Assign Teaching Space

General inventory classrooms are the complete inventory of campus rooms that are used for instructional activities. These rooms are officially designated as general classrooms with IU Space Information. This overall inventory consists of classrooms controlled (assigned) by the registrar and classrooms controlled (assigned) by academic units.

• Registrar-controlled: The subset of overall general inventory classrooms that are assigned by the Office of the Registrar.
• Department-controlled: The subset of overall general inventory classrooms that are assigned by academic departments. These assignments, while controlled by the academic unit, must be reported to the room scheduler in the Office of the Registrar. This information is required in cases of emergency so university officials know how/where to find students/faculty and it is critical for campus classroom utilization reporting.

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 emerging pedagogical tools.
2. The Office of the Registrar makes every effort to best match the available registrar-controlled classroom 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. The registrar is expected to apply and enforce the instructional space assignment rules so that an efficient and effective, conflict-free schedule can be built. Every effort will be made to distribute all teaching facilities in an equitable fashion within the confines of these requirements.
3. All laboratories or other rooms specially equipped or configured in such a way as to be usable only by a particular discipline (such as a science laboratory or an art studio) are controlled by the academic unit. While typically this space is a conference room or a specialized lab, it is expected to be used to the fullest extent possible. The department is responsible for scheduling the space for all users, including those from outside the unit, and for notifying the campus room scheduler of these room assignments.
4. In some cases, academic units may be given priority in the assignment of registrar-controlled general inventory rooms. In these situations, units are given priority only when their schedule build documents are returned to the Office of the Registrar by the stated deadline and considering such factors as class size to room capacity. In these cases, priority will be set in the initial assignment of rooms each semester by the room scheduler in the Office of the Registrar. 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.

1. In order to be given priority consideration during the initial room assignment process, schedule build documents must be returned to the Office of the Registrar by the stated due date each term.
2. While every effort will be made to accommodate flexibility in course length, priority in scheduling of general inventory classrooms will first be given to courses offered during the approved standard time modules with full-term courses, paired short courses (such as successive eight-week courses) and paired one-day-per-week
   1. NOTE: Determination of prime time may change over time based on shifts in classroom demand. As a result, the registrar may adjust the prime time determinants and notify the academic units of those changes to the rules. Such adjustments are expected to be made prior to schedule build for the affected semester.
   2. Nonstandard times (i.e., 9–11:40 a.m., 11:40 a.m.–2 p.m., 1:30–4:10 p.m., 1:40–4 p.m., etc.) are extremely difficult to accommodate on Mondays through Thursdays though it is understood that for some disciplines this format is the only one that is pedagogically realistic. In those cases, an explanation of the need for an exception to the scheduling rules must be presented to the Office of the Registrar when the schedule is being built.
   3. Optimum classroom scheduling may be achieved only when all departments distribute their course offerings across all standard time periods. In cases where a specific program or set of courses must be offered at a particular time (i.e., an evening graduate program because students and the faculty work full time during the day), an explanation of the need for that exception must be presented to the Office of the Registrar when the schedule is being built.
   4. After any exceptional cases have been considered and approved, departments should distribute their remaining course offerings across standard time periods at a rate of 55 percent or less during prime time and 45 percent or more during non–prime time. Each department must meet the prime/non–prime distribution of its requests at the time of schedule submission.
   5. Based on this percentage usage of prime vs non–prime times, an academic unit may be required to change meeting time and day from a prime time offering to a non–prime time offering.
3. As a general rule, the Office of the Registrar will attempt to schedule a unit’s courses into the unit’s home building before placing classes elsewhere. However, the room scheduler is expected 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.
4. Classroom scheduling is a dynamic process, responsive each term to both curricular and non-curricular changes and requirements. The assignment of a specific classroom during the previous corresponding semester will not automatically result in the continuing assignment of the same room. Even if the room was efficiently used during the previous semester, all other requirements above must be met before the request will be given the same priority consideration.
5. Departments are expected to provide reasonable estimates of expected enrollments based on the actual enrollment during the previous corresponding semester along with any other relevant facts known by the department. In courses enrolling 30 or more where the estimated enrollment exceeds the actual enrollment from the previous corresponding semester by more than 15 percent, the department must attach a written explanation for the expected increase in enrollment, signed by the dean. Without acknowledgment by the school’s dean, assignment will be based on the actual enrollment during the previous corresponding semester, allowing for an increase of not more than 15 percent.
6. Any instructional space controlled by an academic unit is expected to be fully scheduled with appropriate courses and unit-related activities. The academic unit is expected to make full use of its own instructional space before requesting additional registrar-controlled rooms. Also, the academic unit is expected to contact the registrar about any available time slots in their department-controlled instructional space that could be used for other campus classes.
7. All room use must be entered into the campus room scheduling system so the registrar’s room scheduler can be made aware of departmental space assignments. This is essential in responding to emergencies and to allow the campus to better describe and report the use of its room inventory.
8. Requests to renovate or otherwise modify a classroom must be submitted to the Classroom Committee. As part of the approval process, the Classroom Committee 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 Classroom Committee. Units making modifications without such approval will be liable for the cost of returning the room to its prior state. In addition, any unit wishing to reassign classroom space to any other purpose must submit a proposal to the Classroom Committee for review and recommendation of approval or disapproval since such requests will likely affect all academic units.