Courses taught in departmental rooms need to be submitted to Room Scheduling so this information may be entered.  These room assignments are carried forward from year to year and are removed only when Room Scheduling is notified in writing of the room change or removal.  Entering this room information assures accurate room information is being released to the students and assists with the scheduling of courses for the university.

When scheduling courses for students with special needs, we work closely with the Disability Resources Office. There are times when courses need to be moved to accommodate the needs of these students, and the department is always notified of this type of move immediately.

Room Scheduling also works with departments by consulting on course changes for semesters, coding courses for technology or location needs, and enforcing standard time and day combinations.

BEFORE any changes are made to a course, contact Room Scheduling first at roomscheduling@iastate.edu.  Once permission is given, a half sheet needs to be completed and sent to the Office of the Registrar.

Generally, the university uses its classrooms very well. The enrollment growth of the last several years is increasing the pressure on available classrooms, and users are finding it more difficult to use classrooms that are effective in meeting faculty needs and convenient to use. Adhering to the following tenets could enhance scheduling opportunities:

• Classes are crowded in the "prime time" between 9AM and 3PM. If classes were spread to the other hours of the day there would be fewer conflicts. This is especially true for large lecture sections because lecture halls are in short supply. Departments are given hourly allocations to encourage more even distribution of classes and should adhere to those allocations.

• Use of time/day combinations that deviate from the standard class schedules cause wasteful gaps in the use of classrooms. Classes which adhere to standard times are assigned classrooms first.  Classes that deviate from the standard times are assigned classrooms last using those classrooms that are still available.

• The initial course offering class limits are used to assign classrooms. When classes don’t reach the stated limits, they are moved to accommodate classes that still need to be placed. These double moves are time consuming and slow the process when we have limited time to respond.

• High technology classrooms are in demand. New installations and upgrades to existing rooms are helping to increase the availability of these spaces, but they are still in very short supply. A class scheduled in one of these rooms that doesn’t use the technology is denying another class access to equipment it needs.