Education Space Consultancy

Providing expert timetable and space management consultancy services within the education sector

Video Tutorial – Space Utilisation Survey Data Calculations – Part 3

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This is Part 3 of the Space Utilisation Survey Data Calculations Video Tutorial Series looking at  how to calculate the frequency rate by timeslot as well as discussing how this data analysis technique can be used to further understand and improve space utilisation.

All of the worksheets used in this video tutorial series are available for free, to all those that subscribe to Education Space Consultancy so please remember to add your name and email address on the right hand side of the webpage and click subscribe to be sent the worksheets directly to your email account.

If you have missed Part 1 and Part 2 of the Space Utilisation Survey Data Calculations Video Tutorial Series, please follow the links below to find them as these go through the earlier stages of analysing space utilisation data:

Video Tutorial – Space Utilisation Survey Data Calculations – Part 1

Video Tutorial – Space Utilisation Survey Data Calculations – Part 2

If you are interested in teaching space utilisation data analysis and are [Read more…]

How Framing A Problem For Your Audience Will Improve Success

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I have often found that getting everyone on board with solving a problem, is one of the greatest obstacles yet at the same time most critical factors of success, for improving space or timetabling practices. Accomplish this and you can have a much more informed, success focussed proposal as well as the significant extra benefits majority support will bring.

I have touched on the importance of communication within a previous article, however I feel that it deserves a more detailed look, considering that it can truly make the difference between failure and celebrated success. This article will be the first in series, looking specifically at communication within an education institution and how it can be used to influence your ideas and proposals and ensure they bring you and your institution celebrated success.

This first article looks at “framing a problem for your audience” and I define this, as your ability to explain what the problem is, how it affects your audience and why they should care. In every meeting your ability to successfully [Read more…]

6 Factors Institutions Should Consider For Maximising The Benefits Of Department Only Teaching Space

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This article is the second part of the The Pros And Cons Of Department Only Teaching Space discussion, this time looking at what factors should be considered before allocating departments their own teaching space. The first article explored the benefits and downfalls of department only teaching space, whilst this article considers 6 factors that if implemented can maximise the benefits your institution receives from department only teaching space.

1) Proven Demand

The department must be able to prove that it has demand for the type and size of teaching space it is requesting, this can be ascertained from the current timetable data and projected student numbers/teaching requirements over future years. Likewise, the central team should also be sure that it can accommodate one of the central teaching rooms becoming department only, gain this can be done using projections. A timetable model that includes these projections will help to clarify the impact and measure whether the planned change of teaching room is feasible and what impacts there will be.

If there is a demand, but not enough to warrant an entire teaching space , then it may be worthwhile looking at whether the department and central team can share a teaching space (see point 5). If there is a proven demand, the departments [Read more…]

5 Tips For Improving Your Teaching Space Utilisation Without Leaving Your Desk

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This article looks at how to improve your teaching space utilisation, without even having to leave your desk. Each tip can be actioned independently of each other and will help you to pin point, investigate and resolve factors that are effecting your institutions utilisation of teaching space.

1) Timetabled Class Sizes For Module Activities

The timetabled activity class sizes, are meant to represent the number of students that should be attending each of these activities. This aspect of the timetable data can become inaccurate as the timetable often relies on academic departments to predict class sizes for the upcoming year and therefore a centrally managed timetable class size check can be difficult to administer during timetable construction. This can result in classes being timetabled into rooms much larger than they need, simply because the timetable was provided with inaccurate class size data.  If your timetable is rolled over each year, which most institutions will do in some manner, there is even greater risk of this happening with last year’s [Read more…]

Video Tutorial – Space Utilisation Survey Data Calculations – Part 2

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This is Part 2 of the Space Utilisation Survey Data Calculations Video Tutorial Series, this edition looks at both how to calculate your institution data by building, room/space type and departmental/central ownership, as well as also looking at some examples of how to analyse each of these data sets further in order to begin to understand your institutions space utilisation.

I will be providing this and all other worksheets used in this video tutorial to those who subscribe to the website – for free! Therefore if you would like these worksheets please remember to subscribe .

If you have missed Part 1 of this video tutorial series, follow [Read more…]