Scheduling Goals
The primary goal of the Office of the Registrar is to optimize courses, staff, and teaching spaces while reducing operating costs to be fiscally efficient and environmentally responsible. This focus is crucial in the fiscally challenging years ahead. By following standardized scheduling patterns with compatible start and end times, the overall schedule fits together with less conflict in a consistent and equitable manner.
To achieve these goals, scheduling policies and procedures have been established by Classroom Scheduling and approved by the Office of the Provost. These regulations apply to university classrooms used by the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Education, Engineering, and the Tippie College of Business. The scheduling regulations ensure efficient use of classroom space and provide an orderly framework for instructional planning, reducing course concentration. Standardized time blocks also offer students greater flexibility in scheduling classes across different departments or colleges.
Classroom Scheduling
Manages and schedules the central pool of University Classrooms throughout campus. This includes coordination of classrooms for the schedule of courses, special academic events, and general maintenance and upkeep.
Scheduling Policies and Procedures
Class Allocations
An allocation is a figure based on the number of contact hours offered by each department in university classrooms in the past fall semester relative to the total classroom use and on the number of university classroom periods that will be available during the next academic year.
Contact Hours and Meeting Patterns
Every course must meet a certain number of contact hours to meet semester hours criteria. Courses must also adhere to certain meeting patterns if they will utilize a University Classroom (UCR).
Course Dates and Financial Aid Compliance
This section outlines the policies to ensure the University of Iowa maintains its status as a standard term institution, aligning course dates with federal and institutional requirements for financial aid eligibility.
Standardized Time-Block Model
Applicable to fall, spring, and summer, the Standardized Time-Block Model (or Approved Class Time Model) aims to optimize courses, staff, and spaces while reducing costs and promoting environmental responsibility.
Session Specific Scheduling Policies
Fall and Spring Scheduling
Comprehensive polices and regulations for scheduling University Classrooms and Departmental Spaces during the fall and spring academic sessions.
Summer Session Scheduling
The summer session consists of five sub-sessions: four-week, six-week I, eight-week, six-week II, and twelve-week. Departments are encouraged to offer classes in each sub-session.
Winter Session Scheduling
Winter session 2025 runs from Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, to Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. Winter session sections requesting a UCR or Level I classroom do not need to start/meet at approved class meeting times.