Instructional Space

Scheduling and Use of Instructional Space /   Room Scheduling Priorities  / Comments

I. Scheduling and Use of Instructional Space at IUPUI

1. All instructional rooms belong to the campus and shall be managed in such a way as to maximize their use for the campus as a whole while recognizing the need to keep current with current and emerging pedagogical tools.
2. All instructional rooms not specially equipped or configured in such a way to be useable only by one unit shall be considered general inventory classrooms. These include reservable computer clusters (as opposed to open computing learning centers). All general inventory rooms shall be assigned by the Room Scheduler in the Office of the Registrar.
3. All laboratories or other rooms specially equipped or configured in such a way as to be useable only by a particular discipline (such as a science laboratory or an art studio) are controlled by the academic unit which shall schedule them through the campus Room Scheduler.
4. In some cases, academic units may be given priority in the assignment of general inventory rooms. This is usually a result of the unit's having made a financial contribution to the renovation of a room, such as the addition of technology. In these situations, units are given priority only in the initial assignment of rooms each semester by the Room Scheduler in the Office of the Registrar. Priority assignment will include scheduling rooms for activities which directly relate to courses or the mission of the unit. The unit does not have exclusivity of use or the right to bump a course from another department which was scheduled into the facility after the initial scheduling cycle without the concurrence of the second department.
5. In some cases, academic units have scheduling control for certain rooms. While typically this space is a conference room or a specialized lab, the department is responsible for scheduling the space for all users, including those from outside the unit. This space is expected to be used to the fullest extent possible. See section C of the Scheduling Priorities which appear below.
6. All room use will be entered onto the campus room scheduling system. This is essential as it allows the campus to better describe the use of its room inventory.
7. Any unit wishing to renovate or otherwise modify a classroom shall submit its plan to the Executive Vice Chancellor. As part of the approval process, the Committee on Classroom Use will review and recommend approval or disapproval of the proposal as it relates to the best use of campus facilities. No renovations or modifications may be made without the approval of the Executive Vice Chancellor. Units making modifications without such approval shall be liable for the cost of returning the room to its prior state.

The campus must strike a balance between a unit's legitimate interest in renovating a traditional classroom to fit the new needs of instruction and the resultant reduction of the use and availability of the room to the campus as a whole. Wherever possible, adding instructional technology should be done in such a way that the room retains its usefulness for instruction which does not use the technology. Identification and installation of equipment which does not require significant reduction in room seating capacity also must be a consideration.

II. IUPUI Room Scheduling Priorities

1. The Office of the Registrar makes every effort to make the best match of available inventory with the particular needs of a course, including anticipated enrollment and the instructional requirements, such as seating type, size of writing surface, and technology-supported instructional tools.
2. As a general rule, the Office of the Registrar attempts to schedule a unit's courses into the unit's "home" building before placing classes elsewhere. The Room Scheduler reserves the right to place classes elsewhere if it is determined that another course is a better match for a particular room, considering such factors as class size to room capacity and the need for a specific seating type, or available instructional technology. The goal is to make the best use of all instructional space.
3. Any instructional space controlled by an academic unit is expected to be fully scheduled with appropriate courses and unit-related activities. In cases where the Registrar is faced with excess demand for classrooms in a particular time slot, the unit will be expected to make full use of its own instructional space before its request for additional rooms will be considered.
4. While every effort will be made to accommodate flexibility in course length, priority in scheduling of general inventory classrooms will be given to standard-length courses, with full-term courses and paired short courses (such as successive eight week courses) given equal treatment. In cases of I(D), I(E), and II(C), this scheduling will follow the priority assignment of courses and unit-related activities.
5. The Room Scheduler will follow these priorities:

1. Best match of room capacity to projected enrollment for courses using available installed technology.
2. Best match of room capacity to projected enrollment for courses not using technology.
3. Smaller classes using technology.
4. "Experimental" credit courses which use the technology but which meet for non-standard lengths.
5. Occasional users of the technology, such as a one-time need for distance technology for credit courses.
6. Occasional users who need either the room size or technology for academically-related (though non-instructional) purposes, such as placement examinations.
7. Occasional users who need the room size for non-academic purposes, such as non-IUPUI tests, non-credit classes, meetings, outside groups, etc.

III. Comments

In 1993, a consortium of five schools (Education, SLIS, Journalism, Social Work, and Physical Education) was formed to address the possibility of joint funding and use of specialized facilities such as computer-equipped classrooms (as opposed to an open lab). More recently, the consortium has offered to join with the campus in funding an additional distance education classroom is ES, with priority scheduling to be handled by the members and remaining open time to be made available to other units. Similarly, Nursing has been given priority in the assignment of new distance education facilities in its building, with remaining time slots available for other academic units and if still available, multi-campus non-course functions such as meetings.

---

Approved by the Chancellor August 18,1998

Policies and Fee Structure for Non-Instructional Use