NNLSO Annual Meeting 2017, April 5, 2017 Session: How to Remain Sane While Pulling Together an Academic Schedule Presented by Suzanne Dennis from Brooklyn Law School Summary by Connie Shipman ______________________________________________________________________________

Session Description: Learn how to build and organize an academic schedule, while maintaining balance between student needs and faculty demands. Topics will include faculty preferences, avoiding conflicts, and use of software. Your colleagues will discuss their experiences and answer questions.

Summary: Ah, the joys and challenges of putting together an academic schedule! It can be more challenging and encompassing than one would think. On Wednesday, April 5, 2017, Suzanne Dennis, Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs at Brooklyn Law School, presented on “How to Remain Sane While Pulling Together an Academic Schedule.” During her presentation, Suzanne took the audience through a comprehensive process of steps undertaken to produce an annual academic schedule, from faculty onboarding through to schedule creation and course/faculty evaluations. Noted exceptions arose when an adjunct or full-time faculty choose not to use an electronic process. Helpful screenshots included classroom grids, portal screens, and a flow of the onboarding process. By working with her dean, Suzanne has developed a thorough process wherein professors confirm the prerequisites and co-requisites for their courses ahead of time and few changes are made to the schedule once confirmed. Their onboarding faculty process allows her to associate faculty with the respective courses that s/he can and will teach. Some key points to remember: 1) Distribute teaching preference forms first to full-time faculty in early February, followed up by a distribution to adjuncts about three weeks later; with both groups, provide a firm deadline for a response; 2) Schedule for both fall and spring semesters when possible; 3) Even with a good process, it’s not always easy to stay calm. Expect there to be unexpected changes, such as a number of faculty who are untimely informed that they’ve been approved or accepted to visit away AFTER scheduling has begun; 4) A good organizational structure within Academic Affairs is a key to success. Software: She doesn’t promote one versus another but shared that Sharepoint, via Ellucian, is a good content management system to maintain organization. She uses Excel to facilitate classroom grids and maintain a frequency of when adjunts will teach and what they will teach. Color coding is beneficial to indicate whether they will return. Handouts nor the presentation files were available as of this write but should you have any questions, feel free to reach out the NNLSO listserve at nnlsomembership@nnlso.org or contact Suzanne Dennis directly at suzanne.dennis@brooklaw.edu.

How to Remain Sane

While Pulling Together

an Academic Schedule

Presented by: Suzanne M. Dennis, Brooklyn Law School

Wednesday, 4/5/17, Time 08:00am

Session 6029

Introduction

• Academic scheduling is a challenging enterprise which requires the ability to satisfy different constituencies, resolve competing priorities, optimize limited resources and limit conflicts

• Experience + the right tools are necessary to bring sanity to an often chaotic process

What You’ll Learn from this Session

• Brooklyn Law School’s organization and structure governing the scheduling process at BLS

• Classroom resources

• Process used in the scheduling process

• Tools for organizing and managing the process

• Take away ideas to implement at your school

Brooklyn Law School

• Private Independent Law School• 1,100+ students

• Accelerated 2-year day program

• Standard 3-year day program

• Extended 4-year evening program

• LL.M. program

• 15 classrooms

• 5 - capacities of 100 -116

• 2 - capacities of 64

• 3 – capacities of 50

• 3 – capacities of 38

• 3 – capacities of 18 (seminar style)

Academic Affairs Vice Dean for Academic Affairs

Member of the full-time tenured faculty

Term of 3 to 5 years

Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs

Senior administrator

Position created July 2016

Faculty

68 full-time including tenured, tenure track, clinicians and writing instructors

110 adjuncts including practitioners, judges, U.S. attorneys, D.A.’s

Out of control?

Cool and Calm?

Process• Review 3 year enrollment history

• Discuss admission targets

• Solicit faculty teaching preferences

• Review faculty sabbaticals and those visiting other law schools

• Identify areas that require the hiring of visiting faculty from other law schools and new adjuncts

• Generate offer letters to new faculty and start Onboarding process

Process (cont.)

• Update course catalog

• Create first-year group schedules

• Develop upper class teaching schedules

• Publish teaching schedules/push to portal & Student

Planning

Tools

• Enrollment History Report

• User friendly printable version of SSUM in Colleague

• Content Management System

• Sharepoint using Ellucian’s Portal

• Onboarding Faculty Workflow

• Academics Worksite

• Online Teaching Preference Form

• Link to Faculty and Course Evaluations

Tools (cont.)

• Excel Spreadsheets

• Classroom Grids

• Frequency of Courses Taught by Adjuncts

Enrollment History Report

Onboarding Faculty

Onboarding Detail

Onboarding Workflow

Academic Worksite

Teaching Preference Form

TPF’s in SharePoint List

Course/Faculty Evaluations

Classroom GridsTime Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri.

8:40-10:35 Room Cap. Course Faculty Room Cap. Course Faculty Room Cap. Course Faculty Room Cap. Course Faculty Room Cap. Course Faculty

8:45-10:35 500 18 500 18 500 18 500 18 500 18

9:00-10:25 600 18 600 18 600 18 600 18 600 18

9:00-10:30 505 38 505 38 505 38 505 38 505 38 Food & Drug Weiss

605 38 605 38 605 38 605 38 605 38

720M 38 720M 38 720M 38 720M 38 720M 38

2CR, 4CR, 6CR 402 44 402 44 402 44 402 44 Jurisprudence Sem. Napolitano 402 44

3 & 5 CR, "flex" 502 45 502 45 FLP D18 Adjunct 502 45 FLD Trans. Griesmeyer 502 45 502

3CR 602 45 Criminal Law D5S Simonson 602 45 Insurance Law Gold, J. 602 45 Criminal Law D5S Simonson 602 45 602

5CR 504 65 504 65 504 65 504 65 504 65

604 65 604 65 604 65 604 65 604 65

503 103 503 103 503 103 Criminal Law D1 Cohen, N.P. 503 103 503 103 Criminal Law Cohen, N.P.

603 103 603 103 Int 'l Law Arato 603 103 603 103 Int 'l Law Arato 603 103

401 116 401 116 Torts D5 Janger 401 116 401 116 Torts D5 Janger 401 116

501 116 501 116 501 116 501 116 501 116

601 116 601 116 601 116 601 116 601 116

Time Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri.

Room Cap. Course Instructor Room Cap. Course Instructor Room Cap. Course Instructor Room Cap. Course Instructor Room Cap. Course Faculty

C36 16 Adv. Legal Res. Peritz C36 16

10:45-12:40 500 18 500 18 500 18 Seminar Garrison 500 18 Camp. Law Sem. Gora 500 18

10:45-12:35 600 18 Public Health Porter 600 18 Mental Health Levy 600 18 Public Health Porter 600 18 600 18

11:00-12:25 505 38 White Collar Crime Baer 505 38 FLP D7 Kupferberg 505 38 FLP D4 Farber 505 38 Adv. Comm. Sem. Cohen 505 38

11:00-12:30 605 38 Tax Policy Dean 605 38 FLP D10 Greene 605 38 Tax Policy Dean 605 38 605 38

720M 38 720M 38 FLP D11 Gilchrist 720M 38 FLP D8 Kupferberg 720M 38 720M 38 FLP D2 Arnold

402 44 402 44 FLP D18 Adjunct 402 44 FLP D5 Kanwar 402 44 Divorce Mediation Fleischer 402 44 FLP D16 Termini

2CR, 4CR, 6CR 502 45 502 45 FLP D15 Termini 502 45 FLP D13 Teitcher 502 45 Law of Inequality Rahman 502 45 FLP D9 Greene

3 & 5 CR, "flex" 602 45 Employment Law Kotkin 602 45 Int 'l HR Murumba 602 45 Intro to Comp. Fanto 602 45 Int 'l HR Murumba 602 45 FLP D3 Farber

3CR 504 65 Criminal Law D6S Caplow 504 65 Patent Law Beauchamp 504 65 Criminal Law D6S Caplow 504 65 Patent Law Beauchamp 504 65 Torts Twerski

5CR 604 65 Federal Tax Kysar 604 65 604 65 Federal Tax Kysar 604 65 604 65

503 103 Civil Procedure D1 Fullerton 503 103 Civil Procedure D1 Fullerton 503 103 Clinic: Trans. Griesmeyer 503 103 Civil Procedure D1 Fullerton 503 103

603 103 Civ. Pro. D2 Effron 603 103 603 103 Civ. Pro. D2 Effron 603 103 Civ. Pro. D2 Effron 603 103

401 116 Criminal Pro. I Herman 401 116 Health Law Kolber 401 116 Criminal Pro. I Herman 401 116 Health Law Kolber 401 116

501 116 First Amendment Gora 501 116 Evidence Simonson 501 116 First Amendment Gora 501 116 Evidence Simonson 501 116

601 116 Sec. Trans. Cohen 601 116 Corporations Pinto 601 116 Sec. Trans. Cohen 601 116 Corporations Pinto 601 116

Time Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri.

1:50-3:45 Room Cap. Course Instructor Room Cap. Course Instructor Room Cap. Course Instructor Room Cap. Course Instructor Room Cap. Course Faculty

1:55-3:45 C36 16 Noon OFF Clinic: AGO Pullman

2:10-3:35 500 18 500 18 500 18 500 18 500 18

2:10-3:40 600 18 600 18 Res. Writ. FTL Darvil/Raphael 600 18 600 18 600 18

505 38 National Sec. Law Rosen, M. 505 38 FLP D17 Han 505 38 National Sec. Law Rosen, M. 505 38 505 38

605 38 Fashion Law Jimenez 605 38 Terrorism Sem. Herman 605 38 Adv. Civ. Lit. Weiner, S. 605 38 Res. Writ. FTL Teitcher 605 38

2CR, 4CR, 6CR 720M 38 Int 'l Comm. Arb. Kimmelman 720M 38 FLP D14 Brown 720M 38 FLP D12 Gilchrist 720M 38 720M 38

3 & 5 CR, "flex" 402 44 When Justice Fails Landsman 402 44 Torts D4S Bernstein 402 44 402 44 Torts D4S Bernstein 402 44

3CR 502 45 Torts D1S Twerski 502 45 Torts D2S Twerski 502 45 Torts D1S Twerski 502 45 Torts D2S Twerski 502 45

5CR 602 45 FLP D6 Kanwar 602 45 Criminal Law D4S Baer 602 45 FLP D13 Teitcher 602 45 Criminal Law D4S Baer 602 45

504 65 Am. Legal Hist. Beauchamp 504 65 Torts D3S Garrison 504 65 Am. Legal Hist. Beauchamp 504 65 Torts D3S Garrison 504 65

604 65 IBT Effron 604 65 Criminal Law D3S Kolber 604 65 IBT Effron 604 65 Criminal Law D3S Kolber 604 65

503 103 503 103 Copyright Jones 503 103 503 103 Copyright Jones 503 103

603 103 Civ. Pro. D3 Ressler 603 103 FLP D1 Arnold 603 103 Civ. Pro. D3 Ressler 603 103 Civ. Pro. D3 Ressler 603 103

401 116 Internet Law Mulligan 401 116 Corporations Fanto 401 116 Internet Law Mulligan 401 116 Corporations Fanto 401 116

501 116 Corporations Karmel 501 116 FLP D1 Arnold 501 116 Corporations Karmel 501 116 501 116

601 116 Federal Income Kysar 601 116 Debtor/Creditor Janger 601 116 Federal Income Kysar 601 116 Debtor/Creditor Janger 601 116

Time Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri.

3:55-5:50 Room Cap. Course Instructor Room Cap. Course Instructor Room Cap. Course Instructor Room Cap. Course Instructor Room Cap. Course Faculty

4:00-5:50 OFFC Clinic: Children Simmons OFFC

4:10-5:35 TBA OFF C36 16 C36 16 Int 'l Law Research Davis

4:10-5:40 400 18 400 18 Clinic: Pros. Smith

500 18 Clinic: Corp. RE Bechtel 500 18 Clinic: HELP Lok 500 18 Fed. US ProsecutorsNotopoulos 500 18 Clinic: Immiration Dunn 500 18

600 18 Clinic: AIDD Chin 600 18 600 18 600 18 Clinic: Veteran's Culhane 600 18

2CR, 4CR, 6CR 505 38 Govt. Advocacy Allard 505 38 LFP Eisen 505 38 Clinic: BLIP Sem. Askin 505 38 RE: Getting Deal Done Wasserman 505 38

3 & 5 CR, "flex" 605 38 Clinic: Urban DeBarbieri 605 38 In-House Seminar Orol 605 38 Clinic: Safe Harbor Caplow/Smulian 605 38 Clinic: Sem. Adv. Crim. Smith 605 38

3CR 720M 38 VIS Kimmelman 720M 38 720M 38 LFP Huq 720M 38 720M 38

5CR 402 44 Clinic: Crim. Pract. Smith 402 44 Negotiations D1 Schultze 402 44 Negotiations D2 Schultze 402 44 Interview. & Couns. Schultze 402 44

502 45 Clinic: Judicial D'Emic 502 45 NYCP Kelly 502 45 Prob. Solving Just. D'Emic/Swern 502 45 502 45

602 45 Clinic: Judicial Stong 602 45 Labor Law Leach 602 45 Clinic: Mediation Regan 602 45 Labor Law Leach 602 45

504 65 Clinic: Judicial Weston 504 65 Trial Ad D2 Zeman/Moore 504 65 LFP Balsam 504 65 504 65

604 65 Clinic: Judicial Reyes 604 65 Const. Interp. Napolitano 604 65 Clinic: Employ. Kotkin 604 65 Const. Interp. Napolitano 604 65

503 103 PLA Piepers 503 103 503 103 Clinic: NY Cons. Cherubin 503 103 503 103

603 103 603 103 603 103 Clinic: LGBT Hazeldean 603 103 603 103

401 116 Criminal Law D2 Sacharoff 401 116 401 116 Criminal Law D2 Sacharoff 401 116 401 116

501 116 Admin. Law Rahman 501 116 501 116 Admin. Law Rahman 501 116 501 116

601 116 Race and Law Magpantay 601 116 601 116 Race and Law Magpantay 601 116 601 116

Adjunct Frequency

Summary• Keep Calm and Schedule On

• A good organizational structure within Academic Affairs is key

• Developing a process that takes into consideration a multitude of factors helps you organize the project and stay on track

• Tools like a content management system aids in sharing data with other key players

Questions?

• Your Turn

Thank You!Suzanne M. Dennis

suzanne.dennis@brooklaw.edu

Please complete the session evaluation using the AACRAO mobile app or the paper form provided in your registration packet.

Session 6029