By Hana Lahr, Veronica Minaya, Serena C. Klempin, and Katelyn Perruc
Developing course schedules is one of the most complex puzzles in higher education. It requires colleges to balance student needs, staffing, course modalities, and classroom space in ways that support both student success and institutional goals.
A well-designed schedule is a powerful tool to support students’ timely completion. But how do colleges build them? And what are the opportunities for improvement and innovation? We’re launching a national survey to learn how community colleges navigate these complexities, and we want to hear from your institution.
The survey, which should take about 10 minutes, is designed to be completed by the person responsible for planning course schedules, such as the college’s chief academic officer. The questions touch on how course schedules are built, how much they change year to year, and how far ahead they are created, along with any scheduling reforms the college has implemented. The responses will be aggregated and used to better understand how colleges approach course scheduling; how scheduling practices vary across institutional contexts and student populations; and how colleges can learn from one another about common challenges, promising innovations, and emerging practices. Identifying information about survey respondents will not be included in any report or publication.
CCRC is also seeking three partner colleges for an applied research project that will take a deep dive into scheduling practices and innovations to examine the impact of course availability on student academic progression and success. Starting in the summer of 2026, researchers will work with the colleges to conduct data analysis, a student survey, and interviews with students, faculty, and staff. You can indicate your college’s interest in participating in the research at the end of the survey.
If you have questions about this study, you can email us at ccrc@columbia.edu.
This study has been reviewed and approved by Teachers College IRB ID: 26-292.
This project is funded by Ascendium Education Group.
