The Faculty of Medicine’s (FoM) Resource Coordination team carries out an annual advance booking process, in which regularly occurring education and administrative sessions for the upcoming academic year are booked before rooms are released for general use.
Advance Booking Winter/Spring 2025 Submissions are now closed. Please see the timelines below for information on when confirmations will be sent.
The Resource Coordination Team regularly hosts an Advance Booking Information Session for each window.
The sessions are held virtually over Zoom.
You can find a a recording our most recent information session at the link below:
Advance Booking Info Session Recording – September 4th, 2024
2024-2025 Advance Booking
The Advance Booking process applies a two-window approach: Summer/Fall and Winter/Spring. Each window is comprised of two rounds before the rooms are released for general booking.
Round 1 focuses on FoM curriculum and teaching sessions, followed by Round 2 for FoM non-curriculum, UBC, or Health Authority sessions.
The two bookable periods are:
| SUMMER/FALL | July 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024 |
| WINTER/SPRING | January 1, 2025 to June 30, 2025 |
Advance Booking requests outside the timelines below will not be accepted. Late submissions will be processed after the confirmations are sent for the applicable round.
For UBC or FoM users, please consider whether it is more advantageous to use your UBC Zoom accounts instead of booking a FoM Zoom.
Timelines
SUMMER/FALL WINDOW
BOOKABLE PERIOD: JULY 1, 2024 to DECEMBER 31, 2024
Round 1 – FoM Curriculum, Teaching Sessions, FoM Governance
| Submission Period | Monday March 11, 2024 — Friday April 5, 2024 |
| Confirmations Sent | Friday May 17, 2024 |
Round 2 – FoM Non-Curriculum Sessions, UBC, or Health Authority
| Submission Period | Monday March 11 2024 — Friday May 3, 2024 |
| Confirmations Sent | Friday June 7, 2024 |
RoomFinder General Booking
| Submissions accepted as of | Monday June 10, 2024 |
WINTER/SPRING WINDOW
BOOKABLE PERIOD: JANUARY 1, 2025 to JUNE 30, 2025
Round 1 – FoM Curriculum, Teaching Sessions, FoM Governance
| Submission Period | Tuesday September 3, 2024 — Friday September 27, 2024 |
| Confirmations Sent | Friday November 1, 2024 |
Round 2 – FoM Non-Curriculum Sessions, UBC, or Health Authority
| Submission Period | Tuesday September 3, 2024 — Friday October 18, 2024 |
| Confirmations Sent | Friday November 22, 2024 |
RoomFinder General Booking
| Submissions accepted as of | Monday November 25, 2024 |
To learn more about the prioritization framework followed for advance booking of physical spaces, please refer to the Academic Learning Space Booking & Utilization Policy.
Official Submission Format for Advance Booking: ABM
Advance Booking Manager, aka “ABM” is the official method for submitting Advance Booking requests.
ABM is a web-based tool for drafting and submitting reservation requests. It aligns with our goal to provide a solution that is sustainable, efficient, and user-friendly. Advance Booking Manager empowers its users by saving time and effort while protecting the integrity of our booking prioritization framework.
As a reminder, Advance Booking Manager (ABM) replaces the previous Excel file method retired in 2022. Booking submissions received as Excel templates will be returned to sender, along with information on how to access and use ABM.
How to access ABM
Please use the button below and bookmark it for your reference.
Note: You will require a UBC Enhanced CWL ID (multi-factor authentication enabled.)
If you are a Health Authority member and do not have a UBC Enhanced CWL ID , please complete the sign-up form here. All UBC staff have Enhanced CWL IDs.
We recommend watching the ABM overview video in order to help introduce yourself to the tool, as well as reviewing the User Guide. The User Guide is also accessible within the 
section of ABM.
Help with using ABM
Here are additional materials for review in order to familiarize yourself with ABM:
Video: Advance Booking Info Session (recorded March 2024)
ABM Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: I’m having issues logging into ABM with my CWL. What do I do?
A: Please reach out to the Resource Coordination Team by email at fom.resourcecoordination@ubc.ca for assistance resolving your issue. In your email subject line, please enter “ABM access issue” and in the body of the email, please provide:
- Your CWL ID
- A screenshot of the error
Access issues associated with a CWL is primarily to do with how your CWL was created, and can be resolved with some help from our team as well as UBC IT.
Q: What is an “Enhanced CWL”?
A: Your CWL must be enhanced in order to access ABM. Enhancement of a CWL (campus-wide login) provides an additional layer of cybersecurity protection. Please refer to UBC’s Privacy Matters website for a more detailed explanation.
Q: Why is the Excel template submission format no longer in use?
A: Regular participants in the Advance Booking process requested a more user-friendly method of submission. ABM eliminates previous pain points in using Excel.
This change has been driven by these key requirements:
1. Implement a tool that is easy to use
ABM is an application directly accessible from a web browser such as Chrome or Firefox. It is a secure, online environment with a tidy interface, and no downloading is needed. Submissions can be drafted, sent and reviewed directly within the application.
2. Save time and effort for all participants
Your time is valuable. We understand Advance Booking participants cannot afford to spend long stretches of time troubleshooting their submission form. Based on feedback collected from our pilot program, a majority of users saved up to 40% more time compared to using the Excel template. In all, more than 95% of our pilot users preferred to use ABM.
Additionally, by using ABM to review bookings the Resource Coordination Team is able to reduce follow-up emails for clarification and maximize processing time.
3. Improve accessibility
In previous Advance Booking periods, some participants experienced obstacles based on compatibility of Excel software versions, file formats, email firewalls, as well as computer operating systems.
Built in-house, ABM is maintained and updated by administrators directly within the Digital Solutions team. As a browser-based tool, it removes problems of compatibility and ensures all users have the latest version at their fingertips.
ABM also includes built-in support tips and a User Guide to ensure a streamlined and straightforward experience.
4. Ensure the replacement is future-proof
The Resource Coordination Team sees an increase in booking volume by approximately 20% percent term-over-term. The Excel template reached its limit for improvements in user experience, and was time-consuming to maintain and update.
Scalability and sustainability are two key metrics by which ABM proves its worth. We have seen improved efficiency in overall processing times, and with ongoing feedback we continue to make lasting upgrades to the tool itself.
Advance Booking Best Practices
To help us accommodate your room booking needs, please:
- Submit one ABM reservation per booking (whether ad hoc or recurring series.)
- Follow the timelines posted above. Due to the volume of requests, we cannot process requests outside of these timelines.
- Please provide specific details in each field. Ambiguous request details (e.g., “either this date or that date,” “possibly online if our instructor asks for it,” “please hold both X and Y room as back-ups”) cannot be processed. If you need to make changes after the submission deadline, please email the Resource Coordination team after confirmations have been sent out.
- Kindly consider if a room is needed for all sites in a videoconference session – e.g., could single participants at a particular location join from their computer instead?
- Be honest and considerate with physical space requirements, as you would expect others to do for you. Overbooking means that other people are denied access to rooms that are not being used.
- When possible, consider scheduling virtual-only sessions on your UBC Zoom account rather than borrowing a FoM Zoom license. UBC Zoom offers increased privacy and flexible settings, such as mute-upon-entry and enabling polls. See here for more information.
Contact
Resource Coordination Team
Digital Solutions, Faculty of Medicine