The Assembly Committee on Educational Policy is extremely concerned about the continuing occurrence of “unplaced courses” at the beginning of each semester (that is, courses with students enrolled but with no classroom or other appropriate instructional space).

Large numbers of course sections are being taught at non-standard times that do not accord with scheduling policy approved by the Twin Cities Campus Assembly and the University Senate. This practice results in reduced efficiency in classroom use, which, in combination with supply and demand, degrades the quality of education.

The Committee supports efforts to increase compliance with Senate- and Assembly-approved scheduling policy. The Committee specifically supports action by the Office of Classroom Management to improve classroom utilization and to work with colleges and departments in improving adherence to standard scheduling policy.

The Committee also recommends that colleges and departments actively back efforts to improve utilization of critically-important central classroom resources.

COMMENT:

The Assembly Committee on Educational Policy has heard about the status of classroom upgrades and the shortage of classrooms several times in the last two years. Last spring the Classroom Advisory Subcommittee, a joint subcommittee with the Senate Committee on Finance and Planning, urged that classroom renovation and technology upgrades be made a high priority in University decisions about resources.

In October of this year the Committee again heard from Mr. Fitzgerald, Director of Classroom Management, and learned about the problems that still exist (too many unplaced classes prior to the beginning of each semester) and the lack of resources for classroom upgrades.

One of the sources of the problem of classroom shortages is the number of classes that do not adhere to standard class scheduling times. The Committee believes that most classes most of the time should adhere to standard times, thus permitting maximum use of existing classrooms, and thus asks the Assembly to encourage colleges and departments to work with the Office of Classroom Management to ensure as many classes as possible are scheduled appropriately.