It’s time to look at the schedule!

An IR-developed research tool for investigating patterns in course offerings.

FAIR – March 19, 2015

Background

Strategic Initiative: Implement a coordinated college-wide, data-driven approach to

class scheduling to optimize the time, location, and delivery methods for courses and programs across campuses.

Existing tool: • Developed in 1998 by a faculty member – “The Totten Report”• Limited ability to explore the data• Not compatible with 64-bit computers

Excerpt from sample report

Excerpt from sample report

Project Goals

• Create two new reports using SAS Business Intelligence (BI) that will replace and enhance existing functionality of The Totten Report• Deliver reports in a web-based format to eliminate compatibility

issues• Enable users to see historical data as well as daily updated current

data• Provide filters that will enable users to study the course schedule and

make enhancements based on data

New Reports

• Built using SAS Enterprise Business Intelligence 9.3• Relies on a daily extract of data for current terms, merged with static historical

data going back 5 years (for 1 report)• Report 1: SAS Enterprise Guide Scheduled Task Daily extract + Historical data

SAS Stored Process SAS Information Delivery PortalFilters: Crs prefix, course, campus, delivery method, schedule, term, course capacity, room capacity, faculty member, output format

• Report 2: SAS Enterprise Guide Scheduled Task Daily Extract SAS Web Report Studio Report + SAS Stored Process SAS Information Delivery Portal

Filters: Term, campus, Day, time slot, room capacity, room use, specific room

Report 1: The Course Schedule Search

Report 2: Find an Open Room

Report 2: Find an open room, cont.

Lessons Learned

• Limited adoption because users can still access old reports• Users will not use if they have to perform too many clicks• Training is critical – tendency to disregard tool if not immediately

usable• Change is hard, feared and fought• Utilize early adopters as subject matter experts to help you perfect

report

Optimization findings so far

1. Classes scheduled in non-classrooms188 sections; 320 hours

2. Inconsistency in section capacity across campuses and within courses3. Search for causes of college capacity decline