We have decided to improve the utility of room 106. We are looking for ways to limit/eliminate time wasted organizing the room for all classes that meet in room 106. These are our potential solutions…
1. Propose a set of design options for the layout of the room. That could include making marks on the carpet to indicate optimal room set-up (Use tape, paint, markers, or custom carpet). It could also include diagrams that show the layout for each class that is meeting (e.g. 7 tables in front with 15 chairs for the 8am class, and 3 tables in the front with 6 chairs 4 tables in the back with 9 chairs for the 9:40am class).
2. Remove some number of tables and/or chairs from the room.
3. Launch multi-faceted awareness campaign that makes people take note of the issues in room 106. This might include… Enlisting the help of Deans Bradford and Lehman to raise awareness about the problem, Create a Facebook group called "I'm mad as hell about Room 106 being a mess!", Quantify and advertise the amount of time and money the school (i.e., faculty, students) are losing, Employ the use of blogs to raise awareness about the problem, Post on door, screen-saver on room PC, Create room policy that specifies SOPs for before and after class for students, faculty, etc…
The issue is the "time wasted organizing the room for all classes that meet in room 106".
ReplyDeleteSolution 1 seems to being order to the chaos of the table arrangements. It also seems to limit the configurations that room 106 can have. I agree with this ordering of the chaos and think there are a few things to consider. First, who is going to enact the new configurations? Do we need to hire more support staff to change the table around between classes? Also, some might argue that the utility of room 106 lies in the fact that it is so flexible and can have an unlimited amount of configurations.
Solution 2 would only make it easier to change around the design of the room, possible making things more chaotic in the long run. Perhaps this idea could be modified to restrict the number of chairs per table. I am sure there is a fire code violation in there somewhere...might want to look into that.
Solution 3 is a great idea, but I am not sure how the popularizing of the "room 106 problem" will help solve the issue in the short term. I don't see what it actually accomplishes other than making people more aware of the issue. If that's your goal, then great. But then that is solving a different problem than the one stated above in the intro.
I think solution 1 is very viable. If there was an optimal setting for the room, and a few suggested configurations, I think the utilization would increase greatly.
ReplyDeleteSolution 2 makes sense but I think classes with a large group of people will find a way to drag more chairs in.
#3 has a lot of great ideas, but I don't really see a solution, other than the fact that more people will know about it.
I think idea 1 is one of the best ideas. Deciding on an optimal layout would be helpful as long as it is publicized and people are aware that they should not just come in and change the room. I think idea 2 will only work to a limited extent. For some reason there are always classes in the room that are to large for the room capacity- by removing items they would have to be changed again to accommodate different class sizes. I don't know if idea 3 will actually change the room for good and awareness will constantly need to be repeated.
ReplyDeleteI love #1. Its easy and would get the job done. If it had fewer tables then I wouldn't be able to take Innovations class!
ReplyDeleteThrow some tape marks on the floor and a sign on the wall that shows configurations for certain numbers of seats.
I found this concept to be one of the more serious and interesting problem and solutions of this blog assignment. The class desks and seats are constantly being rearranged, and the start of each class continues to be a good 10 minutes setting up seating arrangements. I like the idea of hanging a flyer with preset designs, and having paint or stickers under the desks for all students to understand the best layouts for this specific classroom. Creating awareness of this problem would also be beneficial in the solution of this process.
ReplyDeleteIdea #1 sounds great! I'm in two solid-booked classes in that room this mod and sometimes it's standing-room only! You can make up plans that would allow for the most comfortable seating arrangement for the class size... plus they can be designed to easily convert to the needs of the next class.
ReplyDeleteIdea #2 sounds good, but won't be possible given the amount of students in the room. I'm not kidding about the standing room only thing.
Idea #3 doesn't seem as functional... we're not really losing much by having the room too full, it's just uncomfortable. Plus it relies on the student body to take action, and given everything else we have to do, i don't see enough people taking time out of their schedule to see this through.
Idea #1 is the way to go. In my previous career as a photography producer, we used a similar method for set pieces on multi-scene shoots and it works really well.
ReplyDelete#2 would just make 106 less usable than it already is as it would limit the amount of classes/meetings that could be held there.
#3 seems like it would do a good job of creating awareness of the problem, but not actually do much to solve it.
I think your first idea is great because it will reduce the amount of time people spend staring at the tables before class trying to figure out the best possible arrangement. If you give people a visual key to all potential arrangements, you will save a lot of time and frustration.
ReplyDeleteAlthough your second idea would successfully de-clutter the room, I think people would get frustrated that you couldn't use it as much since it would hold fewer people. And the awareness campaign is definitely innovative, but I think it might be counter-productive as it could fuel people's frustration as opposed to bringing about change.
#1 seems like the best of the options, maybe we need different tables that are easier to configure.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a good issue to address and one that certainly has annoyed me at times. #1 seems like it would have the most likely chance of success - I never really no how the room is supposed to be setup, so it would be helpful to have some blueprint from which to work off of. #2 also seems like it could work because the room often times feels overcrowded. I think that #3 would be less effective - I think that people know that there is a problem, but are not affected enough to really get involved and take a stand. Best of luck!
ReplyDeleteI think the first solution of providing a set of predetermined set-up designs is great and definitley the most likley to succeed. However, the paint could chip and moving tables and chairs could cause the tape to come up, so the custom carpet would be the way to go although it might be a bit more expensive. Each design could be in a different color to avoid confusion when the designs overlapped.
ReplyDeleteFor solution 2, removing furniture might cause more problems than it solves albeit a different type of problem, so this would likely not work.
I like solution 3, but it might be good to pair this idea with solution 1 since it does not actually provide an immediate fix for the problem.
The idea of putting the markings on the floor is interesting. It would make it very easy for classes to move the tables around and then rearrange them into their old spots. A negative of course is that the floor may look bad from having tape on the floor.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of removing some tables and chairs from the room. That's simple and to the point.
The last idea is taking the situation to a level that would seem a bit extreme. I think you would try the other options before you got to the point of a huge awareness campaign.
Solution one would be a practical answer to this problem. It would be helpful to the students when figuring out which chair goes where. It will also eliminate the chaos that usually pairs with the moving of chairs.
ReplyDeleteSolution 2 seems easy to enough to do. If you could perhaps change the chairs into smaller sized chairs(I often feel that this is the real problem), you could maintain the same number of seats while reducing the hassle.
Solution 3 seems to be a bit overkill.
Perhaps a mix of ideas one and two could work? No matter how much furniture is in the room, marked layouts would be helpful to consistently keep the room in order. This would also help ensure that tables are located above power outlets when needed. Idea number two may be the key, however - it does seem like there is just too much furniture in that room.
ReplyDeleteI think #2 is best, but some research could clarify this. You should check the Vandy or Nashville building codes and find out the max occupancy of a room that size. I guarantee our class exceeds it.
ReplyDeleteYou could check with the fire department about requirements for fire exits. Good luck to the left side of the room if there is ever a fire. I don't think the windows open (?).
This could give justification to reduce the max class size allowed in the room. Then Kelly's office just has to juggle the schedule. There are class periods where Averbuch is open - it's not like it isn't doable.
Among the 3 choices, number 1 makes the most sense. With a configuration that people in the room can follow, orienting the tables and chairs would not be such a hassle. Right now, people in the room often reinvent the wheel each time they rearrange the room. The configuration takes the guess work our the arrangement, does not require buy-in from Dean Bradford, and can quickly be implemented.
ReplyDeleteI like idea #1 the best. Annotation as some have learned in MIP the class is a way to increase efficiency in operations. Having a diagram that has fixed shapes will also help. Therefore, if the classroom tables are not setup properly, the students at the time can work together to setup the room. On the other hand, idea# 2 does not solve the problem of the size that the room actually can fit the students in. Also, idea# 3 seems just a campaign, but will not solve the messiness of the room; potentially it will just become a joke.
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