EDUCATION COUNCIL

A.3.8 Academic Schedule

Approved/revised: May 3, 2023

APPLIES TO:          Registrar’s Office, Academic Office, Deans, Department Chairs, Faculty

RESPONSIBILITY:  Registrar

PURPOSE:

This policy provides a framework for development of the annual academic schedule for the Merritt and Vancouver campuses. The purpose of this document is to identify the roles and responsibilities of each department, outline the process and timelines for developing the academic schedule and define the procedures for resolving issues that may arise through the scheduling process.

OVERVIEW:

NVIT is committed to the timely creation and development of the academic schedule.  It is recognized that the timely, efficient release of the academic schedule has a direct impact on student experience and is a significant factor in sustaining healthy enrolment in our programs.

Development of the academic schedule is a complex task which requires the collaboration of the Academic office and Registrar’s office.  This integrated process begins with the determination of program intakes, course offerings and faculty assignments by the Academic office, followed by development of a course timetable with scheduled meeting days/times and classroom assignments by the Registrar’s Office.  It is critical that all departments adhere to the established timelines for this process to ensure timely, efficient completion of the schedule and opening of registration.

POLICY:

1. The coordination and development of the academic schedule is a function of the Registrar’s Office.
2. Development of the academic schedule requires the involvement of the Academic Office and the Registrar’s Office.  It is a collaborative effort requiring both departments to meet the established timelines for processes, including determination of program and course offerings for each campus, designation of faculty to instruct courses, establishing a timetable and opening registration.
3. Scheduling changes must be avoided whenever possible to ensure the least disruption to student schedules.  Once the academic schedule has been published, changes will only be permitted to correct errors or omissions, or for unavoidable circumstances such as faculty assignment changes due to section cancellations.  All changes must be approved by both the Registrar and the appropriate Dean.
4. The Scheduling Procedures provide a framework and timelines for creation of the academic schedule.  These procedures must be followed to ensure a timely, efficient process for registration.
5. The Academic Scheduling policy will be reviewed by the Policy Committee every 5 years.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Academic Office

• Determines the programs and courses that will be offered each academic year.
• Determines the number of sections of each course in each term.
• Determines course delivery method (i.e. face-to-face, online, hybrid).
• Assigns instructors to each course section.
• Communicates any scheduling constraints (e.g. special classroom requirements, maximum enrolment, instructor accommodations) to the Registrar’s Office prior to development of the schedule by the Registrar’s Office.

Registrar’s Office

• Develops the course schedule based on information provided by the Academic Office.  This involves determining meeting days, times and classroom location with consideration to program requirements, instructor availability, anticipated enrolment and any facility or health/safety constraints.
• Identifies oversights (e.g. missing required courses) and forwards to the Academic Office for resolution.
• Builds the academic schedule in the system and opens registration.

PRINCIPLES

Timetable Structure

• Courses shall be scheduled to ensure required courses for each program do not conflict.
• Required courses will be scheduled on a regular basis to allow students to meet graduation requirements within the designated timeframe for the credential and timely completion of their program.
• Courses will be scheduled to reflect the total hours as indicated on the course outlines approved by Education Council.
• Courses will normally be scheduled Monday to Friday between 9:00AM and 9:00PM.
• Courses requiring 3 contact hours/week will either be scheduled as 1 x 3hr class or 2 x 1.5hr classes per week. Courses which require more than 3 contact hours per week will be scheduled in accordance with the advice of the Department.
• Classes will be scheduled using the standardized time blocks shown below, except for applied programs where an alternate schedule is necessary to meet the required contact hours for a program (i.e. ENRT, HTCA, APNS, Trades).

	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY
Morning	9-12 9-10:30 10:45-12:15	9-12 9-10:30 10:45-12:55	9-12 9-10:30 10:45-12:15	9-12 9-10:30 10:45-12:15	9-12 9-10:30 10:45-12:15
Afternoon	1:00-4:00 1:00-2:30 2:45-4:15	1:00-4:00 1:00-2:30 2:45-4:15	2-5 2-3:30 3:45-5:15	1:00-4:00 1:00-2:30 2:45-4:15	1:00-4:00 1:00-2:30 2:45-4:15
Evening	4:30-6:00 5:00-8:00	4:30-6:00 5:00-8:00	4:30-6:00 5:30-8:30	4:30-6:00 5:00-8:00	4:30-6:00 5:00-8:00

• There will be at least a 15 min break between classes to allow for student and instructor transition.
• No classes will be scheduled during the lunch break from 12:15-1:00 PM Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and from 12:15-2:00 PM on Wednesdays unless diversion from this rule is specifically requested and necessary to meet the requirements for a particular program.
• Evening courses will be scheduled from 5:00-8:00 PM Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays and 5:30-8:30PM on Wednesdays, except in special circumstances where an alternate schedule is necessary.
• Courses with “TBA” instructors may be scheduled evenings and Fridays whenever possible to accommodate sessional instructors.

Fall Term Dates

• The Fall Term normally begins the day after the Labour Day statutory holiday in September and is comprised of fourteen (14) instructional weeks and a one (1) week exam period.
• Orientation Day is held the Tuesday immediately following the Labour Day statutory holiday in September. No classes are scheduled this day to accommodate student orientation.
• The first day of classes is the Wednesday following Orientation Day.
• There is a three (3) day Reading Break surrounding the Remembrance Day statutory holiday scheduled as shown below:

Remembrance Day	Reading Break
Monday	Thursday, Friday, Monday
Tuesday	Friday, Monday, Tuesday
Wednesday	Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
Thursday	Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
Friday	Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
Saturday	Thursday, Friday, Monday
Sunday	Thursday, Friday, Monday

• The 2^nd Tuesday after classes start is the last day to add or drop classes (Add/Drop date), calculated based upon 13% of the total duration of the course delivery.
• The 10^th Tuesday after classes start is the last day for course withdrawal/change to audit.  This date is established according to Board Policy C.3.6 Course Withdrawal.
• The last day of class for the Fall term is the 14^th Tuesday of the term.
• The Examination period will begin the day following the final day of classes for the term and will normally be seven (7) calendar days in duration.  The Exam schedule will be developed by the Registrar’s office in accordance with Board Policy C.1.9 Final Examinations.

Spring Term Dates

• The Spring Term normally begins the first full week of January and is comprised of fourteen (14) instructional weeks and a one (1) week exam period.
• Included within the fourteen instructional weeks is a four (4) day “Reading Break” following the BC Family Day statutory holiday.
• The 2^nd Friday after classes start is the last day to add or drop classes (Add/Drop date), calculated based upon 13% of the total duration of the course delivery.
• The 10^th Friday after classes start is the last day for course withdrawal/change to audit. Withdrawal/Change to Audit dates are established according to Board Policy C.3.6 Course Withdrawal.
• The last day of class for the Spring term is the 14^th Friday of the term.
• The Examination period will begin the day following the final day of classes for the term and will normally be seven (7) calendar days in duration.  In the event that the Easter holiday falls within the Exam period, the exam period will be extended an additional 3 days to account for the Statutory holidays where no exams will be scheduled, and the campus will be closed. The Exam schedule will be developed by the Registrar’s office in accordance with Board Policy C.1.9 Final Examinations.

Summer Term Dates

• The Summer Term normally begins the first full week of May and continues for fourteen (14) instructional weeks followed by a one (1) week exam period.
• Courses offered off-stream (e.g. later start, earlier finish, condensed offerings, or sections that span more than one term etc.) must be scheduled to include Education Council approved student contact hours.
• The last day to add or drop classes (Add/Drop date) is calculated based upon 13% of the total duration of the course delivery.
• Withdrawal/Change to Audit dates are established according to Board Policy (C.3.6 Course Withdrawal):

“… up to 66% of the duration of the course delivery. For courses delivered over more than a two-week period, this will be calculated up to the end of the week. Courses delivered in a module format (two weeks or less) will be calculated to the end of the 66% duration day.”

Statutory Holidays

• Statutory holidays will follow provincial standards and will be considered in building Term schedules. Where statutory holidays will adversely affect scheduled class time, Departments will make alternate arrangements to ensure student contact hours are met.
• If a statutory holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, campuses will either be closed the preceding Friday or following Monday.  A decision will be made in consideration of implications to the academic schedule.
• NVIT campuses will be closed on September 30^th in observation of the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. If September 30^th falls on a Saturday or Sunday, campuses will be closed the preceding Friday in observation of this federal holiday.
• No classes will be scheduled on June 21^st in observation of National Indigenous Peoples Day.

PROCEDURES

• The Registrar’s Office will prepare a draft schedule for the upcoming academic year based on previous year’s offerings by January 31^st.
• The Academic Office will provide confirmation of program and course offerings for the upcoming Summer, Fall and Spring terms to the Registrar’s Office by February 15th.  Applied programs (e.g. HTCA, APNS, Trades) that prepare their own schedules must submit scheduling information by the February 15^th deadline.
• If the February 15^th submission deadline is not met or course information is missing for some programs, the Registrar’s Office will finalize the draft schedule based on information from the prior year to avoid delaying the release of scheduling information to students.
• The finalized Academic Schedule for the Summer term will be released and registration opened by March 1^st.  The finalized Academic Schedule for the Fall and Spring terms will be published and registration opened by March 31^st.
• Once the Schedule has been published, changes to the schedule will be avoided whenever possible and must be approved by both the Dean and the Registrar.  Circumstances where changes may be warranted include;

o   Enrolment exceeds the capacity of the assigned classroom

o   Enrolment is lower than anticipated

o   Instructor reassignment

o   Classroom IT or equipment issues

o   Health or safety issues

• The cancellation deadline for programs and courses with low enrolment will be two (2) weeks prior to start of term (August, December, April).  Course cancellation decisions will be the responsibility of the Deans.

Related Policies:

• B.3.3 Facilities Use
  
• C.1.9 Final Examinations
• C.3.4 Course Changes
  
• C.3.6 Course Withdrawal
• C.3.12 Refund of Fees