Transcript BHL1 - Biddison Hier, Ltd. Home Page

Using X25 …
… to Tell Your Story
Presenter
Tom Hier
BIDDISON HIER, LTD.
Consultants to Higher Education
CollegeNet User Conference
Portland, Oregon
July 2005
Today’s Topics
 What is X25?
 X25 Constituents and Their Interests
 Using X25 to Create and Communicate Your
Message
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Biddison Hier, Ltd.
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What is X25?
A reporting and analytical tool that:
 provides insight into current classroom use
 identifies interesting patterns and trends
 creates opportunities to improve the
management of classroom resources.
X25 and Other Series 25 Products
Operational Tools
S25
 Assigning Rooms
R25
 Managing Events
Analytical / Planning Tool
X25
Key Differences
Bh
 Reporting
 Analyzing
 Identifying
 Suggesting

Registrars and schedulers use S25 and R25 (the operational tools) in the day to day
performance of their jobs – scheduling, event tracking, etc.

As a planning and analytical tool, X25 provides information that has implications well beyond
scheduling and managing events, and potentially affects many constituencies.

As such, direct users (usually registrars and schedulers) are as much “messengers” and
“communicators” of this information as they are consumers of it.

As messengers and shapers of the information, it is helpful to understand:

Who are the potential constituents for this information?

What are their interests?

How can X25 be used to best create and communicate the message effectively?
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X25 Constituents and Their Interests
Constituents
Many constituents “touch” classrooms…
…in many areas.
CONSTITUENT
IN
CLASSROOMS
Operations
/ Mgmt
Physical
Pedagogy
Scheduling
Technology
Faculty
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Registrars /
Schedulers
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Information
Technologists
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Facility
Managers
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Provosts /
Deans /
Business
Officers
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
Students

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

CONSTITUENT
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STAKE
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Funding
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Constituent Interests
Provosts / Deans / Business Officers… manage the funding
plan for significant investments or reinvestments in classrooms and need to be
advocates at the senior levels of the institution for funding allocations
Typical Concerns
 Ability to demonstrate true need for proposed project
 “Ownership” and management responsibility for classrooms
resulting from new project
 Balancing fiscal and physical resources with faculty concerns
 Budget authority
How X25 Can Help
 Identification of gaps between supply and
demand, and quantification of need for new
classroom space
 Insight into departmental use of space
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 Planning for curriculum scheduling
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Constituent Interests
Faculty… are continually advancing new pedagogies that directly
affect the nature and mix of classroom space required
Typical Concerns
 Need for more breakout space
 More flexibility in classroom furnishings and fixtures
 New applications for technology
 Need for training and support for in-class technologies
How X25 Can Help
 Demand for specific room features
(furnishings, equipment, technology)
 Gaps in supply and demand for features
Bh
 Highlighting scheduling practices – good &
bad
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Constituent Interests
Information Technologists…are integral to planning for new inclass technologies and ensuring that campus-wide standards are maintained
Typical Concerns
 Development of classroom technology standards
 Adequate planning for infrastructure, site lines, acoustics, room
darkening capabilities, etc.
 Long-term flexibility, operation, maintenance, serviceability of
technology
How X25 Can Help
 Identification of current technology
requests and distribution by campus area
 Gaps in supply and demand for technology
Bh
 Data to support technology capital
planning
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Constituent Interests
Facility Managers… bring the “physical perspective” on proposed
renovation / new construction projects
Typical Concerns
 Long-term (“life cycle”) operating costs
 Performance / durability of materials used
 ADA accessibility
How X25 Can Help
 Identification of underutilized rooms
 Utilization and seat occupancy data to
support “rightsizing”
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 Information to guide renovation and new
construction planning decisions
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Constituent Interests
Registrars / Schedulers… are on the front lines in trying to
accommodate competing space demands and, consequently, have a keen
sense of what spaces are most in need and insight into the “politics of
classrooms”
Typical Concerns
 Difficulty in finding appropriate space at needed times
 Responsibility but not authority for classroom management
 Providing utilization information to administrators
How X25 Can Help
 Quantifies “performance” of classrooms
 Comparison of registrar & dept. spaces
 Planning – inventory and schedule
 Identifies polices to improve space use
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Biddison Hier, Ltd.
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Using X25
to Create and Communicate Your Message
 Context and Building Blocks
Context for Your Message
 In general, the most compelling stories to tell using X25 relate to one of two goals:
(1) making better resource allocation decisions and (2) improving classroom
management polices.
What information do I need to provide
to tell a story that can lead to:
Better Resource Allocation Decisions
Bh
Improved Policies

Operational support (maintenance,
technology, etc.)

“Ownership” / control of classrooms

Level of investment in technology

Conformance to scheduling blocks

Capital planning

Renovation vs. build new decisions

Enrollment planning (projections vs. actual,
course cancellation policies, etc.)

Funding for classroom reinvestment

Impact of faculty loading on course and
classroom requirements

FFE & technology “refresh rates”
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Building Blocks for Conceiving the Story
Areas for Analysis
Room
Inventory
Courses
Schedule
Block
Location
Preferences
Room
Condition,
FF&E
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Biddison Hier, Ltd.
Technology
Fit-Out
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Building Blocks for Conceiving the Story
Typical Analyses and Research Questions
Supply &
Demand and
Utilization
 Does the campus have
the right number and mix
of rooms to
accommodate courses?
 How well does the
campus adhere to
existing scheduling
blocks?
 How intensively are
rooms being scheduled?
 Which departments are
the best conformers or
worst offenders?
 Are courses going into
rooms that are
appropriately sized?
 What is the impact of
imbalances between
supply and demand?
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Biddison Hier, Ltd.
Schedule Block
Conformance
 What additional
scheduling capacity
might be gained if
schedule blocks were
more rigorously adhered
to?
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Building Blocks for Conceiving the Story
Typical Analyses and Research Questions
Match of Room
to Course
Preferences
 Is there an adequate
supply of rooms to meet
specified furnishing,
equipment and
technology course
preferences, e.g.:
Moveable tables and chairs
Blackboards / whiteboards
LCD projector / CD / DVD /
Overhead projection
Instructor computer
Projected vs.
Actual
Enrollments
Cancelled
Courses
 How accurate are
departmental enrollment
projections vis-à-vis
actual enrollments?
 Which departments
have the highest
number of cancelled
courses?
 What is the impact on
scheduling and room
use of significant
variances between
projected and actual
enrollments?
 What is the impact on
scheduling and room
use of large numbers of
cancelled courses?
Internet access
 How would scheduling
differ if more rooms had
better fit-out?
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Using X25
to Create and Communicate Your Message
 Context and Building Blocks
 Creating the Story
Story 1
Research Question
Does the campus have the right number and mix of rooms to
accommodate courses?
Areas for Exploration
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
How supply compares to demand

How frequently rooms are used

How good is the fit between enrollments and room sizes
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Supply vs. Demand
Inadequate supply of
small rooms to
accommodate
substantial number of
courses enrolling fewer
than 30 students
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Biddison Hier, Ltd.
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Migration
Lack of small room inventory results in substantial migration to larger
rooms (red blocks)
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Biddison Hier, Ltd.
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Room and Seat Utilization
High seat utilization but
low room utilization
Room Sizes 1 to 30
High room utilization
but low seat utilization
Room Sizes 31 and Above
Low room &
seat utilization
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Biddison Hier, Ltd.
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Communicating the Message
Communicate with a Structured, Concise Executive Summary

Target Audience

“The Lead”

A positive statement that provides a brief background / context for the
communique and states up front why the underlying research is important –
i.e., what is the potential benefit to the reader and, ultimately, the institution.

Initial Findings

Implications

Recommended Actions
Executive Summary
 1 to 2 pages
 Reference and
attach X25 charts
for detail and depth
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Biddison Hier, Ltd.
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Communicating the Message: Story 1
Target Audiences



Provost
Business Officer
Facilities Manager
Research Question: Does the campus have the
right number and mix of rooms to accommodate
courses?
The Lead

“As part of our periodic review of classroom resources, we have examined how
well the existing inventory fits our needs, and initial findings suggest that there
may be opportunities for enhancing the productive use of our classrooms and
improving the pedagogical experience for students and faculty.”
Initial Findings (with references to graphs)
Bh

There appears to be an imbalance between supply and demand.

This is confirmed by “migration” patterns in scheduling – the lack of small rooms
results in a large number of small courses being scheduled in rooms that are
substantially larger than enrollments would justify.

There also appears to be an excessive supply of larger rooms that are not well
used.
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Communicating the Message: Story 1
Implications

Lack of small rooms forces preponderance of small courses to be scheduled in
much larger rooms

Creates a sub-optimal pedagogical experience, as classroom feels somewhat
“empty”

Requires small and large courses to compete for the same rooms, which
exacerbates mismatch throughout the classroom system
Recommendations for Possible Corrective Actions
Bh

If excess capacity exists in larger rooms, identify those that may be suitable for
reconfiguration to multiple smaller rooms.

Quantify shortage of small classrooms and build new to close the gap.
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Story 2
Research Question
Is the institution scheduling effectively?
Areas for Exploration
Bh

Current scheduling blocks

Conformance of course times to schedule blocks

Departmental compliance
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MON WED FRI SCHEDULING
The Schedule
 3 blocks of MWF or MW class times
 MWF 3 contact hours
 MW 3 contact hours
 MW 4 contact hours
 2 blocks of TR class times
 TR 3 contact hours
 TR 4 contact hours
 Blocks designed to accommodate need for
both 3 and 4 contact hour courses, as well as
need or desire to teach in 2 vs. 3 days
 Standard class lengths: 50, 80 and 110
minutes per class
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Biddison Hier, Ltd.
7:00 A M
7:10 A M
7:20 A M
7:30 A M
7:40 A M
7:50 A M
8:00 A M
8:10 A M
8:20 A M
8:30 A M
8:40 A M
8:50 A M
9:00 A M
9:10 A M
9:20 A M
9:30 A M
9:40 A M
9:50 A M
10:00 A M
10:10 A M
10:20 A M
10:30 A M
10:40 A M
10:50 A M
11:00 A M
11:10 A M
11:20 A M
11:30 A M
11:40 A M
11:50 A M
12:00 P M
12:10 P M
12:20 P M
12:30 P M
12:40 P M
12:50 P M
1:00 P M
1:10 P M
1:20 P M
1:30 P M
1:40 P M
1:50 P M
2:00 P M
2:10 P M
2:20 P M
2:30 P M
2:40 P M
2:50 P M
3:00 P M
3:10 P M
3:20 P M
3:30 P M
3:40 P M
3:50 P M
4:00 P M
4:10 P M
4:20 P M
4:30 P M
4:40 P M
4:50 P M
5:00 P M
5:10 P M
5:20 P M
5:30 P M
TUE THU SCHEDULING
OPTION 1
OPTION 2
OPTION 3
OPTION 1
OPTION 2
MWF
3 Contact
Hrs
MW
3 Contact
Hrs
MW
4 Contact
Hrs
TR
3 Contact
Hrs
TR
4 Contact
Hrs
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Schedule Block Conformance
About 40% of courses
fall into an ideal
scheduling pattern
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Biddison Hier, Ltd.
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Start Times and Class Duration
 High degree of non-conformance to standard start times, both MWF and TR.
 Although a large number of courses (~75%) have standard class lengths (i.e., 50,
80 and 110 minutes), the remaining 25% are widely variable – 60, 65, 70, 90,
105, 120, 140, 150, 170, 180, 230, 360 and 540 minutes.
Start Times and Class Duration
MWF
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Biddison Hier, Ltd.
Start Times and Class Duration
TR
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Conformance by Departments
Some departments are better than others…
English
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Biddison Hier, Ltd.
Math
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Communicating the Message: Story 2
Target Audiences


Provost
Faculty / Dept Chairs
Research Question: Is the institution scheduling
effectively?
The Lead

“A review of class meeting times has revealed a number of variances from
standard scheduling blocks and suggests opportunities for increasing the
scheduling capacity of the existing inventory through better conformance to the
standard blocks.”
Initial Findings
Bh

The institution has 5 different scheduling blocks to accommodate needs for 3 and 4
contact hours on MWF, MW and TR. Standard class durations are 50, 80 and 110
minutes.

About 40% of courses are scheduled to fully use the standard pattern.

Although 75% of courses adhere to standard course lengths, start and end times
and day patterns are highly variable.

Departments with the greatest conformance are: ________________

Departments with the least conformance are: _______________
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Communicating the Message: Story 2
Implications

Scheduling across blocks impedes efficient use of space since a room is taken
out of circulation for at least two periods rather than one.

Trend toward MW scheduling to replace MWF scheduling means that Fridays
are increasingly low-use days

May also create difficulty for students in getting needed courses as more
courses get bunched into fewer days
Recommendations for Possible Corrective Actions
Bh

Encourage scheduling block adherence through policies that promote good
stewardship unless there are compelling mitigating circumstances

Avoid stopping and starting classes at non-standard times, so that even if a
block is not fully used, it does not overlap into another block

Construct scheduling software parameters to ensure that the unused portion of
partially used blocks (e.g., F when only MW are scheduled) are identified as
available
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X25 Adds New Dimensions …
…To The World of Classrooms

A resource management tool

Provides quantitative, objective data on which to base planning decisions and
development of new policies to use classrooms more effectively

Consistent with today’s environment of shrinking budgets and “doing more
with less”
…To The Role of Registrars and Schedulers
Bh

The constituents for X25 information are many; the gatekeepers are typically
registrars and schedulers

Puts you at the forefront in helping to promote good space management on
your campus
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Q&A
For further Information
Please contact:
Thomas Hier
Principal
Biddison Hier, Ltd.
Consultants to Higher Education
4315 Fifteenth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20011-7021
Phone: (202) 882-8700
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.biddhier.com