Course and Section Management in Workday Student (OUR)  

This reference guide for the Office of the University Registrar (OUR) provides instruction on creating and approving courses and course sections, adding and removing course tags, and managing reserved seat rules. 

Course numbering

All courses have a four-digit number scheme. Numbering should demonstrate a progression of difficulty and/or depth in coursework.

• 1000 to 1999 indicates an introductory undergraduate course, usually without pre-requisites.  
• 2000 to 2999 indicates an introductory or intermediate undergraduate course, sometimes with pre-requisites.  
• 3000 to 3999 indicates an upper-level undergraduate course, often with a pre-requisite of a prior course or class standing (e.g., junior standing).
• 4000 to 4999 indicates an undergraduate course or seminar with advanced content, in which a graduate student may be eligible to register.  
• 5000 to 9999 indicates a graduate course, in which advanced undergraduates may request to register. 

Course numbers should not be used to account for academic requirements or degree auditing, or to indicate course details like instructional format (lecture, lab), instructional mode (in person, online), grading basis, pre/co-requisites, credit hours, etc. These components are accounted for elsewhere in the system either by specific fields or functionality. 

Course section status

The status of a course section is a helpful indicator for student registration.

Course section status	Definition
Preliminary	When you first create a course section.
Open	When you publish a course section, making it available for student registration.
Waitlist	When a published course section reaches its capacity and the waitlist opens.
Hold	When the published course section is in the process of being cancelled. This status indicates that the course section is awaiting approval in the Student Course Section Cancel Event business process.
Closed	When a published course section reaches capacity.
Canceled	When the Student Course Section Cancel Event business process completes.
Canceled: Preliminary	When a preliminary course section is canceled and not published.

Create a course

1. In Workday, search for and select the Create Course task. 
2. For Effective Date, enter the standard start date of the academic period you want the course to begin (e.g., for Spring 2026, select 12/26/2025). To find this date, you can use the View Academic Period Date Controls task.
3. Click OK. In the next window, you will set the parameters for the course.

4. For First Available, enter the first day of classes of the academic period you want to begin offering the course. To find this date, use the Academic Calendars page of the OUR website.
   • Course sections can only start on or after this date. It impacts academic requirements if a course is unavailable.
   • Warning: You’ll get an error message if the steps aren’t followed in the order below.
5. Leave the Last Available field blank. A last available date should not be entered at course creation unless there is already a time-limited offering; otherwise, this is entered only when you want to end a course and no longer offer it.
6. For Academic Level, select either graduate or undergraduate.
7. For Typical Periods Offered, select the academic period(s) the course will be offered. This field is required by WashU as it is important for reporting purposes and planning purposes.
   • Warning: School registrars should never select the Create Academic Period option. Academic periods may only be added by the Workday Student Support Team and OUR after routing through governance and testing. 

8. (Optional) Select the Hide Course checkbox if the course will not be offered for self-service student enrollment and is a placeholder experience that is not necessarily a part of the WashU curriculum but, rather, used for tracking and supporting other experiences (e.g., study abroad placeholder and transfer credit courses). 
   • Independent study and CAPS prison education courses should be hidden at the section rather than at the course level, since they are a part of the curriculum. 
9. Choose the academic unit that is offering the new course. 
   • When a school registrar creates a course, they can only select the academic unit that they are associated with. 
   • Danforth courses are owned by the school academic unit. There are a few exceptions like for course offering units not in schools (e.g., ROTC courses). The School of Medicine course inventory owner is the department academic unit.
10. Select the Course Inventory Owner box to assign course ownership to the chosen academic unit. This is always required. 
11. Select the Allowed to Offer checkbox. This is always required to ensure that the academic unit selected above can create course sections from this course. 
12. Ensure the Default Offering Percent that automatically populates as 100 remains at 100. 

13. For Allowed Locations, select all campus locations.
    • Warning: If campus locations are not selected, when course sections are created, classrooms cannot be properly assigned.
14. Choose the subject. If you do not see the subject, use the Maintain Course Subjects report to create a course subject.  
    • The Major Programs mapping table includes a list of legacy’s major programs and their corresponding programs of study in Workday.
    • When creating a course, the system lets school registrars select subjects outside their school or unit. When approving courses, OUR should ensure that the correct subject was selected.
    • School registrars must not create subjects themselves. If a new subject is needed, they’ll contact OUR with the request. 
15.  For Course Number, enter the associated course number following the university number guidelines. All courses should be four numeric digits long with the first digit denoting class level (e.g., enter 1001 in the field, not BIOL1001).
    • For more information, see the Course numbering section.
    • Course number combinations can be used sometimes, in consultation with OUR and the Workday Student Support Team.  
16. Do not click Add.   
17. Enter the course title and the abbreviated title.   
    • Course titles should only include acronyms if they are commonly understood by both students and third parties. Limit dependent clauses to support rapid comprehension. Title length should be under 80 characters to display properly for system users and transcript readers.  
    • Workday automatically generates the course title as the abbreviated title for the course. The abbreviated title shows on a student’s transcript. 

18. (Optional) Select the Special Topics Course checkbox if you want to create a special topics course. Arts & Sciences primarily uses special topics courses. 
    1. After selecting the Special Topics Course checkbox, click + Add and enter the Topic Title in the table row.  
    2. Add as many topic titles as you wish for this course. Only these entered topic titles can be selected when creating a course section for this course.
    3. Course section titles will display as the course title followed by the selected topic title in parentheses.
19. Do not add course tags at the course level; instead, add them only at the course section level, unless you need to exclude the course from the Bulletin. That course tag can only be added to the courses, not sections.
    1. (Optional) From Course Tags, select Office of the University Registrar:: Exclude from Bulletin to exclude the course from the Bulletin.
20. (Optional) Select the Auto Generate Course Section Number checkbox if you standardize section numbers.  This will automatically generate section numbers when course sections are created.
21. For Course Section Overrides, select All Overrides Allowed. 
    • Course sections inherit certain course attributes automatically. This field specifies which inherited course attributes can be overridden when creating a course section.   
    • Because courses offered during an intersession do not have uniform start/end dates, when course sections are created, they need to have their start/end, and add/drop dates overridden. 

22. For Description, enter a course description. 
    • Public means viewable in Workday, not the course bulletin. However, this description is integrated into the Bulletin and the class schedule public website.
    • Exclude pre- and co-requisites and details about meeting patterns and modalities. Avoid special characters which may not work correctly in reports and downstream systems. 
23. In the Course Components table: 
    1. Select only from the below instructional format options for the course sections. You can select more than one format.
       • Clinical: Medical/health programs only.
       • Discussion: Small-group section associated with a lecture course.
       • Experiential: Practicum, field work, music practice/performance.
       • Independent Study: Independent study, independent research, research project participation, journal publication.
       • Internship: Internship or co-op.
       • Laboratory: Research conducted under controlled conditions.
       • Lecture: Formal oral presentation.
       • Research: Systematic collection, documentation, analysis, and interpretation of data/information.
       • Seminar: Stand-alone, small discussion-oriented section.
       • Service Learning: Learning through community or public service.
       • Thesis: Thesis or dissertation work.
    2. For Allowed Delivery Modes, select hybrid, in-person, or online.
    3. Do not enter contact hours. This is monitored and maintained locally as a part of the curriculum processes. 
    4. (Optional) To add additional formats, click + Add and complete the fields.   
    5. The Default Instructor Load Percentage automatically populates as 100.  
    6. The Required Format and Controls Grading checkboxes are automatically checked for the first row. If adding additional rows, determine whether each Instructional Format should be required, and which should control grading. You can select only one instructional format to control grading. 

24. Confirm that the Location Not Required checkbox is deselected. Selecting this checkbox interferes with the EMS integration. Courses and course sections without traditional locations will have that represented in the delivery mode and other section details.  
25. For Credit Hour Type, select Credit Hours. 
26. For Minimum Credit Hours, enter the minimum hours for which a student can take the course. The Maximum Credit Hours field will automatically populate based on minimum credits, however, you can change the maximum credit hours if it’s a larger number than the minimum credit hours.  
    • Courses that do not allow variable credit should have the same minimum and maximum values (e.g., 3 minimum and 3 maximum). 
    • If the number of units for billing or calculating financial aid load differs from the number of units earned (e.g., zero-unit remedial course can be billed for 3 units), OUR will select the Other Credit Hour Values checkbox. Only OUR should select this checkbox to ensure curriculum policies are updated and match compliance standards. Schools must request this from OUR well in advance to ensure coordination with financial aid, immigration, and campus services.  
27. (Optional) If students can receive credit each time they complete the course, select the Repeatable for Additional Credit checkbox. This field impacts a student’s academic progress and is used to calculate load status for financial aid. All transfer placeholder courses should be marked as repeatable. 
    1. Select the Repeatable for Additional Credit checkbox.
    2. For Maximum Attempts, enter the number of times the course is allowed to be repeated. Maximum attempts include the first registration. For example, if a student is allowed to take a course two times, enter one that includes their original registration as well as one more attempt.
    3. For Repeat Maximum Credit Hours, enter the total repeatable maximum credit hours including the first course registration. For example, if a course is three credits and a student can repeat the course once, the maximum credit hours are six which includes the first course registration plus the second attempt. This works well for repeatable courses like music lessons. Workday will prevent registration when the student exceeds the repeat maximum attempts and credits.
28. Do not select the Unlimited Capacity checkbox. Courses that can have high enrollment should be listed with 999. 

29. Enter the default course section capacity and default projected enrollment, if the limits are approved by the curriculum process.
    • The Default Projected Enrollment must be equal or greater than the Default Section Capacity to ensure appropriate classroom assignments and utilization.
30. Do not enter the default wait list capacity during course creation.
    • Warning: Do not select the Manually Manage Waitlist Promotion checkbox as this will prevent Workday from automatically managing the waitlists. Selecting it will override the configured registration promotion schedule.
31. Select the Allowed Grading Bases applicable to this course.
    • WashU grading bases include Quality Graded Credit, Audit, and Pass/No Pass Credit. Do not select other grading bases.
    • When multiple options are selected, students can choose their grading basis when registering for the course.
    • Students will either select a grading basis or it will automatically populate for them based on their academic unit or program.
32. Do not select the Graded Anonymously checkbox.

33. (Optional) Use the Eligibility Rule menu to configure prerequisites that restrict who can enroll in the course. 
    • Choices made regarding available overrides will affect whether school registrars assign eligibility rules here. If requirements are consistent for every section offering, the rule may be added here. If they vary by section, section overrides must be allowed above so that accurate eligibility rules can be added at the section level. 
    • If the eligibility rules vary by course section, add them to the course section, not the course.
    • If selecting a class standing eligibility rule, note that class standing can be inflated by pre-matriculation credits. 
    • Schools should not create a new eligibility rule. Only OUR and the Workday Student Support Team can create new eligibility rules.
34. (Optional) To configure Co-Requisite Courses, select the applicable courses that students must be enrolled in to enroll in this course.
    • Warning: Do not use the Course Fees or Additional Fees sections. Fees will be specified, as needed, when creating the course section. Course fees are automated in Workday and need to be added to course sections by Student Accounting prior to publication. Course section managers need to notify Student Accounting or their school financial offices (depending on the school) if a course section should have a course fee assessed.     
35.  For Public Notes, only enter notes sparingly to describe situations that Workday cannot.
    • For example, enter a public note to a) note alternate meeting dates or locations that cannot be scheduled in Workday, (b) describe course materials not available via traditional outlets such as Follet or Canvas, or (c) note limited details about the course topic if the title/course description allow variance by instance/instructor, such as identifying a time period of focus, genre, or current events focus.
36. Lastly, review the course information for accuracy. Confirm that you have not entered anything for the following fields: Course Fees, Additional Fees, CIP Code, Educational Taxonomy Codes, Learning Outcomes, Competencies, Contact Hours, Graded Anonymously, Private Notes, and Course Materials. 
37. Click Submit. 
38. The course routes to OUR for approval.  
    • School registrars can view the status of a newly created course using the SRPT0042 – Find Course Definition Details report. When created but not yet approved by OUR, it has an In Progress status. Once approved, the course will have an Approved status. 
39. Once the course is approved, course sections can be created, and the course can be viewed in the SRPT0038 – Find Courses and SRPT0040 – Find Course Definitions reports.

Approve a course

1. In Workday, select the My Tasks inbox on the homepage.

2. Under All Items, the course appears as the course subject, course number, and effective date (e.g., BME 1001 – Course Title – 09/05/2024). 
3. Select the item to review the details of the new course and ensure accuracy.  

4. If the course has been sent back to the originator and modified, you can see the specific changes that were made by selecting View Event Changes. 
5. If the course details are correct and able to be approved, click Approve.  
6. If the course details are incorrect and need correction, click Send Back to return the course to its originator.   
   1. Selecting Deny cancels the business process and the process will have to start from the beginning. It is encouraged to select Send Back instead of Deny.   

End a course

In Workday, you cannot delete or cancel a course, but you can change its last available date. A course section can’t be created from the course after its last available date.

1. In Workday, search for and select the SRPT0040 – Find Course Definitions report.
2. Locate the course you want to end.
3. Click on the course.
4. Navigate to the Version History tab.
5. From the Version table, locate the most recent course version and click Edit.

6. For Last Available, enter the date to end the course. A course section can’t be created from the course after this date.
7. Click Submit. This will update all the versions of the course to this end date.

Create a smart list

You can use smart lists to easily group courses by criteria (e.g., the smart list Arts & Sciences : German 4000 Courses contains all 4000 level courses with the subject German).  

You can use smart lists to: 

• Identify academic, major, or graduation requirements. 
• Define undergraduate and graduate courses. 
• Easily apply eligibility rules to a large number of courses. 
• Identify courses that satisfy the same academic requirement. 
• Include or exclude courses from GPA calculations. 

1. In Workday, search for and select the Create Smart List task. 
   • Tip: Use SRPT0088-Smart Lists with Details report to search and find active smart lists.   
2. Enter a name (e.g., Upper Level Mathematics Courses).   
3. Enter a meaning for the smart list.  
4. Enter an academic unit to restrict the smart list to.  
   1. Select Include Subordinates if you want your smart list to include courses from academic units subordinate to the selected academic unit (e.g., Anthropology is subordinate to Arts & Sciences).  

5. (Optional) Select all course tags to associate with the smart list. 
6. (Optional) Select all course subjects included in the smart list.  
7. (Optional) Select the academic level the smart list is for. 
8. (Optional) Enter the Course Number Range Begin and Course Number Range End included in the smart list. 
9. (Optional) Enter any courses that would be included in this list based on your above selections into the Exclude Courses field to restrict them from this Smart List. 
10. Click OK and then Done. You can now see the smart list in the SRPT0088 – Smart Lists with Details report. 

Create a course section

Course sections (typically known as classes) are the registration-eligible offerings of courses, and include the specific times, days, and date ranges in which the course offering takes place.  Several fields in the Create Course Section task are automatically populated based on how the course was configured. If a field cannot be edited, the Course Section Overrides section of the Edit Course task may need to be adjusted.   

Schools and units create new course sections each academic year. Already existing course sections are updated and rolled forward by OUR based on prior course listings, then schools and units edit those sections with any changes. Edits to a course section does not route for approval when in preliminary status. OUR uses the SRPT0591 – OUR Find Course Section Definitions report before the rollover process begins and then again after edits are made. They compare the results and manually publish the sections once reviewed.

After course sections have been published, course and course section managers cannot edit locations. Only school registrars can edit locations after publication.

1. In Workday, search for and select the Create Course Section task.  
2. Select the course for which you are creating a section. 
   • Courses have a single academic unit owner and are created prior to the section. 
3. Select the academic period the course section will be offered. While this field doesn’t have a red asterisk, OUR requires it to be completed.
   • Workday populates the Start Date based on the academic period that you select.
   • Course sections cannot overlap academic periods. If creating a short course section, you must manually enter the relevant start and end date and ensure both fall within the standard academic period.   
4. Click OK.  

5. Enter a section number in a two-digit format (e.g., 01, 02, 10). If the course was configured to have Workday automatically populate section numbers, the section number will automatically populate. 
   • Only enter the section number in this field, not the entire course code (e.g., enter 02 into the field, not BIOL101-02).  Course section numbers should be at least two digits, beginning with 01, 02, 03, etc. 
   • Courses with multiple components, including lecture, lab, and discussion can use letters for lab or discussion sessions. For these course sections, use numbers, then letters, then double letters.
     • For example, CHEM 1005 has a lecture and a lab component. The lecture sections would be 01, 02, 03, etc., and the lab sections would be A, B, C, etc. 
     • If a course has three components–lecture, lab, and discussion–then the lecture sections would be 01, 02, 03; the lab sections would be A, B, C; and the discussion sections would be AA, BB, CC. 
6. Enter an end date. The end date automatically populates if an academic period was selected in step 3. Or, you can set this end date for a short course. 
   • Adding multiple will create sections that have the exact same meeting pattern, location and instructor. This doesn’t let you create multiple sections of a course with different meeting patterns, locations, and instructors.
7. The title and abbreviated title automatically populate based on course configuration. 

8. (Optional) If creating a section for a special topics course, select the appropriate Special Topic from the drop-down menu. 
9. The Allowed Grading Bases field will automatically populate based on course configuration. While this field doesn’t have a red asterisk, OUR requires it to be completed.
   • Warning: Ensure the Graded Anonymously checkbox is not selected, and the Grid Configuration for Final Grade Roster and Grid Configuration for Interim Grade Roster fields are left blank. 
10. (Optional) Eligibility rules automatically populate if configured at the course level. Select additional eligibility rule(s) to create additional pre-requisites for the course section.  Only OUR and the Workday Support Team can create new eligibility rules.
    • If the eligibility rules apply to all course sections, add them to the course, not the section.
11. Enter a section capacity to restrict the maximum number of students who can enroll in the course section.
    • If the Section Capacity field does not appear, ensure the Unlimited Capacity checkbox is not selected. The Unlimited Capacity checkbox should never be selected. 
    • Warning: Schools should be intentional when entering this number; changing this later will result in a required approval from OUR in order for the change to be published, as well as delays to room assignments. Lastly, if open seats have been offered to waitlisted students, the in-flight offers could be affected.
12. (Optional) Select the Reserved Capacity checkbox to hold a specific number of seats in the course section for a defined student population based upon eligibility or student condition rules that have been created. Basic rules are based on class standing. There are specialty rules for the CSE and MD programs. Any additional rules need to be requested from OUR.
    1. Click the Add Row icon.  
    2. Select an Eligibility Rule to identify the student population that you are reserving seats for.  If selecting a class standing edibility rule, note that class standing can be inflated by pre-matriculation credits. Only OUR and the Workday Support Team can create new eligibility rules.   
    3. Enter the number of seats to reserve in the Reserved Capacity column.  
    4. (Optional) Choose a Reserved Until Date to release unused reserved seats on. Unused seats will not automatically be released until the Release Remaining Reserved Capacity task is run. Note: If you add multiple eligibility rules, click the arrows in the Order column to specify the priority order for when students satisfy multiple rules.  
    5. To release reserved seats in a course section, run the Release Remaining Reserved Capacity task 
13. For Wait List Capacity, enter the number of students allowed on the waitlist for the given course section. Limit this number to a reasonable proportion of the section capacity (e.g., limit the waitlist to 5 – 10% of section capacity to prevent students from waitlisting for an excessive number of sections/seats). 
    • Do not use waitlist functionality for subsections of course clusters.
14. For Projected Enrollment, enter approximately how many students are expected to enroll in the given course section. The number must be equal to or greater than Section Capacity to ensure appropriate classroom assignments and utilization. 

15.  Do not select the Manually Manage Waitlist Promotion checkbox. Selecting it will override the configured registration promotion schedule.
16. Select the Credit Hour Type. 
    • Automatically populates based on course definition. Ensure the minimum and maximum credit hours are correct. 
17. Don’t select the Hide Course Section checkbox if the course section will be offered for self-service student enrollment.  
    • If the box is checked, the course section will be hidden from student registration. This functionality is typically used to create a course for study abroad placeholders or transfer credit purposes only. 

18. For Description, review the description of the course section, including course content and learning objectives. The description should remain consistent with that of the course, unless there are section-specific details that are important to include. While this field doesn’t have a red asterisk, OUR requires it to be filled in.
19. (Optional) Public Notes should be used sparingly to describe situations that Workday cannot. Some examples include entering a public note if a course section has alternative meeting dates or a location that can’t be scheduled in Workday. Or, describing course materials not available via traditional outlets such as Follet or Canvas. Public notes can also include course topic titles and course descriptions if there are variances among instructors (e.g., one instructor teaching a different genre/focus than the other course sections).
20. (Optional) The Other Credit Hour Values checkbox can be selected if number of units used for billing or calculating financial aid load differs from the number of units earned for completing the course. This field should be configured at the course level and should not be altered from what has inherited from the course definition. Any corrections must be routed through OUR to ensure clarity with compliance requirements.     
21. Do not use the Course Fees or Additional Fees sections. Course fees are automated in Workday and need to be added to course sections by Student Accounting prior to publication. Course section managers need to notify Student Accounting or their school financial offices (depending on the school) if a course section should have a course fee assessed.  
22. Click the Course Section Tags field and click By Category, then EMS Domain, and select the relevant EMS Domain.
    • When schools create a course section, they will enter a domain tag. OUR will then use an EMS integration to select the location for the section.   
    • If this course section will not require a classroom, select EMS Domain :: No Domain EMS.
    • Warning: An EMS Domain must be added to every course section. While this field doesn’t have a red asterisk, OUR requires it to be completed.

23. Click the Course Section Tags field again and click By Category, then Eval Template Full Term, and select the relevant Eval Template. Then, repeat for Eval Template Mid Term. While this field doesn’t have a red asterisk, OUR requires that every course section must have both an Eval Template Full Term and Mid Term selection. If not applicable, select the Exclude option.
24. As necessary, choose additional course section tags.
    • If you are working with the Terra Dotta System (TDS), use course section tags to help manage study abroad placeholder courses. 
    • Academic requirements utilize course section tags to create smart lists. 
    • Don’t select the Office of the University Registrar:: Exclude from Bulletin course tag. Only add this tag at the course level.

25. For Published Instructor Roles, click By Type, then Assignable Role, and select Instructor and any other roles associated with the course section. While this field doesn’t have a red asterisk, OUR requires it to be completed.
    • For instructors and associated roles to appear in public-facing course listings (e.g., SRPT0039 – Find Course Sections report), you must select the roles in the Published Instructor Roles.

• For more information about Instructor roles in Canvas, refer to MyCanvas.

Instructor roles	Workday capabilities
Instructor	Can submit, change, and approve final grades Can submit interim (midterm) grades Can view their course section roster Can view their teaching schedule Can approve or deny a pre/co-requisite override request (dependent on school routing rules) Visible to the student in the public-facing course section listings if selected as a Published Instructor Role
Graduate Student Course Support	Can submit final grades for instructor’s approval Can submit interim grades Can view their course section roster Can view their teaching schedule Visible to the student in the public-facing course section listings if selected as a Published Instructor Role
Undergraduate Student Course Support	Visible to the student in the public-facing course section listings if selected as a Published Instructor Role
Course Coordinator and Grader	Can submit final grades for instructor’s approval Can submit interim grades Can view their course section roster Can view their teaching schedule Visible to the student in the public-facing course section listings if selected as a Published Instructor Role
Mentor*	Can view their course section roster Can view their teaching schedule Not visible in the public-facing course section listings *Mentor and Faculty Oversight roles have the same capabilities but are separated for Workday reporting purposes.
Faculty Oversight*	Can view their course section roster Can view their teaching schedule Not visible in the public-facing course section listings *Mentor and Faculty Oversight roles have the same capabilities but are separated for Workday reporting purposes.

26. Choose the instructional format.
27. Choose the delivery mode. Do not select any delivery mode other than Hybrid, In-Person, or Online.    
    • Course sections that are experiential, feature individualized instruction, or are taught off-site, should default to In-Person Delivery Mode.   
28. Click + Add to add a row in the Instructor Roles table.  
    1. Select the role. 
    2. Select the instructor(s). You can select multiple instructors in the same row.
       • Workday displays the names of individuals who have been given instructor eligibility. Instructor eligibility is automatically assigned to individuals with an academic appointment.  
       • If the person you need to assign as the instructor is not included on this list, confirm that the person has an academic appointment. If they don’t, add a course association appointment. If they already have an academic appointment, you should contact the support team. For more information, use the Associate People to Courses in Workday Student reference guide.
    3. To add another instructor role, such as a graduate course support role, click + Add to add a row in the Instructor Roles table.
29. Click + Add to add a row in the Section Components table.  
    1. Choose a meeting pattern to determine when the course section will be offered. While this field doesn’t have a red asterisk, OUR requires it to be completed. 
       • Warning: Only select a university approved meeting pattern. Contact OUR if a new meeting pattern is needed.
    2. Choose a location. Only registrars can choose a location during the course section creation process. While this field doesn’t have a red asterisk, OUR requires it to be completed. Course section managers use the Set course section location directions.
       • Only pre-select a location if your school/ unit is the owner of that room.  
       • Warning: The Location Not Required checkbox should never be checked. If a classroom is not needed, you should select EMS Domain :: No Domain EMS above.

30. Lastly, review the course section information for accuracy. Specifically confirm that you have not entered anything for the following fields: Educational Taxonomy Codes, Graded Anonymously, Grid Configuration for Final Grade Roster, Grid Configuration for Interim Grade Roster, Competencies, Private Notes, Estimated Resident Cost, Estimated Non-Resident Cost, Learning Outcomes, Bookstore URL, Course Materials, Total Contact Hours for Course Section.
    • Don’t manually enter a bookstore URL. It will automatically populate through an integration.
31. Click OK and then Done. 
    • Warning: The course section final exam date and time must be set after clicking Done. Course section managers must specify the final exam date and time details for each course section, even if a course section does not have a final exam, before OUR publishes. There is a an option to select no final, for course sections that don’t have a final exam.  
32. The course section is created, and OUR is responsible for publishing. Until a course is published, the course section will be in a preliminary status, and students will not be able to see or register for the course section. 

Set course section location

After a course section has been created but prior to publication, course section managers can specify the course section location. After publication, only registrars can change the location.  

Set course section location prior to publication (for course section managers)

1. In Workday, search for and select the SRPT0041-Find Course Section Definitions report. OUR uses a different version of this report which is SRPT0591 – OUR Find Course Section Definitions.
   1. Or search for and select the Find Available Instructional Locations report.
   2. Select the Course Section.
   3. For the Section Components, select the meeting pattern.
2. If you’re using the SRPT0041 – Find Course Section Definitions report, locate the course section that needs a location. All course sections that have not been published by OUR will have a Preliminary status. To locate the course section, try filtering by the Preliminary section status.  
3. Hover your cursor over the course section and the Related Actions will appear.  
4. Click the course section’s Related Actions, hover over Course Section Definition, and then click Find Available Instructional Locations.  

5. Workday displays the current course section you’re adding a location to.
   1. Ensure you’ve chosen the correct course section.
   2. For Section Components, select the section’s meeting pattern. Workday displays the meeting pattern determined during the course section creation process.

6. Navigate to the Available Instructional Locations table. 
7. Choose your location by clicking the Select button.

8. Click OK.  
9. Click Done. 

Set course section location after publication (for registrars only)

1. In Workday, search for and select the SRPT0041 – Find Course Section Definitions report.
   1. Or search for and select the Find Available Instructional Locations report.
   2. Select the Course Section.
   3. For the Section Components, select the meeting pattern.    
2. If you’re using the SRPT0041 – Find Course Section Definitions report, locate the course section to edit. 
   • Try filtering by the Open section status to locate the course section.   
3. Click the course section’s Related Actions, hover over Course Section Definition, and click Edit.   
4. Navigate to the Section Components table.  

5. In the Location column:
6. Click Submit.  
7. The course section is routed to OUR for review and approval.

Publish course sections

Course sections need to be published in order for students to register for them.  OUR is responsible for publishing course sections after they are created and after rolled over and course sections have been edited.  

1. In Workday, search for and select the SRPT0591 – OUR Find Course Section Definitions report. 

2. Under the Section Status facet, select the Preliminary checkbox to filter for all unpublished courses. 

3. Select the checkbox next to the course section(s) you want to publish. 
4. Click Mass Publish Course Sections. 

5. Select the Publish Selected Course Sections checkbox. 
6. Click OK and then Done.  

Cancel a course section

In Workday, you can cancel a course section. If you cancel a course section that students are currently enrolled in, Workday drops student registrations and sends a notification to enrolled students. Before you cancel a course section, consider any consequences it may have on currently enrolled students. 

• You must remove the classroom location and instructor(s) before you can cancel a course section.

Remove the classroom location and instructor

This allows the location to be available in the Find Available Instructional Locations task and instructors to show as available for other course sections. Otherwise, the location and instructor(s) are locked in and cannot be added to another course section.

1. In Workday, search for and select the SRPT0041 – Find Course Section Definitions report. 
   • OUR can use the SRPT0591 – OUR Find Course Section Definitions report.
2. Locate the course section that you want to edit. To locate the course section, try filtering by the section status.
3. Hover your cursor over the course section, and the Related Actions button will appear. 
4. Click the course section’s Related Actions button, hover over Course Section Definition, and then click Edit.
5. To remove the assigned instructor(s), navigate to the Instructor Roles table and click – Remove Row for the row(s) with the instructor(s).
6. To remove the classroom location, navigate to the Section Components table. In the Location column, click X next to the current classroom to delete it.
7. Click Submit. This location and instructor cancellation will route to OUR for approval.
8. Click Done.

Cancel the course section

After the location and instructor cancellation is approved, you can cancel the course section.

1. In Workday, search for and select the Cancel Course Section task.
   • OUR can also cancel a course section from the Course Section Definitions report. 
2. For Course Section, select the section that you want to cancel. 

3. Click OK. 
4. For Reason, choose a reason why you want to cancel the course section. The options are low enrollment, instructor unavailability, and other. 
   1. If you select Other, enter an explanation in the Comment field. 

5. Review the impacted registrations.
6. Select the Confirm Course Section Cancelation checkbox.
7. Click OK. Workday routes course section cancellations initiated by departments to school registrars and OUR for approval. Course section cancellations initiated by school registrars and OUR do not route for approval. OUR and any impacted students are notified when the course section is canceled.
8. To see canceled course sections, use the SRPT0591 – OUR Find Course Section Definitions report and filter for sections with a canceled status. 

Edit or version a course definition and edit a course section definition

• For Spring 2025 and Summer 2025 course entry, do not edit nor version existing courses in Workday. Edits to existing courses should only occur in WUCRSL. You can create new courses in Workday but cannot edit nor version existing courses.

The course and course section definition is the administrator-facing, central source for data related to an individual course or course section. The SRPT0040-Find Course Definitions and SRPT0591- OUR Find Course Section Definitions reports provide administrators with a roster of all courses offered at WashU and all course sections offered during a specific semester.  

Edit or version a course definition

1. In Workday, search for and select the SRPT0040-Find Course Definitions report.  
2. Click on a course to see its various components, such as credit hours and the owning academic unit. Other course components include: 
   1. Course tags
      • Do not edit, remove, or update course tags at the course level, only at the course section level.
   2. Course Listing
      • Do not edit a course listing number if the course is used in a pre-requisite eligibility rule. Instead, submit a ServiceNow ticket to update the course listing number.
   3. Pre- and co-requisite courses 
   4. Course subjects 
   5. Credits
   6. Grading basis
   7. Course Materials

3. To edit a course, hover over the course title to reveal its Related Actions button. 
4. Click the Related Actions button, hover over Course Definition, and then click Edit. 
5. If you’re making substantial changes to the course definition (more than fixing grammar errors), you’ll need to make a version of the course by entering a new effective date.  
   • The effective date controls whether you are overriding the existing course definition or creating a new version of the course definition and archiving previous versions.
     • If you leave the effective date field as is, this will override the existing course definition and be an edit to the course.
     • If you update the effective date, this will create a new version of the course. For reporting purposes, the effective date should be on or before the standard date of the academic period for the course. See OUR’s website on academic calendars with details on the first day of classes.      
   • Warning: When creating a new version of a course, do not change the first available date, which auto-populates to the course’s original first date and may even be from the early 2000’s or before. If you change this date, it changes all the first available dates on all versions.
   • Tip: You can see the version history under the Version History tab of the course definition. 
   • Tip: Students will only see the relevant version of the course during their registration-related activities (e.g., registering for course section, adding a course to a saved schedule, dropping or swapping a course section).
6. Make your desired changes and click Submit. Any edits route to OUR for approval before becoming effective. 

Find and edit a course section definition

The SRPT0591 – OUR Find Course Section Definitions report displays all course sections created within WashU. From this report, administrators can mass publish sections and manage the student view of course sections. 

The academic period of a course section can only be changed when in preliminary status. Once published, cancel the course section and create a new one with a new section number.

1. In Workday, search for and select the SRPT0591 – OUR Find Course Section Definitions report.  
2. Select a course section to see the various course section components, such as the meeting pattern, instructor, and location of a course section.  Other course section components include: 
   1. Course capacity (the number of students who can enroll in the course, not the room capacity) 
   2. Reserved seating 
   3. Course tags
      • Do not remove course tags. Instead, contact OUR to remove a course tag
   4. Course listing
      • Do not edit a course listing number if the course is used in a pre-requisite eligibility rule. Instead, submit a ServiceNow ticket to update the course listing number.
   5. Instructor roles 

3. To edit a course section, hover over the course section title to reveal the Related Actions button.  
4. Click the Related Actions button, hover over Course Section Definition, and then click Edit. 
5. Make your desired changes and click Submit. 

Approve changes to a course section

When a course section has been edited and is routed for review and approval, it will appear in your My Tasks inbox.  

1. In Workday, select the My Tasks inbox on the homepage. 
2. Select the item to review the details of the edited course section.  
3. Click the Task Actions icon.  

4. Click View Details. 

5. Navigate to the Details tab and select View Event Changes.

6. Review the specific changes made to this course section.  

7. (Optional) Click Event Details to review the entire course section definition.  
8. If the course section details are correct and able to be approved, click your browser’s back button and click Approve.  
9. If the course section details are not correct and need to be corrected, click Send Back to return the course section to the editor. Selecting Deny cancels the business process and requires the process to start from the beginning, so it is encouraged to select Send Back instead. 

Cluster course sections

You can cluster multiple sections of one course or multiple sections of different courses, which indicates that students must take two course sections during the same term. For example, students who register for the lecture section of a course must also register for the discussion section of that same course.   

Course sections should be clustered while course sections are still in the preliminary status and have not yet been published by OUR.  Do not use waitlist functionality for subsections of course clusters.

School registrars and OUR can use the Find Course Section Clusters report to review and verify the course section clusters. 

Create course section clusters

1. In Workday, search for and select the Maintain Course Section Clusters task. 
2. Choose the academic period for the course sections you want to group. 
3. For Courses to Cluster, select the course(s) you want to group sections of. You can cluster sections from different courses by entering multiple courses. 

4. Once you’ve selected the course(s), click OK. 
5. Click the Add Row icon twice to add two rows. 
6. In the Instructional Format field, select the first instructional format you wish to group. 
7. In the Course Sections field on the same row, select the desired course section. 
8. In the second Instructional Format field, select the second instructional format you wish to group. 
9. In the Course Sections field on the same row, select the desired course section.  

10. (Optional) If you want to add multiple cluster options, click the + Add button located beneath the Section Clusters title. 

11. (Optional) Repeat steps 5 through 9 for the new cluster. 
12. Once you’ve created all the clusters, click OK and then Done. Course sections will still need to be published by OUR if they have not already. 

Remove course section clusters

1. In Workday, search for and select Maintain Course Section Clusters task.  
2. Choose the academic period for the course sections you want to group. 
3. For Courses to Cluster, select the course(s) you want to remove the cluster for. 
4. Click OK. 
5. Next to the section cluster you want to remove, select the Vertical Related Actions button and click – Remove. 

6. Once you’ve removed the clusters, select OK and then Done. 

Overlap course sections 

You can overlap two sections of a course that should share the exact same date range, meeting pattern, location, and instructor. Overlaps should only occur within the same school and between undergraduate and graduate sections of the same course.

Course sections can be overlapped after each course section has been created. Schools and departments should overlap course sections while course sections are still in the preliminary status and have not yet been published by OUR.   

1. In Workday, search for and select Find Course Sections to Overlap report.  
2. Choose the academic period for the course sections to overlap. 
3. Click OK.  
4. Select the checkboxes next to the course sections you want to overlap. Sections should only be overlapped if they maintain the exact date range, meeting pattern, location, and instructor. 

5. Click Manage Course Section Overlaps. 

6. Select the checkbox for any of the configuration options desired for these sections: 
   • Create One Registration Roster: Combine rosters from the overlapping course sections for ease of roster management. Note that an instructor must have access to all course sections included to view the combined roster. 
   • Create One Grade Roster: Allows primary instructors to grade the course sections that they have permission to access in a single place. 
   • Create One Participation Roster: Do not select. WashU doesn’t track class participation in Workday.
   • Share Section Capacity: Allows any of the overlapped section populations to register. Don’t select if the section enrollment should be restricted to a specific population, such as class standing or program of study. Section capacity is also shared; for example, MATH4001-01 and MATH5001-02 both have a section capacity of 10. When a student registers for either course section, the section capacity for each section decreases to 9. 

7. Select the Overlap checkbox for each section to overlap.
   • Warning: In order for course sections to be added to an overlap group, they must not have any registrations or in-progress system events. 
8. Click OK and then Done. Keep in mind: 
   • OUR should run a report to review the overlapped sections for each term to check for any errors. 
   • An EMS integration rejects any overlapping sections that do not maintain the exact date range, meeting pattern, location, and instructor. 
   • EA captures and sends an email to OUR if they see any overlapped sections that do not meet the exact criteria for overlapping sections. 

Reports

• SRPT0038 – Find Courses   
• SRPT0039 – Find Course Sections   
• SRPT0040 – Find Course Definitions   
• SRPT0041 –  Find Course Section Definitions  
• SRPT0042 – Course Definition Details  
• SRPT0043 – Course Section Definition Details  
• SRPT0591 – OUR Find Course Section Definitions
• SRPT0601 – Course and Course Sections Status Denied
• SRPT0619 – Course Section Conflicts by Academic Period
• SRPT0639 – Courses on Student Saved Schedules
• SRPT0081 – Courses with Pre or Co-Requisites  
• SRPT0137 – Find Student Eligibility Rules  
• SRPT0138 – Course Changes  
• SRPT0139 – Course Section Changes  
• SRPT0205 – Course Management Dashboard  
• SRPT0268 – Sections by Course by Academic Period  
• SRPT0088 – Smart Lists with Details   
• SRPT0590 – Course Section Missing Scheduled Assessment
• SRPT0679 – Combination Eligibility Rules
• SRPT0702 – Course Sections with Reserved Capacity

Related Resources

• Cancel a Course Section in Workday Student tutorial
• Course and Section Management in Workday Student (OUR) eLearning
• Create a New Course in Workday Student tutorial
• Create a New Course Section in Workday Student tutorial
• Course Section Rollover tutorial
• Find and View Courses in Workday Student tutorial
• Find and View Course Sections in Workday Student tutorial
• Associate People to Courses in Workday Student reference guide
• Manage Academic Appointment tutorial