40,000 and Beyond: Facilitating Enrollment Growth Through Classroom Scheduling Efficiency Louis Hunt North Carolina State University

Rethinking Classroom Design “The forms and functions of learning spaces are changing…. New types of learning spaces not only incorporate new hardware and systems, they also create new patterns of social and intellectual interaction, alter the demand for space on campuses, and suggest new strategies for overall campus design.” William J. Mitchell,Professor of Architecture and Media Arts and Sciences, MIT Presentation at ELI Meeting 2004

NC State’s Scheduling Environment Distributed to Academic Departments –100+ scheduling officers Centralized Classroom Assignment –265 classrooms Includes Carmichael Gym, Reynolds Coliseum, Pulp and Paper Labs sections 78 “ClassTech” rooms, 157 have projection 25 rooms assigned to Registration and Records Laboratories are scheduled by departments

Classroom Utilization: UNC System Measures

UNC System Measures Percent Student Station Utilization (Fill Ratio) –Goal is 65 percent fill NC State:62.4 UNC-CH:66.5 ECU:61.0 UNC-Char:61.5 Percent Station Utilization = Student Clock Hours in Classrooms Potential Clock Hours in Classrooms

UNC System Measures Hours of use per week in classrooms –Goal is 35 hours per week NC State: 31.3 UNC-CH:25.6 ECU:28.2 UNC-Char:36.2 Avg. Weekly Hours Of Instruction = Total Room Hours of Instruction Total Number of Classrooms

UNC System Measures Space Factor –Goal is 0.79 based on the following: –65% fill ratio, 35 hours per week, 18 assignable sq. feet per student station NC State: 0.77 UNC-CH:1.00 ECU:0.87 UNC-Char:0.71 Space Factor = Assignable Sq. Ft. / Station Avg. Weekly Room Hours Percent Station Utilization X

Scheduling Challenges

Scheduling Challenges: Too many courses with non-standard meeting times and patterns. –Use policy and committee review process to force courses to adhere to the standard timetable. –Examine and consider changes to campus timetable. Create more 75 minute meeting patterns Combine centennial and main campus timetable Delay class start time to 8:30 AM Require departments to offer at least 50% of courses outside of primetime

Scheduling Challenges: Distributed ownership and control of rooms affects scheduling efficiency, for example: Pre-assignment of courses to priority spaces Non-course use of rooms during peak periods Departmental investments in specific rooms –Quality, technology, or related issues –Centralize ownership, scheduling, and support of classrooms. Provide alternative space for meetings, seminars, and similar departmental functions. –Limit non-course use of classrooms.

Scheduling Challenges: Many classrooms lack adequate technology and related support. –Provide consistent, appropriate, and ubiquitous technology in all classrooms. Provide centralized support, training, and maintenance for classroom technology. Create “reservable” electronic classrooms.

Scheduling Challenges: Inaccessible, inflexible, out-dated, and poorly furnished classrooms have low utilization. –Ensure that all classrooms are accessible and use current ergonomic and environmental design principles. Adequate desktop space for students Student-teacher eye contact

Scheduling Challenges: Lack of appropriately sized classrooms in proximity to academic departments. –Ensure that each campus neighborhood has an appropriate array of classroom sizes for the pedagogy of its residents. Distribute more large classrooms across campus Partner with other units on campus to create dual- purpose rooms. –Witherspoon Cinema, DH Hill Library Make classrooms a priority in new construction

Campus Neighborhoods