Instructional Space Utilization Policy

Effective: August 19, 2025Ìý

Approved by: Chancellor Justin SchwartzÌý

Policy Owner: Vice Chancellor and Executive Vice Provost for Academic Resource ManagementÌý

Responsible Office: Office of the University RegistrarÌý

Policy Contact: University Registrar, registrar@colorado.edu Ìý

Supersedes: Instructional Space Utilization Policy effective July 28, 2016; revised July 19, 2021Ìý

Applies to: Faculty, staff, and academic units involved in the scheduling and management of instructional spaceÌý

I. IntroductionÌý

Instructional space at the Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØ (Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØBoulder) is a finite asset. Given Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØBoulder’s primary mission of teaching, learning and discovery, all instructional spaces must be controlled and managed in such a way as to maximize their utilization and ensure appropriate usage. This policy addresses effective scheduling of instructional spaces and appropriate technology and ongoing maintenance of this space, while recognizing the need to remain current with emerging pedagogical practices and tools.Ìý

II. DefinitionsÌý

Classrooms: Rooms or spaces used primarily for instruction that are not tied to a specific subject or discipline by equipment in the room or the configuration of the space. The campus uses the definition for classrooms as defined by the Postsecondary Education Facilities Inventory and Classification Manual (FICM). The Office of Space Optimization determines primary use through surveys, client interviews, and/or scheduling data.Ìý

Centrally scheduled classrooms: Instructional spaces scheduled by the Office of the Registrar. Approximately one-third of Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØBoulder’s classroom inventory is centrally scheduled. A current listing of centrally scheduled classrooms is maintained and published on the Registrar’s website.Ìý

Department priority classrooms: Centrally scheduled classrooms in which designated departments have scheduling priority for their instructional needs.Ìý

Departmentally scheduled classrooms: Instructional spaces managed by departments, programs, schools or colleges in which classes, as well as other non-instructional unit activities, may be scheduled at the department’s discretion. Classes may be scheduled in these classrooms by the Office of the Registrar as needed.Ìý

Instructional spaces: Physical spaces used for instructional activities. This definition primarily includes classrooms, but also applies to some outdoor spaces, athletic assembly spaces, conference rooms, etc.Ìý

Instructional technology minimum standards: A current set of Learning Spaces Technology Classroom Standards published and maintained by the Office of Information Technology (OIT) that is consistent with teaching modalities and classroom capabilities and types.Ìý

Renewal and replacement (R&R) funds: Designated funds that represent resources accumulated over a long-term period to save toward planned capital construction projects or the purchase of equipment.Ìý

Significantly renovated: Level 2 alteration or greater, per the International Existing Building Code definition. Level 2 alterations include the reconfiguration of space, the addition or elimination of any door or window, the reconfiguration or extension of any system, or the installation of any additional equipment.Ìý

Standard meeting patterns: The room rotation by which academic units and the Office of the Registrar typically schedule classes in centrally scheduled, including department-priority classrooms. See Schedule Distribution Procedures and Standard Meeting Patterns.Ìý

III. Roles and ResponsibilitiesÌý

Budget and Fiscal Planning (Office of): Coordinates funding strategies for instructional space construction, renovation, repair, and renewal and replacement (R&R); and evaluates funding availability related to changes in centrally scheduled classroom inventory and associated technology support requirements.Ìý

Capital Governance Group: Receives recommendations regarding classroom designation and utilization changes and reviews proposed modifications to instructional space classification.Ìý

Chancellor: Approves the Instructional Space Utilization policy and authorizes its campus-wide implementation.Ìý

Departments, programs, schools, and colleges: Schedule and manage departmentally scheduled classrooms; ensure efficient utilization of departmentally scheduled instructional spaces; provide specialized technology support for departmentally scheduled classrooms; maintain and repair instructional technology and furniture within departmentally scheduled classrooms; and report class locations scheduled in departmentally scheduled classrooms to the Office of the Registrar prior to the start of each academic term.Ìý

Information Technology (Office of - OIT): Establishes and maintains instructional technology minimum standards for classrooms; provides lifecycle management, maintenance, repair, and support for instructional technology in centrally scheduled classrooms; and provides on-call technology support for centrally scheduled instructional spaces.Ìý

Infrastructure and Resilience (Office of): Maintains, repairs, renovates, and manages furniture in centrally scheduled classrooms; and manages facility maintenance, repairs, and renovations for instructional spaces, as required.Ìý

Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor: Approves exceptions to the designation of instructional spaces as centrally scheduled during planning and design phases and approves memoranda of understanding (MOUs) authorizing policy exceptions.Ìý

Registrar (Office of the): Assigns centrally scheduled instructional spaces; optimizes centrally scheduled classroom and instructional lab assignments based on enrollment and pedagogical needs; establishes operational scheduling practices including standard meeting patterns and target enrollments; approves exceptions to standard meeting patterns; determines acceptance classrooms with specialized technology into the centrally scheduled pool; and evaluates instructional space utilization and recommends reclassification of instructional spaces as necessary.Ìý

Senior Vice Chancellor for Operations: Receives recommendations regarding classroom designation or utilization changes arising from utilization reviews and co-approves exceptions to instructional space designation and other policy exceptions documented through MOUs.Ìý

Space Optimization (Office of): Determines classroom classifications and primary use through analysis of space utilization data, surveys, and consultations; and collaborates in periodic evaluation of classroom effectiveness and utilization.Ìý

University Registrar (Policy Contact): Provides guidance regarding interpretation and implementation of the Instructional Space Utilization Policy.Ìý

Vice Chancellor and Executive Vice Provost for Academic Resource Management (Policy Owner): Serves as the policy owner responsible for maintaining the Instructional Space Utilization Policy and overseeing alignment of instructional space management with Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØBoulder academic priorities.Ìý

IV. Policy StatementÌý

  1. The intent of this policy is to ensure that instructional spaces are managed, maintained and scheduled in a deliberate, equitable and appropriate manner that promotes Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØBoulder’s instructional needs and academic mission. This includes making instruction the top priority for instructional space, improving the utilization, access, and scheduling of instructional space, and ensuring a consistent teaching and learning experience.Ìý
  2. The Office of the Registrar is responsible for assigning space for instructional activities within the parameters of this policy. It is authorized to optimize assignment of centrally scheduled classrooms and instructional labs based on enrollment and pedagogical needs. This authority extends to operational decisions such as specifying that some number of classes are scheduled outside peak hours, fixing minimum target enrollments for rooms, canceling sections with no enrollments, and adjusting room assignments based on scheduling, capacities and technology requirements, and altering access to buildings and instructional spaces.
  3. Departments, programs, schools and colleges (as applicable to each classroom) are responsible for the scheduling and efficient utilization of departmentally scheduled classrooms.Ìý
  4. Instructional spaces, including both centrally scheduled classrooms and departmentally scheduled classrooms, must be equipped with minimum standard furniture and technology for students and faculty to have a unified experience.Ìý
    1. In the case of centrally scheduled classrooms, the Office of Infrastructure and Resilience is responsible for maintenance, repair, renovation, and furniture, and the Office of Information Technology (OIT) is responsible for the maintenance, repair, lifecycle, and support of instructional technology.Ìý
    2. In the case of departmentally scheduled classrooms, departments are responsible for repair and renovation of furniture and maintenance, repair, lifecycle, and support of instructional technology.Ìý
    3. Technology deployed in instructional spaces, including centrally scheduled classrooms and departmentally scheduled classrooms, must adhere to minimum standards for instructional technology in classrooms as determined by the Office of Information Technology.Ìý

V. ProceduresÌý

  1. SchedulingÌý
    1. Instructional space in new buildings, significantly renovated spaces, or reclassified spaces will be designated as centrally scheduled, unless an exception is granted by the provost and the senior vice chancellor for operations during the planning and design stage. Centrally scheduled classrooms, which include classrooms designated with department-priority, must adhere to standard meeting patterns.Ìý
      1. Exceptions to standard meeting patterns must be approved by the Office of the Registrar and may require an approved memorandum of understanding (MOU).Ìý
    2. Departmentally scheduled classrooms will be scheduled as follows:
      1. Departmentally scheduled classrooms may be scheduled in non-standard meeting patterns as needed.
      2. Departments must report the locations of classes scheduled in departmentally scheduled classrooms to the Office of the Registrar before the first day of classes each term.
      3. The Office of the Registrar may schedule classes in departmentally scheduled classrooms.Ìý
      4. Departmentally scheduled classrooms may be available for student, faculty, and staff use during unscheduled time as appropriate.Ìý
    3. To optimize use of instructional spaces, the Office of the Registrar will regularly evaluate instructional spaces for utilization patterns and potential reclassification.Ìý
      1. Departmentally scheduled classrooms that are underutilized for instruction or other purposes and/or are needed for emergency uses may be considered for centralization.Ìý
  2. Technology, Infrastructure and SupportÌýÌý
    1. Instructional spaces may have specialized technology as an attribute of the room, to support instruction.Ìý
      1. The Office of the Registrar decides whether to accept classrooms with specialized technology into the centrally scheduled pool and has discretion on the scheduling of instructional spaces with specialized technology.Ìý
      2. The Office of Information Technology is responsible for on-call technology support in centrally scheduled classrooms. Departments are responsible for on-call specialized technology support and information to users on how to request this support for departmentally scheduled classrooms.Ìý
    2. Instructional spaces may have unique facility or furniture attributes to support specialized modalities of instruction.Ìý
      1. The Office of the Registrar ultimately has discretion on the scheduling of instructional spaces with unique facility, equipment or furniture attributes based on instructional needs.Ìý
      2. Classes that utilize specialized facilities, equipment or seating configurations will be given priority in those instructional spaces over those that do not require those specifications. This applies to both centrally scheduled and departmentally scheduled classrooms.ÌýÌý
    3. Facility maintenance, repairs, and renovations will be completed or managed by the Office of Infrastructure and Resilience in both centrally scheduled and departmentally scheduled classrooms.Ìý
    4. Furniture will be provided and maintained by the Office of Infrastructure and Sustainability in centrally scheduled classrooms.Ìý
      1. Refer to APPENDIX 9 Architectural Guidelines for University of Colorado Classrooms for more information.Ìý
  1. FundingÌý
    1. Funding for instructional spaces technology and furniture, including both centrally scheduled and departmentally scheduled classrooms, consists of four funding elements: initial build, renovation, repair, and renewal and replacement (R&R). A fifth funding element, unique to technology, is on-call tech support. A mix of funding sources, either central or departmental, can comprise the strategy for funding an instructional space.Ìý
      1. For centrally scheduled classrooms initial build, renovation, repair, and R&R for either technology or furniture may come from the General Fund, dependent on the campus priority for the use of space and available funding. These decisions will be made in coordination with the Office of Budget and Fiscal Planning and managed by the Office of Information Technology and/or Office of Infrastructure and Sustainability, who will perform the work.Ìý
      2. Departmentally scheduled classrooms that are significantly renovated, regardless of source of funds, will be reclassified as centrally scheduled if the spaces are deemed appropriate by the Office of the Registrar.Ìý
      3. Any departmentally scheduled classroom being converted to a centrally scheduled classroom, whether an existing space or new, will require coordination with the Office of Budget and Fiscal Planning to determine timing and availability of funding for repair and R&R funding.Ìý
      4. Each fiscal year by October 1, the Office of Information Technology will provide a reconciliation of on-call support increases or decreases accounting for rooms being included or taken off the centrally scheduled classroom inventory. The Office of Budget and Fiscal Planning will assess whether additional funding is available to accommodate increases or whether funding should be reduced to account for decreases.Ìý
  1. ExceptionsÌý
    1. Exceptions to this policy must be detailed in an Instructional Space MOU and approved by the provost and the senior vice chancellor for operations.Ìý
    2. Types of exceptions may include:Ìý
      1. Central-scheduling priority of departmentally scheduled instructional space;Ìý
      2. Department priority of a centrally scheduled instructional space;Ìý
      3. Redesignation of departmentally scheduled instructional space to central scheduling;Ìý
      4. Redesignation of centrally scheduled instructional space to departmentally scheduled;Ìý
      5. Day or time restrictions of a centrally scheduled instructional space;Ìý
      6. Semester or term restrictions of a centrally scheduled space;Ìý
      7. Furniture and furnishings; andÌý
      8. Technology maintenance and support.Ìý
  1. ReportingÌý
    1. The Office of Space Optimization, in conjunction with the Office of the Registrar, the Office of Information Technology, and the vice chancellor and executive vice provost for academic resource management or their designee will regularly review classroom effectiveness and utilization statistics to ensure the highest value and adjust as necessary. They will make recommendations to the provost, chief operating officer, and the Capital Governance Group for any modifications to the designation of classrooms as either departmentally or centrally controlled.Ìý

VI. Related Policies, Forms, Guidelines, and Other ResourcesÌý

  1. Ìý
  2. Class and Facility Scheduling (Office of the Registrar)Ìý
  3. Schedule Distribution Procedures and Standard Meeting Patterns (Office of the Registrar)Ìý
  4. (Office of Information Technology)Ìý
  5. Ìý
  6. Ìý
  7. APPENDIX 9 Architectural Guidelines for University of Colorado ClassroomsÌý

VII. HistoryÌý

  1. Adopted: July 28, 2016Ìý
  2. Revised: July 19, 2021; August 19, 2025Ìý
  3. Last Reviewed: March 18, 2026