Frequently Asked Questions

We offer a unified course scheduling platform, allowing multiple users access to enter and modify existing data (controlled by granular roles and permissions) eliminating the need for spreadsheet or email communication. Many institutions create a schedule by rolling a previous term or year’s data and making modifications to meet the upcoming terms requirements. This approach can be challenging and can reflect requirements that are no longer applicable. Infosilem Academic allows you to easily start with fresh term data (if you wish) and using that create a schedule that meets current needs and optimizes student schedules while using space efficiently. The data validations and robust reporting ensure that any potential issues are identified in a timely manner. The scheduling algorithm itself quickly assigns times and rooms respecting the requirements of student pathways, professors, and room usage. At all times the transparency and ease of use of Infosilem Academic can shorten the time needed for schedule production while simplifying any changes to the schedule over time.

From completely centralized control to entirely distributed, and everything in between, Infosilem Academic supports your scheduling process.

Producing the master class schedule for an institution providing students with quality schedules to help them progress, while respecting instructor requirements and using space efficiently. 

The main difference is that course delivery occurs during the academic term and is at the section level, while exam scheduling typically occurs in a distinct shorter timeframe after classes have ended. Often common exams are offered for courses requiring students from all sections of a course to be available and schedule conflict-free for all. 

There is no single answer to this. The schedule should be built early enough for students to register into their courses and along with instructors plan their semesters. There is an art to determining the timeframe for this…the schedule needs to be stable (subject to minimal changes); however, the reality is that accurate information on instructors assigned as well as academic program changes and enrolment fluctuations often result in a schedule that is never “final”. An institution may publish schedules as early as possible at the expense of stability and last-minute changes due to inaccuracies or bad projections. 

Best option is to avoid them in the first place! However, if you do have scheduling conflicts to resolve, you need the tools and data visibility to make informed decisions when resolving them in order to minimize the impact on students and instructors. 

While there can be many stakeholders involved in the building of the academic schedule (schools, departments, Registrars office) the ultimate goal is to create a schedule that meets the needs of the institution, facilitates student progression, respects instructor preferences and uses space optimally. 

Improvements in the planning and production of the academic schedule offered by Infosilem will in most cases reduce the number of changes required. Built-in visual tools highlight the impact of changes to time and/or room assignments, resulting in more consistent and optimal choices made by your users. Changes are tracked, and in-application communication workflow keeps everyone informed. 

Beyond the expected reporting on overall seats offered in a course and the demand for those seats from academic programs, Infosilem offers dynamic Course Demand Analysis that takes into account the time that a section’s classes are scheduled. The feedback from this process clearly indicates whether or not the times allow sufficient student access to those seats. Instructor availability and requirements often dictate the scheduled times, but with the information provided in our reports, the institution can decide the best approach to resolving issues whether by increasing section size or adding more sections. 

Our scheduling tool, Academic, has a suite of tools that help users enter projected student enrolment, plan for conventional and out-of-phase student pathways, account for section sizing, and compile all these factors into our Course Demand Analysis tool. Our report will flag course supply or section issues well in advance, helping schedulers address these issues through the help of a visual report.  

A platform for producing the master academic course schedule. 

Robust and distributed data collection platform that captures all data needed to produce the schedule and promote smooth registration. Using proprietary algorithms the software assigns times and/or rooms to classes based on requirements and preferences of students, professors, and the institution. 

Integration is available through our web services (API) as well as .csv files. Connectors for Ellucian’s Ethos® platform are available for bidirectional and near-real time changes. 

Fully automated scheduling tools are what set us apart from the competition. Finding and assigning not only the best room but also the best time for a class promotes degree/diploma completion while remaining responsive to the needs of instructors and optimizing the use of rooms within the academic term.  

Users have complete control over the scheduling process and can choose scheduling methods that best suit their needs; whether manual, automated or combination of both. There are tools to assist in the manual placement of classes, providing transparency and clear implications of any decision made. 

A room file and a course file with projected class enrolments and durations are the backbone of the system. Of course, the more data that can be provided with respect to instructors, student pathways, and any policies or guidelines related to course scheduling, the better the results will be. 

The algorithm prioritizes both room utilization within the term and seat utilization for all classes. Capacity limits are never exceeded. 

In-class, synchronous online, asynchronous online class delivery methods are supported as well as any combination of the above. 

Information on instructor preferences and availability guides the scheduling of classes that they teach, respecting their wishes and requirements. 

There is a library of built-in reports for data validation, business intelligence, rates of utilization and schedule quality among others. In addition, the data is all available to API’s, so integration with external reporting tools is simplified. 

Rooms can be assigned manually or automatically, driven by capacity, availability, and suitability for both courses and exams. 

The room assignment algorithm prioritizes room utilization and seat utilization. When using fully automated scheduling (time assignment and room assignment together) rooms can be fully utilized while still respecting student and instructor requirements. 

Allowing the software to assign the time as well as the room provides flexibility, avoiding the “prime-time” effect by using the academic day to its fullest. The algorithm itself will never create room conflicts, and if users manually double-book a room there are live validations as well as reports to inform them should it occur. 

Room requests are entered on the class record itself, and can be as generic or as specific as needed. To what extent pre-assigning rooms is permitted is typically included in policies of each institution. 

Our software facilitates the improvement of seat and space utilization rates by optimizing both the time and the room assignment. Additionally, tools are available within the application that help users assign times and rooms while considering seat/space utilization, as well as other factors (policies, ties between classes, unavailability, room ownership, etc...). 

Decades of scheduling expertise is built into our software and workflow. Our user interface and proprietary algorithms have evolved over the years according to the needs of our clients, and reflect a deep understanding of scheduling in post-secondary institutions. We know the challenges of complex requirements and tight timelines. We provide the tools you need to address them.

Instructor availability and preferences are captured in the software and guide the scheduling of classes. Whether these requirements come from contractual obligations or aim to improve general quality of life, we can capture both preferences and limits for a variety of factors which both the algorithm and your users will consider during scheduling. 

If policy permits, faculty are able to request specific time slots and/or rooms and this can be captured within the application. 

Scheduling parameters can be configured to prevent back to back classes for instructors. Additionally, if back to back classes are permitted, there are settings to try and keep the instructor in the same room for both if possible. 

Students need to be able to take the classes that they need in order to graduate on time. Courses need to be scheduled in such a manner that not only do students have access to the classes they need, but also that those classes are scheduled in such a way that is manageable and minimizes any negative impact on their lives. A balanced, conflict-free schedule is the best way to help students succeed. 

Ensure that student pre-registrations or program pathway information is taken into account when producing the schedule. Infosilem Academic provides information on the supply of seats in each class, and the projected demand for those seats so that departments can ensure enough sections and seats are available to mee that demand. 

Generally there is a drop/add period after the start of term during which students can change their classes.   

 Ensure that students’ required classes are scheduled in such a way that students not only have access to them, but also can have a balanced academic life around which to plan their personal lives. Additionally, try to make as many elective choices available as possible. 

Absolutely, student-based or demand-based scheduling uses those projections or actual pre-registrations to create the class schedules. Institutions can manipulate the data to emulate growth in certain areas, and measure the impact on schedules and space, all in a simulation environment. 

A common exam for all sections of a course is often the fairest way to evaluate students knowledge of the subject. There are challenges finding times that work for all the students which is why typically institutions that offer final exams, schedule them outside of the class term dates in a defined examination period. Scheduling within the exam period itself can be challenging depending on the testing facilities available, and how varied student choices can be. A fair exam schedule is one that allows sufficient study time, and does not overload students within a given day or days. Many institutions have exam scheduling guidelines stating what an acceptable schedule should be. 

The scheduling algorithm will not create overlapping exams, and whether or not back to back exams are permitted is a parameter that can be set. As for detecting them if they have been created manually, users are prompted with live validations when this happens, and additionally there are validation reports that can be run at any time. 

The exam software assigns times and rooms simultaneously. Large exams often need multiple rooms if large testing facilities such as the gym are not available, and the room file can be structured to ensure that if multiple rooms are assigned, they are as close together as possible. Large testing facilities can be broken down into subrooms to allow for alternate seating in order to minimize cheating. Exams can have their enrolment ratioed in order to allow for spacing even within smaller classrooms. 

There are a number of options to handle conflicts. Some schools set up “conflict rooms” and student with conflicts are escorted to their second exam after the first one has been written. Other schools set aside conflict days, reserved for students with conflicting exams. Ideally, there should not be any conflicts to begin with, and the Infosilem software ensures that if at all possible. 

The scheduling of classes should follow the student program pathway data, and at a minimum required courses should be scheduled in a compact manner within a day and within a week.  For instructors, there are generally contract stipulations regarding how and when their classes should be scheduled.

Scheduling can occur as a central function, with control over academic space and choice of times managed by a central office based on departmental input and student pathways.  It can also be distributed, with departments have control over their offerings to varying degrees as far as choice of time is concerned; however the bulk of room assignment still managed by a central office.  A third model is completely decentralized, with departments managing both the time and room assignment for the classes they offer.  There are pros and cons of each model; however, we would argue that a centralized approach yields the best overall schedules for the institution.

Time to graduation for students and efficient use of institutional resources are impacted by the academic schedule. Both of these areas have significant impact on the financial well-being of the institution. Automating the scheduling process allows schools to reduce the elapsed time to construct a schedule, and will provide better schedules overall. 

Important KPI’s to measure include the overall quality of the schedule in terms of student access to classes and utilization of institutional resources. Additionally, it is important to measure the changes that occur to scheduling data during construction and post construction. Changes to the schedule after it has been published is disruptive to the organization and can lead to frustration for students, instructors, and administration. 

Scheduling software allows you to run “what-if” scenarios in order to plan for anticipated or projected changes in enrolment, and determine if a viable schedule can be produced with existing resources, or if additional resources (space, instructors etc) will be needed.