Classroom Scheduling Policy

The Curricular Services area of the Office of the Registrar assigns General Assignment campus classrooms for formal academic instruction, course-related activities (e.g., midterm examinations, review sessions), final examinations, and events. Assignments are made in accordance with the campus Classroom Scheduling Policy.

General Assignment (GA) Classroom Characteristics 

When Curricular Representatives request a GA classroom in SIS, they can request the following room characteristics as needed. If a class does not need specific classroom features, do not specify any room characteristics. To increase the likelihood of receiving a GA classroom assignment, only enter what is absolutely necessary for the pedagogy of the class. Requesting many characteristics will limit which rooms can fill the request, and some combinations will have few or no available rooms. For example, a request for movable tablet-arm chairs, technology, 30 feet or more of blackboard, and room darkening with a requested room capacity of 80 or more could not be filled as no such GA classroom exists. Requests for rare classrooms, such as those with movable seating for more than 150 students, may result in a class receiving no GA classroom assignment because the request could not be filled as submitted.

01 | Movable Tablet-Arm Chairs

This indicates the presence of classroom seating that is made up of movable chairs with an attached writing surface. There are no tables (except for one instructor table). There are about 150 rooms with the characteristic, ranging from 15 to 76 seats, with the vast majority having 42 or fewer. Note that rooms with this characteristic will also have the characteristic 06, Movable Seating (any). Examples include Social Sciences 6112 and Humanities 2251.

06 | Moveable Seating (any)

This indicates the presence of movable chairs, and includes all rooms which have movable tablet-arm chairs, seminar seating, or classroom tables and chairs. In a classroom with movable seating and tables, the tables may be either be fixed or movable; note that there is no characteristic for movable tables. There are over 250 rooms with this characteristic, from 15 to 293 seats. Please note that the larger the room, the less practical moving seats around becomes. The overwhelming majority of rooms with this characteristic have fewer than 100 seats (98% of them). Examples include Humanities 2251, Education 151, and Nicholas 4235.

07 | Tables (any)

This indicates the presence of tables for student use, and includes all rooms which previously were categorized as seminar seating, classroom tables and chairs, and fixed tables and fixed chairs. There are about 150 rooms with the characteristic, ranging from 15 to 295 seats. Examples include Nicholas 4235 and Animal Science 212.

08 | Collaborative Learning Setup

This indicates a room that has furniture configured for student collaboration and active learning. Computer projection may or may not be present; if present, it may be via centrally located display(s) and/or multiple monitors stationed throughout the room. Student seating is configured in pods, with chairs around worktables that may or may not be easily movable. There may be an instructor desk at the front of the room or a centrally located instructor podium. There are over 20 rooms with this characteristic. Most have 23 to 48 seats; very few have more than 64. Examples include Van Hise 201 and Ingraham 214.

11 | Technology Room

This indicates the presence of technology for an instructor to display content from their laptop. Depending on the size and configuration of the room, this may be a projector, multiple projectors, a large monitor, or multiple monitors. As of Fall 2023, Blu-ray (i.e., Blu-ray/DVD/CD) players are no longer available in GA classrooms; instructors who previously used physical media in GA classrooms should consider using digitized versions of these materials.

17 | Document Camera

This indicates the presence of a document camera.

22 | Lecture Capture

This indicates the presence of technology for recording instruction. There are over 50 rooms with the characteristic; most are lecture halls with 90 or more seats, and very few are rooms with fewer than 50 seats.

30 | 30 ft or more of Blackboard

This indicates the presence of 30 feet or more of writing surface for the instructor, whether whiteboards or blackboards. All GA rooms have either a whiteboard or blackboard, with the exception of Engineering 1800, Mechanical Engineering 1106, Mechanical Engineering 1153, Mechanical Engineering 1163, and Educational Sciences 228. Only request this feature if instruction requires a very large amount of writing surface for the instructor, such as certain math/math-intensive classes. Examples include Van Vleck B130 and Bardeen 140.

35 | Windows [INACTIVE]

This indicates the room has windows. The windows may or may not be operable by room occupants. This characteristic will be inactive and unavailable beginning with the schedule build for Summer 2025 (term 1256).

36 | Room Darkening

This indicates the room can be darkened from outside light.

40 | Maps (Science Hall)

This indicates the room has pull down maps. This should only be used by Geography (subject 416) and the Nelson Institute (subject 360).

45 | Com CC [INACTIVE]

This indicates the presence of specialized video equipment. This should only be used by Communication Arts (subject 250). This characteristic will be inactive and unavailable beginning with the schedule build for Spring 2026 (term 1264).