Washington University in St. Louis requires all fall and spring classes scheduled in university-managed (pooled) classrooms to adhere to a standard set of meeting days and times.
The Office of the University Registrar (OUR) coordinates academic scheduling in accordance with the University’s Classroom Scheduling Policy The OUR is significantly involved in facilitating the management of courses and classroom scheduling across much of Washington University’s Danforth Campus.
In adherence with the policy, pooled classrooms are designed to meet the teaching and learning needs of a broad range of academic programs and to provide event space options for the entire Danforth Campus. Class-related events (classes, evening exams, review sessions, and final exams) scheduled in pooled classrooms are assigned by OUR using the university’s classroom scheduling tool–Event Management Software (EMS). The process ensures equitable access and maximizes space utilization.
Courses meeting during approved days/times are beneficial to the University as this ensures:
- Reduced course time conflicts for students
- Better matching of room features to instructors’ teaching needs
- Maximized classroom utilization
If requesting multiple sections of the same course, you must complete a separate petition for each section and/or subsection.
Due to the popularity and limited number of Active Learning Classrooms (ALCs), only courses meeting at standard days/times will be placed in these spaces.
If an instructor needs to meet outside standard teaching days/times, a petition form must be submitted by the deadline below:
SP2025: Submit by August 30, 2024
The University Scheduling Review Committee reviews petitions. Approvals are valid for only one semester and are processed after courses meeting at standard days/times have been placed in a classroom.
See the classroom directory on the Center for Teaching and Learning’s website for a list of pooled classrooms scheduled by the Office of the University Registrar.
Course information should be correct before it appears in Course Listings to facilitate room assignment processing. Academic departments should collect accurate information from instructors, allowing EMS algorithms to assign a pooled classroom that match the instructor’s needs. This includes:
- Day(s) of week
- Time of day – The type and number of courses offered at the same time impact classroom assignments, especially those at peak teaching times from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.
- Required seating capacity
- Seating style: fixed, movable, seminar, auditorium, Active Learning Classroom
- Classroom features: audio-visual (AV), wheelchair access
WUCRSL users must enter pooled classroom feature preferences into the Classroom Planning Interface (CPI). Information on the CPI can be found here:
Active Learning Classrooms are student-centered, technology-rich spaces that promote collaborative learning among students and instructors.
The Center for Teaching and Learning designs, manages, and supports several classrooms that make collaborative learning among students and instructors effortless. These active learning classrooms (ALCs) include TechPod classrooms with cutting-edge technology and Roundtable and Flexspace classrooms that focus on student interaction.
Requests for an ALC are approved by the Center for Teaching and Learning and scheduled by the Office of the University Registrar. The deadline to submit an ALC request for SP2025 is August 30, 2024.
Pooled classroom assignments are considered final upon publishing in Course Listings. University policy does not allow requests for a specific pooled classroom except under limited exceptions. Review these exceptions before submitting a request.
- Human Resources approved classroom accommodation for faculty health reasons. Visit https://hr.wustl.edu/items/ada-accommodation-process/ to submit a request.
- A different seating style is needed; the university cannot guarantee that a pooled classroom with the desired seating style will be available when the course meets.
- Non-standard specialized features required in the classroom
- Broken or missing standard equipment/setup – For maintenance and support visit The Center for Teaching and Learning’s Support page. In most cases the current room assignment will remain.
Pooled classrooms become available for non-class events two weeks after the start of each new semester and are not available during scheduled university breaks.
Those who wish to use pooled classrooms for special (non-class) events should review the Classroom Notes in the Pooled Classrooms section on the Event Management website.
Requests for pooled classrooms are made at Reserve-A-Space, a resource for students, faculty, and staff to request event space across the Danforth Campus.