Monash University Policy Bank

Purpose

To achieve coordinated and consistent timetabling practices across Monash University in facilitating timely production of a single University timetable.

Scope

Applies to the timetabling of all teaching activities at Monash University, and therefore to all students enrolled in those activities and staff who teach those activities.

Policy Statement

The primary requirement of the timetable is to ensure that it enables students to complete core units in a course level, to satisfy course rules and to complete elective combinations that are specified by course regulations to fulfil particular professions or other purposes. Beyond this requirement a number of other considerations affect timetabling, not least of all the availability of academically sound combinations of units.

The timetabling of university teaching activities is governed by the following principles:

2.1 Teaching activities will be scheduled at times and in places that are consistent with:

• university policies in relation to work, life and family, equity and diversity (refer to “Related policies” below)
• best pedagogic practice
• facilitating student attendance and maximising student choice
• the use of specialist teaching space for its designated purpose
• occupational health and safety and fire code regulations (e.g. room capacity restrictions, staff working conditions)
• utilising teaching space and resources effectively and efficiently, consistent with allocations being equitable for staff and students and compatible with pedagogic requirements.

2.2 Activities will be scheduled in patterns that produce manageable teaching times for staff and allow staff appropriate time for other activities such as research, administration and post-graduate supervision.

2.3 Day unit offerings will be scheduled between 8:00am and 6:00pm and evening unit offerings scheduled between 6:00pm and 10:00pm to ensure that part time students are able to attend classes after working hours. Students will be expected to be available to attend and teaching staff available to teach classes during these times, unless mutually agreed otherwise. A one-hour lunch break between the hours of 11:00am and 3:00pm will normally be allocated to all teaching staff and student sets. All teaching activities will preferably be scheduled in full hour units and timetabled to commence on the hour.

2.4 The timetable for a forthcoming academic period will be published on the second Monday of October every year to permit all students to be informed of the timetable when selecting the units in which to re-enrol and enrol.

2.5 Changes to the timetable after final publication will be kept to a minimum as students use the timetable to make enrolment decisions that best fit their academic interests as well as their family and work commitments.

2.6 Ultimate responsibility for resolving conflicts which arise from Faculty timetabling decisions rests with the relevant Head of School/Department.

2.7 Students enrolled in a standard program should expect to attend all core units and have a reasonable selection of electives from which to choose.

2.8 While the University attempts to accommodate student choices, the timetable may not allow for every student to attend their preferred combination of units.

2.9 The process of timetable autoscheduling will normally take place every three years to ensure that teaching activities are not arbitrarily scheduled at the same time every semester/year. Autoscheduling aims to maximise student choice, the impact of teaching technology and the efficient use of central resources. In years when autoscheduling is not run, a timetable rolled over from the previous year will apply.

2.10 When producing the annual timetable, teaching activities will be scheduled before ad hoc activities.

2.11 The University's requirements for rooms and facilities will take precedence over their use by external persons, groups or bodies. No adjustments to the academic timetable will be made to accommodate external use except in those exceptional circumstances specifically approved.

Supporting procedures

Responsibility for implementation

At the University wide level:
• Director, Student Administration and Systems
• Manager, Timetable Systems
At the Faculty level:
• Faculty Managers
• Faculty Timetable Coordinators

Status

Key Stakeholders

• Director, Student Administration and Systems Australia
• Manager, Timetable Systems
• Monash University Venues (MUV)/Campus Timetablers
• Syllabus Plus and Allocate Plus User Groups
• Disability Liaison Officers
• Domestic and International Students
• Faculty Syllabus+ Timetable Coordinator / Faculty Allocate+ Coordinator / School/Department Timetable Coordinator
• Deans, Faculty Managers, Departmental Managers, Heads of Schools/ Departments
• Teaching Staff
• Teaching Unit Coordinators

Approval body

Endorsement body

Definitions

Ad hoc bookings: Any casual booking of University space not intended for regular teaching activity.

Allocate Plus/Allocate+: Online class allocation system accessible from any computer in the world that has Internet access. Students can browse available timeslots for all enrolled activities and specify personal preferences.

Auto-scheduling: Timetable auto-scheduling is the process of producing the university timetable based on student, staff, location and unit constraints. This will take place at regular intervals as necessary, with the aims of maximising: • student choice • the inter-relationship of Syllabus Plus with other University corporate systems • the impact of teaching technology • the efficient use of resources including the processes by which the timetable is prepared.

Campus timetablers: Staff in campus managers’ offices, ad hoc booking offices, Information Technology Services and any other areas with responsibility for timetabling on the campus on which they are based.

Clash: An occurrence when students are allocated to two or more teaching activities that run at the same time or which overlap.

Core unit: A mandatory unit taken to fulfil the requirements for an award.

Course: The accumulation of units, according to a set of rules, that leads to the award of a qualification (eg Bachelor of Arts, Master of Science). In the case of a double degree, this course of study can lead to the award of two qualifications.

Elective unit: An optional unit taken to fulfil the requirements for an award.

MUTTS: Monash University Timetable System - used to publish timetable information for students and staff online (http://mutts.monash.edu.au/MUTTS/). MUTTS is only used to view the day and time of available teaching activities. Students must use Allocate+ to submit requests to study in particular teaching activities.

Offering: A unit available for enrolment in the forthcoming teaching period.

Preliminary release: The version of the timetable provided two weeks before final timetable publication to enable academic and administrative staff to identify and resolve problems before the final timetable is published.

Resources: Teaching rooms and teaching equipment including audio visual facilities.

Rollover timetable: The current year’s timetable data which forms the basis of the timetable for the following academic period.

Specialist space: Teaching locations designed for specific purposes, e.g. scientific laboratories, dance studios, editing rooms, drawing rooms. Normally controlled by a faculty/school/department but some or all activities using the space are timetabled centrally.

Student set: A combination of units which should not clash due to a high likelihood of students doing this combination, or published as a highly desirable combination for any set course.

Students/staff requiring adjustments: Students/staff who require reasonable adjustments to their timetable arising from their disabilities, religious beliefs or family responsibilities.

Suitabilities: Factors that indicate the nature of a teaching space, the pedagogic possibilities and the teaching equipment available.

Syllabus Plus/Syllabus+: Syllabus + (or Plus) along with Allocate Plus are used for space management, timetabling and class allocation forming the Monash University Timetable System (MUTTS).

Teaching activity: Any event such as a lecture, tutorial, laboratory session, etc that makes up the time requirement for a unit.

Teaching space: Any location used to conduct classes.

Teaching staff: Academic staff with responsibilities for teaching.

Unit: The basic component of a course in which a student will enrol to undertake study in a particular discipline.

Related legislation

Monash University Act 1958
Disability Discrimination Act 1992
Monash University Occupational Health & Safety Policy
Monash University Discrimination & Sexual Harassment Grievance Procedures

Related policies

Global Equal Opportunity policy

Space Management policy

Work Life Family policies

Related documents

Building Code of Australia

Staff Unavailability Form

Ad Hoc Bookings Guidelines

Date Effective

Review Date

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