Getting More Out of Your Classrooms: Tips for integrating utilization data & classroom space management MAIS Connection User Conference – November 2008

Getting More Out of Your Classrooms:

Tips for integrating utilization data & classroom space management

MAIS Connection User Conference – November 2008

Fadi MuslehOffice of the Provost – Space Utilization Initiative

Monika Dressler & Susan McDowell College of Literature, Science, and the Arts – Instructional Support Services

MAIS Connection User Conference Getting More Out of Your Classrooms Slide 2

Today’s Agenda

• Overview:

– Space Utilization Initiative

– Classroom Utilization Efforts

• Case study: LSA Instructional Support Services

• Wrap-up & Questions


Space Utilization Initiative

Purpose

• To explore how space and utilities are used on the Ann Arbor campus

• To plan and manage these resources more effectively to better meet the University’s mission and needs

Scope

• General Fund (state funded) space on Ann Arbor campus

• Excludes: Athletics, Housing & Unions, Hospital, Parking & Transportation


Executive Sponsorship & Project Team


Campus Partnerships & Involvement


Financial Challenges

• Unpredictable State of Michigan funding

• Volatile energy costs

• Average 2% building growth (General Fund space) each year

• Desire to decrease building growth to 1%


Areas Being Explored

• Instructional

• Research

• Administrative

• Other (food operations)

• Information and systems

• Business practices

• Campus-wide policies or guidelines

• Incentives to encourage better use of space

• Shared space, technology


Classroom Utilization: Work to Date

• Campus-wide target goals

– Time utilization = 70%

– Seat utilization = 65%

• New classroom utilization data warehouse

• Accompanying utilization reports in Business Objects


Report Samples


Report Samples (cont.)


Report Samples (cont.)

For more information about utilization reports: http://www.provost.umich.edu/space/resources/classroom.html


Actual Classroom Utilization Today

• Time utilization is highest in the Fall term

• Drops in Spring and Summer

• Overall utilization well below target of 70%


How the Data Will Be Used

• Understand how current classrooms are used and if they meet departments’ needs

• Planning ahead:

– 50 to 70 classrooms will be added in the coming years

– Important to identify underutilized, undesirable rooms

• Identify opportunities to repurpose underutilized rooms for higher-priority academic and research needs of the University

• Provost’s Office will be discussing classroom utilization during annual budget meetings with deans

Case Study:LSA Instructional Support Services



LSA ISS: Mission

• Provide excellent learning environments for LSA faculty and students

• Facilitate exceptional instructional opportunities enhancing creative, inquiry, and discovery

… which make the University of Michigan College of Literature, Science and the Arts extraordinary.


LSA ISS: Services

• Design and support of LSA instructional spaces– Support and manage LSA classrooms and equipment

– Provide AV and IT equipment check-out services from 3 Locations

– Plan, design, and implement instructional technology innovation

• Train and assist campus community in using LSA equipment and classrooms

• Facilitate connections to funding, resources, and other support structures

• Provide staffing, support, and equipment for special events


Overall Challenges

• Many classroom management levels within LSA:– College managed: scheduled centrally by Registrar and funded

and supported by college

– Departmentally managed: scheduled, funded, and supported by the individual LSA department

– College managed w/ department priority: funded and supported by the college, but department given priority scheduling for courses and other department activities

• Instruction takes place in many types of space – Traditional classrooms (room type 110)

– Conference, meeting rooms, lounges, and so on …


Data Challenges

• Data needed for classroom management is located in multiple systems

– (M-Pathways, LSA MRS, LSA ISS database, and departmental systems)

• Difficult to view classroom schedules

• Difficult to view room attributes, such as furniture layout, AV and IT equipment, etc.

– Room attributes recorded inconsistently…or not at all

– No common campus-wide language for attributes (e.g. “overhead projector” has different meanings)


Enhancing the Classroom Experience Through Improved Utilization

• Instructional

• Research

• Administrative

• Other (food operations)

• Information and systems

• Business practices

• Campus-wide policies or guidelines

• Incentives to encourage better use of space

• Shared space, technology


Information & Systems

• Sharing and exposing data

– Creation of online LSA ISS Classroom Database

• Inventory of AV and IT assets

• 360 degree views of each LSA managed room

• Database structure and software shared with Engineering

– www.lsa.umich.edu/ISS


• Inventory room and assets on a regular basis

• Update data and synching regularly with M-Pathways

– Works with RO to ensure HEPROD (Student Administration) is updated with correct room assets.

– Works with LSA Facilities to ensure HEPROD & FINPROD (Financial and Space Mgmt) data match, e.g. number of seats.

• Reduce duplicate data entry and ensure high fidelity data in systems

Information & Systems (cont.)


Information & Systems (cont.)

• Tying classroom scheduling and utilization data to other important efforts on campus

– Energy conservation efforts

• HVAC (fan) scheduling relies on knowing when a room is being used

– Building security and hours of operation

– DPS and emergency planning and preparedness


Policies & Business Practices for Better Classroom Management

• A/V and IT support for anyone using LSA rooms

• Encourage ad-hoc use of classrooms and technology by students and student groups

• Enforce guidelines about class start times and days offered to ensure classes don’t sit empty during desirable times

• Clearly define college vs. department responsibilities for classroom management in LSA Space Policy.

– http://www.lsa.umich.edu/facstaff/facilities/policies


Incentives to Encourage Better Use of Space

• Implement LSA key performance indicator (KPI) to teach more classes outside of peak hours of 10am–2pm

– LSA Dean’s Office analyzes classroom schedules to determine % of classes taught during peak hours

– Gives priority room assignments to departments who meet the KPI (“good citizens list”)


Incentives to Encourage Better Use of Space (cont.)

• How does this KPI improve scheduling and utilization?

– Encourages departments to place courses more evenly throughout day

– Reduces the number of scheduling conflicts a student encounters (fewer overlapping courses)

– Allows more access to desirable classroom spaces


Incentives to Encourage Better Use of Space (cont.)

• Departments wanting better classroom technology and support can turn to LSA

– Department transfers official ownership back to LSA

– LSA invests in technology and other rooms assets

– Room is centrally scheduled and open to other departments for use

– Department gets scheduling priority for courses and several hours a week marked for other department activities


Shared Space & Technology

• Encourage the use of LSA classrooms from other schools, colleges, departments and the public

• Provide similar technology and support in all centrally scheduled classrooms for ease of use by the U-M community


Shared Space & Technology (cont.)

• Maintain open dialog with other units (RO and Engineering) to ensure a common language is used to describe and request technology

• Make room asset and attribute information available online for U-M community to view (LSA ISS classroom database)

Next Steps



Next Steps

Data and Systems:

• Continue efforts to accurately record and maintain classroom data (courses, meetings, room assets), which:

– Ensures proper course/room placements

– Helps to indentify poor quality space for investment or repurposing

• Ensure that schools, colleges, departments, Provost’s Office, and Registrar’s Office make decisions about classrooms based on accurate data

• Efforts are underway, as part of the Space Utilization Initiative, to develop a campus-wide system to address some data issues above


Next Steps (cont.)

Cultural shift:

• View classrooms as an institutional resource to benefit the campus as a whole

• Increase transparency of classrooms available on campus

• Promote sharing of rooms and technology across departments and schools


Q & A

• What are other best practices or local solutions in other schools, colleges and departments?

• What challenges do you have with space or classroom data?

• What is on your classroom scheduling wish list?

– System features? Policy? Technology?

• How do you want to be communicated to about classroom utilization efforts?


Contact Us

LSA Instructional Support Services:Monika Dressler: [email protected]

Susan McDowell: [email protected]

Website: www.lsa.umich.edu/iss

Space Utilization Initiative:Fadi Musleh: [email protected]

Website: www.provost.umich.edu/space

Documents

Getting More Out of Your Classrooms: Tips for integrating utilization data & classroom space management MAIS Connection User Conference – November 2008