University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Policy Name: Calendar and Schedules Policy
Policy Number: LR 514.7
Effective Date: August 15, 2021
Revised Date: April 27, 2021
Most Recent Review Date: April 2021 (Faculty Senate)
Academic Calendar (Maintained and updated by the Office of Records and Registration)
Policy:
Classes Begin and End Dates
Fall full-term classes shall begin no earlier than August 18th and no later than August 26th. The full-term session shall end no earlier than December 12th and no later than December 19th.
Spring full-term classes will start relative to Martin Luther King Jr. Day[1] such that the session shall end no earlier than May 12th and no later than May 17th.
Summer full-term classes will start relative to Memorial Day[2] such that the session shall end no earlier than August 2nd and no later than August 10th.
Succeeding part of term sessions (i.e. 520,530 and 720) may not start until the completion of the preceding session (i.e., 510, 520 and 710). There is an exception for sessions 910 and 920, which must overlap to allow adequate days for the overall length of the semester.
Time Between Classes
That the time between classes be ten minutes and be standardized throughout the class schedules. Evening classes will begin at 6:00 p.m. with a ten minute interval between class periods.
Class Blocks[3]
In order to facilitate usage of classrooms and allow students to create meaningful schedules, all classes that use classrooms on the University of Arkansas at Little Rock main campus must adhere to the defined class blocks. Classes which do not use classrooms on the main campus may develop start times and class blocks that suit their clientele.
Classes must be scheduled to start at the start time, but may end any time before the end of the class block and may use any of the days in the class block. Any class in which a portion of the class will extend across multiple class blocks requires approval of the department chair (or equivalent) or designee with notification to the Registrar.
- The start times for MWF morning classes shall be 8:00, 9:00, 10:00, and 11:00. The class block shall be 50 minutes long.
- The start times for MWF afternoon classes shall be 12:15, 1:40, and 4:30. The class block shall be 75 minutes long.
- The start times for MW evening classes and TR evening classes shall be 6:00, 7:25, 8:50. The class block shall be 75 minutes long.
- The start times for TR classes shall be 8:00, 9:25, 10:50, 12:15, 1:40, 3:05, and 4:30. The class block shall be 75 minutes long.
- The start times for M, W, T, R evening classes shall be 4:30, 6:00, 7:25. The class block shall be 160 minutes long.
Credit Hour Policy
All credit-bearing courses (undergraduate, graduate, professional), with the exception of courses offered by the William H. Bowen School of Law[4] must adhere to the standards laid out in this policy.
Each credit hour awarded by UA Little Rock is expected to require a reasonable approximation of the Carnegie Standard Hour for student achievement of course learning objectives following common practice in higher education.
Standard Delivery Mode for a Credit Hour
The standard for UA Little Rock will be to award 1 hour of credit for 750 minutes of direct faculty instruction and 1500 minutes of out-of-class time. The 750 minutes of direct faculty instruction per 1 hour of credit includes in-class assessments and exams as well as the final exam period. Each credit hour awarded must achieve this standard as a minimum.
The department/program faculty offering a course is responsible for assuring that the content of that course, as articulated in the course description, course learning objectives, and level of the course, satisfies this standard.
It is the responsibility of the department chair (or equivalent) or designee to schedule course meeting times that ensure the required contact time (including deviations below) within the academic semester (fall, spring) and the summer session.
It is the responsibility of the course instructor to deliver the content within the schedule of course meeting times. In the event that scheduled activities cannot be delivered (for instance, snow days, holidays, technological failure, or instructor absence), the department/program faculty has the responsibility for making reasonable accommodations to deliver the content.
Deviations from the Standard
A course that deviates from the Standard (for instance, a course that does not offer a final exam) or that uses a delivery mode other than the Standard (for instance, a laboratory) must indicate the deviation in the syllabus and provide a justification demonstrating how the course will achieve results equivalent to the Standard. A department/program faculty may adopt systematic deviations and equivalencies for alternative delivery modes in lieu of a statement on the syllabi.
Time Between Final Exams and Grades Due
That all academic calendars will provide adequate time for grading between the administration of final examinations and the deadline for reporting grades to the Office of the Registrar. Adequate time for grading is defined for full, 9-week, and 7-week terms as two complete business days between the administration of the last regularly scheduled examination and the deadline for reporting grades to the Office of the Registrar. One complete business day is the minimum for 5-week terms.
Final Exams
Consultation Day will be the first business day after the last day of classes. Faculty should be available to consult with students during business hours (8:00 am – 4:00 pm).
Meetings and other required activities involving either students or faculty may not be scheduled on Consultation Day.
Final exams for the fall and spring semesters on the main campus will be scheduled during the period of five consecutive business days following consultation day, except for final exams in Math 1302 and 1321, which may be held on Consultation Day from 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm.
All other final exams will be scheduled based on the Class Block.
| Classes | If your class meets: | Then your final exam will be: |
|---|---|---|
| M. W. F Classes | 8:00 am MWF | W 8:00 am – 10:00 am |
| 9:00 am MWF | F 8:00 am – 10:00 am | |
| 10:00 am MWF | W 10:30 am – 12:30 pm | |
| 11:00 am MWF | F 10:30 am – 12:30 pm | |
| 12:15 pm MWF | M 10:30 am – 12:30 pm | |
| 1:40 pm MWF | W 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm | |
| T. R Classes | 8:00 am TR | R 8:00 am – 10:00 am |
| 9:25 am TR | T 8:00 am – 10:00 am | |
| 10:50 am TR | R 10:30 am – 12:30 pm | |
| 12:15 pm TR | T 10:30 am – 12:30 pm | |
| 1:40 pm TR | R 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm | |
| 3:05 pm TR | T 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm | |
| Evening Classes | 4:3 pm MWF or W only | W 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm |
| 4:30 pm M only | M 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm | |
| 4:30 pm TR or R only | R 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm | |
| 4:30 pm T only | T 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm | |
| 6:00 pm MW or W only | W 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm | |
| 6:00 pm M only | M 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm | |
| 6:00 pm TR or T only | T 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm | |
| 6:00 pm R only | R 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm | |
| 7:25 pm MW | M 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm | |
| 7:25 pm TR | R 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm | |
| 7:25 pm T only | T 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm | |
| 7:25 pm W only | W 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm | |
| 7:25 pm R only | R 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm | |
| 7:25 pm M only | M 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm | |
| 8:50 pm TR | T 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm | |
| 8:50 pm MW | W 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm |
Classes that occupy more than one Class Block will use the earliest Class Block’s Final exam time.
Holiday/Vacation Classes
That a holiday or vacation period in the class schedule begin after the last class period of the last class day before a holiday. If Friday is the last class day before a holiday, scheduled Saturday classes shall be held.
Spring Break
UA Little Rock spring break will coincide with the “common spring break for public schools” as directed by the Arkansas State Code[5] (A.C.A. § 6-10-106) for elementary and secondary schools. The break will begin on the Sunday before the week of the spring break, and concluding on the Saturday after the week of spring break.
Fall Break
Fall break will be identified on the academic calendar as beginning on the Sunday before Thanksgiving and concluding on the following Saturday.
Unique Calendars for Special Clienteles
It is understood that Departments and Colleges are encouraged to set special course schedules to accommodate their particular clientele. To that end, the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost may approve limited variations from the normal schedule to enable units to accommodate unique clientele, e.g. for public school teachers during the summer months, or to test experimental or innovative approaches to meeting student needs.
Academic Calendar Plan
That the Calendar and Schedules Committee coordinating with the Office of the Registrar will prepare the academic calendar five years in advance of the current year and present to the Faculty Senate for approval. An approved academic calendar will be published to the campus three years in advance of the current year.
Changes in Calendar Dates
During an academic semester, the Faculty Senate Executive Committee may legislate changes to calendar dates for that academic semester on behalf of the Faculty Senate.
Citation and Modification
This policy must be cited in any curricular documents that excerpt it (such as the Undergraduate Catalog) and the Faculty Senate Executive Committee (or their designee) should review those documents before they are finalized. Wherever there is a substantive conflict between the document which quotes this policy and this policy, this policy shall be followed.
The Policy can be modified through legislative action of the Faculty Senate (see Article III of the Constitution of the Assembly of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock).
[1] IF MLK day occurs on Jan 15 – 20, Classes begin the following day on Tuesday, January 16 – 21). IF MLK day occurs on January 21, Classes will begin on the Monday, One (1) week prior to MLK Day.
[2] If Memorial Day falls on May 25 through 29, Classes will begin the following day on Tuesday. If Memorial Day falls on May 30 or 31, Classes will begin on the Monday prior to Memorial Day.
[3] Implementation date: Spring 2018 semester.
[4] The William H. Bowen School of Law is accredited by the American Bar Association Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar (“ABA”), which has been designated by the Department of Education as the law school accreditation agency to ensure compliance with federal regulations. ABA Accreditation Standard 310 governs the determination of credit hours awarded for coursework and is consistent with federal regulations.
[5] The Arkansas State Code states that the common spring break begins on the Monday of the 38th week of the school year. The thirty-eighth week is calculated by counting from the first week in July that begins on a Sunday.
Source: Faculty Senate Minutes (4/30/2021, 11/22/2019, 4/27/2018, 3/30/2018, 4/21/2017, 3/31/2017, 2/17/2017, 10/23/2015, 5/1/2015, 3/30/2012, 12/5/2008, 4/16/2003, 12/5/2003, 4/23/1999, 3/20/1998, 2/6/1998, 12/1/1988, 4/2/1986, 4/2/1986, 3/30/1983, 4/30/1981,5/6/1980, 3/20/1980, 5/1/1979, 2/10/1971)
Status: Active
Approved By: Christina Drale, Chancellor
Originator: Faculty Senate
Custodian: Faculty Senate