Creating class schedules presents a difficult task
By Joshua Owens
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Staff Writer
Students often take for granted those handy class offerings booklets which are distributed a couple months prior to each semester. These booklets require a substantial amount of thought and revision before they can be printed.
Dr. Rob Page, chair of the social sciences division, said, "There're a lot of different considerations that determine offerings." Page continued, "The two primary factors administrators must build class schedules around are student needs and budget."
The responsibility of scheduling falls on the shoulders of division chairs � some of whom collaborate with assisting coordinators, while others fulfill this duty solitarily. Previous semesters provide frameworks for planning current schedules.
"We typically use last year's model and make minor tweaks as needed," explained Page. Circumstances which require adjustments include fluctuations in student enrollment and class demand. "We look at the history. This helps us understand which times work best, which are failing and which days attract students."
The Floyd campus of Georgia Highlands College presently offers the widest variety of courses, especially in the laboratory sciences: biology, anatomy and physiology, chemistry, etc. This is not simply because there are more students in Floyd � Cartersville has 1,386 enrolled this semester, only 12 percent less than Floyd. In reality, "budget and space limitations preclude offering these classes at all campuses," said Page.
Site directors aid in the process of class creating class schedules by acting as liaisons betwixt chairs and students of various campuses (Acworth, Marietta, Carrollton, Cartersville, Floyd and Heritage Hall). Page said that these intermediate functionaries have an idea of which classes ought to be offered, while chairs determine how much is financially feasible with available faculty and budget. "Class scheduling is a two-way street," remarked Page.
After the division chairs finalize their lists, they are sent to the Office of the Vice President of Academic Affairs, where they are examined, approved and compiled. Soon afterward a digital copy appears on the college's website, not long after pamphlets are in students' hands.
Despite the potential complications, the method works, and students are taking the classes required to earn their degrees. Jenna Bishop, a sophomore nursing major from Rome, said, "I've always been able to schedule my classes when I've needed them."
Chase Davis, a sophomore history major from Tallapoosa, remarked, "I haven't had any trouble with class scheduling. I've come on Tuesdays and Thursdays the past two semesters; that way I can work Monday, Wednesday and Friday."
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