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Information Technology

Computer Classrooms: Information for Instructors

Important information for instructors regarding UMass Amherst IT computer classrooms is provided below.

Teaching in an IT Computer Classroom

Faculty or instructors may reserve a computer classroom if students need access to computers during class time. You can make a reservation for a single session, or for the entire semester depending on your needs. Our facilities are limited, so we urge you to get your requests in early!

Single session reservations must be made at least two weeks in advance.

Reservations are accepted for class sessions when students will be working on computers. Reservations are not accepted for lectures or student study time. The faculty member or TA must be present throughout the class session.

Platforms and Classroom Size

We offer a number of classroom configurations to accommodate a variety of teaching styles. We offer classrooms with either Windows or Mac operating systems. Most of our classrooms can accommodate 25 students; the largest is a 39-seat Windows lab. For a complete list of classroom locations and seating capacities, see our Classroom page.

Students also have access to specialized software using one of the UMass Amherst IT-maintained computers in the Learning Commons. The Learning Commons is open 24 hours per day, five days per week.

Request a Classroom Reservation

As of Monday, 5/17/21, IT computer classroom reservations are managed by the Course and Classroom Management Office.  Follow the guidelines below to request your classroom reservation. 

  • To schedule a standard class in a IT computer classroom, ask your scheduling rep to request the reservation via Class Automated Proposal System (CAPS) in Spire. 
  • To schedule a nonstandard class event, ask your scheduling rep to request a classroom via 25Live
  • Provide as much information about your technology needs when requesting a computer classroom reservation. Include your operating system preference (Mac or Windows) and software that you and your students will need to access during your class. Please review the collection of available software to ensure that it is available. If the software is not available, please read the Request Software section below. 

Request Software

IT maintains an extensive collection of software in the IT computer classrooms. If you would like to see additional specialized software that you are using for a course installed on our IT computer classroom machines, we will do our best to accommodate you. If there is a licensing fee associated with the software, the department requesting the software is usually responsible for paying the licensing fee. 

All software requests or changes for upcoming academic year are due on June 1st. 

We encourage you to email us at swrequest@umass.edu to schedule a preliminary consultation, even if your plans are not completely finalized.