The University is implementing a new program, Ad Astra, to ease the burden of scheduling classes for students.
Ad Astra works with the student information system, Banner, to make scheduling classes more efficient. The program is fully automated, which will allow all scheduling information to be in a single centralized area.
Since its formation in 1996, Ad Astra has been integrated with 550 college and university campus scheduling systems. With the program, course sizes are outfitted with appropriate classrooms.
"The program utilizes classroom space more efficiently for our students," said Emmett Winn, associate provost and vice-president of academic affairs.
With Auburn's current system, most scheduling is done manually, which leaves room for errors. Ad Astra is designed to take into account scheduling aspects which can cause issues such as classroom capacity, course availability and efficient technology use.
The system addresses certain recurring problems with scheduling classes.
For instance, if a classroom has the capacity to hold 90 students, but the professor prefers 20 students in the class, there will be more seats than students.
"We are not asking to put students in crowded rooms," Winn says. "The solution is to put big courses in big classrooms and small courses in small classrooms."
Ad Astra works with the professors' needs to find a coordinating classroom that is proportionally sized.
The program eliminates the issue of having large lecture halls designated for small discussion classes.
"The main complaint of students is, 'I can't get the classes at times I need them,'" Winn said.
Ad Astra provides enough courses to enhance graduation rates while keeping an eye on cost, according to the Ad Astra website.
"The University will also benefit from centralizing academic and event scheduling in one database," said Laura Ann Forester, Auburn University registrar.
The program works with Auburn's existing student information to enable scheduling.
Ad Astra will allow students to schedule classes when they need them with fewer conflicts.
"Everyone wants a schedule that equitably balances tight resources," Forester said. "This is a tight balancing act. As the registrar, I want to make everyone happy."
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