Undergraduate Programs Online

Courses offered in the preceding year will “roll over” keeping prior meeting times, locations, instructor information, and section notes. Major code restrictions do not roll over. It is important to review SIS or Testudo and request that any course not being offered in the upcoming semester be deleted. Academic units may utilize the online scheduling system to update their course offerings for the upcoming semester. If they are unable to do so or it is past the deadline to complete online course scheduling, email scheduling requests to oes-ug-sched@umd.edu.

Online Undergraduate Program Contacts

All newly scheduled courses and courses with changes must include ALL the following information:

1. Term and Year: Fall 2026 = (2608)
2. Program Name
3. Center Code
4. Course Delivery Method: F (Face-to-Face); O (Online); B (Blended Learning).
5. Course Prefix Number: (i.e., BSCI105)
6. Section Number
7. Sponsor Code
   1. USG Programs: Utilized for enrollment tracking and to designate major restrictions.
      1. To add a Sponsor code, in the SE screen, press F11. The Type is always SG. For the Code field, utilize the program specific code listed in the Center Code, Delivery Method Code, and Section Number chart. If the course/section will be available to all USG students, enter code GU.
   2. USMSM and Online Undergraduate Programs: Sponsor codes are not utilized for USMSM undergraduate sections.
8. Number of seats being offered
9. Meeting days and time (see Contact Hours and Course Delivery Method Definitions)
   1. Online Asynchronous: List as TBA.
   2. Online Synchronous: List specific meeting days and hours.
   3. Blended: List face-to-face element(s) as a lecture, discussion, or lab component. List online component as an additional lecture/discussion/lab; asynchronous list as TBA; synchronous list specific meeting days and hours.
10. Indicate if meeting location is online
    1. USG Programs Only: Course location for face-to-face offerings are assigned at a later date by the USG Space & Scheduling Manager. List all face-to-face locations as TBA. EXST will update the location in Testudo upon notification by the APD or USG Scheduling and Space Manager.
    2. USMSM Programs Only: Course location for all face-to-face offerings at the USMSM campus should be listed as TBA for the meeting location.
    3. Online Undergraduate Programs: All course locations should be listed as WEB for the Building and ONLINE for the Room.
11. Instructor name and UID: (if instructor has not been selected, list as STAFF)
12. SIS and ELMS Coding: Provide name and UID of any other individual who needs SIS and/or ELMS access, with appropriate code information. For all non-teaching staff who require ELMS access: The academic unit is responsible for completing the non-paid appointment, as necessary.
13. Evaluation for each person listed in SIS/ELMS: Y = Yes Evaluation; N = No Evaluation
14. Indicate if the course should be published to the Schedule of Classes (USMSM and Online Undergraduate Programs Only).

Each role listed in SIS/ELMS must also contain an evaluation code: Y = Yes Evaluation, N = No Evaluation. With the exception of the Instructor of Record, course roles must be requested each semester as this information does not roll over.

Note: ELMS-Canvas spaces are created for the Instructor of Record listed in SIS. When this role is updated in SIS to a new faculty/staff member a new ELMS-Canvas space is created. The content from the original course space (i.e., announcements, assignments, pages, files, grades, students, etc.) will not automatically move to the new course space.

If the Instructor of Record is changed after the semester has begun and needs this historic content, the new instructor should email itsupport@umd.edu (Attention: ELMS-Canvas Staff) and request the content be migrated. Whenever possible the original instructor should provide approval to migrate the content to the new instructor. If the previous instructor is no longer with the institution, a note to this effect from leadership in the department should be included in the request to IT Support.

Fall 2026 (2608) ELMS space release: March 26, 2026

1. Combining: For instructors teaching more than one course or section that wish to merge the ELMS spaces, visit: How to Combine Sections and Courses in ELMS
   • Note: The instructor must be an instructor in all merged courses/sections for this action to work. It can take up to an hour for the enrollments associated with the unique course/sections to appear in the new, combined space. 
   • Links to the unique course/section spaces will cease to be visible to the members once the new space has been created by the merging activity.
2. Splitting: For instructors teaching more than one section of a course whose ELMS spaces were combined by default and wish to create individual ELMS spaces for each section, visit: Create ELMS Single Section Course Space
   • Note: Only one single-section course space can be created at a time. The instructor/requester will have immediate access to the course space. Student enrollment(s) will be imported from UMEG within two hours.

The University of Maryland follows the Maryland Higher Education Commission's (MHEC) policies on "contact hours," a shorthand term referring to the amount of time required in various forms of education to earn credit. Credit-bearing courses are divided into three types based on MHEC contact hour requirements: lectures, laboratories, and internships (Seminars and discussions are classed as "lecture" in the MHEC scheme.) Online courses must be comparable. Contact hour requirements apply to both undergraduate and graduate courses.

Face-to-face courses with an online component must have a scheduled online lecture, discussion or lab component or a section note that clarifies that an online component will account for the remainder of the contact hours not accommodated in class. Contact hours will be confirmed by EXST. Departments needing further recalculations will be contacted. For additional information see Course Policies and Practices.

One credit is equal to:

• 12.5 - 15 hours of actual class time 
• 30 hours of supervised laboratory or studio time 
• 45 hours of instructional situations such as practica, internships, and cooperative education placements

Once a course is scheduled and registration begins, any changes to meeting times or course location must be sent to EXST via email oes-ug-sched@umd.edu. In the case of meeting times, EXST informs registered students of such a change. Prior to the start of a given semester, EXST directs all registered students to review Testudo for room/building location.

Should an academic unit request a change in delivery format (face-to-face, online, blended) after registration has begun, this is treated as an entirely new request for the course/section. EXST will create a new section, cancel the former section, drop all registered students, and send an email informing them of the delivery format change and drop. Students will be directed to register for the new section should they so choose.

Once a semester begins, an instructor may not modify the meeting time or change the course location without first discussing such a request with both the academic unit and EXST. An instructor may not alter the delivery format of any course. There are serious academic and financial implications for such actions. At all times, Testudo and SIS must accurately reflect all aspects of the scheduled course/section. It is the academic unit’s responsibility to inform an instructor of the above.