Behind the scenes, the process of scheduling classes begins much earlier than students might expect — as early as two quarters in advance. During this time, departments receive notification from the UC Santa Barbara Office of the Registrar to start planning their class schedules and faculty are surveyed about their preferences for course times and formats.
Amy Houser, the undergraduate academic advisor for the Department of Film & Media Studies, shared insights into her role in scheduling and classroom assignments.
“For a specialized department like film and media studies, the scheduling process involves numerous moving parts. The department’s unique requirements, such as specialized equipment for media screenings, add an extra layer of complexity,” Houser explained. “For instance, certain screenings may require a Japanese DVD player compatible with specific formats.”
This explains why departments like film and media studies primarily hold lectures within their own buildings — 77.84% of lectures from Fall 2023 to Fall 2024 took place in Social Sciences & Media Studies and Pollock Theater.
In stark contrast, the Department of Statistics and Applied Probability lectures spread far and wide: the Chemistry Building (10%), Buchanan Hall (20.5%), North Hall (10%), the Psychology Building (15%), and various other locations accounting for the remaining 44.5%.
Once departments gather their lecture and lab schedule information, they submit the information to the Office of the Registrar. Bridget Michaels, the academic scheduling specialist for the Office of the Registrar, handles most of the scheduling responsibilities. Her work includes the “General Assignment” courses, which are not housed in department-specific buildings.”.
“The academic advisors from each department enter their preferred course schedule into the front-end of UCSB’s Student Information System … in two phases: one for primary modes of instruction (lectures) and then another for secondary modes of instruction (sections and labs),” Michaels shared. “Departments also make requests for preferences of General Assignment rooms/buildings/features in another platform, Ad Astra. After data is entered by departments and imports to Ad Astra, an algorithm is run there to place as many courses into General Assignment space as possible.”
Michaels continued by highlighting the complexity of the general scheduling process in order to accommodate the needs of different departments. The growing variety in teaching styles and class structures complicates the process even more, particularly as departments seek to adapt to evolving technologies and logistical constraints.
“There will also always be a significant desire for ‘primetime’ slates (blocks that fall within 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.),” Michaels said. “Some departments have moved away from a three-day, 50-minute format and toward a two-day, 75-minute format.”
This trend is evident in several departments. In a specific case, the course Anthropology 3: Introductory Archaeology, had followed a 50-minute Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays lecture schedule for years, until Winter Quarter 2024, when the format shifted to its current 75-minute Tuesdays and Thursdays model. Similarly, the communication department, once dominated by three-day schedules, has almost entirely transitioned to two-day formats. The economics department completed this shift as early as Spring Quarter 2024.
The move towards longer, less frequent class meetings, combined with the rapid advancement and increasing reliance on technology in education has heightened the need for classrooms that are technologically advanced and conducive to collaborative learning.
“There has been increasing demand for active and project-based learning classrooms, which is an exciting development for instructors and students alike,” Michaels said. “Those rooms have increasing interest on a quarterly basis, and I would say that interest has picked up significantly in the last five years.”
Renovation projects and infrastructure updates, such as the Interactive Learning Pavilion (ILP), are adapting to these evolving needs. The ILP not only provides collaborative learning spaces but also offers a range of lecture halls designed for mid-sized classes, accommodating those that are too large for other lecture halls and too small for auditoriums like Campbell Hall.
“When you see faculty and students excited about what’s possible with these new spaces, it makes all the challenges of scheduling worth it,” Houser said.
A version of this article appeared on p. 14 of the Feb. 6, 2025 edition of the Daily Nexus.
