• Section 1 - Purpose and scope
• Section 2 - Procedure
• Part A - General
• Standard teaching hours
• Public holidays
• Equity
• Part B - Establishment of the timetable
• Prioritisation and resolving clashes
• Data collection
• Foundation data
• Timetable data collection – Teaching delivery requirements
• Draft timetable
• Resolution of draft Timetable issues
• Part C - Publishing of the Timetable
• Valid reasons for changes to the published Timetable
• Timetable clashes
• Space management
• Part D - Room bookings
• External stakeholder bookings
• Part E - Summary of roles and responsibilities
• Authority and Compliance
• Section 3 - Definitions

Section 1 - Purpose and scope

(1) This procedure sets out the process for the preparation and publication of the University of New England (UNE) teaching Timetable, including the related principles, priorities, roles and responsibilities.

(2) This procedure also sets out the process for making and managing Room Bookings.

(3) This Procedure applies to:

1. all staff and Students of UNE;
2. UNE Representatives involved in the production and administration of timetabling activities and/or who use teaching or bookable Spaces;
3. external stakeholders that use UNE teaching and bookable Spaces;
4. all On Campus Mode Unit offerings; and
5. Intensive School Timetables which are also built in line with the Intensive Schools Policy.

(4) This Procedure does not apply to:

1. the Examination Timetable which is built in accordance with the Assessment Policy; and
2. activities for Online Mode offerings, except for Intensive School activities held on campus.

(5) The UNE Timetables and Room Bookings web page is to be relied upon for the following:

1. the online room booking system for staff, Students, visitors, the community and external stakeholders;
2. access to the Timetable for all current Students and staff;
3. Student FAQs relating to the Timetable including release dates; and
4. staff FAQs relating to the Timetable including timelines, deadlines and access to related software systems.

Section 2 - Procedure

Part A - General

(6) The Timetable process is conducted twice yearly with the building and publishing of the Timetable for:

1. Trimester 1; and
2. Trimester 2 and 3 combined (for efficiency due to fewer Trimester 3 offerings).

(7) The Timetable is developed using, but not limited to the following data/sources:

1. Principal Dates;
2. UNE Course Handbook;
3. Student enrolment patterns;
4. Space availability;
5. teaching staff availability; and
6. teaching delivery requirements provided by Unit Coordinators during the Timetable data collection period.

(8) Timetables are scheduled using UNE’s centralised timetabling system. All teaching and learning activities for On Campus Mode offerings must be scheduled in the timetabling system regardless of whether they take place on the main campus, off-campus, another UNE controlled Teaching Space or online.

(9) Where a Unit Coordinator requests that no Timetable be built for an On Campus Mode offering, it will appear on the Timetable as such, directing Students to UNE’s Learning Management System (LMS) for more information.

(10) The Timetable will maximise the efficient and effective use of UNE’s resources.

(11) Timeline and deadlines will be published on the UNE Timetables and Room Bookings web page under the staff tile and must be adhered to by all staff.

Standard teaching hours

(12) Standard teaching hours are Monday to Friday between the hours of 8am and 6pm. However, wherever possible, teaching will be scheduled to occur between the hours of 9am and 5pm.

(13) Teaching may be scheduled outside the standard teaching hours upon request with Head of School approval.

(14) Classes will commence on the hour and finish 10 minutes before the hour to allow for set-up, pack-up and movement between classes for both staff and Students.

(15) Every effort will be made to provide a one-hour lunch break between 12pm and 2pm in the Timetable for scheduled teaching staff and Students.

Public holidays

(16) Teaching will not be scheduled on NSW public holidays without permission of the relevant Faculty Associate Dean, Teaching and Learning.

(17) Weekly teaching activities that would otherwise have fallen on a Public Holiday, can have make-up teaching sessions scheduled upon request of the Unit Coordinator.

(18) Room Bookings cannot be made on Public Holidays or during the official University Christmas close down period.

Equity

(19) Consistent with UNE policy and relevant legislation, reasonable adjustments for Students and staff with special needs will be made.

(20) Requests regarding staff family responsibilities including the unavailability to teach on certain days or times should be communicated to the Scheduling team with Head of School approval, otherwise, the Timetable will be built assuming availability across the full span of standard teaching hours.

Part B - Establishment of the timetable

Prioritisation and resolving clashes

(21) In prioritising activities for the Timetable development process, and for resolving Timetable clashes, the following criteria will apply:

1. Students' needs are given the highest priority in the Timetable, to enable progression and reflect UNE's commitment to delivering a high-quality Student experience;
2. suggested course programs of study will be scheduled to avoid clashes wherever possible;
3. Core Units and Prescribed Units will take precedence over Elective Unit choices in course programs of study;
4. classes with high enrolment numbers will have precedence over those with lower enrolments;
5. first-year Units will have precedence over later-year Units;
6. activities that occupy larger blocks of time will have precedence over smaller blocks of time;
7. during an official examination period, examination activities have precedence over all other activities;
8. during an official Intensive School period, Intensive School activities will have precedence over all other activities;
9. Specialised Teaching Space will be allocated in the first instance primarily for its designated pedagogical purpose;
10. activities requiring enhanced teaching facilities will have precedence over those requiring standard teaching facilities; and
11. core UNE activities (i.e. teaching, Intensive Schools, examinations, orientation and graduation) take precedence over non-teaching activities (e.g. School meetings, concerts, conferences) in Teaching Spaces.

(22) Every effort will be taken to provide a clash-free Timetable for Core Units and Prescribed Units, however cannot be guaranteed.

Data collection

(23) Data required to build the Timetable will be collected twice per year. Once for all Trimester 1 On Campus Mode Unit Offerings and again for all Trimester 2 and Trimester 3 On Campus Mode Unit Offerings. Data regarding Intensive Schools to be held on campus is collected either at the same time or separately to accommodate the setting of dates by Schools.

(24) Data collected is referred to as either Foundation Data or Teaching Delivery Data.

Foundation data

(25) Foundation Data referred to in Part A will be provided by various areas across UNE, including but not limited to:

1. People and Culture for teaching staff data;
2. Technology and Digital Services for:
   1. audio-visual and room equipment data; and
   2. Student enrolment data.
3. Estate and Built Environment for:
   1. Space-related data such as closures, maintenance, and repurposing; and
   2. access and security data.
4. Curriculum and Academic Management for:
   1. Course and unit offerings data including changes.
5. Faculties and Schools for:
   1. Intensive School dates; and
   2. Unit Coordinator details.

(26) Foundation data must be provided within a reasonable time frame upon request of the Scheduling team.

Timetable data collection – Teaching delivery requirements

(27) The collection of teaching delivery data is commonly referred to as the timetable data collection period and is collected via the online Timetable Data Collection System.

(28) Each Timetable data collection period will run for ten (10) Working Days.

(29) The collection timeline will be published on the UNE Timetables and Room Bookings web page and staff must adhere to the deadline to enable the Timetable build to commence. Late, missing or incomplete data can negatively impact the Timetable and lead to inefficiencies caused by rework.

(30) Unit Coordinators will use the online Timetable Data Collection System to:

1. provide complete and detailed teaching requirements for each On Campus Mode offering and Intensive School they are responsible for, consistent with information published in the UNE Course Handbook;
2. request that no Timetable be published; and
3. complete the task by the deadline provided.

(31) If a Unit Coordinator will be absent during the data collection period, another member of staff must be nominated to complete the task and the Scheduling team notified.

(32) Except where an extension has been granted, outstanding data will be referred to the relevant Head of School for follow-up. Delays and an incomplete data set impact the commencement of the Timetable build and the ability to effectively manage the prioritisation of scheduling. See Section(21).

(33) Requests to teach on specific days or times, will be considered but cannot be guaranteed. If the request is in line with an approved arrangement with your Head of School, evidence should be provided supporting the request.

(34) Requests for a Timetable to replicate a previous period, will be considered but cannot be guaranteed.

Draft timetable

(35) A Draft Timetable for each scheduling period will be prepared by the Scheduling team using the information approved through the academic governance process, Foundation Data and teaching requirements provided by Unit Coordinators via the online Timetable Data Collection System.

(36) The Draft Timetable will be available to Unit Coordinators for ten (10) Working Days for review, comment and approval.

(37) Unit Coordinators must review and approve the Draft Timetable for each offering they are responsible for, ensuring:

1. teaching activities and attendance requirements have been adequately provided;
2. teaching activities are assigned to the correct Trimester weeks;
3. Specialised Teaching Spaces where required have been allocated;
4. all teaching staff have been assigned to each activity to manage staff clash control;
5. technical staff have been assigned to activities where required;
6. there are no clashes; and
7. all details and activities are correctly displayed.

(38) Unit Coordinators must advise the Scheduling team before the deadline if there are any errors or changes required.

(39) Change requests solely relating to preferred times, days or Spaces will be considered but cannot be guaranteed.

(40) Unit Coordinators will be notified of any agreed changes and must review and sign off on all changes.

(41) All Draft Timetables must be approved for publishing by each Unit Coordinator by the deadline, using the online Scheduling system.

Resolution of draft Timetable issues

(42) From time to time disagreement may arise over the allocation of Teaching Space, and the assigned days and times of teaching in a Draft Timetable. In the first instance, the Scheduling team should be notified and will look for suitable solutions.

(43) The Scheduling Team in liaison with the Scheduling Manager, will work towards delivering a satisfactory outcome. Matters that cannot be resolved will be escalated to the relevant Head of School and/or the Director Estate and Built Environment if required.

(44) When resolving a conflict, the principles outlined in clause 8 will be considered along with the following factors:

1. the justification for requiring a specific Teaching Space, day and/or time;
2. the availability/unavailability of alternative Teaching Space, day and/or time;
3. the extent to which the change will impact other staff and Students; and
4. the need to give access to Students with Special Needs, unless this causes unjustifiable hardship.

Part C - Publishing of the Timetable

(45) A finalised Timetable will be published and available to Students and staff on the UNE Timetables and Room Bookings web page four weeks prior to the commencement of each Trimester.

(46) Draft Timetables that were not reviewed or approved within the set timeframe, will be published and the relevant Head of School notified. Requests for changes once published will be subject to the valid reasons for changes to the Published Timetable in Section (47).

Valid reasons for changes to the published Timetable

(47) Changes to the Published Timetable will only be approved in exceptional circumstances and on request and justification of the relevant Head of School or the Director Estate and Built Environment or nominee. Valid reasons for changes include but are not limited to:

1. addition or removal of an offering, which can be actioned once the Course Handbook reflects the change;
2. unexpected staff turnover or change in staff allocation, which can be actioned once the Course Handbook reflects the change;
3. health or safety hazards identified in a Teaching Space and/or unavailability due to unforeseen maintenance/damage;
4. addition or deletion of classes due to enrolment size, which can be actioned once enrolment numbers are confirmed as higher/lower than planned numbers;
5. reasonable adjustments to accommodate Students or staff with Special Needs; and
6. other unanticipated issues approved by Estate and Built Environment.

(48) Where a change to the Published Timetable is approved, the relevant School must notify the affected Students as soon as possible.

Timetable clashes

(49) Constraints are built into the scheduling system to avoid clashes between as many Core Units and Prescribed Units within a course program of study as possible, however, clashes are sometimes unavoidable. In the event of a clash, a resolution will be offered wherever possible.

(50) Students may need to choose an alternative Unit or offering if a Timetable clash cannot be resolved.

(51) Unit Coordinators who become aware of a clash between Core Units, Prescribed Units or teaching staff must notify the Scheduling team as soon as possible who will look for suitable solutions.

Space management

(52) The allocation of Teaching Space to Timetables will be conducted in keeping with the UNE Space Allocation Policy.

(53) Teaching activities must not exceed the approved capacity of allocated Teaching Spaces to ensure UNE meets its Workplace Health and Safety obligations. If enrolment numbers exceed the capacity of the Space, the Scheduling team must be notified in order to allocate an alternative more suitable Space.

(54) UNE Representatives, staff and Students must not use a Teaching Space unless it is on the Published Timetable or if there is an approved Room Booking.

(55) Estate and Built Environment will undertake room utilisation assessments of Teaching Spaces, when deemed necessary, to monitor 'actual' compared to 'timetabled' room usage, and the appropriateness of room allocation regarding room capacity and Student numbers.

Part D - Room bookings

(56) The booking of certain Spaces on campus for non-teaching related activities can be made via the online booking system that can be found on the UNE Timetables and Room Bookings web page, by staff, Students, the community and external stakeholders.

(57) After-hours bookings and some specialist Spaces require a request to be sent to the Scheduling team, in line with the instructions provided on the UNE Timetables and Room Bookings web page.

(58) Room Bookings must not be made for teaching activities that belong on the Timetable.

(59) Room Bookings will only be available once the Timetable for a teaching period has been published.

(60) Spaces available for Room Bookings for both internal and external stakeholders are identified in the online Room Booking system.

External stakeholder bookings

(61) External stakeholders wanting to make a Room Booking must use the online booking request form located on the UNE Timetables and Room Bookings web page.

(62) UNE's requirements take precedence over the use of Space by external stakeholders. No adjustments to the Published Timetable will be made to accommodate external use except in exceptional circumstances approved by the Director Estate and Built Environment in consultation with the impacted Unit Coordinator and Unit Coordinator.

(63) In the event a change to the Published Timetable is approved, the Scheduling team will liaise with relevant staff to make suitable alternative arrangements. Schools will notify affected Students.

(64) Room Bookings for both internal and external stakeholders must adhere to all relevant policies found on the UNE Policy Register.

Part E - Summary of roles and responsibilities

Authority and Compliance

(65) The Procedure Administrator, the Director Estate and Built Environment, makes this procedure.

(66) UNE Representatives, staff and Students must observe this procedure.

(67) This procedure operates as and from the Effective Date.

(68) Previous procedures relating to timetabling are replaced and have no further operation from the Effective Date of this procedure.

Section 3 - Definitions