Strengthening Academic Operations through Data-Informed Scheduling
When Dr. Michael Palladino stepped into his leadership role at Stockton University, he saw an opportunity to modernize academic operations in ways that would better support students, faculty, and staff. Like many institutions, Stockton was managing complex scheduling and operational processes across multiple departments, and relying on systems and workflows that had evolved over many years. Improving those processes and making them more transparent, data-informed, and efficient became a priority. “Scheduling became my most significant technology need because of its impact on student success and operations,” says Palladino, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Stockton. “It’s one of the largest enterprise-wide functions we manage across academic affairs, and creating a student data-informed schedule to support student completion became our key area of focus.”
Stockton had been relying on a cycle of rolling previous schedules forward and making manual adjustments along the way. With nearly 4,300 course sections scheduled each year across five campus locations, even small inefficiencies could have a significant impact. These day-to-day challenges were perhaps most visible in the Registrar’s Office, where many of Stockton’s core academic processes originated. “Previously, everything was manual,” explains the University’s Registrar, Dr. Amy Beth Glass. “We exchanged spreadsheets, and in some cases, printed the spreadsheets and manually keyed the information back into our enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, Banner. If an error was made several pages in, it often meant going back to IT and starting over. We had explored other scheduling solutions in the past, but they often created additional work because they did not integrate with the University’s existing systems.”
As Stockton began evaluating technology solutions, an analysis of their Fall 2024 schedule revealed approximately 52% of course sections were overscheduled, where more sections were being offered than needed or classes were consistently underfilled. The findings reinforced the need for a modern scheduling solution that could help the University optimize course offerings, improve operational efficiency, and better support student success.
"Implementation was a lot of meaningful work. The biggest challenge was helping people see that while our processes may have worked in the past, the system is only as effective as the information we put into it. The process helped our team build new skills, take on leadership roles, and become trainers themselves. We're excited to continue expanding what we can do with Coursedog, particularly around areas like event management, student-facing tools, and faculty workload. The platform continues to evolve alongside our needs. For institutions going through a similar implementation, know you don’t have to figure it out alone. Reach out, ask questions, and learn from institutions that have already gone through the process. The willingness of people to share their experiences has been one of the most valuable parts of this journey."
– Dr. Amy Beth Glass
University Registrar
Stockton University
Streamlining Multiple Academic Processes
Stockton launched a formal evaluation process to find a platform that could streamline multiple academic processes, integrate seamlessly with existing technologies, and provide the data needed to make more informed scheduling decisions. Palladino assembled a cross-functional team including the registrar, IT leaders, faculty, and department chairs to evaluate available solutions, weighing functionality, ease of use, implementation requirements, and long-term value. “We looked at a handful of tools and asked the team to compile recommendations, including the pros and cons, pricing, and whether each platform would integrate with our student information systems,” explains Palladino. “The solution to check all the boxes was Coursedog which brought together key academic operations capabilities in a single platform. We did not want additional software solutions for catalog management and other functions. We already had an assessment platform in place, so Coursedog complemented what we were doing rather than replacing it. The scheduling capabilities were the priority, and the catalog and curriculum components became added value because they eliminated the need for separate point solutions.”
Beyond its broad functionality, Coursedog’s ease of use and integration capabilities helped set it apart. “The integration was critical, not only with Banner, but with our degree audit tool, DegreeWorks,” explains Palladino. “That allows us to create a student data-informed schedule. We can see how many students are progressing through a particular program and project how many course sections they’ll need over the next several semesters. Instead of building a schedule based on historical assumptions, we’re building it around actual student demand. This data-driven approach enables us to make more strategic scheduling decisions while minimizing disruptions for students and faculty.
“When you start with an oversized schedule, you often end up consolidating or canceling under-enrolled sections as the semester approaches. That disrupts students’ schedules and creates unnecessary challenges for faculty. We’d rather begin with a schedule informed by student data and expand it where demand supports additional sections. This is where Coursedog’s analytics are a key advantage. We can evaluate fill rates, enrollment patterns, instructional modalities, faculty workload, and other performance indicators. Those insights allow us to continually refine the schedule over time, but it all starts with having accurate data guiding our decisions.”
While the platform itself met Stockton’s operational needs, the procurement process became another deciding factor. “What put it over the top for me was the ability to procure through EdgeMarket,” says Palladino. “As a public institution, procurement can take a long time. Being able to work through Edge meant we could move rapidly without getting caught up in a lengthy bidding process. We had already built much of our upcoming academic schedule using our existing processes, so every delay could have pushed meaningful improvements further into the future. Through Edge, we were able to move at light speed, and that allowed us to begin implementation as quickly as possible.”
"What put it over the top for me was the ability to procure through EdgeMarket. As a public institution, procurement can take a long time. Being able to work through Edge meant we could move rapidly without getting caught up in a lengthy bidding process. We had already built much of our upcoming academic schedule using our existing processes, so every delay could have pushed meaningful improvements further into the future. Through Edge, we were able to move at light speed, and that allowed us to begin implementation as quickly as possible."
– Dr. Michael Palladino
Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs
Stockton University
Engaging Faculty During Implementation
For Stockton, successful adoption required engaging key stakeholders early through demonstrations and training opportunities. “We’ve been intentional about doing pilots, socializing the platform, and providing training with different groups, including program chairs,” explains Palladino. “Many of those individuals have embraced it because they’ve been looking for tools like this. When you’re managing 4,300 course sections, the complexity is significant. They want to create positive student experiences, avoid conflicts, and reduce the need for last-minute schedule changes.”
Many faculty members quickly recognized the value of a more streamlined approach, but Palladino acknowledges that introducing a new system requires thoughtful change management. “There can naturally be some uncertainty about how difficult a new system will be to use. We’ve been intentional about finding champions, because once people see the value and hear from their colleagues, that interest spreads quickly. The Coursedog platform also increases transparency around scheduling decisions and institutional processes. Having a tool that supports those processes helps create a more equitable and consistent approach.”
Palladino credits the Coursedog implementation team and Stockton’s internal project leaders for helping guide the transition. “Coursedog has been among the best I’ve seen for these types of enterprise projects. They created a clear workflow with key deliverables, testing points, and milestones that aligned with our timeline. The project has been managed extremely well, and we’re getting regular updates on where we are, what’s ahead, and where we may need to adjust. While the implementation is still underway, the experience and early response has been encouraging.”
Creating a Consistent and Accurate Catalog
Even in the early stages of implementation, the registrar’s office is already seeing meaningful improvements in its daily scheduling workflows. “From a day-to-day perspective, scheduling has had the biggest impact since it’s something we’re working on every day,” says Glass. “We’re excited about capabilities like syllabus management and event scheduling, which represent future opportunities as we continue expanding our use of the platform. One of the biggest benefits has been improved accuracy because everyone is working from the same information. Instead of navigating multiple screens or relying on different versions of documents, the same data is in one place. Coursedog has helped us be more disciplined about how we manage bulletin years and course information, reinforces the processes we want to follow, and helps ensure greater consistency, compliance, and accuracy across the catalog. Generating a PDF of our bulletin used to take up to five days, now it is completed in minutes.”
The platform’s analytics are also helping the registrar’s office move beyond simply building schedules to understanding how scheduling decisions affect faculty workload, classroom utilization, and student access. For Glass, the visibility has prompted important conversations about longstanding practices and opportunities for improvement. “We started asking questions like, ‘Why do we offer five sections of this course at the same time?’ or ‘Why is an entire department scheduling everything before noon?’ Having five years of historical data and visual tools like heat maps allowed us to see patterns we simply couldn’t see before. We can identify things like faculty overloads, inconsistencies in workload, and course caps that had changed over time without anyone really questioning why.
“Now we can run reports, identify those outliers, and have much more informed conversations about whether our practices align with institutional policies and student needs. Historically, we built the schedule one term at a time. We’re currently working toward a full one-year schedule, giving students greater visibility into the courses they’ll need and when they’ll be offered. The data is also helping us create a more equitable scheduling model for students.”
"What put it over the top for me was the ability to procure through EdgeMarket. As a public institution, procurement can take a long time. Being able to work through Edge meant we could move rapidly without getting caught up in a lengthy bidding process. We had already built much of our upcoming academic schedule using our existing processes, so every delay could have pushed meaningful improvements further into the future. Through Edge, we were able to move at light speed, and that allowed us to begin implementation as quickly as possible."
– Dr. Michael Palladino
Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs
Stockton University
Using Data to Modernize Operations
Coursedog’s integration with DegreeWorks is helping Stockton strengthen the connection between degree auditing, curriculum management, and scheduling. Rather than replacing DegreeWorks, Glass says the two systems complement one another, giving the University greater visibility into its academic data while creating opportunities to improve processes over time. “DegreeWorks has always been our degree auditing system, but the data wasn’t always easy to work with. If we needed information, we often had to rely on custom reports. As we implemented Coursedog, we intentionally rebuilt much of that data instead of simply importing it because we wanted to understand exactly how it was structured and displayed. We also found opportunities to standardize processes, reduce unnecessary exceptions, and create a more consistent experience for students. Rebuilding the data allowed more people on our team to learn how everything fits together. It wasn’t just about implementing new software, it was about cross-training staff and creating a stronger foundation for the future. Coursedog has helped us ask why we do things a certain way, streamline workflows, and create more consistency and accountability across academic operations.”
Palladino sees the new platform as part of a broader effort to modernize higher education operations, providing teams with the tools and insights needed to make more informed decisions that support both institutional goals and student success. “There are many things we should be doing better in this industry, and that includes the business practices by which we manage operations. Higher education is an operation that needs to be managed effectively. Once I was able to make the case for how this impacts student success, and then the fiscal bottom line, it became a win-win.”
With Coursedog, Stockton has been able to establish clearer guidelines around classroom capacity, space utilization, and course placement. “Our registrar’s office was able to enforce established guidelines that, despite prior agreement, had not been consistently applied,” says Palladino. “We can look at the true capacity of a room, whether it is flexible space and if it has the right technology, and then align that with the type of class being taught. From a classroom management perspective, that helps ensure the right courses are in the right spaces to maximize learning.” This data-driven approach is also helping the University rethink how it manages shared resources. “There are some spaces that have very specific purposes, like an organic chemistry lab,” explains Palladino. “But there are many spaces that don’t belong to one particular department, they belong to the University. Having these conversations and using data to guide decisions helps us make better use of those resources.”
As Stockton continues its implementation journey, they are uncovering broader strategic insights around course offerings, faculty workload, and resource allocation. “We’re starting to ask bigger questions,” says Palladino. “If student demand only requires one section of a course each year, it may not make sense to offer two or three sections simply because that’s how it’s been done. You begin to see opportunities around efficiency and better use of resources. The combination of our broader data initiatives has also helped identify opportunities to better align faculty expertise with institutional needs.
“Working alongside our program economics work, we uncovered areas where workload wasn’t always aligned with program needs. For example, we may have faculty in highly specialized fields spending significant time teaching outside their discipline, while those specialized courses still need coverage. Having the data allows us to have more informed conversations about how we allocate faculty resources. The platform is also helping us identify scheduling conflicts and opportunities that were difficult to see using previous processes. We’ve found situations where students needed two courses to graduate, but those courses were being offered at the same time. Now we can overlay schedules in ways we couldn’t before with spreadsheets and flat files. As you start peeling back the layers, you uncover new insights that help shape how you build schedules and who needs to be involved in those conversations.”
Glass adds, “Implementation was a lot of meaningful work. The biggest challenge was helping people see that while our processes may have worked in the past, the system is only as effective as the information we put into it. The process helped our team build new skills, take on leadership roles, and become trainers themselves. We’re excited to continue expanding what we can do with Coursedog, particularly around areas like event management, student-facing tools, and faculty workload. The platform continues to evolve alongside our needs. For institutions going through a similar implementation, know you don’t have to figure it out alone. Reach out, ask questions, and learn from institutions that have already gone through the process. The willingness of people to share their experiences has been one of the most valuable parts of this journey.”
“As we implemented Coursedog, we intentionally rebuilt much of that data instead of simply importing it because we wanted to understand exactly how it was structured and displayed. We also found opportunities to standardize processes, reduce unnecessary exceptions, and create a more consistent experience for students. Rebuilding the data allowed more people on our team to learn how everything fits together. It wasn't just about implementing new software, it was about cross-training staff and creating a stronger foundation for the future. Coursedog has helped us ask why we do things a certain way, streamline workflows, and create more consistency and accountability across academic operations."
– Dr. Amy Beth Glass
University Registrar
Stockton University
The Benefits of Data-Informed Scheduling
For institutions evaluating whether an investment in academic operations technology is worthwhile, Palladino believes the conversation should begin with the broader impact of scheduling, not just as an administrative function, but as a driver of student success and institutional effectiveness. “Scheduling is one of the most significant operational functions across an institution, and the connection to student success is critical. It impacts time to completion, cost to completion, retention, faculty workload, classroom utilization, and so many other areas. The value of a data-informed scheduling approach is not simply about reducing costs, but also about creating opportunities to reinvest resources where they can have the greatest impact. The goal is to run more efficient operations so those resources can be reallocated toward strategic investments and innovation. If we’re able to operate more effectively, we can invest those dollars into growing programs, supporting students, and advancing the university’s priorities.”
Beyond the technology itself, Palladino highlights the value of having a trusted partner and a streamlined procurement process through Edge. “The collaboration with Edge has been tremendous. For public institutions, being able to move efficiently through procurement is incredibly valuable. Our experience with Coursedog represents a broader shift toward using data and technology to make more strategic decisions across higher education. For provosts, innovation and efficient operations have to be at the top of the list. This is about creating schedules that better meet the needs of students, providing teams with the tools they need to do their work, and making strategic investments that help the institution move forward.”
Looking to streamline academic operations? Learn how Coursedog can help institutions simplify scheduling, curriculum, catalogs, assessment, and more. Available through EdgeMarket at: edgemarket.njedge.net/home/coursedog-academic-operations-platform to explore the platform.