Faculty help available from OCM rapid response team

As the semester begins, remember to contact the Classroom Support Hotline at 612-625-1086 if you need assistance with your general purpose classroom.

As an additional service, for the first few days of the semester, OCM technicians will be pre-positioned throughout the Twin Cities campus to provide rapid assistance should any issues arise.

Welcome to the spring 2012 semester

Welcome to the spring 2012 semester

New OCM website

The OCM
website has a new look and
organization. Please visit the site to find classroom schedules, get classroom
help via technology instructions, videos and FAQs, and learn more about OCM
projects. We invite your feedback as you use the website for your classroom
needs.

Classroom renovations and updates

Several general purpose classrooms received new furnishings, carpet, or
technology over winter break. Some of these classrooms include:

• Molecular
  Cellular Biology 3-120 Auditorium had new carpeting installed.


• Armory
  Building, Humphrey Center, Blegen Hall, Scott Hall, Smith Hall, and McNeal
  Hall classrooms and student
  study spaces had student furniture updated.


• Selected rooms in Anderson Hall
  and Blegen Hall received technology feature upgrades. A larger
  technology upgrade will occur over spring semester involving Blegen
  classrooms.

How to locate your classroom assignment

Room assignments for
spring 2012 classes are available on the One Stop Class Schedule. Please note: room assignments are subject
to change prior to the start of term. While this usually only affects a small
number of classes, verify your classroom assignment before the first class
meeting. If you have specific questions about your room assignment, contact
your department scheduling coordinator.

Classroom technology instructions & videos

Classroom specific instructions for using the installed classroom technology is
available on the OCM website, go to Find classroom instructions. 

• We've
  added enhanced instructions and short video tutorials to the OCM website.
  Do you have any suggestions for a video tutorial or specific equipment
  instruction? Email ocmhelp@umn.edu with
  your suggestions.

Contact us

OCM is available to help with any questions, concerns, or comments regarding
general purpose classrooms or central student study spaces.

 

Classroom
Support Hotline: Call 612-625-1086 or email ocmhelp@umn.edu. 

The hotline is available from 7:30 a.m.-6:30
p.m. Monday-Thursday and 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Friday during spring semester.

Scheduling update: Update room characteristics in ECS

Make sure to update room characteristic information during ECS period 1. Updating room characteristics provides OCM with information about the type of room the instructor would like to teach in. It also helps students and instructors by not moving their course section during the first week of classes because the instructor didn't get the type of room they wanted.

Tips for getting the right classroom:

• Check with the instructor to verify the appropriate room characteristics.
• Don't request room characteristics that conflict with each other (e.g., Active Learning Classrooms and Tablet Arm Chairs or West Bank and East Bank). Search for classroom features if you have questions about potential room characteristic conflicts.
• Choose a maximum of four room characteristics. Choosing multiple room characteristics limits the number of possible classroom.

Read the rest of this update, featuring a reminder about class cancellation, what's open in ECS, and important upcoming dates, or view the scheduling update archive.

Scheduling update: What's open in ECS?

A number of terms are currently open in ECS. Consult the scheduling production calendar.

• Spring 2012 (1123) - currently in ECS period 4 through the start of the semester
• Summer 2012 (1125) - currently in ECS period 3 until April 9, 2012
• Fall 2012 (1129) - currently in ECS period 1 until February 29, 2012
• Spring 2013 (1133) - currently in ECS period 1 until April 11, 2012

Read the rest of this update, featuring a reminder about class cancellation, a reminder about room characteristics, and important upcoming dates, or view the scheduling update archive.

Scheduling update: Are you offering that class?

There are a large number of classes in the spring 2012 class schedule that have a room assignment but no students currently enrolled. If you do not plan to offer a class, please cancel the class in ECS. Changing the enrollment capacity to zero and checking the "no print" box in ECS will not release the classroom assignment. Additionally, be a good neighbor and let ocmsched@umn.edu know that you do not plan to offer the class.

Read the rest of this update, featuring terms currently open in ECS, a reminder about room characteristics, and important upcoming dates, or view the scheduling update archive.