URooms User Guide and Conditions of Use

URooms is a service in InfoHub providing information to staff about the configuration and planned use of rooms in the University Shared Teaching Room portfolio. IT Services worked in conjunction with Teaching & Learning and Estate Services to develop this very useful guide.

URooms provides information about University Shared Rooms including details of room capacity, imagery, building location, furniture and equipment configuration, displayed alongside the real-time bookings for each shared room managed by Estate Services.

Search room availability for the next month and make an online booking

In order to provide an improved service, selected ad-hoc room requests are now eligible to be automatically scheduled and immediately confirmed through an online self-service room booking system.

The eligibility for automating a booking is determined on whether the request meets the following pre-defined criteria:
• The duration of the event must not be more than 1 hours 50 minutes.
• The event must be scheduled within the next month.
• The event must be scheduled to take place between 09.00 and 18.00, Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays).
• Display of the event on the Student Online Timetable is not required. Please contact room.allocations@ucd.ie directly for rooms changes to be displayed on the Student Online Timetable.
• Chargeable events cannot be automatically booked (events where > 35 non-UCD attendees, events with catering, etc.).

To submit an online self-service booking request for a room in the University Shared Room Portfolio, UCD faculty and staff should login to URooms in InfoHub using their UCD Connect username and password. External clients should contact reservations@ucd.ie. Students are advised to contact estates@ucd.ie if they wish to book a room for society, club or other activities.

A Booking ID will be automatically issued by email to confirm a successful booking.
If the automated function is switched off, please contact room.allocations@ucd.ie.
Please note that access to rooms in the Shared Teaching Room Portfolio is subject to your agreeing to the Conditions of Use.

No food or drink is permitted in the Shared Teaching Room Portfolio, for further information on locations where catering is permitted please contact room.allocations@ucd.ie.

Check the configuration of rooms and their planned use

By logging onto URooms, faculty and staff can quickly identify if a particular room is booked at a specific time, or identify other similar alternative rooms which might be available.
Each room is linked to Google Maps to help users of mobile devices navigate to the building. A photograph of the room provides an image of the room layout.

Pedagogical guidelines have been developed by Teaching and Learning to assist Faculty in the design, delivery and support of graduate/undergraduate academic programmes.

URooms also provides an option to display planned use of locally managed rooms, where appropriate.

Online Self Service Room Booking System: Conditions of Use
• Due to the extensive demand for rooms in the Shared Room Portfolio across the whole year, the academic timetable will take priority over all other bookings.
• Rooms in the Shared Room Portfolio may be booked by members of UCD faculty and staff for lectures, seminars and meetings which form an integral part of UCD’s normal teaching, research and administrative business, subject to availability and to compliance with the normal rules and conditions of use.
• If Room Allocations receives a request by a member of UCD to book a room for an event which appears might not be in connection with official UCD business, the requestor shall be asked for such information as is reasonably required to establish that the purpose of the booking is to accommodate a legitimate UCD meeting or function. Bookings will not be confirmed until such information has been obtained.
• On-line self-service bookings in the Shared Room Portfolio are facilitated for UCD activities scheduled between 9.00 and 18.00, Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays). Where events are to be scheduled outside normal building operation hours, rooms must be booked via room.allocations@ucd.ie or reservations@ucd.ie, as appropriate. A schedule of the normal building operation hours is provided here.
• Members of University faculty and staff may request room bookings within the Shared Room Portfolio at any time after the publication of the upcoming Semester’s timetable. For specific periods of time, self-service bookings may only be made for events up to 1 week in advance, otherwise bookings may be made up to one month in advance.
• 150+ Rooms in the Shared Teaching Room Portfolio:
Not all University rooms are available to book through the on-line room booking facility, as some rooms are controlled and allocated locally by Schools/Units. To book rooms that are locally managed, faculty and staff are advised to contact the relevant School/Unit directly.
• Events with more than 35 Non-UCD attendees or which are organised by External Agencies should contact reservations@ucd.ie.
• Students are advised to contact estates@ucd.ie if they wish to book a room in the Shared Teaching Room Portfolio.
• The eligibility for automating a booking is determined on whether the request meets the pre-defined criteria.Check the configuration of rooms and their planned use
• If your booking is for the NEXT 36 HOURS, please contact Estate Services at extension 7000.

By logging onto URooms, faculty and staff can quickly identify if a particular room is booked at a specific time, or identify other similar alternative rooms which might be available.
Each room is linked to Google Maps to help users of mobile devices navigate to the building. A photograph of the room provides an image of the room layout.

Pedagogical guidelines have been developed by Teaching and Learning to assist Faculty in the design, delivery and support of graduate/undergraduate academic programmes.

URooms also provides an option to display planned use of locally managed rooms, where appropriate.

Selected room booking requests are eligible to be automatically scheduled and immediately confirmed provided they meet the criteria outlined below.

a. Information on size and nature of booking must be provided –meeting/seminar/interview/conference/event/ etc.
b. All room bookings are allocated at one hourly intervals, starting on the hour; The duration of the event booked on-line must not be more than 2 hours. All rooms must be vacated ten minutes prior to the end of the allocated time for the class/meeting. This timing allows for interchange of students and the installation of equipment.
c. Chargeable events cannot be automatically booked and must be directed to reservations@ucd.ie.
d. It is only possible to view space availability online for the next month. To enquire about availability in subsequent months please contact room.allocations@ucd.ie.
e. The furniture within each room is set out in a particular way to conform to the University’s teaching requirements. If you move the furniture you should return it to the correct arrangement at the end of your booking as seating arrangements are used to calculate room capacity; Rooms booked at short notice will have furniture arranged as found. Furniture and equipment should not be moved between classrooms;
f. Before the commencement of each class, staff should make an assessment of whether or not a room is overcrowded, in that a count need only be taken if there are students without seats. In the event that a room is visibly overcrowded, additional attendees should be asked to leave. Staff should inform their School Timetable Co-ordinator of overcrowding giving adequate notice so that where possible, alternative arrangements can be made for the following week;
g. No University facilities will be afforded to external agencies or individuals unless a formal application is made in writing and the external party room hire conditions are agreed.
h. AV Support is only available from 09:00 to 17:15 Monday – Friday, outside of these hours, an AV related breakdown will be addressed the following working day. If you have a problem with AV, please ring ext-7300 and if they are unavailable, ring ext-7000.
i. If your event/classroom requirements change or are cancelled, please email room.allocations@ucd.ie. This will minimise unnecessary over-booking of resources and will ensure other parties have optimum access to University resources.
j. If you find a Shared Teaching Room in an unsatisfactory condition or experience a fault, please notify estates@ucd.ie or by phone on 01-716-1111.
k. If you find a locally controlled room in an unsatisfactory condition or experience a fault, please notify the appropriate School/Unit.
l. No food or drink, alcoholic or otherwise is permitted in the Shared Teaching Room Portfolio
m. The cost of stewarding, cleaning and other supports associated with the use of rooms/buildings for conferences or any event held outside normal operating hours shall be met by the organisers.

Feedback and suggestions on how we can continue to enhance our support of the University community are welcome. For any queries please contact room.allocations@ucd.ie