Your Monthly Guide to Smarter Scheduling

November 2025

Welcome!

Welcome to the first edition of the Classroom Scheduling Newsletter. This monthly newsletter is for all faculty and staff who work with course scheduling, exam scheduling, and event scheduling. Our goal is to help you stay informed about new and ongoing classroom scheduling related initiatives; share upcoming deadlines; and provide useful tips, tricks, and resources to help support your work.

Do you have any feedback or suggestions for future newsletters? Just send an email to classrooms@uiowa.edu

Highlights

  • Dates and Deadlines
  • Scheduling Policies
  • Last Minute Event Requests
  • Allocations Update
  • Daytime Midterm Exams
  • Tips and Tricks
  • New University Classrooms

Upcoming Dates and Deadlines

Refer to the Classroom Scheduling Task List for more dates and details on monthly recurring tasks, organized according to the course and event scheduling timeline, along with helpful resources to support your work.

Fall 2025

  • 12/15–12/19/25 
    Final Exam Week

Winter 2025/26

  • 11/10–12/5/25
    Early Registration

Spring 2026

  • 11/5/25
    Evening Midterm Exam Needs Due for MyUI Display
  • 11/10–12/5/25
    Early Registration
  • 12/1/25
    Department Event Requests Open
  • 12/15/25–1/14/26
    Final Exam Submission Period
  • 12/31/25
    Deadline to modify course offering time and locations for UCR sections

Fall 2026

  • 11/4/25–1/25/26
    Planner closed for UCR/Level 1 room submissions

Policy and Procedure Spotlight

Scheduling Policies

As we dive into fall 2026 scheduling, it's an ideal moment to revisit the Fall and Spring Scheduling policies available on the Office of the Registrar's website. Reviewing these guidelines now can help ensure your department’s submissions align with university expectations and timelines, and may also help avoid common scheduling pitfalls.

Last Minute Event Requests

Classroom Scheduling reviews requests in the order received and responds as promptly as possible. During peak times—especially the first few weeks of fall and spring semesters—processing may be delayed.

Important:
Facilities Management and the UI Energy Control Center require at least 48 hours (two business days) to reprogram building access, classroom locks, and climate control. 

Please remember that last-minute event requests are very difficult to accommodate due to space and scheduling constraints. To ensure your event runs smoothly, submit your requests as early as possible. Advance planning helps us support your needs more effectively!

Scheduling Insights

Allocations Update

Classroom Scheduling's previously manual and behind-the-scenes class time allocation process has become more transparent within the MAUI Planner. Enhanced reporting promotes efficient scheduling, ensuring that class demands are met throughout the teaching week in the University Classroom pool. 

This project is still under construction to accommodate evolving needs. Although the project is still in progress, Classroom Scheduling staff are actively reviewing and commenting on identified problem areas to maximize space efficiency. More information to come! 

Daytime Midterm Exams

Please remember that midterms given during regular class hours may not exceed the scheduled class period. If double seating is required, a larger classroom or multiple classrooms may be reserved for the scheduled class period, subject to availability.

Courses wishing to hold midterm exams outside their regular class meeting times must schedule them in the evening. These exams may not exceed two hours in length and must adhere to the approved evening midterm exam meeting times.

Tips and Tricks

ASTRA:0101

Editing Customers

If you need add, remove, or edit any customer names in Astra, please reach out directly to Classroom Scheduling, Registrar Room Reservations.

When end users update this table independently, it can result in duplicate entries and data inconsistencies, which cause issues for Classroom Scheduling.

We’re happy to make updates for you—whether it’s a single contact or a full list—just let us know what you need. Thanks for helping us keep the data accurate!

EVENTS:0101

Room Request Workflow Forms

To ensure your event runs smoothly and complies with university policies, it's essential to use the appropriate room request form when reserving a University Classroom. These forms help our Classroom Scheduling team efficiently process requests, avoid scheduling conflicts, and maintain accurate records. 

Department Reservation Form

TILE Reservation Form

Facilities & Tech Updates

image of classroom 2008 health sciences academic building

Health Sciences Academic Building

New UCRs

Four new university classrooms came online in the newly constructed Health Sciences Academic Building this fall. The classroom types include a computer classroom, multi-purpose classroom with tables, a TILE-Lite classroom, and a seminar room.

image of college of public health building surrounded by trees in autumn

College of Public Heath Building

New UCRs

Two new university classrooms are coming online this fall in the College of Public Heath Building. The classroom types include a multi-purpose classroom with tables and a TILE-Lite classroom. These classrooms will be replacing former UCR spaces in CPHB that were turned over for college lab spaces.

image looking down onto the first floor of old capitol mall

University Capitol Centre

New UCRs

Two new university classrooms are coming online in spring 2026 in University Capitol Centre (or Old Capitol Mall), located in the International Programs hallway. Both classrooms will be multi-purpose classrooms, one with tables and the other with tablet arm chairs. 

The Dean's List

group of eight women holding signs that portray them as characters from the game Guess Who

Happy Halloween!

The Office of the Registrar celebrated Halloween this year with a costume competition. Classroom Scheduling were the self-proclaimed winners of Best Group Costume! Can you guess who we were? 

image of a white fluffy dog

Pet of the Month

Matilda

Caroline's super fluffy and adorable dog Matilda (aka Mattie), is the winner of November's Pet of the Month contest. Since Caroline was the only person voting, it was a very easy decision. 

Do you have topic requests for future newsletters?

We would love to hear your suggestions!