What is End-to-End Scheduling Anyway?

End-to-end scheduling incorporates all elements of scheduling into one location to streamline to process and attain better results. Learn how reporting, demand analytics, section scheduling, instructor preferences, policy enforcement, room optimization, and change requests can all be managed in one platform.

End-to-end scheduling means aligning absolutely all components of the course scheduling process in order to better meet the academic needs of students and to make more efficient, data-driven decisions. It means that all involved—administrators, faculty, and execs—agree that satisfying student need is the primary objective and ultimate outcome of scheduling, and that they understand their role in this endeavor. It means participants and stakeholders collaborate in a unified platform with consistent standards of data integrity and communication throughout the entirety of the process.

For us, it makes sense to integrate everything: reporting, demand analytics, section scheduling, instructor preferences, policy enforcement, room optimization(s), and change requests are all a part of scheduling. End-to-end scheduling, then, means broadening higher-ed's understanding of the scheduling process so as to embrace its necessarily holistic and ongoing nature. By doing so, by  higher ed administrators can position themselves to more substantively and consistently meet the needs of students. In this way, embracing end-to-end scheduling is as cultural as it is technological!

Certainly, adoption of new software is a part of the journey, but the changes in business processes and status quo can't be understated. Currently, faculty availability and faculty preference rank as the top two factors for creating the undergraduate scheduling process. However, many institutions recognize the need to move towards more student-centric scheduling.

De-prioritizing habits and norms that, in many cases, have been around for decades is a challenge. By leveraging best practices in change management, garnering diverse, multi-functional buy-in, and delivering on a mission that should be motivating to all, we aim to empower schools to clear this hurdle.