How to Combine Sections
Combining two or more class sections in CMS recognizes them as a single class that meets at the same day/time in the same room with the same instructor. Once combined, changes made in the Meetings tab for one section will automatically update all other sections in the combination accordingly. This includes changes to: room, day, time, start/end dates, instructors (name, assign type, load factor, etc.). In order to combine classes, they must be offered in the same term, session, and career. We use combined sections for cross-listed courses or combined large lectures that split into separate labs.
Contact Scheduling to Set Up Combined Sections
First, each department will build the individual class sections.
The Primary Department will then email scheduling@fullerton.edu with the following information:
- Class numbers to combine
- Combined Enrollment Cap
- Combined Waitlist Cap, if applicable
There are two types of setup for enrollment capacity:
Pooled Enrollment:
Any combination of students from the combined sections can enroll. For example, if the combined enrollment capacity is 20, the first 20 students to enroll from any of the sections can fill the seats.
e.g., Combined Enrollment Cap = 20
| Class Number | Class Section | Individual Enrollment Cap | Waitlist Cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22496 | PUBH 353-54 | 20 | -- |
| 22506 | KNES 353-54 | 20 | -- |
Individual Enrollment:
A predefined combination of student enrollment is set. Once the limit is met in one section, the remaining seats can only be filled from the other section(s).
e.g., Combined Enrollment Cap = 50
| Class Number | Class Section | Individual Enrollment Cap | Waitlist Cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16945 | PSYC 201-01 | 25 | 15 |
| 17200 | PSYC 201-03 | 25 | 15 |
Once the sections are combined, the Enrollment Capacity and Waitlist Capacity in the Combined Sections Table overrides the capacities on the individual sections. To make changes to the capacities, be sure to email Scheduling to update the combined caps accordingly.
How to Look Up Existing Combined Sections
Use this page to verify that all sections are combined by the end of Build Phase. This is to help prevent combined sections from getting assigned different rooms.
Navigation: Curriculum Management >> Combined Sections >> Identify Combined Sections
Term: enter the appropriate semester
Description: begin with the percent sign (%) followed by the department abbreviation
How to Update Meeting Information for Existing Combined Sections
Meeting changes can only be made in Schedule Class Meetings (the fields will appear grayed out on Maintain Schedule of Classes). You can tell a class is combined when there is a blue “Combined Section” hyperlink on the Meetings and Enrollment tab in Maintain Schedule of Classes or in Schedule Class Meetings. Clicking on this link will open a window with the information about the combined classes.
