May/summer scheduling

Summer scheduling deadlines can be found on the production calendar. Summer classes are offered in a variety of sessions. Please refer to the session dates table to schedule classes in the session that most narrowly matches the meeting dates.


The University Class Scheduling policy includes standard scheduling rules for classes carrying one to five credits. All classes must adhere to this policy, including summer classes.


Time outside of class will always be expected, but formal instructional time must comply with the University's Expected Time per Course Credit policy.

Calculating meeting hours

Please refer to the formulas below to ensure your class meeting times meet the minimum required instructional hours. Each credit or unit requires a minimum of fifteen hours of instruction (# of credits x 15 = total instructional hours). To determine how many hours of instruction per week use the below formula:


Total Instructional hours / number of weeks = hours of instruction per week.


Examples:

  1.  3 week class that is 3 credits
    1. 3 credits x 15 hours = 45 total instructional hours
    2. then 45 hours /3 weeks = 15 hours of instruction per week
  2. 8 week class that is 4 credits: 
    1. 4 credits x 15 hours = 60 total instructional hours
    2. then 60 hours /8 weeks = 7.5 hours of instruction per week.

Once you know how many hours of instruction per week the class will need to be taught, you can decide the class meeting times utilizing standard start times according to the meeting chart below. 


For example, below are Standard meeting times for the Twin Cities Campus:

Standard meeting times for the Twin Cities Campus
Standard meeting times for the Twin Cities Campus

For purposes of scheduling, a 50-minute class is considered equal to one hour of instruction (A times), and a 75-minute class is equal to 1.5 hours of instruction (B times).


Examples:

  • 3 week class that is 3 credits and needs to meet for 15 hours of instruction per week. Some possible standard meeting times could be:
    • MTWThF - 9:05 a.m. - 12:05 p.m. (Mpls campus)
    • MTWThF - 1:55 p.m. - 4:55 p.m. (St. Paul Campus)
    • MWF - 8:00 a.m. - 1:10 p.m. (Mpls campus)

 

  • 8 week class that is 4 credits and needs to meet for 7.5 hours of instruction per week. Some possible standard meetings times could be:
    • MTWThF - 9:45 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. (Mpls campus)
    • M/W - 8:15 a.m. - 11 a.m. and F - 8:15 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. (Mpls campus)
    • T/Th - 8:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. (St. Paul campus)

These formulas will work to calculate instruction hours in the variety of May/Summer sessions.


When choosing a class start time, it is best practice to begin the class at a standard meeting time to ensure that passing time is available for both the instructor to set up technology and for students to move between classes. 

Resources

Collaborative Class Scheduling (CCS) User Guides
ocmsched@umn.edu