Vol. 38, No. 18

1-30-2009
By: Jack Miner, Associate Director, Office of the Registrar

Instructional Space Study to impact classrooms of the future

The Classroom Readiness Committee has been working with a consultant for the past few months to conduct a study of classroom utilization and instructional needs on campus. Through meetings, open forums and surveys, the group has collected feedback from more than 2,000 faculty, staff and students about instructional space on campus.

While a final report with long-term recommendations is expected this spring, a number of suggestions emerged from feedback that has allowed the Registrar’s Office and the Classroom Readiness Committee to begin responding to requests from the campus community.

• Classroom Technology: The ongoing goal of providing installed technology in all classroom pool rooms was strongly affirmed by all groups. During this academic year, the Classroom Readiness Committee is adding technology to nearly 50 additional rooms. When completed, more than 75 percent of the rooms on campus will have technology installed. By 2011, we should accomplish the goal of 100 percent technology access in campus classrooms.
• Classroom Utilization: One significant suggestion we received was to more strictly enforce existing policies that address access to classroom pool spaces. Historically, these policies have sought to have departments spread their course offerings throughout the day. The Classroom Scheduling Office has begun working with individual departments to revise course offerings to align with the policy. The result should open up more classroom space during “prime-time” for new sections and new offerings.
• Communication and Feedback: A frequent request from faculty was to know more about the classroom space they have been assigned before the first day of the quarter. Additionally, there was a strong desire to provide feedback about the specific room for future classes. Two new services will be added in upcoming quarters to address these issues. First, the Registrar’s Office will notify instructors of their room assignment via e-mail and provide resource information. Additionally, a survey will be sent to instructors each quarter with questions specific to the room they were assigned. This will not only allow us to address physical and technology issues with the room, but also allow for better room selection when the course is offered in future quarters.
• Classroom Design: Other suggestions that have been identified and will be incorporated into planning for the next academic year are specifics relating to classroom design. Some requests included more flexible furniture (rather than fixed seating) and more tables and chairs vs. tablet-arm desks. We have already begun including these suggestions into planning for future renovation projects. Requests for more electric access for students who bring laptops to class have been incorporated into projects that have already begun. Further, a consistent theme of the survey results was to reduce occupancy in a number of rooms on campus. Each existing room is being reviewed with this as a consideration.

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