New Furniture Provides Options for Students

In an effort to increase accessible seating in classrooms, OCM has added a height adjustable table to classrooms with tablet arm seating. The initiative was accomplished in coordination with Disability Services. The new furniture is included as part of the classroom's capacity and is available to any student if the table is not needed by a disabled student.

If a Disability Services registered student needs to have the table adjusted please contact Disability Services at ds@umn.edu.

If you have any questions about the new height adjustable tables, please e-mail classrm@umn.edu.

OCM Faculty Survey

The Office of Classroom Management (OCM) e-mailed survey invitations on December 8 to faculty and staff who taught in a general purpose classroom during fall semester. If you received an invitation please complete the survey by December 28. The survey helps OCM understand faculty satisfaction with classrooms and allows OCM to plan for classrooms of the future. If you have any questions about the survey please call the Classroom Support Hotline at 612-625-1086 or e-mail ocmhelp@umn.edu.

Science Teaching and Student Services Building Update

A lot of work has been accomplished despite all of the weather challenges.

McGough has completed installation of the precast brick panels
with the exception of the section for the temporary elevator. 144 of the 300
glass panels for the curtain wall are installed and all of the panels will be installed by the end
of the month. The mechanical penthouse on the roof is close to completion.



The building contractors are building interior walls, installing stairs, and
running pipes, ducts, and wires.



All of the hard work on the building is paying off. Thank you for your patience
with traffic jams are the building site during this time.

Nightly Online Class Schedule Update Failed

The nightly update to the online class schedule failed last night, November 16. This means that changes you may have made yesterday to courses in electronic course scheduling (ECS) are not appearing in the online class schedule today.

The updates will appear in  the online class schedule tomorrow. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Fall 2010 class schedule production

Fall 2010 Electronic Course Scheduling period one opened Monday, November 16. During period one department schedulers are expected to update course information (i.e., delete, add, change) and submit all requests.

Course scheduling tips:

• Set enrollment limits and requested room capacities based on previous term's course enrollment +/- 10%.


• Spread course load across standard times and all five weekdays.


• Delete sections that are not going to be offered fall 2010.


• Move non-standard courses to a standard time.


• Increase utilization of departmental classrooms.

Please remember all courses meeting at a non-standard time will need a Request for Approval of Non-Standard Meeting Time/Day Pattern form.

For more information about scheduling policies, critical dates, and resources visit the OCM Web site or e-mail the scheduling unit at classrm@umn.edu.

Scheduling University 2009 Presentations

Scheduling U 2009 has finished its three week run. The sessions were well attended and created great discussions. Click on the links below to review the presentations.

This years session topics included:

• How to get the room you need
  
• Fall 2010 scheduling update
• Classrooms of the future and Active Learning Classroom handout
  
• Scheduling 101
  
• Using the Web viewer
  
• Electronic Course Scheduling FAQs
  
• Using reports
  
• Classroom support

If you have any questions or topic ideas for future Scheduling U's, please e-mail classrm@umn.edu.

Science Teaching and Student Services Building Update

The following is an excerpt from the October 19, 2009 Capital Planning
and Project Management construction update regarding the new Science
Teaching and Student Services Building (ST+SS):



Delivery traffic will be heavy along Pleasant Street over the next two
weeks. Both glass curtain wall panels and precast panel deliveries are
landing simultaneously - a hard push to get the building enclosed
before winter.



The street may be closed at times by a flagman for a few minutes in
order to get truck in and out of the staging area. Please plan your
travel around the area accordingly and use alternative routes whenever
possible.



Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.