NUMBER: ACAF 3.15
SECTION: Academic Affairs
SUBJECT: Classroom Scheduling
DATE: November 5, 2003
Policy for: All Campuses
Procedure for: Columbia Campus
Authorized by: Jerome D. Odom
Issued by: University Registrar
________________________________________________________________
I. Policy
It is the policy of the University of South Carolina to use its
instructional space as judiciously as possible while supporting the
teaching mission of the faculty and providing plausible class scheduling
opportunities for its students, thereby facilitating completion of degree.
It is especially important to the University that the scheduling of courses
offered to undergraduates is coordinated, so that standard meeting times,
representing a reasonable distribution throughout each day and week,
are used for the majority of course offerings in each unit.
II. Procedures
A. Definitions
Classrooms
Space not equipped exclusively for labs or seminars that is used for instruction,
and is defined as such for the purpose of federal and state reporting. To be
so classified, at least 50% of its use must be for regularly scheduled course
instruction. The University centrally schedules all classroom space, although
academic units may have priority scheduling rights in selected rooms.
Weekly Room Hours
Each classroom is available 45 hours per week for daytime instruction. Eighty
percent (or 36 hours) of instruction is considered full time daytime use. The
percent of use is considered an indicator of the adequacy of the number of
classrooms in many state reporting requirements, including S.C. The
measurement can be used for daily and hourly utilization rates.
Standard Meeting Times
For Fall and Spring regular semesters, the following day meeting times are
the standard for three credit course scheduling:
MWF 8:00-8:50 am
MWF 9:05-9:55 am
MWF 10:10–11:00 am
MWF 11:15am – 12:05 pm
MWF 12:20–1:10 pm
MWF 1:25–2:15 pm
MWF 2:30 – 3:20 pm
MWF 3:35-4:25 pm
T Th 8:00-9:15 am
T Th 9:30 – 10:45 am
T Th 11:00am- 12:15 pm
T Th 12:30 – 1:45 pm
T Th 2:00-3:15 pm
T Th 3:30-4:45 pm
MW 2:30 – 3:45 pm
MW 4:00 – 5:15 pm
Classroom instruction for a three-credit course is normally 150
minutes a week for 14 weeks. Classes meeting one day per
week must be scheduled for 165 minutes to include a 15-minute
break.
Prime Time
For Fall and Spring regular semesters, meeting times between 9:00 am
and 2:30 pm, classroom space is at a premium. A reasonable distribution
throughout the day is comprised of 10% of the University’s classroom i
nstructional minutes at 8:00am-8:59am and 10% at 4:00pm – 4:50pm.
Friday classroom instructional minutes should also represent 10% of the
overall classroom use.
Non-standard meeting times
Exceptions to standard meeting times can be made in upper division
classes in which cohort groups with block scheduling are enrolled.
Exceptions cannot be made if the course routinely serves students
outside that block as shown on the Course Support Survey. Exceptions
will not be made in large lecture halls used frequently by other units.
Percent student station utilization indicates the average
percentage of student stations that are occupied when classrooms or
class laboratories are in use. South Carolina standards are 60% for
classrooms and 75% for class laboratories.
Allocation
Each college will be allocated an established percentage of standard
meeting times in available classroom space.
B. Allocation of classrooms
Each college is expected to monitor its use of classroom space.
Classrooms are allocated based on its overall need for classroom space.
The need for classroom space is based on:C. Assignment of classrooms
Renovations and installations made in general purpose classrooms by academic units are to be cleared by the Provost and the University Registrar, as well as by Campus Planning and Construction.