RESOURCES

Schedule Academic Space 

The registrar's office is responsible for the scheduling of over 45 academic classrooms. Priority for scheduling classrooms is given to academic courses and instruction.

For assistance in scheduling an academic course, contact the academic scheduling coordinator in the requesting academic department.

If the Space Is for a Florida Tech Organization
All student organizations must be registered and in good standing with Student Activities, 321-674-8080. Campus departments may also request classroom space for meetings or other events. All room requests must be submitted through the Room Request System (Virtual EMS) a minimum of 72 hours before the event.

If the Space Is for an Outside Organization
Room requests for organizations not affiliated with Florida Tech must be made through the Office of University Events and Protocol at 321-309-3836.

Scheduling Guidelines

The Office of the Registrar is responsible for the use and scheduling of classrooms in the general classroom pool. To assist in this responsibility, the scheduling specialist will provide a timeline for each semester’s production dates and deadlines for the term.

Each department is responsible for providing a coordinator to interact with the scheduling specialist. Requests for classrooms must be made by the academic scheduling coordinator from the department. Faculty, instructors and staff must make requests through this coordinator.

Each department is also required to immediately notify the scheduling specialist of course cancellations, changes in classrooms, classroom assignments that were listed as TBA, and instructor assignments no later than the end of the second week of classes.

Academic departments are responsible for determining course offerings and entering schedule information in a timely way, no later than the specified deadlines, including seminar dates.

The registrar’s office is not responsible for the interactive online schedule. Any questions regarding its content should be made via an IT work request. Accurate information is available from PAWS or Banner.

Course Meeting Times
The scheduling specialist will open all classes to the maximum enrollment of the room they occupy, or the largest capacity policy allows. Registration will not exceed that number for any reason. If more seats are required, additional sections or a larger room will be needed. Often, it is good to have a discussion with a professor to find out exactly what they need to accomplish their teaching goals. Sometimes this goes against everything above.

Room Size and Configuration
State and city safety regulations determine the seating capacity of a room. Departments are not to over-enroll students beyond the maximum classroom capacity. If it appears that student demand will surpass the scheduled room, departments should contact the scheduling specialist before the class grows too large to determine whether alternate space is available. It is unacceptable for students not to have appropriate seating. Inappropriate seating violates building codes and provides a poor image of the university and its ability to manage enrollment.

Furniture and equipment such as overheads, chairs and tables are not to be moved from one room to another without approval of the scheduling specialist. If a room does not contain adequate facilities to meet the scheduled maximum enrollment or equipment needs, the instructor should contact the academic scheduling coordinator for assistance. The scheduling specialist will attempt to locate alternative space, if necessary, and contact the appropriate department to remedy the issue.

Room Seating Criteria

• Rooms that seat 100 or more must have at least 60% enrollment.
• Rooms that seat 60 to 100 must have at least 75% enrollment.
• Rooms that seat 50 to 60 must have at least 80% enrollment.

Credit-bearing classes will take precedence over all nonclass-related seminars or events. The scheduling specialist will schedule all noncredit events, study groups, breakout sessions, exams and other academic events after all credit classes have been assigned a room and will use the EMS system per request of the academic scheduling coordinator.

Each semester the registrar's office will make a report of classes offered the previous year available to departments. The academic scheduling coordinator will update course offerings and return the report to the scheduling specialist.

Classes requiring specific equipment or seating configurations have the initial scheduling priority. When scheduling classrooms, every effort will be made by the scheduling specialist to provide the accommodations requested with the space-use requirements of the whole university as the objective. Building preference may be noted and specific attributes for classes that require special features, such as computers, video, seating, maps or other academic materials must be noted by the department at the time the master schedules are sent.

Assignment of classrooms for sections with enrollment greater than 70 students is an independent scheduling procedure. The academic scheduling coordinator is responsible for notifying the scheduling specialist concerning the class makeup when completing schedule data entry. The academic scheduling coordinator is responsible for notifying all affected parties of any changes.

The scheduling specialist will use enrollment history or anticipated increases for a particular course to determine classroom size and location, so enrollment limits should be carefully reviewed and adjusted. Departments should base estimated enrollments on the actual enrollment during the previous corresponding term, with an estimated increase no more than 15%. In cases in which the department projects a greater than 15% increase, justification must be provided in writing.

Changes in Classroom Assignments
Instructors/departments may not move their class from an assigned room without prior approval from the academic scheduling coordinator and the registrar's office.

Once registration has begun, only the provost can approve schedule changes that affect class meeting times/days or classroom assignments. Such requests must be made in writing. Before submitting the request, instructors should inform students about the possible change and encourage any student whose access to the class might be affected by a change and notify them as soon as possible. The academic scheduling coordinator is responsible for notifying all affected parties of any changes.

In the event of an emergency evacuation of a classroom or building, the scheduling specialist will attempt to relocate classes to temporary meeting rooms as necessary. The academic scheduling coordinator is responsible for notifying all affected parties of any changes.

Resolution of Conflicts
Class size and equipment requirements are the determining factors in disputes involving credit-granting academic classes. The scheduling specialist will make every attempt to mediate room conflicts and develop a solution. However, in the event that conflicts cannot be resolved at this level, a situation will require the involvement of the deans, registrar and/or the provost's office.

Faculty and instructors are responsible for sharing the pass time between classes. Each instructor should make every effort to vacate the classroom in a timely way, allowing the following instructor to set up and prepare, as well as allowing the finishing instructor to make final remarks and gather materials. There is no ownership of this time. All Instructors should encourage students to meet during office hours rather than during the pass time. If conflicts develop, instructors should first attempt to resolve the concerns between themselves. If the result is unsatisfactory, department chairs will mediate the conflict.

Final Exams/Study Days
A "common final" exam is two or more sections of the same course being given the same exam, regardless of instructor. The scheduling specialist develops this schedule and will have it available after the end of the drop period (last day to drop classes). These exams are scheduled from 10:30  a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday of finals week. The registrar’s office does not schedule review sessions during final exam week. There is no rescheduling of final exams due to instructor preference. Policies are already in place for time conflicts during finals.

If you have a critical need, all smaller rooms on campus are available from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday of finals week. Common finals take up the large rooms during this time and no other finals are scheduled. Keep this in mind for department, committee or faculty meetings; thesis or dissertation defenses; or special make-up sessions.

Classroom Accessibility
Classroom assignments may be changed when the room is determined to be inaccessible for a student or an instructor. Instructors should notify the scheduling specialist as soon as they identify any barriers to their own or a student’s access to or within a classroom. The scheduling specialist works closely with the Office of Accessibility Resources to ensure classrooms and classroom locations are fully accessible for students and instructors with disabilities.

Department-Controlled Classrooms
A department-controlled classroom is a room that is fully maintained by the department and is jointly scheduled by that academic department and the scheduling specialist. The academic department has absolute priority in assigning courses into classrooms under department control.

The department is expected to fully use the seating capacity of department-controlled classrooms and conference rooms. Department-controlled classrooms are not available for general use or student events. The Office of Conferences and Events does not schedule department-controlled classrooms. In turn, academic departments must schedule any use of the room beyond classes with the scheduling specialist to determine availability.

The only department-controlled classrooms on campus are the Babcock Oaks classrooms in the Nathan M. Bisk College of Business.

Related Links

American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 as Amended (FERPA)