Course Scheduling Policies & Responsibilities
Departmental Responsibilities

1.1 Communication

• Academic schedulers or administrative staff serve as the primary contacts for scheduling.
• Faculty must direct all inquiries to departmental staff.
• Departments communicate with the Registrar via regsched@stonybrook.edu.

1.2 Timeliness

• Departments must submit course schedules by designated deadlines to ensure efficient classroom allocation.

1.3 Training

• Departments must ensure staff are trained in scheduling systems and policies.
• Staff must attend required refresher training sessions.

1.4 Course Planning

• Departments determine course offerings each term.
• All offerings require approval from the appropriate Dean’s Office.

1.5 Faculty Coordination

• Departments must inform faculty of scheduling policies and deadlines.
• Faculty may request accommodations, but:
• Core courses take priority
• Elective balance is second
• Instructor convenience is last
• No special consideration is given to commuting faculty.

2. Registrar Responsibilities

• Maintain and publish academic calendars and deadlines
• Organize course scheduling by term sessions
• Initiate schedule rollover each term
• Maintain the official course catalog

3. Contact Hours

• Courses must meet required contact hours per university policy.

4. Course Scheduling Guidelines

• Follow standard meeting patterns
• Schedule within approved class time blocks unless exceptions are approved
• Ensure course modality is correctly entered
• Non-standard scheduling requires approval from:
• Registrar
• Dean’s Office
• (if applicable) Provost

5. Room Assignments

5.1 Departmental Use

• Use department-controlled classrooms before requesting general pool spaces

5.2 Faculty Requests

• Allowed for:
• Accessibility or medical needs
• Specialized equipment
• Active learning spaces:
• Assigned first-come, first-served
• Must be requested during designated period

5.3 Large Classrooms (180+ seats)

• Requests must meet deadlines
• Assigned first-come, first-served

5.4 Assignment Process

• Managed through 25Live Optimizer
• Departments must adjust:
• Meeting times
• Enrollment caps
• Room needs if conflicts occur

6. Course Enrollment Caps

• Cannot exceed room capacity
• “Closed class” permissions cannot override capacity limits
• Allow one week between cap changes

Special Approval Rules

• Courses ≥ 100 seats: Approval required for ≥10% change
• Courses < 100 seats: Approval required for ≥20% change
• Lowering cap to 0 requires approval

Registrar-Controlled Only

• Combined caps
• Reserve caps

7. Class Notes

• Must be section- and term-specific
• Must be reviewed before edit access ends
• Should NOT include:
• Reserve information
• General grading policies
• Must include:
• Exam details if outside normal class time

8. Conflict Resolution

• Priority based on:
• Class size
• Equipment needs
• Departments with their own rooms must use them first
• Registrar mediates disputes; unresolved issues escalate to Deans/Provost

9. Responsible Use of Classrooms

• No food or catering in classrooms (including Javits & Frey)
• No alcohol or controlled substances
• Follow:
• Fire drill procedures
• Weather/emergency cancellations
• Contact University Police: (631) 632-3333
• Follow accessibility requirements (SASC/OEA)

10. Shared Spaces

• Unused time becomes available to the Registrar
• Departments must maximize use during assigned access periods
• Assign rooms before edit deadlines

11. Classroom Assignment Changes

• Require approval from Registrar and/or Dean
• Must be submitted in writing
• Departments must notify students of potential impacts

12. Late Scheduling Changes

Deadlines

• Summer/Fall: January
• Winter/Spring: June

Requirements

• Dean approval required (CAS & CEAS)
• Submit at least 2 weeks before enrollment

Includes Changes To:

• Enrollment caps
• Class notes
• Meeting patterns
• New course additions

13. Class Cancellation

• Must be submitted in writing
• Departments must notify students and provide re-enrollment guidance
• Brightspace courses will be deleted upon cancellation (data may not be recoverable)

14. Course Distribution

• Courses must be spread:
• Across Monday–Friday
• Across the full day
• Avoid scheduling during:
• Common Hours (Mon/Wed 12:30–1:50 PM)

15. Combined Course Scheduling

• Must provide distinct experiences for undergraduate vs graduate students
• Requires coordination across all departments involved

Email Requirements

Include:

• Term and course details
• All schedulers copied
• Enrollment caps (individual & combined)
• Graduate School approval (if applicable)

16. Communication Standards

All emails must include:

• Subject: Term + request details
• Action requested (Add/Drop/Cancel/etc.)
• Dean’s Office approval (copied)

17. Classroom Maintenance

• Departments maintain their own classrooms
• General/shared rooms maintained by the university

Report Issues To:

• FIXIT: furniture, lighting, damage
• IT Classroom Support: technology issues
• Seating cannot exceed Fire Marshal capacity

18. Classroom Blackout Times

• General pool classrooms unavailable during campus lifetime periods
• No scheduling during building blackout hours without approval

19. Exams

19.1 Midterms (CAS Only)

• Evening midterms require approval
• Must be listed in class notes before schedule release
• Published before enrollment

19.2 Final Exams

• Must be approved and scheduled before enrollment
• Registrar assigns based on department responses
• Requests for changes handled via email or 25Live

19.3 Online Courses

Asynchronous

• Exams must be asynchronous unless approved

Synchronous