02.01.59 Class Scheduling Policy

1. Class time: Courses that meet three or four days per week will meet for 55 minutes each class period; courses that meet two days per week will meet for 80 minutes each class period; courses that meet one day per week will meet for a 160-minute class period.
2. Time between class periods: There will be 20 minutes between the end of one class period and the beginning of the next class period.
3. Start times: The normal start time will be 8:00 A.M.; however, earlier start times are allowed at the college's discretion.
4. Compliance: Academic units must strictly adhere to the approved set of class times, with the exception of classes that have started after 4:00 P.M. Classes after 4:00 P.M. that meet once per week or classes that meet multiple times per week but do not have students involved in other classes after 4:00 P.M. may with the consent of the instructor and all of the students set their start times at a time that is most beneficial to all involved.
5. Approved class periods: The Office of Academic Affairs will, in consultation with the Faculty Senate, establish a list of approved class times. The list of approved class periods, along with other scheduling information, is published at the following address: http://www.uah.edu/reqistrar/schedulinq.
6. Exam periods: Exam periods are at the regularly scheduled exam period for all classes including the classes that are scheduled after 4:00 P.M. The exam period for the one day a week classes is the last class period of the semester.
7. Scheduling of classes: Colleges are required to spread their classes out over the week and throughout the day.
   1. No more than 10% of a college's classes may be in any single time slot (e.g., not more than 10% at TR 9:35 A.M.).
   2. Colleges are to schedule approximately equal numbers of their lecture sections in each time slot between 9:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M.
   3. Colleges are to schedule at least 10% of their total lecture classes at 8:00 AM. and 3:30 P.M. and after. The percentages at 8:00 AM. and at 3:30 P.M. and after may vary as long as the total is at least 10% of the classes in those two time slots. Colleges are allowed to have more than 10% of their classes in each of the time sheets after 3:30 P.M.

Academic colleges are strongly encouraged to use cluster scheduling to expedite student registration. Cluster scheduling is defined as linking courses, particularly required courses, at registration. For example, specific, linked sections of Calculus A, Chemistry Lecture, Chemistry Laboratory, English Composition, and FYE would be joined as one schedule and students would register for the entire set of courses; the selection of an elective would either be of their choice or from a list of recommended electives. Cluster scheduling can be applied to all students; however, cluster scheduling for the first two semesters is particularly beneficial to students in their freshman year and will enhance the orientation experience for these students. Cluster scheduling assists incoming students with obtaining the classes that they need for their first two semesters and increases the ease of scheduling for students during orientation. Cluster scheduling assists in retaining freshman students because they know the courses they need to take spring semester will be available to them.