Parking Students Construction Operational Costs Planning Facilities Faculty Academic Scheduling Event Management Equipment

Our Vision Building world class software while recognizing that our software is only relevant if it is used to solve important business problems in higher education.

About Us Higher Education focused since 1950’s with a background in institutional planning. Solution Oriented. Ad Astra delivers solutions to business problems and empowers administrative decision makers with information. Client-driven software development. Our solutions have fit over 350 campuses. Our goal is to help colleges and universities provide a better service to students and at the same time run their business more cost effectively. Ad Astra Information Systems, LLC. Astra Schedule Kansas City, Mo

Objectives of Smart Scheduling Measurement and Accountability –Data creates awareness: changes are needed, what’s working now. –If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve. Students getting the right classes Resource utilization (Space, Time, Energy, Faculty) Improve Student Service –Increase on-time graduations –Increase hours per student –Decrease transfer rates Generate Cost Savings –Decrease offerings/student FTE –Decrease part-time instructional Costs –Decrease energy usage –Increase space utilization

Trends (1995 – Future) “Baby Boom Echo” –They are coming – more than 40 million of them! –Peek in 2009 – largest graduating class ever – 3.2 million students –Continue through 2018 Full-time faculty members to support these students has only increased 7% 41,236 Students, 17,365 Parking Spaces Crippling decline in funding – Budgets cut by 12.5% in some cases Crisis in Higher Education

Software is not the entire solution People: Schedulers and administration have to be motivated by student needs and efficiencies, not just by pleasing faculty Process: Rolling Forward, Standard Times, Primetime Overload Software: Calculate Demand, Model Process Enhancements, Model Schedule Changes

Problems with Common Scheduling Practices Rolling forward schedules “Primetime” overload No standard meeting blocks When the hour scheduling week is reduced to 15 hours or less, the student has little chance of getting all of the classes they need in a conflict-free schedule. Roll forward schedules are out of date and do not reflect current student demand.

Primetime Overload

Non-Standard Meeting Blocks

Paying Faculty 100% (Expenses > Revenue) Paying 100% for space that is 50% full Paying 100% for HVAC How many sections of this class are being offered? Does this class conflict with other classes that I need? Is there a smaller classroom available? Is there another building that is already in use? Paying 100% subsidy on student tuitions

Curriculum Management Faculty Assignment Timetabling Room Scheduling What? When? Who? Where? Essential Solutions for Academic Scheduling

Curriculum Management Institutional Research Academic Affairs Facilities Planning Gather information from several sources in one tool to produce a smart schedule. Demand Analysis

Drive Cost Savings and Deliver better Student Service How can we assess Demand? 1. Roll-forward last like term schedules 2. Historical Analysis and Trends in Enrollments 3. Program Survey/Reference Degree Audit Systems to predict what students will need next 4. Student Survey – polling students for availability and classes they desire to take in future terms Merging Demand from all sources

Faculty-to-Section Assignment “ In virtually all institutions, instruction is the most significant cost category and instructor costs comprise the vast majority of costs contained therein.” If This Was A Business August 1998 Dr. W.R. Channell

Faculty-to-Section Assignment Create multiple scenarios for Faculty schedules Ad-hoc and bulk optimization tools Balance and control placements by availability, load balancing quality and cost.

Your Investment in Faculty

Timetabling and Room Assignments “The only way to deal with fixed or declining resources is to better utilize the resources we have available, or in language of business lower our costs per unit and increase our margins.” If This Was A Business August 1998 Dr. W.R. Channell

Timetabling and Room Assignments Maximize space and time availability with a single optimization process Minimize student and instructor conflicts Manage ad-hoc changes throughout the term in graphical interfaces

When is a Building NOT Needed?

Use Astra Schedule to help generate additional revenue for your campus. Seamlessly coordinate the rooms, resources and services required to hold events on your campus. Event Management

Connecting People and Tasks Event Scheduler FacilitiesSecurityCatering Academic Scheduling CustomerA/VAccountingParking

Customer makes Request from Web Request is routed to the appropriate user and queued Workflow process trigger notifications ( ) and To Do’s Confirmations/Declines for services are returned Event is confirmed or declined and customer is notified Requesting and Confirming Events and Services

Integration Classes, Events, Resources, Reporting, Web Access, Accounting, Messaging, Exams, Requesting & Confirming, Student Information Systems, Degree Audit Systems Benefits: IT Supports one system. Your campus accesses data from one system. You report from one system.

Room Scheduling/Optimization Event Management Resource Management Web Access (viewing, requesting, scheduling) Reporting HVAC Zone Management Curriculum Modeling/Demand Analysis Faculty-to-Section Assignment Timetable Development Consulting Solutions that fit.

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