This document explains the steps needed to create the schedule of classes. Department chairs, program directors, deans, academic support staff, and the Registrar team collaborate to prepare the schedule each semester.

To request access to creating and editing course sections in Colleague, please complete the training, available online via Canvas, and email registrar@valpo.edu when complete.

Follow any of the links below to navigate to a specific section.

Preparing the Schedule of Classes

Begin by gathering all of the details needed for the schedule:

• Course number

• Title

• Instructor(s)

• Class days and times

• Instructional method

• Requisites

• Restrictions, such as capacity or rules for “majors only”

• Permissions required, such as the instructor

• Other details as described in this document

The Schedule of Classes Archive is available on the Faculty & Advisor Information page. Download the schedule of classes from a previous term and use it as a starting point for creating a new schedule. The Excel files available include all the necessary details and serve as a valuable reference tool.

Please continue to coordinate with other departments, your dean, and any other colleagues currently involved in your schedule planning process.

For any items that currently require your dean's approval, please continue to request it before making any changes.

Course Changes

If your department has submitted a proposal to change a course, the Faculty Senate will need to approve the proposal, and the Registrar needs to process that change in Colleague before you create course sections with the new information. Creating new course sections before the change is entered in Colleague will result in outdated course details displaying on the schedule.

Effective Spring 2023: Valparaiso University uses Modern Campus Curriculum (fka Curriculog) to manage catalog and curriculum changes. Training and support are available through the Registrar.

Entering the Schedule Details

Using the VPN for Working Off-Campus

If you are working from off-campus, please follow this link for assistance and connect using the VPN before proceeding to Colleague.

Using Colleague

Administrative Links: Colleague UI Production
Administrative Links for Valparaiso University Systems

Log in using your usual Valpo username and password. Search for the SECT: Sections form in Colleague.

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Enter the term, subject, and course number in the Course Section LookUp field.
Example: 2022FA GS 150

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If this is the first section of this course being created within the academic term, you will see a message stating “Record not found -- Reenter or Add.”
Select Add.

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If there are already sections, and you want to create another, click the Add button at the bottom of the list of existing course sections.

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If there are multiple versions of this course, select the active version (no end date) that meets your department’s needs.

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Review each field in the SECT form and make any needed updates before publishing your schedule details in DataVU and allowing students to register.

Many of the fields will be populated with information from the academic calendar and the catalog, such as term start date, term end date, course level, academic level, title, course types, and requisites.

Use the notes in this document to help you make selections in fields such as credit type, credits, grade scheme, instructional method, section cap, billing credits, and cross-listing.

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To enter additional information, such as instructor, class meeting details, the section cap, and more, click the page icon next to each category on the right side of the screen.

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Section Designation

Enter the section number. Colleague uses the section number to build the course name (ENGL-200-A), which consists of the subject (ENGL), course number (200), and section number (A).

This information should be unique for every section of a course for a term. For example, there should not be two HIST-121-A sections in the term 2022FA.

The table below explains each of the standard section designations and how they're used in the schedule of classes.

Academic Terms

The term field indicates the term during which this section is active and will be recorded in the student's record when the student registers for this section. This field is populated using the term you entered in the Course Section LookUp above. The term is a combination of the year and a code from the table below.

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Start Date and End Date

These dates are pulled from the academic calendar in Colleague for the term you selected. Do not change these dates. Class meeting days and times are managed under Offering Info, not in these fields.

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Department

The department field and percentage field are populated using the department code from previous offerings. The percentage should always total 100.

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Credit Type

The schedule of classes includes only courses being taught at Valpo within a specified academic term. For that reason, all of the course sections you are entering should have Institutional as the credit type. Type the letter "I" in this field to select Institutional credit.

Different codes are used in this field for transfer credit and credit by examination, but they do not appear in the schedule of classes.

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Credit Hours - Min/Max/Incr

Enter the number of credit hours as shown in the Catalog. Use the Min field for the credit hours of this specific section. For courses that are always offered for the same number of credit hours, use the credit value in the catalog. For variable credit courses, enter the credit hours for this specific section in the Min field and make sure that the Max and Incr fields are blank. Otherwise, you'll see students registered incorrectly for varying amounts of credit for taking the same section.

When creating a new variable credit course, we use all three fields (Min/Max/Inc) at the course (not section) level to show the allowed range. Each section on the schedule has a specific (not variable) number of credits.

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Course Level

Entering the course level allows Search for Sections to narrow results to only courses at that level: 100, 200, 300, etc.

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Academic Level

Entering the academic level allows Search for Sections to narrow results to courses at that level: U or G. This field restricts registration so that undergraduate and graduate students can register only for courses at the same academic level (U or G). This field also organizes educational records so that undergraduate and graduate transcripts can be printed.

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Grade Scheme

Enter U for the Undergraduate grade scheme or G for the Graduate grade scheme, depending on the course level of this course section.

Entering the grade scheme enables Colleague to accurately record and use final course grades on transcripts, in the degree audit, for GPA calculation, within registration rules, and more.

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Course Titles - Topics and Seminars

The course title is populated using information from the Catalog. The short title is only customized for topics courses and seminars to indicate the subject of the course section. Otherwise, it matches the course title shown in the catalog. The table below displays examples of customized titles for topics courses and seminars. Please note that "Top:" and "Sem:" indicate that the course is offered under multiple titles with varying content.

This field has a 30-character limit. For this reason, long titles are abbreviated to fit on transcripts. Often, vowels are omitted to shorten titles to fit.

This field is displayed on transcripts, and it must match the title published in the catalog for accreditation and audit purposes, except in the case of topics courses and seminars, where the course description in the catalog explains that the topics vary.

Tip: Colleague adjusts capitalization in the title field to assist with consistency in capitalization. If you want to retain specific capitalization rather than the default, type the equal sign (=) before the title in this field. When you leave the field, the equal sign will disappear, and the title will retain the capitalization as you entered it.

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Status

The status of any course section being added to the schedule of classes should be A Active.

To cancel a course section, please update the status to C - Cancelled and email the Registrar for assistance.

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Course Type

Course types are used to facilitate degree audit evaluation and other processes. Courses approved by the General Education Committee and Faculty Senate to meet certain degree requirements are given a course type, which allows them to display properly on the Progress (degree audit) screen in DataVU (Self-Service).

Examples of Course Types: Cultural Diversity, Humanities: Fine Arts, Humanities: History, Humanities: Literature, Humanities: Philosophy, Quantitative Analysis, Social Sciences, Writing Intensive Course (WIC), Writing in Discipline (WID), and Capstone Writing Assignment (CWA).

The course type field is populated based on information from the catalog. Now that we have moved to Self-Service Progress instead of WebAdvisor Program Evaluation, the course type needs to be controlled at the course level rather than the section level. If, for example, a topics course is approved for General Education when a specific topic is taught, the department will need a General Education and a non-General Education version of the course. Christ College offers CC 300 (non-Gen Ed), CC 300HL (Humanities: Literature), and CC 300CD (Cultural Diversity). If they are cross-listed, each student must register for the section that corresponds with the requirement they need to meet. Colleague requires a 1-to-1 relationship between courses and Course Types.

See the Registrar for assistance with this.

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Faculty Assignment

Type the full name of the instructor in the Faculty Member field in row 1. Select the instructor from the list of results.

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If an instructor is new and has not yet been recorded by the Provost's Office in Colleague as a member of the faculty, you will see an error message.

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If the instructor's name hasn't been determined or their record isn't complete, use "Staff" as the instructor's name.

Refer to the new schedule details or the Schedule of Classes Archive as needed when updating the Load field.

• Regarding Cross-Listed Sections

  • Only the primary section will have the full load value; all sections cross-listed with the primary section will have a load of 0.

  • Credit hours and billing details are the same for all cross-listed sections, but the loads will vary so that only the primary section has a load greater than 0.

  • If cross-listed courses have different subjects, assign the load to the department of the instructor. Example: If courses from History and Political Science are cross-listed, and the instructor is in the History Department, assign the load to the History section and give the POLS section a load of 0.

Do not update the Instructional Method on this screen; use the Offering Info screen. Updates to the Offering Info screen are reflected here once they are saved.

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Multiple instructors

If a course section has multiple instructors, record the additional instructors in the next row(s) and adjust the Percent field so that they total 100 percent, assigning the appropriate load percentage in each row.

Removing or Changing Instructor Name

Leaving the instructor's name blank under Faculty Assignment displays that the instructor is "TBA" on the schedule of classes in DataVU.

To remove an instructor's name from the course section, use the same form used to enter the instructor: Faculty Section Assignment (FASC).

Click on the numbered button in the row of the instructor to be removed, as shown above under the Faculty Assignment heading.

Offering Info - Class Days and Times

Instructional Method

Type an Instructional Method code into row 1. Examples: LE, OL, OS, OH, HY, LIV

The instructional method is one of the criteria used in classroom assignments. Please be sure to read the definitions linked below to help you choose an instructional method that will provide you with a class meeting time and a classroom, if needed.

If the days and times are still To Be Determined, click the Instructional Method field in row 1 to populate it, then save your work. As you save and leave this screen, acknowledge the error message stating that meeting days and times are missing, then continue saving.

Short Course Meeting Dates

For undergraduate courses that meet only during the first half or only the second half of the academic term, do NOT change the Term or the Start and End Dates in SECT; instead, use the Offering Info screen to adjust the meeting dates. Adjust the St Date and End Date under Schedule Print Times  (shown above) as needed to reflect the short course dates on the Academic Calendar.

• If the course is being created for the first half of the term, leave the start date, but adjust the end date to match the last day of the first half short courses shown on the Academic Calendar.

• If the course is being created for the second half of the term, adjust both the start date and the end date to match the dates for the second half short courses shown on the Academic Calendar. Please note that second half short courses end earlier than full semester courses because they do not include the Final Examination period.

One-Day Courses

Example: BUS-100 labs

Use the Section Offering Info screen to change the Frequency from Weekly to “YW - Yearly, Same day” and change the start/end dates to match the meeting date. This will allow students to see the date of this one-day course section on their class schedule.

Also, be sure to enter Printed Comments on the Additional Information (shown below) screen, stating the meeting date. Printed Comments are displayed for course sections in DataVU.

Section Requisites

This screen is populated using information from the Catalog. View this screen to make sure that any requisites are displayed as expected. Remember to refer to the Schedule of Classes Archive to view the requisites used for previous schedules.

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Restrictions, Including Capacity

Enter section capacity and minimum enrollment values as described in the Adjusting Course Section Caps article linked below. Section capacity determines the number of students permitted to register for this course section. Schedule capacity does not impact registration; it's a reference tool that helps us remember the highest number that should be allowed (this may factor in seats in the room or a maximum determined by the department or college). The Section Capacity field can only be adjusted until it aligns with the Schedule Capacity number. The Section Capacity may never exceed the Schedule Capacity. The set Schedule Capacity field may not be changed. 

Classrooms are assigned shortly after schedules are due, and the schedule capacity field is used to determine the room size needed. Once you have an assigned classroom, please keep the room capacity in mind as you adjust any section caps. Also, please follow your dean's guidance on appropriate caps for course sections.

Please refer to the Classroom Capacity guide to see seat counts for each classroom.

The Reg Restrictions field shows any registration restrictions from the Catalog, such as those allowing students only with specific majors or minors. Use information from the Schedule of Classes Archive to check this field for consistency.

Please refer to the Schedule Building Adjustable Fields Reference Guide for information on what fields can be edited in SECT.

• If you think the Instructor Consent or Petition Required fields need to be adjusted, please email registrar@valpo.edu. To keep consistency with the catalog, these fields cannot be adjusted by anyone outside the Registrar.

The Allow Audit field should be left with an N. It is only changed to a Y when a student uses an Audit a Course form and is approved.

Only Pass/No Pass should have an N for courses that use the full grade scheme or a Y for courses that are always graded S/U according to the Catalog, such as internships.

Allow Pass/NoPass should be left with an N. It is only changed to a Y when a student uses a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Grading form and is approved.

Allow Waitlist should be Y for any course that uses a waitlist.

Waitlist Maximum isn't required, but it can be used to set a limit on the number of students permitted to use the waitlist.

You can use the Cross-Listing button to access the Cross-Listing screen described in the Cross-Listing section below.

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Billing Information

Check the Billing Method to make sure it has a T for "From Tables."

Enter the number of credits for this course into the Billing Credits field. Credit hours and Billing Credits should match.

Exception: Some courses, such as MBA, have sections with a different billing method. Please read the Billing Method article for more details.

Examples:

• 3-credit courses need 3 Billing Credits.

• 2-credit courses need 2 Billing Credits.

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Cross-Listing

Before entering details on the Cross-Listing screen, you must first create all of the sections that will be cross-listed. Once you have them all created, return to the primary course section, select the Cross-Listing page, and enter the cross-listed course sections as shown below.

Example: Type "ART-132-AA" into the Cross-List Sections field in row 2. Tab through and update the other fields as needed.

Only 1 section is the Primary ("Yes"), and the rest should have "No" in this column.

Regarding Global Capacity and Section Capacity for cross-listing, read the Adjusting Course Section Caps article for more information, including examples of cross-listed course section capacities with registration scenarios.

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Load Credits for Cross-Listed Courses

Be sure to check load credits to make sure they are distributed appropriately across cross-listed sections. See notes above in the Faculty Assignment section for more details.

If the cross-listed courses include both undergraduate and graduate academic levels, set the primary course as the undergraduate one.

Remember to give the primary section the load credits and enter 0 for the load of all other cross-listed sections.

Common Room Group

To create a co-roomed section, navigate to CRMG and enter the name of the common room group. It’s best practice to include the term and section details in the name for clarity—for example, “SP25ENGL260/360.” Once you’ve entered the name, click OK to proceed.

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The Group ID has now been created. Next, enter the term in the Term View Filter field.

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Enter each section into the rows provided. The system will prompt you to confirm the correct section—select the appropriate one from the options provided.

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Once you’ve selected the sections, they will populate in the rows below.

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Save All.

To confirm that a section is common room grouped, go to the 'Offering Info' tab under SECT.

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You'll see an 'X' in the box under the instructional method, indicating that the section is part of a common room group.

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After detailing in, you can see the Common Room Group ID displayed.