2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

As universities across the country deal with space limitations, managing resources and maximizing classroom utilization becomes a critical conversation. Optimizing class frequency and duration within engineering accreditation constraints may enable programs to achieve a higher level of learning in the classroom while providing for more efficient time management. This optimization may also lead to a more effective utilization of available space.

The objective of this paper is to assess the effects of various schedules constructed by varying the frequency and duration of course offerings on not only classroom space utilization, but also surrounding considerations such as schedule simplicity, flexibility, and robustness. This analysis is limited to the undergraduate curriculum at a small engineering university. The study compares the current schedule to several proposed alternatives, with a focus on the course and laboratory requirements of the civil engineering curriculum. Each schedule is assessed using a value model to determine the highest scoring schedules based on established criteria and weights. The analysis additionally provides a methodology for assessing various university schedules which can be extended for use at other universities to assess proposed schedule modifications.