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AY 2020-21 Revised FAS Schedule


To accommodate students and TAs across multiple time zones, the FAS Schedule has added 75-minute teaching blocks extending across the 24-hour clock.


The FAS schedule rules are still in place. Courses are still required to start at the designated class start times and day of the week patterns, but there are now more time blocks available. The purpose is to allow synchronous classes and sections to take place between 7:30 AM and 10:15 PM in students' local time zones. Departments should aim to avoid conflicts across overlapping content and High Enrollment courses as they apply:

Download High Enrollment Courses for Spring 2021 (Updated on 01/22/2021)
 

 
About the FAS Time Blocks:
 
  • 75 minute blocks must start at the designated start time and meet for a minimum of 60 minutes. E.g. 10:30 - 11:30 AM
     
  • 2 hour 45 minute must start at the designated start time and meet for a minimum of 2 hours. E.g. 3 - 5:15 PM
Fall 2020 Schedule

Our Time Conversion Spreadsheet contains:

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New expanded time blocks for AY 2020-21
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Start and end times conversions across multiple time zones
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Recommended time block pairings that capture multiple time zones
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Time blocks falling within the allowed
7:30 AM and 10:15 PM class time in students’ local time zone.
How to Use the Time Conversion Spreadsheet to Schedule Across Time Zones:
 

Tab #1: lists start and end times for 75 minute blocks. A minimum of 60 minutes must be used as of each start time.
Tab #2: lists suggested pairings for 75 minute blocks for courses teaching multiple times throughout the day.
Tab #3: lists start and end times for 2 hour to 2 hour and 45 minute blocks. A minimum of 2 hours must be used as of each start time.

  • Layout: Meeting block start times are on the left and end times are on the right, with Cambridge local time intentionally set larger and highlighted.
  • Each row is a different time block: From left to right, view how a start time converts across different time zones, and how the corresponding end time converts across different time zones (example row in purple).
  • Cells highlighted in green indicate that the start and end times fall within the allowed 7:30 AM - 10:15 PM in their local time zone, meaning that meeting block could work for students in that time zone.
  • Cells highlighted in orange indicate meeting blocks that may fall out of the allowed 7:30 AM - 10:15 PM in students' local time, depending on Daylight Savings changes.

    Table of FAS schedule blocks across different time zones

Time Zone Data
Students' time zone data will be available in my.harvard as they formally “check in” for the semester. Departments have access to a time zone report that they may run on demand.

Offering Multiple Primary Components to Accommodate Students Across Time Zones 
Courses that need to accommodate a broad range of time zones may consider offering two primary components at different meeting times. Here are recommended pairings that would work for students across multiple time zones, also available on the Time Conversion spreadsheet:

  • 7:30AM - 8:45 AM & 4:30 PM - 5:45 PM
    Recommended pairing 7:30AM start time and 4:30PM start time
     
  • 9:00 - 10:15 AM & 6:00 - 7:15 PM
    Recommended pairing 9:00AM and 6:00PM start times
     
  • 10:30 - 11:45 AM & 7:30 - 8:45 PM
    Recommended pairing 10:30AM and 7:30PM time blocks
     
  • 12:00 - 1:15 PM & 9:00 - 10:15 PM
    Recommend pairing 12PM and 10:15PM time blocks together
"Blank Meeting Pattern" Option for Small Enrollment Courses, Discussion Sections, etc.
Small courses (15 or fewer enrollments) may benefit from not entering a meeting time until after students register for courses. This allows the instructional team to determine the best meeting time after students have enrolled in required courses. Courses that opt for blank meeting patterns should communicate this to their Department and update their curriculum coordinator once their course has selected a meeting time.