Space Booking Procedures. Space Management Policy Timetabling Policy and Procedures. University-wide. Staff Only Students Only Staff and Students

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1 Name of Procedures Governing Policy Space Booking Procedures Space Management Policy Timetabling Policy and Procedures Description of Procedures These procedures outline roles, responsibilities and related processes for ad hoc bookings requested by staff and students. University-wide Procedures apply to Specific (outline location, campus, organisational unit etc.) Staff Only Students Only Staff and Students Procedures Status New Procedures Revision of Existing Procedures Description of Revision Approval Authority Governing Authority Responsible Officer Vice-Chancellor Chief Operating Officer Executive Director Infrastructure Approval Date Effective Date Date of Last Revision Date of Procedures Review* * Unless otherwise indicated, these procedures will still apply beyond the review date. Related Policies, Procedures, Guidelines and Local Protocols Space Management Policy Space Management Procedures To be drafted Timetabling Policy and Procedures Facilities Hire Policy and Procedures To be drafted Ad hoc bookings Terms and Conditions Events Guide High Profile External Stakeholder Events Protocols

2 Table of Contents 1. Related Policy Purpose Definitions Scheduling and booking systems Syllabus+ Enterprise Web Room Booker ACUSIS Ad hoc booking requests by staff Ad hoc bookings of non-teaching spaces Ad hoc bookings of teaching spaces Ad hoc bookings for events Ad hoc bookings for video conferences General room booking procedures Additional requirements Exceptional circumstances Facilities Maintenance Ad hoc booking requests by ACU staff training and development providers Ad hoc booking requests by the Events Team Ad hoc booking requests by students Space audits Review of these procedures... 9 Appendix A: Overview of responsibilities for ad hoc bookings Space Booking Procedures - January 2016 Page i

3 1. Related Policy These procedures are governed by the Space Management Policy and by the Timetabling Policy and Procedures. 2. Purpose These procedures outline general roles, responsibilities and related processes for ad hoc bookings. Ad hoc bookings can be requested by ACU staff and ACU students. This document explains procedures that staff members and students should follow to make or request an ad hoc booking. External organisations can enquire and request use of ACU facilities. The Facilities Hire Policy and Procedures describe roles, responsibilities and related processes for hiring ACU facilities. 3. Definitions For the purpose of these procedures, University Timetable means the schedule of teaching and learning activities including assessment. It comprises the Class Timetable and Examination Timetables for all relevant study periods. Common Academic Calendar means the academic calendar approved by Academic Board as applying consistently for all courses and campuses or other locations at which courses and/or units are delivered and including online delivery. Dating for all official purposes (e.g. calculation of week of semester under the Academic Regulations) is based on the common academic calendar. The Academic Calendar can be found at Embargo period - The period during which the Class Timetable for Semester 1 and Semester 2 is being scheduled, including the first three teaching weeks, is known as the embargo period. The Semester 1 embargo period is from the beginning of January until the end of Semester 1 teaching week 3. The Semester 2 embargo period remains in place until the end of Semester 2 teaching week 3. References to the embargo period, unless otherwise specified, encompass both periods. For specific dates refer to the Timetabling web page ( Examination weeks mean weeks designated on the Common Academic Calendar for sitting central examinations and deferred examinations. These dates apply consistently for all courses and campuses or other locations used by the University to house examinations. Make up classes refer to singular ad hoc bookings made to replace allocated class time lost due to a public holiday, an absence of an academic staff member, or any other one-off event that prevents a regularly scheduled class from taking place. Teaching weeks mean weeks designated on the Common Academic Calendar as dedicated to instruction and assessment for which students are charged fees or contributions. Teaching weeks do not count study or holiday weeks. Teaching weeks include standard and non-standard study periods. Video conference learning space means a teaching space fitted with ICT equipment for video connection. It is available for scheduling classes and for ad hoc bookings. Space Booking Procedures - February 2015 Page 1

4 Video conference meeting room means a non-teaching spaces fitted with ICT equipment for video connection. It is available for ad hoc bookings. 4. Scheduling and booking systems a) All timetabled classes that require allocation of teaching space and all ad hoc bookings must be recorded through one system in order to: i. Maintain data consistency, ii. Obtain realistic space utilisation statistics iii. Avoid clashes and other potential disruptive issues. b) The scheduling system is managed by the Timetabling, Examinations and Results (TE&R) Section within Student Administration Syllabus+ Enterprise a) Syllabus+ Enterprise is the scheduling and database system used by the TE&R Section to prepare the University Timetable. The TE&R Section requests information from Schools, through the School Timetabling Liaison Officer/s, in accordance with published timelines available on the University s Timetabling web pages. Timetabling data is then used by TE&R to schedule Class Timetables and Examination Timetables Web Room Booker a) Web Room Booker (WRB) is a web interface of Syllabus+ Enterprise. It is the software tool used by staff to make ad hoc bookings for teaching and learning purposes, for ACU staff training and development purposes, for events and meetings. Bookings made through WRB are recorded in Syllabus+ Enterprise. b) Ad hoc bookings, including those requested by students and external organisations must be recorded in Syllabus+ Enterprise. The Facilities Coordinators Team is responsible for recording requests and bookings in the system ACUSIS a) ACUSIS, short for ACU Spatial Information System, is a web-based system, which offers the Infrastructure Directorate, and the Properties and Facilities Directorate, a single point of control to manage various responsibilities under its portfolio. This includes space and operations management, as well as assisting with strategic planning initiatives. b) There are several modules in the system including: i. Map and Room Enquiry modules: These are the geographic information system modules of ACUSIS, which provide access to a variety of space related information. These are also used by the TE&R Section and by IT to plan classes and manage assets. ii. Space Audit module: This enables Infrastructure to assess quality and use of space, which allows for the identification of future growth requirements in terms of types/sizes of spaces. 5. Ad hoc booking requests by staff a) As set out in Section 5.1 of the Space Management Policy, a staff member can use any bookable space in accordance with the relevant policies and procedures. Ad hoc bookings must be made for the use of all spaces, except break out areas or Space Booking Procedures - February 2016 Page 2

5 meeting rooms which capacity is fewer than five people. It is possible to request ad hoc bookings for meeting rooms with the capacity of four or less people. b) Timetabled classes and exams are scheduled in teaching spaces and in accordance with the Timetabling Policy & Procedures and with the Examinations Policy & Procedures academic teaching requirements take precedence over ad hoc bookings made in teaching weeks and during examination weeks. Therefore procedures for requesting ad hoc bookings may differ for teaching spaces and for non-teaching spaces. c) In order to use ACU facilities, staff must read and agree with the ad hoc bookings Terms & Conditions Ad hoc bookings of non-teaching spaces a) Non-teaching spaces are areas or rooms which are not scheduled for timetabled classes therefore they are available for ad hoc bookings all year round except in Canberra where non-teaching spaces are also used as examination venues. b) Some designated venues, such as board rooms, might require approval to be booked. c) Ad hoc bookings for non-teaching spaces are to be requested through Web Room Booker (WRB). Instructions for staff members on how to use WRB are provided on the Room Bookings page at The system allows for instant confirmation of booking of the selected venue. This also applies for ad hoc bookings of non-teaching spaces in Canberra for activities planned before or after examinations weeks. If the venue requires approval, the request generates a provisional booking in Web Room Booker and the approval authority has to confirm the booking. d) To request ad hoc bookings of non-teaching spaces for activities planned during examinations weeks in Canberra, please refer to Section 5.2 below. e) If circumstances change and the space is no longer required, staff members are to cancel the ad hoc booking through WRB Ad hoc bookings of teaching spaces a) Availability of teaching spaces for ad hoc bookings is limited before the Class Timetable and the Examination Timetables are finalised. b) Staff may request ad hoc bookings of teaching spaces including during the embargo period and for activities planned during examination weeks. c) Requests for ad hoc bookings of teaching spaces are to be submitted via Web Room Booker. Instructions on how to request the ad hoc booking are provided on the Room Bookings page at The system allows for provisional bookings, which need be confirmed by the Facilities Coordinators Team The Facilities Coordinators Team liaises with the TE&R Section for ad hoc booking requests of teaching spaces during the embargo period and required during examination weeks. d) As class allocations are not finalised until the end of teaching week 3 each semester, ad hoc bookings of teaching spaces required during Semester 1 or 2 may not be confirmed until: i. The end of the embargo period of the relevant semester, irrespective of how far in advance the casual booking is requested. Space Booking Procedures - February 2016 Page 3

6 ii. The day before the booking, if the booking falls within the first three weeks of semester, irrespective of how far in advance the booking is requested. e) In addition, as Examination Timetables are not finalised until teaching week 9 of the relevant semester and Special Examination Adjustments occur up to 24 hours before the start of the Examinations period, ad hoc bookings of teaching spaces required during examination weeks may not be confirmed until the day before the booking, irrespective of how far in advance the booking is requested. f) In case the ad hoc booking is for teaching purposes and it is associated with a specific unit/class, e.g. a makeup class, the Facilities Coordinators Team will notify the Timetabling Section of the booking. The Timetabling Section is responsible for updating the related Class Timetable. f) If circumstances change and the space is no longer required, staff members are to cancel the booking request or the confirmed booking through WRB Ad hoc bookings for events a) ACU staff may request ad hoc bookings for event purposes. In this case they should refer to the Events Guide and the High Profile External Stakeholder Events Protocols Ad hoc bookings for video conferences a) Venues with ICT equipment for video conference are available to the ACU community. The process to request ad hoc bookings of a video conference venue is the same as for all the other venues and it depends on its designation as video conference learning space, i.e. a teaching space, or as video conference meeting room, i.e. a non-teaching space. b) Video conference meeting rooms are to be booked via WRB using the process outlined in Section 5.1 for ad hoc bookings of non-teaching spaces. c) Similarly, because they are designated as teaching spaces, availability of video conference learning spaces for ad hoc bookings is limited before the Class Timetable and the Examinations Timetables are finalised. The procedure for requesting ad hoc bookings of a video conference learning space is outlined in Section 5.2 for ad hoc bookings of teaching spaces General room booking procedures a) Notwithstanding that some University s facilities maybe accessible outside working hours and during weekends, for the purposes of ad hoc bookings the University opening hours are Monday to Friday: i. From 8 am to 6pm in Brisbane, Melbourne and North Sydney ii. From 9 am to 5pm in Ballarat, Canberra and Strathfield. b) The University is closed on public holidays and for a closure period between Christmas and the New Year. c) Teaching activities, including ad hoc bookings, can be requested during standard teaching hours. According to the Timetabling Policy & Procedures standard teaching hours are 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday and 8am to 6pm during weekends for intensive classes. d) It is the responsibility of the staff member who makes or requests an ad hoc booking to: i. Request a booking within the University opening times. Space Booking Procedures - February 2016 Page 4

7 ii. Request additional services in advance in accordance to the specified timeframe (see Section 5.6). iii. Make sure the booking time includes setup and pack down times. e) Venues are to be left in a clean and tidy condition at the end of the booking time. This includes restoring the setup and configuration of the room. Therefore set up or pack down time are required as part of a booking and must be incorporated in the requested booking times. In particular, for events with catering and/or attended by a large group of people, at least 30 minutes are to be added at the end of the booking time to allow enough time for cleaning. f) In the event a venue is found untidy, please contact the local Campus Concierge to notify of the room state. g) Ad hoc bookings outside working hours and during weekend can be requested. However, it is not guaranteed that venues and/or additional services would be available and accessible. h) Non-teaching activities scheduled outside the University s opening hours and/or activities which require additional services, such as security, IT support, cleaning and maintenance, may attract a fee to cover costs. i) Ad hoc bookings for activities such as conferences and short courses organised by Faculties, Schools, Institutes and other organisational units, attract a fee when these bookings relate to revenue generating activities. j) In order to use ACU facilities, staff must read and agree with the ad hoc bookings Terms & Conditions. k) If staff, students or external organisations are found to be in a room when a timetabled class or a confirmed ad hoc booking is scheduled, they may be requested to leave immediately Additional requirements a) Any additional services/requirements are to be requested when seeking an ad hoc booking. b) When using WRB the request is to be made online using the Additional Services section. The system allows for the following options: i. Catering ii. Adding the booking to the daily events board at reception iii. Specific room set up request c) If any of the three above options is selected, the local Campus Concierge is responsible for liaising with the staff member who submitted the ad hoc booking in order to fulfil the requirements. d) Catering requests must be submitted at least 3 working days in advance. Fees and charges will apply to all catering requests. Variations to the initial request inside the 3 working days are subject to availability, and additional charges apply. e) Requests to display the event/meeting on the daily event board at reception must be submitted at least 3 working days in advance. f) Specific room set up requests must be submitted at least 3 working days in advance. Space Booking Procedures - February 2016 Page 5

8 g) When requesting an ad hoc booking for a video conference, the system allows for the following additional options: i. IT support ii. Video Recording iii. Portable Video conference Unit h) If any of the three above options is selected, Service Desk is responsible for liaising with the staff member who submitted the ad hoc booking in order to fulfil the requirements. i) Requests for IT support and/or for recording the video conference and/or for a portable video conference unit must be submitted at least 3 working days in advance. In case one or more participants in the video conference are connecting from overseas, the request for IT support must be submitted at least 5 working days in advance. j) Portable videoconference units can only be requested in specific rooms and have a limited availability. k) If circumstances change and the additional services are no longer required, staff members are to contact the local Campus Concierge and Service Desk to notify about changes Exceptional circumstances a) The location of a timetabled class or examination or an ad hoc booking: i. may need to be changed to allow urgent repairs (e.g., the roof is leaking), ii. may need to be changed to resolve a sudden ICT issue (e.g., the computer, the projector or the smart board has suddenly stopped working), or iii. may be requested to be changed to accommodate an important event organised on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor. b) In these exceptional circumstances: i. The relocation of the timetabled class or examination will take priority over any ad hoc bookings previously confirmed. ii. Ad hoc bookings for teaching and learning purposes take precedence over ad hoc bookings for non-teaching and learning purposes. iii. The ACU requirements for staff training and development purposes take precedence over ad hoc bookings for events and meeting purposes. iv. The University's requirement for rooms and facilities takes precedence over those of external organisations. v. Organisations or individuals affiliated with the University take precedence over non-university applicants in the granting of access to facilities. vi. Confirmed bookings will take precedence over booking requests. c) In case of urgent repairs, the local Facilities Manager is responsible for contacting the national Manager TE&R and the Facilities Coordinators Team to notify which spaces have become unavailable and for how long they will be not available. d) To resolve an ICT issue causing interruptions to services to the room, the local IT Team Leader is responsible for contacting the National Manager TE&R and the Facilities Coordinators Team to notify which spaces have become unavailable and for how long they will be not available. e) In the event no suitable venues are available to reallocate one or more classes affected by urgent repairs or ICT issues, TE&R will notify the relevant Timetabling Space Booking Procedures - February 2016 Page 6

9 Liaison Officer/s and/or Head/s of School who will be responsible for cancelling or rescheduling the affected classes. f) In the case of an important event organised on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor, the local Associate Vice-Chancellor or Campus Dean is responsible for contacting the National Manager TE&R and the Facilities Coordinators Team to notify which room or space is requested to accommodate the event and its duration. g) In the event no suitable venues are available to reallocate one or more classes affected by the Vice-Chancellor s event, the National Manager TE&R will notify the relevant Associate Vice-Chancellor or Campus Dean who is responsible for advising whether to cancel the affected classes or to postpone the event. Where classes are to be cancelled, the National Manager TE&R will notify the relevant School staff. h) For changes affecting timetabled classes and examinations the TE&R Section is responsible for: i. Recording changes in the scheduling system. ii. Communicating changes to relevant School staff. iii. Liaising with the Facilities Coordinators Team to notify whether the venue of any ad hoc booking needs to be changed to reallocate timetabled classes and examinations. iv. Notifying venue changes to the local Campus Concierge. v. Notifying Service Desk of venue changes related to video conference classes. i) For changes affecting ad hoc bookings the Facilities Coordinators Team is responsible for: i. Recording changes in the scheduling system resulting from changes made by the TE&R Section and/or because a non-teaching space became not available initially. ii. Communicating changes to staff/students/external organisations who requested the ad hoc bookings. iii. Notifying venue changes to the local Campus Concierge. iv. Notifying Service Desk of venue changes related to video conference meetings Facilities Maintenance a) Scheduled maintenance activities such as refurbishment, painting, ICT equipment upgrade or installation have an impact on room availability. b) The department scheduling the maintenance is responsible to contact the Facilities Coordinators Team in advance to inform about the scheduled maintenance, including which spaces will be affected, during what time and for how long. c) The Facilities Coordinators Team will record the information in Syllabus+ Enterprise and the space/s will be unavailable for ad hoc bookings. d) In case of maintenance of a teaching space, the Facilities Coordinators Team will liaise with the Timetabling Coordinator and the Examinations and Results Coordinator to ensure no classes or examinations will be affected or scheduled during such period/s. Space Booking Procedures - February 2016 Page 7

10 6. Ad hoc booking requests by ACU staff training and development providers a) ACU staff training and development providers are to use WRB for ad hoc bookings of non-teaching spaces. b) For ad hoc bookings of teaching spaces, ACU staff training and development providers are to follow the procedures outlined in Section 5.2. c) During the embargo period and for bookings scheduled during examination weeks the Facilities Coordinators Team liaises with the TE&R Section for a provisional booking that remains unconfirmed until advice is received regarding the availability of the venue as outlines in Section Ad hoc booking requests by the Events Team a) The Events Team is to use WRB for ad hoc bookings of non-teaching spaces. b) For ad hoc bookings of teaching spaces the Events Team is to follow the procedures outlined in Section 5.2. c) During the embargo period and for events scheduled during examination weeks the Facilities Coordinators Team liaises with the TE&R Section for a provisional booking that remains unconfirmed until advice is received regarding the availability of the venue as outlines in Section 5.2. d) In the event no suitable venues are available, the National Events Manager will assess whether to request that the location of a timetabled class or examination is changed to accommodate an important event organised on behalf of the Vice- Chancellor. This would be an exceptional circumstance and the procedures to follow are outlined in Section Ad hoc booking requests by students a) ACU students may request an ad hoc booking. To submit a booking request, students should contact the Facilities Coordinators Team sending an to Room.Bookings@acu.edu.au b) In order to use ACU facilities, students must read and agree with the ad hoc bookings Terms & Conditions. c) Students can also book dedicated spaces in each campus Library. Such spaces are called Library group study rooms and can be booked via the online booking system on the Library website Conditions of bookings vary from campus to campus. 9. Space audits a) Audits of room usage and the size of groups occupying rooms will be conducted by the Properties and Facilities Directorate and will be completed within four weeks after the census date, to monitor actual compared to timetabled room usage and the appropriateness of room allocation having regard to room capacity and student numbers. All teaching spaces are audited every hour between 8am and 8pm with occupancy head count recorded. Space Booking Procedures - February 2016 Page 8

11 b) The Executive Director Infrastructure will provide a space utilisation audit report to the Chief Operating Officer, each Associate Vice-Chancellor/Campus Dean, the Academic Registrar and the Manager, TE&R each semester. c) The National Manager TE&R will provide data regarding timetable utilisation to the Chief Operating Officer, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Students, Learning and Teaching), the Executive Director Infrastructure, the Academic Registrar and each Associate Vice-Chancellor/Campus Dean each semester. d) The National Manager TE&R will also provide data regarding room utilisation for ad hoc bookings to the Executive Director Infrastructure and the Academic Registrar. 10. Review of these procedures These procedures will be formally reviewed every five years in conjunction with the Space Management Policy. The University may make changes to these procedures from time to time. In this regard any staff member who wishes to make any comments about these procedures may forward their suggestions to the Executive Director Infrastructure. Space Booking Procedures - February 2016 Page 9

12 Appendix A: Overview of responsibilities for ad hoc bookings Table 1: Ad hoc bookings of non-teaching spaces* ROLE Requester Local Campus Concierge RESPONSIBILITIES A. Make ad hoc bookings and request additional services using WRB(see for details) B. Cancel confirmed ad hoc bookings using WRB A. Arrange additional services when catering, special room setup and/or adding the booking to the daily events board at reception are requested B. If catering form ACU canteen is requested, contact the requester to arrange specific food and beverage options Service Desk A. Arrange additional services when IT support, recording and/or the portable video conference unit are requested *Refer to Table 2 for ad hoc bookings in Canberra of non-teaching spaces for activities planned during examination weeks. Table 2: Ad hoc bookings of teaching spaces ROLE Requester Facilities Coordinators Team Timetabling Team Local Campus Concierge Service Desk RESPONSIBILITIES A. Request ad hoc bookings including additional services using WRB (see for details) B. Cancel Booking requests and confirmed bookings using WRB A. Manage booking requests confirming the bookings or arranging for an alternative venue, and recording the booking in Enterprise Syllabus+. This will generate a confirmation to the requester with bookings details B. For ad hoc booking for teaching purposes such as make up classes, liaise with the Timetabling Team to notify details of the confirmed booking A. If the ad hoc booking is related to a unit, record it as part of the scheduled Timetable A. Arrange additional services when catering, special room setup and/or adding the booking to the daily events board at reception are requested B. If catering from ACU Canteen is requested, contact the requester to arrange specific food and beverage options A. Arrange additional services when IT support, recording and/or the portable video conference unit are requested Table 3: Exceptional circumstances ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES Space Booking Procedures - February 2016 Page 10

13 Local Facilities Manager Local IT Team Leader Local AVC /Campus Dean National Manager TE&R TE&R Section Facilities Coordinators Team A. Contact the Facilities Coordinators Team and the National Manager TE&R to notify location and duration of unavailable spaces due to urgent repairs A. Contact the Facilities Coordinators team and the National Manager TE&R to notify location and duration of unavailable spaces due to issues interrupting ICT services A. Contact the Facilities Coordinators team and the National Manager TE&R to notify location and duration of unavailable spaces due to important events organised on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor B. Decide on cancelling classes in the event no suitable venues are available to reallocate the affected classes A. Contact TLOs/HoS to notify when classes have to be postponed, reschedules or cancelled. A. Record changes in the scheduling system B. Communicate changes to relevant School staff C. Liaise with the Facilities Coordinators Team to notify whether the venue of any ad hoc booking needs to be changed to reallocate timetabled classes and examinations D. Notify venue changes to the local Campus Concierge E. Notify Service Desk of venue changes related to video conference classes A. Record changes in the scheduling system resulting from changes made by the TE&R Section and/or because a non-teaching space became not available initially B. Communicate changes to staff/students/external organisations who requested the ad hoc bookings C. Notify venue changes to the local Campus Concierge D. Notify Service Desk of venue changes related to video conference meetings Table 4: Maintenance activities ROLE Department scheduling maintenance Facilities Coordinators Team RESPONSIBILITIES A. Contact the Facilities Coordinators Team in advance to notify location and duration of unavailable spaces due to scheduled maintenance A. Liaise with the TE&R Section to ensure no classes or examinations are affected B. Record the information in the system Space Booking Procedures - February 2016 Page 11