News

Bentley U To Manage Group Study Rooms with PeopleCube and Steelcase Apps

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 08/31/09

Bentley University in Waltham, MA has chosen software from PeopleCube and Steelcase to manage group study rooms in its library. The library, which underwent a $17 million renovation in 2005 and 2006, will use Resource Scheduler along with Steelcase's RoomWizard display technology to allow students to view room scheduling information online for 24 group study rooms. Users will be able to book rooms on site or remotely without the help of library staff.

"The goal of our renovation project was to create a hub of academic life that reflected Bentley's stature in technology, research, and campus life," said Phillip Knutel, executive director of academic technology, the library, and online learning, who headed the renovation project. "We'll use Resource Scheduler to enhance student collaboration and to maximize room occupancy by ensuring that groups are using study rooms, rather than allowing a handful of individual students to monopolize them."

Resource Scheduler is a master calendar application that allows administrators to set up room use processes based on their own organizations' policies. Rooms can be assigned attributes, including capacity, location, and approval process. RoomWizard allows the user to view available rooms on a Web site and claim a room for meetings. It integrates with Microsoft Outlook and other programs to notify potential room users about the reservation.

In a statement, the university said it expected the new scheduling system to increase the use of shared study rooms, while reducing the energy required to heat and cool the rooms.