Timetabling Policy

Introduction

Purpose

1. This document aims to clarify timeframes, responsibilities, and resources regarding the construction of the academic timetable at Northeastern University London (the University).

Scope

2. This document applies to members of the University including, but not limited to any person who is engaged with the University as a student, employee, consultant, professoriate, guest and visiting academics, honorary posts, volunteer staff (including work experience), and employees from Northeastern University.

Resources

3. This document is to be read in conjunction with the following policies:
   1. Events Policy
   2. Managing External Speakers Policy
   3. Undergraduate Student Attendance Policy
   4. Academic Engagement Policy
4. Any enquiries about this policy should be directed to Timetabling.

General Principles

5. The Timetabling Department has oversight for the space allocation across the University for both academic and non-academic activities.
6. Academic activities are scheduled to deliver a specific aspect of the curriculum, including but not limited to all schedulable contact points such as tutorials, seminars, lectures, collections, revision sessions, labs, examinations, resits, study visits, and co-curriculars.
7. The timetable is constructed in collaboration with Associate Deans, Heads of Faculty, Faculty, Operations, Registry and Quality.
8. In line with the University’s policy on equality and diversity, the University will make every effort to accommodate students and staff with, for example, disabilities, carer responsibilities, religious beliefs, etc.
9. The timetable represents a balance between different, often competing, requirements. The University aims to construct a “best-fit” timetable each year.
10. It is University policy that faculty are available for teaching throughout the standard teaching week with exceptions, such as agreed part-time working or flexibility for childcare arrangements, approved during the data collection phase.
11. All students are required to be available at any time during the teaching period, and during all exam periods, including second sitting period.
12. For timetabling purposes, ‘morning’ is defined as the period before 12.00, ‘afternoon’ is defined as the period 12.00-18.00, and ‘evening’ is defined as the period after 18.00.
13. The standard teaching week is: 9.00-18.00, Monday-Friday. Professorial Lectures and exams may be scheduled outside of the standard teaching week, if needed.
14. A one-hour lunch break between the hours of 11:00 and 15.00 will normally be allocated to all teaching staff, where possible.
    

Teaching Events

15. All timetabling information is available here. Any changes made to the timetable in CELCAT are automatically updated on the CELCAT calendar. Students and staff are encouraged to use the CELCAT calendar for the most up-to-date information.
16. CELCAT events are normally associated with a course.
17. All teaching activities must be timetabled in CELCAT, even if they take place off campus.
18. All on-site teaching activities must take place at a pre-approved teaching space.
19. All teaching events must take place at the time and place shown in the timetable.
20. Teaching events may be moved due to University recruitment events. The Timetabling Manager will endeavor to keep the disruption to teaching to a minimum. Students and staff will be informed of any changes at the earliest opportunity.
21. Timetabling will communicate with the Events Team in order to qualify which spaces are available for non-curricular activities.

Responsibilities

The Timetabling Manager is Responsible for:

22. Maintaining effective working relationships with faculties and key stakeholders.
23. Managing processes leading to the production of academic timetables for students that are accurate and support a positive learning experience.
24. Delivering timetables promptly and with appropriate attention to detail, proactively mediating or adjudicating instances of difficulty and disagreement between key parties.
25. Maintaining the timetable throughout the academic year.
26. Communicating any timetable changes to the relevant staff and students.
27. Reviewing and updating this policy.

 The Head of Faculty/Programme Director is Responsible for:

28. When designing courses with Course Leaders, how the teaching will be delivered; taking into consideration timetabling consequences in curriculum design and ensuring that the delivery of teaching is aligned across related courses and degree programmes.
29. Gathering timetabling requests from Course Leaders during the data collection phase.
30. Gathering sessional and part time staff availability at point of recruitment and informing the Timetabling Manager at the earliest opportunity or during the data collection phase.
31. Informing the Timetabling Manager of their faculty’s timetabling requests during the data collection phase.

The Course Leader is Responsible for:

32. Advising their Head of Faculty (HoF)/Programme Director during the data collection phase of timetabling restrictions that have arisen from their:
    1. Parental or carer responsibilities.
    2. Disabilities.
    3. Religious beliefs.
    4. Essential research needs, to be approved by the Dean of Faculties.
33. Providing accurate information to their HoF/Programme Director by the dates published in the timetable schedule.
34. Ensure that their timetable requests are aligned with the relevant Course Descriptor.

All Faculty are Responsible for:

35. Checking draft timetables when requested and reporting errors within the published timescales to Timetabling.
36. Reading and checking the accuracy of their timetable and advising Timetabling of clashes and errors in course and teaching data.
37. Adhering to the published timetable and only using timeslots and rooms allocated accordingly.
38. Reporting absences to Line Manager, Timetabling and Registry due to illness/travel or any other circumstance that means cancellation of classes. Timetabling will make necessary changes in the timetable, notify students and make arrangements for rescheduling if required.
39. Communicating any timetable changes to the relevant students and staff.
40. Starting and finishing teaching sessions promptly.
41. Submitting a Leave of Absence form when relevant to Line Manager.

Students are Responsible for:

42. Reading and checking the accuracy of their timetable and advising Timetabling of clashes and errors in course and teaching data.
43. If students identify errors in course or teaching data, Registry must be informed at the earliest opportunity to investigate.
44. Checking the online timetable on the day of their classes and their University email account regularly for timetable changes and notifications.

Timetabling Process

Creation and Review

45. Regular, full-term, bookings take precedence over ad-hoc or sporadic teaching.
46. Larger teaching groups take precedence over smaller groups.
47. Priority is given to sessional staff, then part time, and then full time in line with other responsibilities they may have.
48. Staff are not to be scheduled for more than four consecutive hours. Any requests for teaching in longer blocks will be rejected, apart from exceptional cases.
49. Wherever possible, students are not to be assigned more than four consecutive hours of teaching without a break.
50. Staff with a regular caring responsibility for a dependent may request that teaching does not take place at specified times to enable them to carry out the caring commitment. This must be agreed with the HoF/Programme Director during the data collection phase.
51. Registry gathers the following information from each HoF/Programme Director and their Course Leaders, which is available on the student information system:
    1. The start date of the course.
    2. The semester/term the course will run.
    3. The teaching staff who will deliver the course.
52. Timetabling gathers from Course Leaders/HoF/Programme Director the following information:
    1. The number of weeks for which the course will run.
    2. The number of teaching events per week.
    3. The format and duration of teaching events.
    5. Total number of lectures, tutorials, seminar, office hours, labs and revision sessions to be given over the duration of the course, as taken from the approved Course Descriptor.
    6. Tutorial pattern according to the assessment planner.
    7. Timetable pattern.
    8. Any preferences for timings and spaces of tutorials and lectures, for example for pedagogical reasons.
    9. Room preference.
53. Normally, faculty have a minimum of one full day per week clear of classes so they may focus on research and administration. For full-time faculty, the day is at the discretion of the University. Faculty are not permitted to select a preferred non-teaching day. Non-teaching days will normally be allocated randomly as part of the scheduling process, unless otherwise determined by the HoF/Programme Director for an individual member of faculty where there are legitimate reasons to allocate a specific day, e.g., relating to external research commitments which take place regularly on the same weekday.
54. Class sizes should not exceed the capacity of the room allocated.

Maintenance and Changes

55. Any changes requested after the deadline are subject to the timetable constraints.
56. When a student enrols for two courses with a timetable clash between whole group events, they are required to change one of the conflicting courses immediately. Extenuating circumstances will not be accepted where a student has failed to take the necessary action to ensure appropriate course choices are made.
57. Changes to the final timetable will only be made for the following reasons, and each case will be judged on its merits (in no particular order):
    1. Where a faculty member or student has been scheduled for more than four consecutive hours.
    2. A faculty clash
    3. A student clash
    4. The room is unsuitable for purpose (has a fault, or lacks essential teaching equipment, or is too large or too small for teaching group)
    5. Time slot or session is no longer required
    6. Short-term change of circumstance – e.g., changes in child-care or health issues
    7. Timetable change at another University (sessional/part time faculty only)
    8. Accessibility
    9. Faculty illness
    10. Student extenuating circumstances
58. Any requests to change the pattern of teaching after the timetable has been published must be accompanied by a valid reason as to why this could not have been specified during the data collection phase or by a valid reason that has occurred during the term.
59. No changes will be made for student absence, except when extenuating circumstances have been approved.
60. No changes will be made for non-submission (or late submission) of work, except when extenuating circumstances have been approved.
61. All timetable changes requested by email should be sent to Timetabling and Registry.
62. Any urgent or same day changes requested by email must be headed “Urgent” in the subject heading.
63. Any timetable changes for the same day or next day will be done on the same day the request is made.
64. Major timetable changes will be acknowledged and completed in a timely manner.
65. Any requests to change course or sections will be made to Academic Advisors, who will then liaise with Timetabling and communicate any updates to Registry, who will record this on the student information management system.
66. If timetable changes are made within 24 hours of a class, Timetabling will notify Faculty and the students explaining the reason for the change and the next course of action.

Professorial Lectures

67. All Professorial Lectures will be booked in CELCAT.
68. Public Lectures will be labeled as such in CELCAT.
69. All Professorial and Public Lectures which relate to a Core Course will be scheduled in the relevant students’ CELCATs with a register attached.

Attendance

70. Attendance registers are attached to all teaching events via CELCAT Attendance (which is part of the CELCAT software package, managed by the generation of registers), except those labeled as “Optional”, “Extracurricular” and “Drop-in”.
71. Faculty should contact Timetabling immediately if their course or class does not have a generated register.
72. For additional information regarding attendance and engagement requirements and tracking, please see the Undergraduate Student Attendance Policy and the Academic Engagement Policy.

Equipment

73. All lecture rooms are fitted with AV facilities.
74. Contact IT@nulondon.ac.uk for additional details regarding technology bookings.

Version History

Footnotes

¹ Essential research needs must to be approved by the Dean Of Faculties.