Room Assignment Policies (General Classrooms)

---

Introduction

It is incumbent upon us as members of the University Community to use University resources wisely. Teaching facilities are a significant resource, and the availability of teaching facilities is finite.

Academic classroom space is not owned by academic units. Accordingly, classrooms are assigned and coordinated by one scheduling office.

In an effort to provide a course schedule that is conflict-free and results in an equitable distribution of these resources, the Bloomington Campus Calendar and Schedule Committee has developed the following policies governing the preparation and submission of schedule copy to the Office of the Registrar. These policies were developed in the spirit of providing course scheduling that permits access to available offerings by the greatest number of students and that allows the best match between the specific needs of the courses being offered and the existing facilities.

Most of the policies defined in this document are not new. They have been revised in a way that more clearly delineates priorities in room assignment. Some departments have already developed schedules that comply with these policies. Others will need to revise their scheduling practices in order to achieve priority in room assignment.

ROOM ASSIGNMENT POLICIES

1. SCHEDULE COPY SUBMISSION
   
   All departments on the Bloomington campus must publish their schedule of course offerings for each semester in the Schedule of Classes and Student Academic Information bulletin. In order to be given priority consideration during the initial room assignment process, schedule copy must be received by the Office of the Registrar by the due date.
   


2. TIME DISTRIBUTION
   
   
   1. There is a greater likelihood of achieving optimum scheduling when all departments distribute their course offerings across all standard time periods within each room category at the rate of 55% or less during prime time and 45% or more during non-prime time. A priority rank will be assigned to each department on the basis of the prime/non-prime time distribution of its requests. A lower priority rank may result in the need for the department to change meeting time, day, building or room requests. Room request categories are defined as follows:
      1. Seminar rooms.
      2. Sections enrolling fewer than 58 students.
      3. Sections enrolling 58 - 89 students.
      4. Sections enrolling 90 or more students.
      
      
   2. Prime time includes all instructional minutes scheduled between the hours of 9:05 a.m. and 2:29 p.m.
      
   
   
   3. Non-prime time includes all instructional minutes scheduled between the hours of 8:00 a.m. - 9:04 a.m. and between 2:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
   
   
3. STANDARD MEETING TIMES
   
   
   1. Priority will be given to classes that meet during standard meeting times according to the following scheme:
      1. 50-minute classes begin at the following times: 8:00, 9:05, 10:10, 11:15, 12:20, 1:25, 2:30, 3:35, 4:40, 5:45, 6:50, 7:55, and 9:00.
      2. 75-minute classes begin at the following times: 8:00, 9:30, 11:15, 1:00, 2:30, 4:00, 5:45, 7:15, and 8:45
      3. Classes meeting longer than 75 minutes should begin at the same time as the standard 50-minute time period.
   
   
   2. The following standard time/day sequences are presented in priority order:
      1. 50 - minute daily classes.
         50 - minute classes 4 days/week.
         50 - minute classes MWF.
         75 - minute classes TR.
         
      2. 50 - minute classes MW.
      3. 50 - minute classes TR.
      4. 75 - minute classes MW.
      5. Other classes will be scheduled as rooms are available.
   
   
4. EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE UTILIZATION
   
   
   1. Ordinarily, large rooms are considered efficiently used when they are filled to 90% or more of room capacity. Normally, smaller classrooms (1 - 57) are considered efficiently used when their enrollment reaches 75% or more of capacity.
      
   
   
   2. Facility requirements for courses are sometimes based on the need for rooms of a certain seating capacity, and at other times on the need for rooms that accommodate or contain equipment that is essential to the course material or to the delivery of instruction. When time distribution and standard meeting time requirements have been met, assignment will be made with consideration to both estimated enrollment yielding the most efficient use of the space requested and the need for rooms with special facilities and equipment.
      
      Occasions may arise when these two principles, the need for special facilities and the efficient use of space, will conflict. We recognize that this conflict represents a gray area in scheduling decisions. The Registrar will seek advice, consider this particular assignment in light of all others, and make a decision after consulting with faculty representatives.
      
   
   
   3. Departments should base estimated enrollments on the actual enrollment during the previous corresponding semester. In classes enrolling 30 or more and where the estimated enrollment exceeds the actual enrollment during the previous corresponding semester by more than 15%, the department must attach a written explanation for the estimated enrollment. Without a written explanation, assignment will be based on the actual enrollment during the previous corresponding semester, allowing for an increase of not more than 15%.



5. PRIOR ASSIGNMENTS

   Classroom scheduling is a dynamic process, responsive each semester to both curricular and non-curricular changes and requirements. The assignment of a specific classroom at a particular time during the previous corresponding semester will not automatically result in the continuing assignment of the same room at the same time. Even if the room was efficiently used during the previous semester, all other requirements above must be met before the request will be given priority consideration.

APPLICATION OF POLICIES

The Office of the Registrar is granted authority by the Bloomington Campus Calendar and Schedule Committee, whose members are appointed by the Bloomington Faculty Council and the Dean of the Faculties, to apply and enforce these policies so that an efficient and effective conflict-free schedule can be developed. Every effort will be made to distribute all teaching facilities in an equitable fashion. When scheduling difficulties arise, opportunities exist for scheduling officers to consult with a representative from the Office of the Registrar.

It is in the best interest of all departments to meet the distribution requirements, since priority consideration during the room scheduling process will be given to those departments that have distributed their schedules in the prescribed manner. In cases of conflicting requests from different departments, assignment will be made in favor of the department that has been ranked higher in priority as a result of better compliance with room assignment policies. In the case of assignments made for courses taught by departments in the College of Arts and Sciences, the Dean of the College, or a designated representative, may be asked to assist in the adjudication of conflicting requests. In extreme cases, an appeal for an exception to these policies may be made to the Dean of the Faculties.

When the resolution of conflicting requests cannot be achieved in time, the Office of the Registrar may be forced to publish a course offering without any meeting time and location information. This condition will result in post-publication scheduling, which will cause a hardship to students who will have inadequate information to plan a complete schedule. This condition may also result in departments not achieving their desired enrollment and credit-hour levels.

These policies will be applied to all course sections where rooms from the general assignment pool are being requested. Only those sections from each department that require general assignment rooms will be taken into consideration when determining compliance with scheduling distribution policies. These principles should also apply in the scheduling of courses that do not require teaching facilities from the general assignment pool.