Ten Tips from Three Trailblazers in Annual Scheduling

Annual scheduling in higher education is more than just a logistical task—it's about strategies that ensure long-term student success with schedules that optimize institutional resources. In a recent panel discussion hosted by Ad Astra, three higher education leaders—Diane Jacobs from Community College of Allegheny County, John Hamman from Montgomery College, and David Short from Lamar University—shared their insights, strategies, and challenges as they navigate the transition to an annual schedule planning process. 

Here are 10 key takeaways from their experiences and advice on embracing annual scheduling in higher education: 

1. Shift from Crisis Mode to Strategic Planning

One of the major challenges institutions face is shifting from a default mode of avoiding a crisis when it comes to immediate scheduling needs. David Short spoke about the pressure institutions face when dealing with this cycle of inertia: 

By adopting a more strategic, long-term schedule planning process, institutions can alleviate the burden of last-minute changes and reactive decision-making while ensuring schedules are published on time.

2. Benchmark for Student and Financial Success

At the core of annual scheduling is aligning course offerings with student needs while building a financially sustainable schedule. Diane Jacobs noted that their goals and approach are centered on both: 

This approach ensures that the courses offered are based on actual student demand, improving both retention and institutional resource utilization. 

3. Collaborate Across Departments

Building an effective annual schedule isn’t a one-person job. All three panelists emphasized the importance of collaboration between departments. John Hamman highlighted the need for breaking down silos in the scheduling process: 

"Each department does a good job thinking about how to build a schedule for their department - but students are almost always taking classes across departments. Who organizes this? If I have to get the Math, English, and Psychology departments to offer classes that make for a good sequence for students...who has to move?” 

It takes a lot of people to be involved and to think differently than just how scheduling has been done for the last decade.” - John Hamman 

By bringing together stakeholders from academic departments, advising, and even enrollment teams, institutions can ensure a more cohesive and student-centered schedule for students. 

4. Encourage a Culture Shift Toward Student Predictability

Moving to annual scheduling often requires a cultural shift within the institution. All three institutions emphasize the need for leadership to break through established norms: 

Encouraging collaboration and a shared vision toward meeting the needs of today’s learners is critical to successfully adopting an annual schedule. 

5. Look Beyond the Immediate Term

Annual scheduling requires a long-term view. David Short highlights how thinking beyond just one term helps his team optimize offerings to meet changing needs: 

Institutions that plan out further ahead—while remaining flexible—are better equipped to handle changes in demand, resource allocation, and student needs. 

6. Plan Around Completion Paths to Improve Course Offerings

Institutions that focus on pathways—structured routes that students follow to complete their degrees—are better able to predict course needs and improve student outcomes. John Hamman explained how pathway planning has transformed their scheduling process: 

“We still do our planning term-by-term, but we don't release term schedules until we've done an annual overview to make sure that when we have sequential courses, we have enough of the 2nd course based on what we anticipate for the 1st course. 

And then we use these pathway approaches to make sure that we're offering the courses in the right modalities, at the right campuses, at the right time of day. 

To really build out that plan and think about it from an annual perspective before we hit that go live button is really, really important.” 

7. Adopt a Lean Mindset to Manage Schedule Changes

Publishing a schedule only to later cancel or change classes can create confusion and frustration. Instead, panelists recommended starting with a lean schedule and gradually adding to it as needed. Diane Jacobs shared how this mindset helped her institution: 

This lean scheduling method ensures that students can plan ahead while also reducing the risk of last-minute course cancellations.

8. Incorporate Faculty and Resource Planning Early

Annual scheduling isn’t just about student success—it's also about making the best use of faculty and institutional resources. David Short pointed out how their institution uses the planning process to balance faculty workloads: 

“Another priority is resource alignment...we don't have the faculty to teach every course every semester. 

By looking at your schedule from an annual lens, you can divide some of that need to spread that load out and keep an even faculty load as well."

9. Track Metrics to Optimize Scheduling Practices

Tracking key metrics is vital to improving and refining the scheduling process. John Hamman emphasized the importance of monitoring utilization rates and other critical data to make informed decisions: 

By tracking and analyzing these metrics, institutions can optimize their scheduling practices to better meet student needs while maintaining resource efficiency. 

10. Close the Loop with Feedback and Iteration

The scheduling process doesn’t stop once a plan is published—it requires continuous feedback and adjustment. By constantly refining the schedule based on real-world data and feedback, institutions can improve over time.  

Diane Jacobs emphasized the importance of ongoing review: 

"What's important to this process is closing the loop with academic planning from everything we learned. For example, do we need to go to our curriculum committee to make changes based on forecasting for the following year?

There’s a constant closing of the loop and an iterative process to this scheduling.” 

In conclusion, adopting annual scheduling can seem like a daunting task, but as these trailblazers have shown, it offers immense benefits for students and institutions alike. By focusing on strategic planning, collaboration, and flexibility, institutions can create schedules that serve both students and faculty more effectively. 

Embracing these strategies will help higher education institutions move towards more efficient, student-centered scheduling practices.