Scheduling U 2011

Scheduling U 2011 will be held from Monday, October 17 through Friday, November 4, covering topics such as Electronic Course Scheduling, scheduling updates, and the Class Scheduling Distribution Summary. For event descriptions, dates, and times, visit the Scheduling U 2011 page.

Scheduling Update: September 21, 2011

Electronic Course Scheduling (ECS) in PeopleSoft will be available Monday, September 26 for May/summer 2012 (1125) class schedule production. The following resources for scheduling summer session courses are available to you:

Class schedule production instructions

Summer session scheduling guidelines

Read the rest of this update, featuring changes to the roll forward of course data, the proposed new scheduling policy, and information about Scheduling U, or view the scheduling update archive.

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.

Folwell Hall renovations and grand re-opening

As we work to prepare classrooms in Folwell Hall for classes, we have updated the OCM website with Folwell Hall photos, news, and technology instructions. To locate specific classroom information and instructions for any room, visit Classroom Instructions.

The College of Liberal Arts will host a re-opening celebration for the hall from 2:30-4:30 p.m. on Friday, September 9 on the Folwell Hall south lawn. For more information, including photos of the renovation, visit CLA's Folwell Hall news page.

Welcome to the fall 2011 semester

New classrooms and renovations
Several general purpose classrooms were renovated or upgraded this summer. You can find detailed project information on the OCM website, but here are a few highlights of classroom projects completed over the summer:

• Folwell Hall reopens with an entirely new interior, featuring 28 general purpose classrooms and 3 student study spaces. The new classrooms will have capacities ranging from 18-64 students; with an average classroom capacity of 34.
  
• Humphrey Center featured renovation of classrooms 20 and 30, including carpet, paint, and furniture. The current chalkboards were replaced with markerboards, and the technology was enhanced to include widescreen projection, HDMI laptop sources, and installation of document cameras.
• Akerman Hall reopens with a new HVAC system throughout the building.
• Auditorium Lighting: In partnership with Energy Management, a project replaced the lighting in three auditoriums across campus. The intention of this project was to improve lighting and energy performance in large rooms which had previously used incandescent lighting. The three rooms that were updated were Murphy Hall 130, Ralph Rapson Hall 100, and Molecular Cellular Biology 3-120.

Classroom technology instructions
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.

Accessing the Internet
There are two options for accessing the Internet in a general purpose classroom: through the wired or wireless network. Detailed information about how to connect to a network can be found on the network FAQ. The wired network connection provides the highest level of performance and reliability and is recommended for presenters. This method requires prior DHCP registration (taking only a few minutes). Please read network FAQ to learn more about DHCP.

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 fall semester.

OCM/OIT video conferencing classroom pilot partnership

The Office of Classroom Management (OCM), the Office of Information Technology (OIT), and the Humphrey School of Public Affairs are pleased to announce a partnership project that will add video conferencing capability to the classroom technology system in Humphrey Center room 25.

This video conferencing pilot program will add enterprise-level video conferencing capability, based on established OIT video conferencing standards, to an existing general purpose classroom. When complete, the classroom projection system will allow full-function, high definition video conferencing features to support classes and other events. The new features will allow courses to connect to the Learning Network of Minnesota and other connection points. Technology and general classroom support will be provided by the OCM.

The pilot classroom will feature two high-definition cameras and monitors for remote site display, as well as installed microphones for full coverage of both the instructor and students. The added video conferencing technology will be fully integrated with the standard classroom projection system and will function with the same easy-to-use interface that instructors are accustomed to in other OCM classrooms. The pilot project equipment will be installed during the summer months and is expected to be available for use in fall semester, 2011.

For further information on this classroom technology pilot, please contact John Knowles at knowl014@umn.edu or 612-626-8650.

Scheduling Update: May 24, 2011

Electronic Course Scheduling  period 3 for spring 2012 (term 1123) is now open. During this period, OCM asks that you make changes due to unforeseen circumstances. Changes to meeting time(s) or enrollments greater than room capacity will result in loss of the central room assignment.

Read the rest of this update, featuring information on an R25 user group meeting and the beginning of full-year freshman registration for fall 2011, or view the scheduling update archive.