AA 2014-03

1. The Academic Resources Management and Planning Office oversees allocation of all instructional space (classrooms, labs, etc.) to colleges. However, throughout the year, the President may approve modifications to the use of campus space as recommended by the Vice President of Administration and Finance. Any approved modification that impacts the pool of physical space to the colleges and/or Academic Affairs is adjusted in the Academic Affairs Facilities and Space Database (AAFSD) and is aligned with the campus Space and Facilities Database (SFDB). The AAFSD is designed for internal use only, while the SFDB is the official campus record and is maintained and reported by the Division of Administration and Finance.

2. Colleges are allocated rooms sufficient to accommodate general education and major program needs. Allocation of these rooms to departments/programs are done by the college’s internal processes. To effectively and efficiently use the assigned spaces, colleges and their departments/programs are expected to follow the class schedule production timeline and the standard university class meeting time modules and adhere to the room capacities. They are also expected to use this document and Principles of Academic Affairs Facilities and Equitable Space Management as a guide. To serve the best interest of the students, Colleges may share room allocations as long as they have received prior approval from the appropriate college.

3. Some colleges may be allocated rooms that they share for either day/evening and/or weekday/weekend time modules that are disproportionate to their relative sizes or to accommodate their distinctive student populations.

4. Colleges are given a timeframe, identified in the class schedule production timeline, to schedule all of their classes within their room allocations (does not include exclusive rooms such as labs and specialized rooms). Colleges should make the most use of their room allocations during this time period. At the conclusion of this time, all unallocated room allocations revert back to centralized space, colleges then may schedule any room that has reverted back to the central pool of available rooms with the exception of rooms designated as exclusive. Once the class schedule has been posted online, any available rooms, with the exception of rooms designated as exclusive are open to the Office of Facilities Scheduling to schedule any campus events.

5. Approved by the Academic Senate, the standard university class meeting time modules reflect historic practices that serve our diverse student body and make use of instructional spaces across the hours of the day and throughout the week. They also are used to establish the final examination schedule each term. (See Attachment A for the Class Meeting Time Modules). It is imperative that the use of space be maximized. Every effort must be made to assign courses to rooms with enrollment limits that approximate the room capacity. To maximize room utilization, it is important to monitor enrollment frequently. Whenever possible, room changes should also be made prior to the first day of classes to reduce the number of changes required during the first week of classes. Low enrolled classes should also be monitored for cancellation. This could release needed space for other classes. Effective use of a given room is defined as scheduling class sections across at least 80 percent of the standard university time blocks and filling an average of 75 percent of student seats scheduled in those time frames. Seat utilization in prime time hours (9-2) should be greater than 75 percent. It is recognized that utilization of “off-peak” hours, such as very early morning and late afternoon may be more difficult and some flexibility in applying utilization rates will be allowed. The Academic Resource Management & Planning Office may conduct a preliminary analysis of room and seat utilization during schedule production that may require the reallocation of rooms. Rooms may be permanently reassigned based upon review and recommendation by AAFSC when established thresholds are not met for two consecutive semesters or when enrollment growth in departments/programs or colleges require adjustments.

6. Colleges are expected to offer general education courses across the available hours, including late afternoon, evening and Fridays

7. If possible, classroom assignments shall be in close proximity to the department/program and faculty offices of a particular college. Specific classroom accommodations (e.g. labs, activities, or discussions tied to lecture sections) shall be taken into account along with programmatic factors at the departmental and college level in making specific location and section assignments.

8. Instructors with disabilities may contact Human Resources Management for assistance. Colleges may be required to work with the Environmental, Health & Safety Office, Human Resources Management and other colleges to accommodate the needs of an instructor with a disability.

9. Students with disabilities may contact Disabled Student Services for assistance. Colleges may be required to work with the Environmental, Health & Safety Office, Disabled Student Services, Facilities Services and other colleges to accommodate the needs of a student with a disability.

10. The Academic Resources Management and Planning Office shall conduct detailed analyses of lecture room utilization on an annual basis. These analyses should include multiple measures of effectiveness including room utilization (location, time of day), seat utilization, use of standard vs. non-standard meeting patterns, inventory fitness (campus wide and at the college level), and schedule distribution across day/week.

Final Examinations/Non-Standard Meeting Times

• With the exception of nursing classes, final exam dates and times are scheduled based on the Class Meeting Time Modules. If a class is not scheduled for an approved module, a final examination date and time is not available for that particular class. The instructor must make special arrangements for students to take their final examinations. Colleges are required to submit a Class Meeting Time Exception Form for all classes not scheduled in a standard university class meeting time module.

• If a class is scheduled outside of the class meeting time modules, it must begin at the same time as the closest meeting time module. For example, if the class is a MWF, 3 unit class – it cannot start at 8:15 a.m. and end at 9:05 a.m. Scheduling a class that will overlap two class meeting time modules, resulting in inefficient use of the space and is not acceptable. The class must begin at either 8:00 a.m. or 8:30 a.m.as they are existing class meeting time module begin times.

• Classes that are scheduled using the class meeting time modules but have a term date that is outside, within or less than the 15-week semester are considered classes with non- standard meeting times and must be scheduled with section numbers that begin with 6.

Weekend Classes

• There are established Class Meeting Time Modules for weekend classes (see Attachment A). Classes that meet over 2 hours require a 15-minute break. Classes that meet over 3 hours require a 30-minute break.

Class Size

• Enrollment Capacity shall never exceed the room capacity because of safety issues

• Room capacity is established by the Division of Administration & Finance and is determined by a state formula based on the square footage of the room, the area square footage allowed per seat and the discipline of the class (if a laboratory). Classrooms with one door cannot exceed a capacity of 50 as this would violate fire marshal regulations.

• Enrollment Capacity for a course is determined by its C/S number and defaults from the catalog to the schedule for each section scheduled for that course (see Appendix G of the Curriculum Guide).

• “Permission Numbers” do not override enrollment capacity and will prevent the addition of students once enrollment capacity has been reached.

• Some classes are “combined” with one or a few other classes. These classes alone may appear low-enrolled and the room underutilized, but when combined, are not.

• On large capacity rooms, (those with seating capacity greater than 60) only schedule classes where expected enrollment is at least 75% of the room size.

Classroom Seating

• Prior to every term, Facilities Services ensures that the appropriate number of chairs is placed in the rooms according to room capacity, per the request of the Office of Academic Resources Management & Planning.

• During the first few weeks of classes, it is imperative that instructors DO NOT allow students to move chairs from room to room to accommodate any seat shortages. Doing so leaves neighboring rooms and fellow instructors with insufficient seats for their classes.

• Broken chairs should be reported to the appropriate College Scheduler

Enhanced Technology Classrooms

• Enhanced Technology Classrooms (ETCs) are maintained by the Office of Information Technology. This includes the computer, any peripherals, the projector and the screen.

• All issues with any of the classroom technology, floor chords, and telephone should be reported to the appropriate College Scheduler.

General Classroom/Lab Maintenance

• General classroom maintenance is the responsibility of Facilities Services.

• All issues with any classroom maintenance (such as cleaning, temperature control, odors, leaks, need for chalk etc.) should be reported to the appropriate College Scheduler.

Classroom/Lab Access & Security

• Some classrooms require a standard key for access and some require a key fob. It is the responsibility of the department/program to ensure faculty receive the appropriate access to classrooms they are teaching in each term.

• Classrooms are unlocked in the morning prior to the beginning of classes and are locked at night by Facilities Services. The classrooms that require a key fob are on a timer and are unlocked and locked daily electronically. Note that if a Public Safety Officer gives access to a locked door that requires a key fob, it will remain “unlocked” until someone returns to lock it or it locks in the evening electronically with all the other key fob locks.

• Classroom/lab doors that require key fobs to access should never be left propped open when the room is vacant.

• All issues with any classroom access should be reported to the department or program.

• All issues with classroom security should be reported to the College Scheduler, our University Police and Facilities Services.

Classroom/Lab Safety

• All classrooms and labs should have an emergency evacuation map posted and a working telephone.

• If an emergency evacuation map is not posted, contact the Campus Health & Safety Office. If the telephone is out of order, contact Information Technology or Telephone Services.

Laboratory Work Rules

• Only students authorized by the department and who are adequately trained may use laboratory facilities, materials, and equipment.

• Students must never work in laboratories alone. There must be a person within calling distance to assist in the event of an accident.

• Experiments or projects involving toxic agents must be performed within a fume hood or within areas provided with adequate ventilation.

• Eating, drinking, smoking and mouth pipetting is prohibited in all laboratories.

• All persons working with or around hazardous materials must wear appropriate personal protective equipment commensurate with the hazard presented. At a minimum this will include appropriate safety eyewear, closed shoes, and long pants or lab coat.

• Lab work may not be performed without prior authorization from the instructor.

• The laboratory must be left in a clean and orderly condition. Dirty apparatus and glassware must be cleaned and stored in appropriate locations. Chemicals and other hazardous materials not for immediate use must not be accumulated in the laboratory. These items must be returned to department stockroom for proper storage.

• Students are not permitted to work in the laboratory outside of regularly schedule hours without express permission of the instructor. Non‐supervised access to laboratories for special projects is allowed under certain circumstances. Such access must be pre‐arranged with the instructor.

• A project to be left operating unattended must meet the following criteria:

  • Projects to be left unattended must first be discussed with the project advisor.

  • Reasonable care must be exercised to prevent the development of hazardous situations in case of unexpected occurrences such as electrical power interruptions or equipment failures.

• All running water connections must be secured.

• Apparatus must be tagged indicating its contents, the name and home number of both the student and the project advisor, and the dates of start-up and shut-down.

• All services left on (gas, water, electricity) must have a tag on the valve or switch reading “DO NOT TURN OFF.”

• Minors are not allowed in laboratories unless they are enrolled in or affiliated with an authorized academic program.

• All experiments and projects must utilize equipment provided by CSUDH. Use of non-university equipment is prohibited.

Attachment A

Class Meeting Time Modules

Note: With the exception of the Nursing classes, final exam dates and times are scheduled according to this Class Meeting Time Module. If this module is not followed when scheduling a class section, a time frame and room location for finals week will not be available for that class section unless special arrangements have been made by the instructor.