Tom Hier B IDDISON H IER, L TD. Consultants to Higher Education Using X25 … CollegeNet User Conference Portland, Oregon July 2005 Presenter … to Tell Your Story

2 Bh Biddison Hier, Ltd. Today’s Topics  What is X25?  X25 Constituents and Their Interests  Using X25 to Create and Communicate Your Message

A reporting and analytical tool that: What is X25?  provides insight into current classroom use  identifies interesting patterns and trends  creates opportunities to improve the management of classroom resources.

4 Bh Biddison Hier, Ltd. X25 and Other Series 25 Products  Assigning Rooms S25  Managing Events R25  Reporting  Analyzing  Identifying  Suggesting X25 Operational Tools Analytical / Planning Tool Key Differences  Registrars and schedulers use S25 and R25 (the operational tools) in the day to day performance of their jobs – scheduling, event tracking, etc.  As a planning and analytical tool, X25 provides information that has implications well beyond scheduling and managing events, and potentially affects many constituencies.  As such, direct users (usually registrars and schedulers) are as much “messengers” and “communicators” of this information as they are consumers of it.  As messengers and shapers of the information, it is helpful to understand:  Who are the potential constituents for this information?  What are their interests?  How can X25 be used to best create and communicate the message effectively?

X25 Constituents and Their Interests

6 Bh Biddison Hier, Ltd. Many constituents “touch” classrooms… Constituents …in many areas.

7 Bh Biddison Hier, Ltd. Constituent Interests Typical Concerns  Ability to demonstrate true need for proposed project  “Ownership” and management responsibility for classrooms resulting from new project  Balancing fiscal and physical resources with faculty concerns  Budget authority Provosts / Deans / Business Officers… manage the funding plan for significant investments or reinvestments in classrooms and need to be advocates at the senior levels of the institution for funding allocations How X25 Can Help  Identification of gaps between supply and demand, and quantification of need for new classroom space  Insight into departmental use of space  Planning for curriculum scheduling

8 Bh Biddison Hier, Ltd. Constituent Interests Typical Concerns  Need for more breakout space  More flexibility in classroom furnishings and fixtures  New applications for technology  Need for training and support for in-class technologies Faculty… are continually advancing new pedagogies that directly affect the nature and mix of classroom space required How X25 Can Help  Demand for specific room features (furnishings, equipment, technology)  Gaps in supply and demand for features  Highlighting scheduling practices – good & bad

9 Bh Biddison Hier, Ltd. Constituent Interests Typical Concerns  Development of classroom technology standards  Adequate planning for infrastructure, site lines, acoustics, room darkening capabilities, etc.  Long-term flexibility, operation, maintenance, serviceability of technology Information Technologists… are integral to planning for new in- class technologies and ensuring that campus-wide standards are maintained How X25 Can Help  Identification of current technology requests and distribution by campus area  Gaps in supply and demand for technology  Data to support technology capital planning

10 Bh Biddison Hier, Ltd. Constituent Interests Typical Concerns  Long-term (“life cycle”) operating costs  Performance / durability of materials used  ADA accessibility Facility Managers… bring the “physical perspective” on proposed renovation / new construction projects How X25 Can Help  Identification of underutilized rooms  Utilization and seat occupancy data to support “rightsizing”  Information to guide renovation and new construction planning decisions

11 Bh Biddison Hier, Ltd. Constituent Interests Typical Concerns  Difficulty in finding appropriate space at needed times  Responsibility but not authority for classroom management  Providing utilization information to administrators Registrars / Schedulers… are on the front lines in trying to accommodate competing space demands and, consequently, have a keen sense of what spaces are most in need and insight into the “politics of classrooms” How X25 Can Help  Quantifies “performance” of classrooms  Comparison of registrar & dept. spaces  Planning – inventory and schedule  Identifies polices to improve space use

Using X25 to Create and Communicate Your Message  Context and Building Blocks

13 Bh Biddison Hier, Ltd. Context for Your Message  In general, the most compelling stories to tell using X25 relate to one of two goals: (1) making better resource allocation decisions and (2) improving classroom management polices. Improved Policies  “Ownership” / control of classrooms  Conformance to scheduling blocks  Enrollment planning (projections vs. actual, course cancellation policies, etc.)  FFE & technology “refresh rates” Better Resource Allocation Decisions  Operational support (maintenance, technology, etc.)  Level of investment in technology  Capital planning  Renovation vs. build new decisions  Funding for classroom reinvestment  Impact of faculty loading on course and classroom requirements What information do I need to provide to tell a story that can lead to:

14 Bh Biddison Hier, Ltd. Building Blocks for Conceiving the Story Room Inventory Courses Location Preferences TechnologyFit-Out ScheduleBlock Room Condition, FF&E Areas for Analysis

15 Bh Biddison Hier, Ltd. Supply & Demand and Utilization  Does the campus have the right number and mix of rooms to accommodate courses?  How intensively are rooms being scheduled?  Are courses going into rooms that are appropriately sized?  What is the impact of imbalances between supply and demand? Schedule Block Conformance  How well does the campus adhere to existing scheduling blocks?  Which departments are the best conformers or worst offenders?  What additional scheduling capacity might be gained if schedule blocks were more rigorously adhered to? Building Blocks for Conceiving the Story Typical Analyses and Research Questions

16 Bh Biddison Hier, Ltd. Match of Room to Course Preferences Projected vs. Actual Enrollments  Is there an adequate supply of rooms to meet specified furnishing, equipment and technology course preferences, e.g.:  Moveable tables and chairs  Blackboards / whiteboards  LCD projector / CD / DVD / Overhead projection  Instructor computer  Internet access  How would scheduling differ if more rooms had better fit-out? Cancelled Courses  How accurate are departmental enrollment projections vis-à-vis actual enrollments?  What is the impact on scheduling and room use of significant variances between projected and actual enrollments?  Which departments have the highest number of cancelled courses?  What is the impact on scheduling and room use of large numbers of cancelled courses? Typical Analyses and Research Questions Building Blocks for Conceiving the Story

Using X25 to Create and Communicate Your Message  Context and Building Blocks  Creating the Story

18 Bh Biddison Hier, Ltd. Does the campus have the right number and mix of rooms to accommodate courses? Research Question Story 1 Areas for Exploration  How supply compares to demand  How frequently rooms are used  How good is the fit between enrollments and room sizes

19 Bh Biddison Hier, Ltd. Supply vs. Demand Inadequate supply of small rooms to accommodate substantial number of courses enrolling fewer than 30 students

20 Bh Biddison Hier, Ltd. Lack of small room inventory results in substantial migration to larger rooms (red blocks) Migration

21 Bh Biddison Hier, Ltd. Room Sizes 1 to 30 High seat utilization but low room utilization High room utilization but low seat utilization Room and Seat Utilization Low room & seat utilization Room Sizes 31 and Above

22 Bh Biddison Hier, Ltd. Communicating the Message Communicate with a Structured, Concise Executive Summary  Target Audience  “The Lead”  A positive statement that provides a brief background / context for the communique and states up front why the underlying research is important – i.e., what is the potential benefit to the reader and, ultimately, the institution.  Initial Findings  Implications  Recommended Actions Executive Summary  1 to 2 pages  Reference and attach X25 charts for detail and depth

23 Bh Biddison Hier, Ltd. The Lead Communicating the Message: Story 1 Initial Findings (with references to graphs)  “As part of our periodic review of classroom resources, we have examined how well the existing inventory fits our needs, and initial findings suggest that there may be opportunities for enhancing the productive use of our classrooms and improving the pedagogical experience for students and faculty.”  There appears to be an imbalance between supply and demand.  This is confirmed by “migration” patterns in scheduling – the lack of small rooms results in a large number of small courses being scheduled in rooms that are substantially larger than enrollments would justify.  There also appears to be an excessive supply of larger rooms that are not well used.  Provost  Business Officer  Facilities Manager Target Audiences Research Question: Does the campus have the right number and mix of rooms to accommodate courses?

24 Bh Biddison Hier, Ltd.  Lack of small rooms forces preponderance of small courses to be scheduled in much larger rooms  Creates a sub-optimal pedagogical experience, as classroom feels somewhat “empty”  Requires small and large courses to compete for the same rooms, which exacerbates mismatch throughout the classroom system Implications Communicating the Message: Story 1 Recommendations for Possible Corrective Actions  If excess capacity exists in larger rooms, identify those that may be suitable for reconfiguration to multiple smaller rooms.  Quantify shortage of small classrooms and build new to close the gap.

25 Bh Biddison Hier, Ltd. Is the institution scheduling effectively? Research Question Story 2 Areas for Exploration  Current scheduling blocks  Conformance of course times to schedule blocks  Departmental compliance

26 Bh Biddison Hier, Ltd. The Schedule  3 blocks of MWF or MW class times  MWF 3 contact hours  MW 3 contact hours  MW 4 contact hours  2 blocks of TR class times  TR 3 contact hours  TR 4 contact hours  Blocks designed to accommodate need for both 3 and 4 contact hour courses, as well as need or desire to teach in 2 vs. 3 days  Standard class lengths: 50, 80 and 110 minutes per class

27 Bh Biddison Hier, Ltd. Schedule Block Conformance About 40% of courses fall into an ideal scheduling pattern

28 Bh Biddison Hier, Ltd. Start Times and Class Duration  High degree of non-conformance to standard start times, both MWF and TR.  Although a large number of courses (~75%) have standard class lengths (i.e., 50, 80 and 110 minutes), the remaining 25% are widely variable – 60, 65, 70, 90, 105, 120, 140, 150, 170, 180, 230, 360 and 540 minutes. Start Times and Class Duration MWF Start Times and Class Duration TR

29 Bh Biddison Hier, Ltd. Conformance by Departments Some departments are better than others… English Math

30 Bh Biddison Hier, Ltd. The Lead Communicating the Message: Story 2 Initial Findings  “A review of class meeting times has revealed a number of variances from standard scheduling blocks and suggests opportunities for increasing the scheduling capacity of the existing inventory through better conformance to the standard blocks.”  The institution has 5 different scheduling blocks to accommodate needs for 3 and 4 contact hours on MWF, MW and TR. Standard class durations are 50, 80 and 110 minutes.  About 40% of courses are scheduled to fully use the standard pattern.  Although 75% of courses adhere to standard course lengths, start and end times and day patterns are highly variable.  Departments with the greatest conformance are: ________________  Departments with the least conformance are: _______________  Provost  Faculty / Dept Chairs Target Audiences Research Question: Is the institution scheduling effectively?

31 Bh Biddison Hier, Ltd.  Scheduling across blocks impedes efficient use of space since a room is taken out of circulation for at least two periods rather than one.  Trend toward MW scheduling to replace MWF scheduling means that Fridays are increasingly low-use days  May also create difficulty for students in getting needed courses as more courses get bunched into fewer days Implications Recommendations for Possible Corrective Actions  Encourage scheduling block adherence through policies that promote good stewardship unless there are compelling mitigating circumstances  Avoid stopping and starting classes at non-standard times, so that even if a block is not fully used, it does not overlap into another block  Construct scheduling software parameters to ensure that the unused portion of partially used blocks (e.g., F when only MW are scheduled) are identified as available Communicating the Message: Story 2

32 Bh Biddison Hier, Ltd.  A resource management tool  Provides quantitative, objective data on which to base planning decisions and development of new policies to use classrooms more effectively  Consistent with today’s environment of shrinking budgets and “doing more with less” X25 Adds New Dimensions … …To The World of Classrooms …To The Role of Registrars and Schedulers  The constituents for X25 information are many; the gatekeepers are typically registrars and schedulers  Puts you at the forefront in helping to promote good space management on your campus

Q & A

For further Information Please contact: Thomas Hier Principal Biddison Hier, Ltd. Consultants to Higher Education 4315 Fifteenth Street, NW Washington, DC Phone: (202) Web: