Course Offering Schedules on the APSU Website

Why Course Offering Schedules Belong on the Website

The Provost has directed that course offering schedules be publicly viewable on the website so that both current and prospective students can plan their path through a program. Publishing a schedule as a standard webpage makes that information easy to find, easy to read, and available to anyone — no login, no download, and no specific device required.

Why a Webpage Instead of a PDF

Two things make a webpage the better choice: accessibility and maintenance.

Accessibility

A webpage and its table are built in HTML, which already carries the structure a screen reader needs. Column headers, row headers, and captions are announced to the user automatically, so the schedule is conveyed clearly to someone using assistive technology. PDFs are difficult to keep accessible — every time a PDF is edited or replaced, the accessibility work starts over from scratch on the new file.

Easier updates

Because the schedule is a webpage, updating it each year, or any time a course changes, means editing a table rather than rebuilding a document.

A cohesive university

When every program uses the shared table template, schedules look and behave the same across the website. A student comparing several programs sees a familiar, consistent format each time, which makes the university as a whole easier to navigate.

The Accuracy Disclaimer

Every course offering schedule page carries a standard disclaimer drafted by the Office of Legal Affairs, making clear that the schedule is provided for planning and reference and that offerings are subject to change. This disclaimer is added by the PR & Marketing office when the page is built — departments do not need to write or supply it.

How to Get Your Schedule on the Website

The process is designed so your department does very little of the technical work:

1. Email your schedule information to webupdate@apsu.edu.

2. The PR & Marketing office builds the page and enters the initial information.

3. We send the finished page to your department for review.

4. Once your department approves it, the page can be added to your navigation — or anywhere else you want it linked.

Turnaround: Pages are typically built within three business days of receiving complete information. This may take a little longer at first, depending on how many requests come in at once.

Have a question before you send anything? Email culwellj@apsu.edu.

What Information to Include

Required Info:

• The subject code, course number, and name — expected format: BIOL 1110 — General Biology.

• When each course is offered — for example, Fall 2026, Spring 2027, Fall 2027, Spring 2028.

If you share any other details with students, include those too so we can display them correctly:

• Special scheduling notes — for example, "RLTN 4110 is a special topics course with no fixed scheduled semesters, offered as needed."

• Delivery method — online only, on ground, or hybrid.

• Term within a semester — A term versus B term.

• Any other note you would normally give a student about how or when a course runs.

If you need more than one schedule on a page, send each schedule separated and clearly labeled — for example, an undergraduate schedule and a graduate schedule. If we think your information is better served by more than one page, we will check with your department first.

How to Send the Information

Send your schedule in whatever format is easiest for you to create and share — PDF, Word, Excel, or similar — to webupdate@apsu.edu. The PR & Marketing office will take it from there and build your page.

Already Have a PDF Schedule on the Website?

If your schedule is currently posted as a PDF, email webupdate@apsu.edu with a link to that PDF and ask to have it converted to a webpage. We will convert the information, publish the new page, and update the PDF links across the website so they point to the new page.

Keeping Your Page Updated

Once a page is published, keeping it accurate and current is the department's responsibility.

If your department has a web editor, they can update the schedule the same way they edit any other department page. The schedule is a table on the page and can be edited directly in the WYSIWYG editor inside the CMS. If your editor wants help or a refresher, they can email webupdate@apsu.edu.

If your department does not have a web editor, you have two options:

• Request training for a member of your team so they can maintain the page. Start with the Getting Started guide.

• If no one is available to make the change, email webupdate@apsu.edu and request that the update be made for you.

Reviewing the schedule for accuracy remains the department's responsibility.

How Often to Update

We suggest reviewing and updating the page once a year. Summer is a natural time to do this — the academic year has ended, so you can remove the year that has passed and add the next upcoming year. This is a recommendation for setting a consistent yearly rhythm, not a hard deadline; update the page whenever a course offering changes.

How Far Out the Schedule Should Go

We suggest publishing two to four years of upcoming offerings. That gives students enough runway to plan without committing the department to a schedule too far out to be reliable.

Where Your Page Will Live

Your schedule page will live inside your department's website section and is typically named /course-offering-schedule.php. Once published, it is usually added to your department's navigation or placed alongside your other program information. If the new page is replacing an existing PDF, we will update the old PDF links across the website so they point to the new page.

See Examples

These published pages show the template in use across different program needs:

• Radiologic Science course offering schedule — a single schedule that projects four years out.

• Biology course offering schedule — two schedules on one page, undergraduate and graduate.

• Medical Laboratory Science course offering schedule — two schedules on one page, on ground and online, with one simple schedule and one more complex schedule that shows offerings by term.