By the time students read their class time and location in Workday, months of data transfers, software runs and cross-campus coordination have already taken place.
From an initial carry-over of last year’s courses to last-minute tweaks for accessibility, enrollment shifts and faculty requests, the Registrar’s Office and Room Scheduling collaborate to match each class with the right room, seating and equipment long before the first lecture begins.
The Room Scheduling department, which manages over 200 general university classrooms, began its annual bulk course assignment in January.
According to Suzanne Fisher, assistant director of Space Planning and Management, this determined each course’s initial room assignment for the Fall 2025 semester.
Fisher noted that certain disciplines are often populated in particular buildings: Carver Hall hosts most math lectures, Ross Hall primarily houses English classes and Troxel Hall accommodates many Chemistry courses due to its design features for chemicals.
Academic departments have the option to submit adjustments to their assignments, however.
“Departments can look at their courses on Workday and make adjustments to their courses,” Fisher stated in an email to the Daily. “If we have an appropriate space available, we approve the change and assign a space.”
When a room cannot be scheduled in the initial run–perhaps exceeding standard classroom size or requiring a special setup–it is flagged for manual scheduling, Fisher stated.
Students may sometimes notice classroom locations change shortly before the semester begins.
“We might receive an accommodation request,” Fisher stated. “A capacity might change or faculty might request a room with different amenities… or specific technology.”
Faculty input also plays a role, both in location and classroom type. For example, professors who teach back-to-back courses may request rooms on the same side of campus.
“We try our best to locate them in rooms that support their campus adjacencies or teaching pedagogy, or offer alternative times to accommodate their request,” Fisher stated.
Ahead of each semester, Room Scheduling meets with LAS administration, biology, math, chemistry, physics and English/speech communications departments and the Office of the Registrar to review course offerings for anticipated capacities and sections.
“This predicts and validates room and schedule alignment prior to orientation and registration,” Fisher stated.
Room Scheduling’s goal is to maximize efficiency: 30 hours of use per week per room with 67% seat utilization in classrooms, and 20 hours of use per week with 80% seat utilization in teaching labs.
Room scheduling also works with unexpected scenarios. Fisher cited the recent Hamilton Hall water damage.
“We are a resource for leadership decisions regarding weather or emergency situations affecting daily room schedules,” Fisher stated. “We relocated classes to other buildings until it was safe to return.”
Student organizations also engage with Room Scheduling. According to Fisher, student organization events are scheduled two to three weeks before classes start. Early requests enter a queue until room availability is confirmed.
“We give student organizations the same priority as department, staff, faculty requests, that are not courses or exams,” Fisher stated.
If the requested space isn’t available, organizations receive a comparable room in size, location and set-up.
Not only does the university schedule rooms, but must also determine how the rooms should be arranged or changed with shifting pedagogies and learning styles.
Ann Marie VanDerZanden, associate provost for academic programs, previously directed the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching. Through these roles, VanDerZanden has partnered with Facilities Planning and Management to pilot and institute active-learning classrooms.
According to VanDerZanden, active-learning classrooms are flexible, featuring a multitude of options for teaching and learning, including swiveling chairs, portable whiteboards, movable tables, or writable walls.
“[The classrooms] allow teaching in different ways as a means to reach all of the students in the class,” VanDerZanden said. “We know that students learn in different ways.”
Student focus groups aided the direction of the active-learning classrooms, highlighting desks with under-seat storage and chairs with left- or right-handed tables, accommodating both right- and left-handed students.
“The other thing they liked were these portable whiteboards… as a class they could do some work, and then they’re pulled down and would come back to their small group, and they might do a problem, and then they’d put it back up to share,” VanDerZanden said. “We certainly received good feedback from the students.”
According to VanDerZanden, ongoing renovations, including Ross Hall last summer, replaced fixed-seat lecture furniture with flexible tables and chairs. Further, the new construction on campus is influenced by the active-learning initiatives.
“That work has continued, certainly on new construction, and I would also say it’s continued to inform renovations that we’ve done in other existing buildings on campus,” said VanDerZanden.
Fisher noted that new construction, LeBaron Hall and the Therkildsen Industrial Engineering Building will add three general-use classrooms totaling 250 seats.
As students continue to register for fall classes, work continues behind the scenes for the Room Scheduling team.
“We plan for the upcoming semester almost immediately after the current semester begins,” Fisher stated. “We constantly have changes for the next three to four months.”
To help students find their classrooms on day one, Fisher recommends checking Workday and confirming with professors.
“If there is any confusion or they just want a person to verify they can call us,” Fisher stated.
Behind every classroom listing are dozens of decisions, balancing enrollment projections, instructor preferences, accessibility needs, adjacency to other classes and technology requirements.
“There are so many things that happen behind the scenes to make it on a student’s schedule so they show up in the right class at 9 o’clock in the morning at the right classroom,” VanDerZanden said. “It is incredibly complicated.”
