Enrolling in Overlapping or Back-to-back Classes: Twin Cities, Crookston, Morris, Rochester

• Updated: December 2009
• Primary Contact : Susan Van Voorhis

Enrolling in overlapping classes is prohibited so students can actually attend the classes in which they enroll. For Twin Cities campus students, back-to-back classes with insufficient travel time may lead them to consistently arrive late or to depart early, which can disrupt a class and cause the student to miss instruction. Students are responsible for planning a schedule that allows enough time for travel between classes. Instructors may accommodate student-scheduling problems but are not required to do so.

1. Overlapping class times
   1. Classes that have any common meeting time are considered to be overlapping.
   2. Students are not permitted to register for classes that overlap unless they successfully petition for permission to do so.
   3. Petitions for overrides for such conflicts require the approval of all instructors involved. The decision to approve or disapprove such a petition for override is discretionary with each instructor involved, but petitions should be granted only under extenuating circumstances.
2. Enrollment in back-to-back classes [Twin Cities only]
   1. Students should not enroll in back-to-back classes when (1) the amount of time available for travel is less than 15 minutes (when both are on either the Minneapolis or St. Paul campus), or (2) the amount of time available to travel between two classes (when one is on the Minneapolis campus and the other on the St. Paul campus) is less than 30 minutes.
   2. Petitions for protection from penalties for such conflicts require the approval of all instructors involved and will be approved only under extenuating circumstances. The decision to approve or disapprove such a petition for override is discretionary with each instructor involved.
   3. If the student's petition has not been approved, instructors have the authority to penalize students who consistently arrive late or depart early from a class.

Exclusions

This policy is not applicable to the Duluth campus.

Students consistently arriving late for a class or departing early can disrupt the teaching and learning process. Instructors must understand that they may accommodate student-scheduling problems but are not required to do so.

There are no procedures related to this policy.

• Course time conflict approval form

There are no definitions related to this policy.

There are no specific responsibilities related to this policy.

There are no appendices related to this policy.

1. How do students obtain permission to enroll in back-to-back courses?

   Students who wish to enroll in back-to-back courses (or those with overlapping times) must complete the “Course Time Conflict Approval” form. Completing the form requires the signature of both instructors involved in a course time conflict. Without written permission, students will not be allowed to register for courses that are separated by less than one minute or overlap in the time they are offered. Verbal permission will not allow the student to register.

There is no related information for this policy.

Amended:

December 2009 - Policy now applies to Crookston.

Effective:

April 2009