Electronic Course Scheduling (ECS) in PS FAQ's

Updated April 17, 2008

• How do you release seats that are in reserve capacities? Seats can be opened up to all students (assuming the student meets any pre-req's on the course) by adding an End Date to the Reserve Capacity Requirement Group.

• We inadvertantly put a course requirement into ECAS for a certain class, and now students can't register. How can we fix this? You will need to go through ECAS and remove the requirement, and send it through the approval process. In the meantime, if you want students to be able to register, you can give them a permission number, which will override the requirement.

• I have four sections for a class, but suddenly now the Session code and the Section field for one of them is grayed out - why? This is a class for which registration has opened, and at least one student has registered for this section. As soon as there is registration in a section, the Session code and the Section code will gray out so that they can no longer be changed.
  
  
• Part I: I need to assign a departmental room to a section, but it doesn't appear in the lookup for Facility ID. How do I get it to show up? On the Twin Cities campus, send an e-mail with details to ocmsched@umn.edu, and they will set it up for you. On the Duluth campus, contact Bob Krumwiede, (218) 726-7560 with questions.
  
  Part II: What do I do in the meantime, so that Schedule 25 doesn't assign a centrally scheduled room to this section? Just leave the Facility ID field blank - if Schedule 25 does assign a room, you can update it when your departmentally controlled room becomes available.
  
  
• This class should show permission numbers, but it's showing the student specific option. This is easily updated in ECS by going to Schedule of Classes, locating the correct section(s), taking the checkmark off the Student Specific Permissions checkbox on the right, and saving the page. You will then need to go back to the Permission Number page (Records and Enrollment > Term Processing > Class Permissions > Class Permission Numbers) and add your permission numbers.
  

• What is a "period", and does it have an effect on what I do in ECS?   "Periods" refer to what point in the Scheduling cycle you are in for a particular term. For example, during September 2008 you would be in Period 4 of the Fall 2008 semester, but in Period 1 of the Summer 2009 semester. This has an effect on what you can and cannot do in ECS. For a visual representation of this, click here.

• We no longer need two sections of one of our classes - how do I get rid of them?   Depends on what "period" you are in for the semester of the class - you should either delete the section, or cancel it. Click here for further documentation.
  

• I don't understand what is meant by "auto-enroll" - could you explain?    Auto-enroll refers to a process by which a student, when they sign up for one component of a class (such as a lab section), is automatically enrolled in a second or third component of the class (usually a lecture section). Click here for further documentation.
  

• Should I click the Save button on every page? It's probably a good idea, so that the work you do on one tab doesn't get 'lost' if you go to another tab and encounter a problem.
  

• Is there an advantage to picking a standard meeting time, rather than putting in my own times? Yes, there is. If you are using centrally scheduled rooms, using standard meetings times will allow your class to be placed. Otherwise, you will need to schedule a room yourself. Duluth Campus: Room Scheduling assigns use of all general purpose rooms; departmentally controlled rooms are assigned by the department. Classes scheduled at standard meeting times/days will be
  placed first. The non-standard meeting times/days will be placed on a space-available basis.
  
  

RE: NEW SYSTEM AND TRAINING

• What do I need to do to obtain access to the new ECS system?   Obtaining access to the new ECS system requires two steps: 1) attending a two hour training session on the new system (you must first have completed Student Data Inquiry training), and 2) completing two forms (Access Request Form Requestor's Demographic Information AND the ECS attachment) and submitting them to OIT Data Security. Duluth campus: access requests need to be sent to Judy Hinnenkamp, 139 DAdB.
  
  
• What will the training for ECS consist of?   Two hour training sessions on ECS procedures and practice are offered once a month (click "Register for Classes", at left, for session information). The session will include an introduction/overview and an initial demonstration of procedures, while the majority of the session will be spent on hands-on activities, where staff use a training instance of PeopleSoft to access their college/department classes to practice making changes and additions. NOTE: Student Data Inquiry, a 2.5 hour introduction to PeopleSoft navigation, terminology and business practice, is a prerequisite for the ECS session.
  

 

For further questions or additional information, contact:

Twin Cities Campus:  Email the Student Records Training Team or call (612) 625-2803

Duluth campus: Contact Gail Kehoe at (218) 726-7579, or email rooms@d.umn.edu