Student Timetable Procedure

Intent

This Procedure operationalises the Student Timetable Policy principles to enable the delivery of an accurate and stable student timetable which reflects course offerings using student-centric principles. The Procedure positions James Cook University (JCU; the University) to offer a consistent, positive experience for both students and staff.

This Procedure addresses Higher Education Standards Framework (HESF) Standards 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 5.3, 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 7.2 and 7.3.1(h).

Scope

This Procedure applies to all students and staff involved with undergraduate and postgraduate courses offered by JCU Australia, regardless of attendance mode.

This Procedure does not apply to the Singapore and Brisbane campuses.

Definitions

Except where otherwise defined in this procedure, definitions for terms used in this procedure are located in the Student Timetable Policy or the Policy Glossary.

Core hours: The dedicated period when learning and teaching activities will be scheduled. Core hours at JCU are Monday to Friday inclusive, between 8am and 6pm.

Clash: An occurrence where students, staff and/or teaching spaces have two or more activities planned for the same time or which overlap.

Class: A specific iteration of a learning activity, held at a specific time during a semester or trimester. or block.

Critical change: A change to the published timetable that has the potential to significantly impact a student’s timetable, planning or overall experience, for example a class scheduled on a Monday which must move to a Tuesday.

Learning and Teaching activity: A learning and teaching  activity scheduled within the timetable which may be a lecture, workshop, seminar or tutorial or specialised class delivered on campus or online.

Learning and Teaching space: A learning and teaching (L&T)  space allocated by Scheduling Services to enable a L&T activity. Standards for L&T spaces are aligned with Tertiary Education Facilities Management Association (TEFMA) guidelines, Estate Directorate design guidelines and Technology Solutions equipment specifications.

Resource: Equipment, materials and other assets owned by the University, or a service that can be drawn upon when needed for use by the University to function effectively or to help with the achieving of an objective.

Procedure

1. Stakeholder Responsibility

Work unit leadership and functional team responsibilities are defined in Appendix 1 – Responsible, Accountable, Consulted and Informed Chart.

2. Timetable Outcomes

2.1 The University implements a concentrated timetable strategy where Learning and Teaching (L&T) activities are scheduled with an even dispersal across L&T spaces with the same average hours of timetabled activities per day. There are no peaks in scheduled activities in the middle of the week, and no reduction in scheduled activities on a Monday or Friday.

2.2 Activities scheduled outside core hours and on weekends are by exception and are scheduled in accordance with the concentrated timetable strategy.

3. Class Registration, Timetabling and Support

3.1 Phases of class registration and timetable publication

Timetable development follows a set order of phases as set out below. Further detail in relation to work unit-level tasks and areas of ownership are outlined in Appendix 1 – Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed Chart.

a) Preparation: The Scheduling Services Senior Business Analyst (SSSBA) in collaboration with Technology Solutions (TS) teams, Space Management and the system vendor, will develop and prepare the new timetable database. Scheduling Services Business Partners (SSBPs) will review subject learning requirements in the Curriculum Management System to prepare for the timetable draft.

b) Draft: SSBPs will engage with college subject coordinators to collect their learning activity requirements in order to coordinate and co-create the draft timetable. SSBPs will rely on information outlined in the Curriculum Management System as the source of truth, and add specific requests where feasible. The SSSBA  will also review Course Enrolment Planners and Curriculum Management System to prepare Program of Study (POS) development.

c) Development: The timetable is developed using the priority criteria outlined in clause 4.

i. For specialised location support: Scheduling Services will schedule specialised classes in consultation with the Laboratories and Technical Support team to ensure appropriate set up/set back requirements are met between teaching activities.  Self-directed learning activities will also be scheduled as required in specialised locations.

d) Review: After development has been finalised, the timetable is released to colleges for review, allowing for feedback, adjustment and inclusion of recently approved subjects or other unknown information at the time of the timetable draft.

e) Publication: The timetable is released to students and staff to coincide with the enrolment date specified by the University. This phase delivers the public-facing document.

f) Post-Publication: Requests to amend the published timetable may eventuate where exceptional circumstances arise – refer to clause 5. In these circumstances, Scheduling Services will assist the college in managing the change and communications within the timetable.

g) Class Registration: Scheduling Services will publish class registration open and close dates prior to the relevant period. Class registration open dates will align with other prominent academic calendar events to ensure no clashes for students, such as examination periods. Class registration close dates will fall on the Tuesday of week two of each semester/trimester /block at the earliest. Enrolments exceeding allocated capacity of a L&T Space or which are less than 10 students will be referred to the relevant subject coordinator to identify alternative space solutions. Where a subject coordinator does not respond within two University business days, Scheduling Services will determine a suitable alternative location on their behalf.

3.2 Audio Visual Support

During weekdays, TS will provide audio visual support for connected activities scheduled between 8am to 8pm. Activities scheduled throughout weekend days will not have audio visual support unless prior arrangements have been made by Scheduling Services for timetabled teaching activities, or the host of the activity has requested after hours support directly with TS.

4. Managing Priority of Scheduling

L&T activities will be scheduled within the timetable build as follows, listed in order of priority:

a) Activities taught in a specialised location (e.g., Laboratory-Anatomy);

b) First year POS;

c) Complex POS, such as a subject that is attached to more than 10 POS and which must be kept clash free (e.g., MA1000 is attached to 11 POS and results in 37 pathways with multiple cohorts of students which must be considered when scheduling for the same time and location);

d) Concurrent teaching;

e) All remaining POS scheduled in all weeks of the semester and trimester;

f) All remaining POS scheduled outside of the semester and trimester;

g) Learning activities not attached to a POS;

h) Higher Degree by Research Seminars.

5. Requests to Change the Published Timetable

5.1 The published timetable is the source of truth for timetabling information for students and staff and can only be amended under exceptional circumstances. Failure to adhere to the published timetable information is a breach of the Staff Code of Conduct.

5.2 After publication, changes to the timetable are permitted under the following exceptional circumstances:

a) To accommodate reasonable adjustments for students and staff;

b) To resolve class clashes identified during class registration where at least 60% of students are affected, and not considered during POS development;

c) A lower than anticipated number of students enrolled, resulting in the class moving online;

d) A greater than anticipated number of students enrolled, resulting in the need for a L&T space with greater capacity; or

e) An unexpected hazard has occurred in an allocated space resulting in the space being unavailable or unsafe for use.

5.3 If a situation arises and does not align with the exemptions above, the subject/course coordinator must resolve the issue within their college resources or staff allocations before asking to amend the timetable.

5.3.1 If a suitable outcome cannot be identified within the college, the subject/course coordinator must submit a ServiceNow Request a Timetable Change. The form must include the reason for the change, the number of students impacted and the form will be transferred to respective Deans for endorsement.

5.3.2 If the request is endorsed, Scheduling Services will liaise directly with the subject/course coordinator to change the activity day and/or time.

6. Resolving Timetable Clashes

6.1 If a published timetable results in a clash, Scheduling Services will prioritise space allocation using the following decision criteria, listed in order of priority:

a) Access for students and staff with approved, reasonable adjustment will take precedence over all other considerations;

b) First-year learning activities will take precedence over all other cohorts and activities;

c) Larger subject enrolments will take precedence for L&T space allocation over smaller subject enrolments;

d) Specialised L&T spaces are to be used for their designated purpose and only for the duration of the class (excluding set up and set down times);

i. Specialised L&T spaces will include scheduled set up and set down times as consulted with and booked by respective laboratory managers, team leaders and technicians.

ii. Specialised L&T activities will take precedence over general teaching activities for specialised L&T spaces

e) Place-to-place and concurrent L&T activities will take precedence over in-place L&T activities in relation to video conference spaces.

6.2 Where a clash cannot be resolved between subject/course coordinators and Scheduling Services, the Associate Director, Operations (Estate Directorate) will determine a fair and equitable solution.

7. Staff Availability

The timetable will be developed on the expectation academic teaching staff and supporting professional and technical staff will be available during core hours.

7.1 Staff Workforce Management: Academy are to finalise staff workforce allocations prior to the publication of the timetable to reduce administrative and operational changes being made post-publication. Aligning internal unit processes with the timeline for the draft phase of timetable development is essential.

7.1.1 Where a teaching staff member has an approved ServiceNow Workplace Flexibility Request which makes them unavailable during core hours, the college is responsible for providing an appropriate replacement teaching staff member to deliver the activity on the scheduled day and time.

7.1.2 Teaching staff without an endorsed ServiceNow Workplace Flexibility Request who advise they are unavailable during core hours will be asked to submit a ServiceNow Academic Staff Teaching Availability Request during the drafting of the timetable. This form will be used for the duration of that timetable delivery only.

7.2 Staff Employed after Publication of Timetable: All staff employed after the timetable is published are required to adhere to the scheduled learning activity day and time of the subject they are supporting.

7.3 Teaching Staff with Availability Constraints: Where a teaching staff member has an approved workplace flexibility request, which makes them unavailable during core hours, the college is responsible for providing an appropriate replacement teaching staff member to deliver the activity on the scheduled day and time.

7.4 Staff Meetings: To support staff meetings and consultation opportunities, each timetable delivered will block out set periods throughout the week (where curriculum permits) for colleges to organise their work unit meetings. Colleges may choose to schedule other meetings within the core hours where they find their teaching staff are available.

8. Quality Improvement and Feedback

8.1 Scheduling Services will conduct regular surveys with staff and students to gain their feedback, focusing on process improvement and increasing satisfaction. A biannual health report will also be provided to the Vice Chancellors Committee highlighting efficiencies and areas for improvement. Scheduling Services will also maintain strong engagement with other Universities and higher education institutions to share information and ensure JCU aligns with industry best practice for timetabling and class registration.

8.2 L&T spaces are a critical resource and close monitoring by Estate Directorate is required. The Estate Directorate will assess the standard of L&T spaces annually and schedule refurbishment and/or replacement work in order to maintain a high standard of space. Estate Directorate Design Guidelines and TS Audio Visual Guidelines provide technical specifications for the space types.

8.3 Annually, Estate Directorate will assess L&T space usage  to compare university with TEFMA benchmarking. Occupancy sensors and/or other technology will be used for specific areas to provide accurate data analysis and provide reporting to University Executive as required.