1. UNSWide Timetabling An Overview for Administrative Staff

2. Objective  To provide staff with an understanding of the background and context for University-wide timetabling  To prepare staff for their role in the University-wide  timetabling initiative by providing advice on future business and systems processes and timelines UTES This presentation is part of the Student Services User Training, Education and Support program.

3. Background  November 2004 Academic Board endorsement  December 2004 DVC Academic & DVC Resources  agree to co-sponsor  February 2005 Forum with Faculty representatives  May 2005 Timetabling survey of schools  For 2006 most classes on NSS  Project team have consulted within and outside the University in order to establish the scope, approach, boundaries and risks

4. Scope  Kensington campus [except AGSM - U/G Medicine TBD]  Potential to schedule for other campuses in future years  Courses with very small enrolments [< 10] can be scheduled by school  Standard Main Sessions [S1 and S2] initially  All teaching activities

5. Overview  Key Driver  Current faculty-based roll-forward approach is not well suited to managing the complex interactions and decisions required to support key learning outcomes and timetabling objectives  Key Objective  To produce a timetable that is equitable, effective and complete; takes into account the needs of both students and staff; and maximises the efficient use of space and resources  To provide the best opportunity for students to fulfill their academic objectives by producing a student timetable which facilitates enrolment in core courses and maximises choice of elective courses where possible

6. Principles  Address historical structural inequities and inefficiencies in the timetable  Improve options and choices for students, especially combined degree students  Introduce greater flexibility so that TT is driven by policy and established need rather than historical pattern and constraint  Improve space utilisation  Timetable coupled to room bookings  Smooth chronological peaks  Reduce extent of 'ambit' booking of teaching space e.g. hoarding, phantom bookings, poor match to class size  Improve ability to accommodate 'crises'

7. Principles [continued]  Improve ability to undertake 'what-if' scenario planning to investigate options in relation to new campuses, buildings, equipment, programs, courses or student numbers, teaching practices, and to support such changes  To develop a 'corporate' understanding and transparent overview of the timetable (and the factors that drive it)  Level the playing field for new offerings  Improve ability to respond to enrolments/demand

8. Governance/oversight  Timetable will be based on policy and operational guidelines  Steering Committee and Reference Group for management oversight & stakeholder guidance  Steering Committee will report to and advise Executive and the Academic Board (via the Academic Services Committee)  Scheduling and Academic Requirements Unit established in Student Services –Timetabling Management –Administers a range of linked academic administration services

9. Solution Approach myUNSW used by school staff for holistic management of courses, classes, and timetabling NSS holds scheduling requests and timetabling and class information, and enrolment records Syllabus Plus scheduling application – uses stored data and scheduling request information from NSS  Planning Timetable - produced ahead of enrolment using school requirements and previous enrolment data to validate assumptions  Opportunity to move towards integrated timetabling/Academic advisement solution

10. Change Impacts  The timetable will change!  Classes may be scheduled on different days/times, and in different locations  Teaching staff may teach on different days/times and in different locations  Some course/sequence/major combinations may become available to students for the first time  Schools' timetabling activities will change:  Schools will lose rights to existing resource or time allocation  Scheduling requests rather than direct class scheduling  More detailed, accurate and complete information to be provided  Active monitoring of class enrolments [changes in demand]

11. Students  Existing on-line self-service enrolment applies  Better choice  Better support for combined degrees  Less likelihood that Friday is free of classes!

12. Staff  Role realignment for admin staff – planning-oriented roles  Allocation of teaching staff to remain responsibility of Heads of School  Teaching staff should be identified with scheduling requests where known  Minimum set of conditions applied to full-time teaching staff  Approved individual staff constraint profiles will be recorded where necessary  School meetings accommodated – timeslot  generally determined by software

13. Space  CATS-TT - CATS rooms rolled into single category  CATS-C (CATS Casual) ex CATS 4 – more rooms  Casual bookings handled roughly as at present (including classes not scheduled centrally).  Unused teaching spaces (CATS-TT) released for casual (non- academic) bookings three weeks after start of session  Specialist teaching space incorporated  with appropriate controls  Location precincts defined  Student Services – timetabled bookings  CATS – casual bookings  (inc. classes not timetabled centrally)

14. Timetabling – room utilisation 9am-6pm Source: CATS bookings, S1 2003 Large: 180-500 seats (excl. Clancy, NSG, Ritchie, Sci; 16 theatres) Medium: 100-168 seats (22 theatres) % of time room is booked % of seats occupied when in use  Peaks and troughs will be minimised where possible

15. Teaching Hours/Times  Core Undergraduate teaching hours  Monday -Thursday 9 – 6 Friday 9 – 4  Core Postgraduate teaching hours  Monday -Thursday 6 – 9 (but day options can be specified)  Classes may be scheduled outside of these hours at request of school (and compliant with Academic Staff EBA)

16. Syllabus Plus Software  Syllabus Plus Course Planner scheduling software  Mature product used by many Aust and OS institutions  Used at UNSW since '99 for room bookings  Sophisticated use of 'hard' and 'soft' scheduling controls including suitabilities, constraints, preferences  Scheduling can be performed progressively by scheduling activities according to priority groups

17. Policy  Draft Policy (& operational guidelines) submitted to Academic Board – for discussion at June 2006 meeting  Policy - objectives, principles and organisational arrangements  Operational Guidelines - more definition and detail. To evolve with feedback and prototyping  Challenge - accommodating genuine special cases without compromising the whole of the institution

18. Communication  June to September – Presentations e.g. Dean's Advisory Groups, open invitation presentations, other faculty groups on request  July/August – User Education myUNSW “Term Planning”  Also email explode list, myUNSW Web page, UNSW Student Services newsletter articles, direct engagement with relevant business units and staff A new timetable – can’t wait! Term planning?? What? It’s on a Friday?! *#*#*!!

19. 2006 Draft Timeline Late JulyRelease “Term planning” in myUNSW +User Education Mid AugustUni-wide Timetable Go / No-Go Decision Mid AugustOnline Handbook Course Catalogue updates deadline 22 SeptSession One “Term Planning” deadline Also enter Session Two intended offerings 25 Sept–27 OctIterative testing of Session 1 timetable 1 OctDEST publishing deadline - Summer & Session One 30 OctProvisional Timetable released to Faculties 22 NovFinal Timetable released to students 11 DecEnrolment commences - Session One

20. 2006

21. 2007 Draft Timeline 2 MarchDeadline for schools to enter “Term Planning” data for Session 2 5 -30 MarchIterative testing of Session 2 timetable 1 AprilDEST publishing deadline - Session Two Provisional Session 2 Timetable to faculties 23 AprilSession 2 timetable released to students 14 MayEnrolment commences - Session Two 23 JulySession Two commences And then…A 'bedding down' period over the following 12/24 months…

22. 2007

23. Faculty/School Participation

24. UNSW Business Process  Data Collection Phase (ends 22 Sept 2006)  Term planning –What's running in 2007? –How is each course structured? –Which courses are centrally timetabled? –Who's teaching them (large-group activities at least)? –What are the requirements for each course's activities (room characteristics, precinct)?

25. Business Process  Course relationships –Scheduling needs to know about combined courses –More detail about parallel activities in term planning  Non-standard requirements –Parameters outside term planning scope –Special staffing needs –Justified special cases  Planning reports –Summaries of term planning data available via NSS report distribution

26. Business Process  Clash-Free Course Combinations –Each represents a group of students enrolling in non-clashing courses –Consist of course-session modules, 4 or possibly more –Labelled by program or program + plan –Prototypes derived from enrolments, but need program knowledge to refine –Program authorities must update: extend, delete, consolidate, create, trim, … –Too many or too complex means impossible to schedule –Too few or trivial means more clashing courses

27. Business Process  Scheduling Phase (23 Sept to late Nov)  Four to five weeks of trial timetable generation  Uses term planning data provided by schools, plus CFCCs, specials  Trials released to staff for comment  Last chance to correct errors (but no preferential changes)  Provisional timetable published to staff end October (including provisional teaching schedules)  Corrections require justification, times most unlikely to change  Schools may request change of room via CATS  Schools may bid for leftover space for classes that are not centrally timetabled  Final class timetables published mid to late November

28. Business Process School User myUNSW Syllabus Plus SARU Clash-free course combinations (CFCCs) all class requirements provisional timetable NSS Term planning plus course relationships (classes created in NSS) plus non-standard scheduling requirements planning reports Data Collection Phase (to 22 Sept) Scheduling Phase (to November) manual scheduling

29. Business Process  Operational Phase (December 2006 onwards)  Timetable remains stable, but classes may need to be closed or created in response to enrolment demand (or lack of it)  Cancelled or closed classes release resources automatically  Larger rooms booked through CATS when enrolments approach capacity  New classes are pending only: can suggest time range as well as usual requirements  Response to auto-schedule request in minutes  If successful, class is activated, and user notified by email  If unsuccessful, SARU will be advised and will schedule manually by progressively relaxing constraints  Schools remain responsible for managing quotas (up to assigned room capacity), communicating changes, updating class notes, reserve capacities etc.

30. Business Process School User email myUNS W Syllabus Plus Success ? SARU email new class auto-schedule request class created scheduling result Yes No NSS manual scheduling Operational Phase (after commencement of enrolment) School User email myUNS W Syllabus Plus Success ? SARU email new class auto-schedule request class created scheduling result Yes No NSS manual scheduling Operational Phase (after commencement of enrolment)

31. Further Information  Scheduling and Academic Requirements Unit (SARU)  Sarah Thomson s.thomson@unsw.edu.au ext. 58757  Lester Mata lesterm@unsw.edu.au ext. 58040  Nicola Plume n.plume@unsw.edu.au ext. 58056  CATS  Marie Pruze m.pruze@unsw.edu.au ext. 54997

32. A Uni-wide Timetable: Our Timetable! We all have our part to play!!