Non-use of Rooms
The
non-use of booked rooms constitutes a serious problem for the
University, impacting heavily on the quality of the annual
timetable. On an individual level, staff are often frustrated to
find rooms booked, but not in use for slots from which they have
been required to move their own activity, owing to the
non-availability of a suitable room.
Room Audits
The Timetabling & Rooming Office approaches the non-use
issues by conducting audits of booked rooms at least twice a
week. The rationale for these audits follows a simple road
traffic analogy:
Speed
Cameras - For the first weekly check, the room auditor
targets 'hotspots' where booking congestion is at its highest
and therefore where non-use will have the greatest impact.
Patrol Cars - A second weekly audit targets a random
selection of rooms in order to broaden the scope of the survey
Concerned member of the Public - Colleagues are often happy to report instances of non-use to the Timetabling & Rooming Office on an ad hoc basis for follow-up.
The Notification Process
All instances of non-use discovered during the audits are
recorded on a central database. This database is used to
generate an e-form which is e-mailed to the booker or
Nominated User (NU)
for action. The NU or booker should complete this (or forward it
to the member of teaching staff concerned if appropriate). Click
here for assistance on how to complete the web form.
The form is designed to provide the Timetabling & Rooming Office with an explanation for the instance of non-use which can be used to improve the service provided by the Office.
All recorded instances of non-use as well as the reasons given are available to SMT and are viewable on a departmental level here.
