions for Completing the Addition, Change and Deletion Form.

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Refer to Last Year’s Same Semester Schedule The schedule of classes from one like fall or spring semester will “roll over,” or be copied, into the next

year’s like semester as most departments offer many of the same classes in the same rooms. Therefore,

you will not have to re-enter all of the classes from scratch. There is no summer rollover, however,

because usually the courses are not the same from one summer to the next. Therefore, those classes must

be input from scratch.

When you get the scheduling memo, and if you are scheduling for a spring or fall semester, refer to last

year’s same semester schedule of classes on the web. This website is referred to in Frank Chang’s initial

“Time to Prepare” email: www.usc.edu/soc. These are the courses that will roll over from last year to the

upcoming year’s same semester — except for summer.

Review the courses offered by your department. Are the same courses being offered from last year? If

so, you will just need to double check the information for each class on RNR.U.SCHEDULE, especially

the GL Account on page three and the Instructor and Overseer information on page four and five

respectively. If the course from last year is not being offered, then you’ll want to delete the course from

the current year’s schedule on RNR.U.SCHEDULE. And if there is a brand new course that has no

model from last year, or if you are scheduling courses for the summer, you will enter all of its relevant

information from scratch into RNR.U.SCHEDULE.

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My suggestion: print out the Schedule of Classes from the website and use it as a worksheet to cross off,

mark up, etc.

Note: Click “See the previous version of this page” for a full summary of classes to use as a

reference.

Once you are done entering the classes into RNR.U.SCHEDULE, print out a summary of your classes

via the SIS process, RNR.R.SECT.SUMM, to review your work before it is published on the Schedule

of Classes: www.usc.edu/soc.

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CONTACTS

User Coordination Group, SIS Offers access, training and documentation for SIS processes, and deals with any issues arising thereof.

DeAnn Holle, dholle@usc.edu Ph. 213.740.5337

Office of Academic Records and Registrar

Approves access to scheduling processes; adds, changes or deletes classes after the cut-off date; deals with section numbers; wait quantity; canceling of classes, etc.

Frank Chang, fjc@usc.edu Ph. 213.740.5306

Curriculum Office Answers questions about, and addresses issues with, the course name, course title, section title, course units, mode of instruction and section units. This office is also in charge of the Curriculum Management System (CMS) where class and program proposals are submitted and evaluated for addition, revision and deletion.

Ph. 213.740.1162

Classroom Scheduling Office Handles room assignment, room capacity and available facilities for departments that do not own their own classrooms.

Fern Iwata, iwata@usc.edu Ph. 213.740.04612

Administrative Information Systems Production Control

Prints SIS reports, unless your department has a printer set up specifically with SIS — most departments do not. You can do a “print screen” of individual records to be printed on your own printer.

Ph. 213.740.05861

Student Financial Operations Addresses tuition units, financial transaction code, general ledger account number, tuition income object code and tuition account numbers. All money and scheduling correspondence takes place here. When you need to attach a fee to a class, this is the office to call.

Michael Navarrete, mnavarre@usc.edu Ph. 213.740.0427

University Publications Office Along with the registrar, this office is in charge of the web schedule of classes, www.usc.edu/soc. Contact them to highlight a class in the “Courses of Interest” section.

Ph. 213.740.7980

Blackboard A password-protected website, adds a virtual element to classes. Instructors may post syllabi, assignments, grades, communicate, etc. via this web option.

blackboard@usc.edu

blackboard.usc.edu

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NAVIGATION TO SIS SCHEDULING PROCESSES Main Menu

Enter No 2, RNR: Registration and Records Main Menu.

And No. 2 again: RNR.M.SCHEDULE, Schedule of Classes Transactions.

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A menu of 14 scheduling processes appears. 1. RNR.U.SCHEDULE, 3. RNR.R.SECT.SUMM, 6.

RNR.U.CSA and 4. RNR.U.LINK are all located here.

To get to RNR.D.CATALOG, just type the process onto the Command Line and hit the Enter key.