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Thursday, August 17, 2017

Welcome new ASR Training Update recipients

Our newsletter recipient list has expanded to include everyone with PeopleSoft Campus Solutions access.

The ASR Training Update is a monthly newsletter of assorted Student Records Training & Support Team initiatives, general updates, tips & tricks, and other matters that may interest you.

Recipients can expect to receive this newsletter the third week of each month. News and events will be posted to the blog on a rolling basis, so make sure to check back occasionally for the most up-to-date information. All previous newsletter information will remain on the blog page, so it is easy to go back and find what you are looking for.

Anyone not receiving this newsletter but who wishes to may add themselves to the ASR Training Update Google group.

Preparing for the Campus Solutions 9.2 Technical Upgrade Go-Live

The first phase of the PeopleSoft Campus Solutions 9.2 Upgrade is the technical upgrade of Campus Solutions from version 9.0 to version 9.2. In order to complete this phase, Campus Solutions will be unavailable for approximately 30 hours over the September 23 weekend. During this time, students, faculty, and staff will not have access to functions such as registration, student account payments, and grading. Human Resources and Financials systems and Moodle will have regular availability.

While this timeframe was selected to minimize impacts to the University community, we would like to hear from you if there are activities that will be negatively affected by this downtime. Please contact project manager Carrie Otto (zast0020@umn.edu) with details.

System changes as a result of this technical upgrade are minimal and restricted to look and feel. Preview these changes.

Auto-enroll ending reminders

The auto-enroll from waitlist process is run daily through the first day of classes. The list run of this process for the Twin Cities campus fall 2017 regular session will be late in the evening of September 5. Staff from other system campuses may check with their Office of the Registrar to confirm auto-enroll end dates for their campus.

Following the last run, those classes which still have wait lists will typically have an Enrollment Status of “Closed”. A common question is, how do you fill any seats that may subsequently open due to enrolled students dropping the class? You have two options to consider.

Option 1:
Give students a permission number to override a closed class using the Closed Class checkbox on the Class Permissions page. This option allows you to give priority to wait-listed students, when appropriate. To assist in determining which students to provide permission, the waitlist will be available for your reference until the end of drop/add period.



Option 2:
On the Enrollment Control tab, uncheck the Auto Enroll from Wait List checkbox, which changes the Enrollment Status to “Open” and allows any student to register for the remaining seat(s). This option will bypass any students remaining on the waitlist.


Each department can decide which option is best for their situation.

Setting end dates for reserve capacities

CCS schedulers should remember to set an end date for reserve capacity requirement groups for fall 2017. The end date should be set to the Friday before the start of the term or earlier. Review the guidelines for reserved seats »

If reserved seats have not been previously released by departments, ASR will release all reserved seats on the Friday before the first day of class each semester (September 1, 2017 for fall 2017 semester).

Check fall term instructor assignments

CCS schedulers should please verify complete and correct instructor information is entered into CCS for fall (1179). This includes accurate role and grading access types. As reminders:
  • Enter graduate assistants with a role of “TA” 
  • Do not grant undergraduate students either Approve or Grade access
Having complete and correct instructor information will ensure that instructors are able to access their online class rosters and, later, their grade rosters at the end of the term. It also assists students to have accurate instructor information as they begin their fall classes.

Graduate Student Services and Progress (GSSP) content transition to One Stop

On August 24, 2017, Graduate Student Services and Progress (GSSP) content will be moved from the Graduate School website to the One Stop Student Services website. Users looking for GSSP content on the Graduate School website will automatically be redirected to One Stop during the transitionary period. Faculty and staff content will remain on the Graduate School’s website, and only Twin Cities websites will be affected.

GSSP content will appear under the Academics tab on One Stop in the following pages:
  • Degree completion steps
  • Examination committees
  • Doctoral oral exam scheduling 
  • Thesis/dissertation submission and formatting
  • Contact GSSP
GSSP forms will be housed on the One Stop forms page. Application for degree and other information related to graduation will be updated on the ‘apply to graduate’ and ‘checklist for grad students’ pages that already exist on One Stop.

The goal of this content transition is to better serve students by housing content in one place and making navigation easier. Integrating GSSP with One Stop also better aligns with GSSP’s organizational structure.

Please communicate this change with students, staff, and faculty who may not be aware. Contact Chris Abts at cjabts@umn.edu with any GSSP questions. Thank you.

Study space finder

Study Space Finder has launched for students that includes images, building features, and locations. Students can find computer labs, coffee shops, and study spaces for individuals and groups via the map markers on East Bank, West Bank, and St. Paul campuses. The Study Space Finder will be housed at studyspace.umn.edu and will also appear as a link on sites with study space content.

This is a joint project between the Office of Classroom Management (OCM), University Libraries, Student Unions, Office of Information Technology (OIT), AHC Classroom Services, and University Services. Technical fixes are still in progress, but issues should be resolved shortly. Please share with students and contact studyspacefeedback@umn.edu with any questions.

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Academic calendar changes

Beginning with the 2018-19 academic calendar, the spring term will change from having 74 instructional days to having 70 instructional days. This change means that fall and spring semesters will have the same length going forward, and there is room for an additional study day for students in the spring term.

The full calendars for 2018-22 can be viewed on the University Senate page

Spring 2019
January 21 (Monday)
MLK holiday
January 22 (Tuesday)
Classes begin
March 18-22 (Monday through Friday)
Spring break
May 6 (Monday)
Last day of instruction
May 7, 8, and 12 (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sunday)
Study days
May 9-11 and 13-15 (Thurs.-Sat. and Mon.-Wed.)
Final examinations
May 15 (Wednesday)
End of term

Note that spring term will continue to start on the Tuesday after the MLK holiday, the second half of the term will still begin the Monday after spring break, and there will be no finals on the Sunday of finals week.

Because some classes may have 1 to 2 fewer meeting dates (depending on meeting pattern), syllabi may need to be reviewed. Please communicate these changes to those within your departments so that they are able to prepare accordingly.