Policy 2:2 - University Classrooms | South Dakota State University

Policy Contact: Office of Academic Affairs

Purpose
This policy and its procedures set forth the on-campus University classroom inventory and utilization protocols to ensure fulfillment of the University commitment to providing quality learning environments for faculty and students consistent with changing pedagogy requirements. This policy excludes departmentally-controlled laboratories, class rooms, or other learning environments.
Definitions
1. Becoming Live: the point at which the Master Schedule becomes available for students and faculty to view, which occurs one month prior to early registration.
2. Capacity:
  1. Section Capacity: the number of students who can register for this class. This is controlled within the College and is determined by teaching pedagogy, historical interest in this course, and desired size of the section.
  2. Classroom Capacity: the maximum number of student stations within the classroom. This number is based on square footage of the room, egress requirements, number of exits, and type of furniture.
3. Credit Hour: a unit by which the University measures its course work. The credit hour value for a course is determined primarily by the amount of time, the intensity of the educational experience, and the amount of outside preparation required by the student. For example, a lecture course with readings or other out-of-class preparation would result in one credit for each class hour scheduled per week for a semester while a laboratory experience with little out-of-class preparation may equal one credit for three hours scheduled per week of a semester.
4. Department-Controlled Laboratory: a room used primarily for formally or regularly scheduled classes that require special purpose equipment or a specific room configuration for student participation, experimentation, observation, or practice in an academic discipline. These laboratories are assigned to a specific department and are scheduled by the department. All equipment and upgrades are funded by the assigned department and under the decentralized budget model, departments are charged per square foot.
5. Freeze Date: the date a snapshot of students’ enrollment information is taken and stored for reporting.
6. Priority/Preference Scheduling: University classrooms that are first scheduled for a specific department prior to the Master Schedule Becoming Live.
7. Technology Fully Enhanced: single or dual projection classrooms with some having an interactive smart board as one of the projection images, 6-7 computer inputs on the outside walls, PC, laptop, document camera, combo desk, auxiliary and close circuit fiber feed.
8. Technology Partially Enhanced: classrooms equipped with a smart board, projector, sound system, and combination deck.
9. University Classroom Types: rooms scheduled by Office of the Registrar for use by classes from any department. Equipment and upgrades are centrally funded through the University.
  1. Seminar Classroom: space formalized by the presence of conference - type furniture that facilitates discussion and interaction. These spaces are typically used for upper level and graduate seminars and have basic technology support.
  2. Lecture – Fixed: space that supports traditional lecture-based learning through fixed seats and writing surfaces. These spaces have extensive technology support.
  3. Lecture – Mobile: space that is used for lecture-based learning but is relatively flexible and could accommodate a variety of teaching methods. These spaces have tablet arm chairs or mobile tables and chairs. These spaces have extensive technology support.
  4. Active Learning/Grouping: space that is collaborative in nature in that the students are organized and work in pods or groups. Intended for students to be using computer technology throughout the class. Student - led discussion and learning is supported through technology and connectivity. These spaces have extensive technology including connectivity with each of the pods or groups.
  5. Collaborative: space that is very unique and specifically supports innovative learning through varied and simultaneous activities. These spaces are not intended for lecture based learning and have varied and specialized technology.
Policy
1. Roles and Responsibilities:
  1. Office of Academic Affairs: Under the leadership of the Provost, the Office of Academic Affairs (OAA) has ultimate responsibility for the University learning environments. The OAA will be responsible for all aspects of classroom planning including new classroom construction, existing classroom improvements, and reporting to the University and the SDBOR. In addition, the OAA will implement classroom planning by coordinating with other offices on campus, monitor progress, refine as needed and seek feedback so as to continuously improve learning environments and to ensure appropriate utilization and occupancy.
  2. Office of the Registrar: Responsible for assigning classroom space as an integral part of the responsibility of building a semester schedule. The Office of the Registrar will maintain and make available a current inventory of each course’s preferred classroom type and to the extent possible, match course to classroom type. The Office of the Registrar will also keep a current priority scheduling list to ensure department(s) priority scheduling rights.
  3. Academic Deans: Responsible for assuring that requested times for daytime courses are from 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM, Monday through Thursday and 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Friday. Deans are responsible for addressing conflicts between classes in different subject areas with a view to maximizing scheduling choices for students.
  4. Office of Instructional Technology: Responsible for classroom technology including technology enhancements, upgrades, repairs, periodic checks, training, and on-call services for faculty.
  5. Facilities and Services: Responsible for maintaining classroom inventory including the on-going evaluation of classroom conditions and a five (5) year schedule for upgrades. Facilities and Services monitors and reports classroom usage, implements classroom renovations, and advises on new construction projects.
2. Classroom Enhancement
  1. The University will continually review and update its classrooms to offer a range of structures to facilitate engaged learning, to realize sufficient utilization and occupancy, and to facilitate redirection of resources to better maintain existing classrooms.
  2. Classroom inventories as well as utilization of these resources will be maintained, reviewed, and disseminated in accordance with University and SDBOR policies and procedures, including but not limited to in electronic databases and in publications and studies.
  3. Classrooms and facilities improvement plans will be continually reviewed, developed, and implemented to facilitate continuous adaptation to current pedagogy and effective efficiencies.
3. Scheduling
  1. University Classrooms are scheduled centrally by the Office of the Registrar. Courses will be assigned to a University Classroom based on two criteria: the Section Capacity established for the class, and preferred University Classroom Type. If both cannot be fulfilled, the Section Capacity criteria will be honored first in scheduling a classroom.
  2. Courses that adhere to the following time guidelines will be given first priority:
    1. Three basic options are available for course and classroom scheduling: 50 minutes of instruction beginning on the hour (e.g., 8:00-8:50); 75 minutes of instruction beginning on the hour (e.g., 8:00-9:15); 2.5 hours of instruction beginning on the hour (e.g., 4:00- 6:30). Some variations will occur for laboratories and studios.
    2. For Monday, Wednesday, Friday courses, the courses will start on the hour and end 50 minutes after the hour. For Tuesday, Thursday three-credit courses, the courses will meet for 1 hour and 15 minutes. If a three-credit course meets only Monday, Wednesday, the course must be scheduled after 3:00 PM for effective classroom usage.
    3. One and two-credit courses will be scheduled on Tuesday and/or Thursday. The time schedule for said courses is: 8:00 AM -9:15 AM, 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM, 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM, 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM, 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM, 3:30 PM – 4:45 PM.
    4. Evening courses that meet more than once a week will be scheduled to meet at the same time each evening.
  3. Courses will be scheduled into the “right-sized” rooms; that is, rooms that are not too large for the projected enrollment. Changes in room assignment will be made based on enrollment history, preliminary enrollments, and actual enrollments so as to match University Classroom Type and Capacities.
  4. Courses offered for credit have priority over non-credit classroom scheduling. When two or more departments request the same room and time, the course with the greatest enrollment is given the first priority.
  5. To facilitate student schedules and to best utilize classrooms, courses will be distributed throughout the day and week, utilizing mornings and evenings, Monday through Friday. This also applies to multiple section courses including large lecture courses, which will be distributed evenly throughout the day and week.
  6. Scheduling a course for a term does not guarantee a reservation during Finals Week. Finals are scheduled separately and published in the semester schedule. Courses that regularly meet in these classrooms during the term will receive priority for scheduling during Finals Week.
  7. Whenever possible, courses scheduled in a classroom for one term will carry over to the next term. viii. Consideration will be given to minimize faculty travel from one building to another although not all faculty can be scheduled to teach in only one building. Individual accommodations will be considered as appropriate on a case by case basis in accordance with law.
  8. Conflicts will be resolved initially by the scheduler and the requesting individual. Should a conflict be unresolved, the Registrar and unit Dean will work to resolve the conflict. Remaining conflicts will then be submitted to the Provost for final resolution.
Procedures
1. The Office of the Registrar will distribute draft schedules to departments is as follows:
  1. Spring term – First draft is sent the 2nd week in May, the second draft is sent the 1st week in August, priority or preference for rooms ends the 4th week in September.
  2. Summer term – First draft is sent 3rd week in May, the second draft is sent the 2nd week in August, priority or preference for rooms ends the 4th week in September.
  3. Fall Term – First draft is sent the 1st week in October, the second draft is sent the 1st week in December, priority or preference for rooms ends the 3rd week in in February.
2. Departments will develop their semester schedule when requested by the Registrar’s Office and submit by the due date for the Office of the Registrar to schedule courses with classroom type and apply priority designations.
  1. During scheduling, departments will indicate University Classroom Type and other needs.
  2. The Registrar’s Office will assign priority classrooms to identified departments (if requested), up to the published date on the electronic classroom Master Schedule, or one month prior to the start of early registration and make the schedule and assignments available to the campus community.
  3. After the deadline, classrooms will be available for scheduling to others outside of the priority designation on a first come, first served basis.
3. Classroom reservations will also be made in the Registrar’s Office. Laboratory schedules set by Departments will be submitted to the Registrar for publication in the class schedule.
4. Classroom reservations for events outside of the regular class schedule can be made from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm with the Registrar’s Office; to schedule events after 5:00 pm and/or on weekends, contact Central Reservations.
5. Changes required to scheduled rooms and other accommodations will be submitted to the Office of the Registrar for rescheduling into different classroom spaces.
6. Facilities and Services will implement Classroom Enhancements in accordance with a rotating enhancement plan with input from the Provost.
7. All classrooms, except Active Learning/Grouping and Collaborative, will be unlocked in the morning and locked at night by custodial staff. During business hours the rooms will remain unlocked. Active Learning/Grouping and Collaborative classrooms will remain locked and access will be through card swipe.
8. The Registrar’s Office and Classroom Technologies will coordinate faculty/staff access each semester.
9. Non-technology classroom supplies are provided by Facilities and Services.
10. Concerns with the classroom or furniture shall be submitted to Facilities and Services.
11. Concerns with the technology shall be submitted to Classroom Technologies.
Responsible Administrator
The Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, successor, or designee is responsible for bi-annual and ad hoc review of this policy and its procedures. The University President is responsible for approval of modifications to this policy and its procedures.

Approved by President on 08/08/2013. Revised 01/26/2024 (clerical).

Sources: SDBOR Policies , , and

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