Timetabling Policy and Code of Conduct

Read the Timetabling Policy and Code of Practice and a summary of some of the key revisions that have been made: 

• Read the Timetabling Policy >>
• Read the Timetabling Code of Practice >> 

Who does the policy apply to?

This policy and code of practice applies to all PS and academic colleagues involved in teaching and learning activity. It does not relate to examination timetabling. Unless explicitly excluded in the Timetabling Code of Practice, the Policy applies to everyone. We strongly encourage all T&L colleagues to read and familiarise themselves with the policy and code of practice.

Key takeaways: what you need to know

Short on time? We’ve summarised some of the key policy and code of practice revisions below…

• Timeslots allocated to classes or individuals in the previous year’s schedule will not be automatically rolled forward from one year to the next. This is so we can optimise the timetable and make it fairer for everyone.  
• Flexible Working Arrangements (see the Flexible Working Arrangements Policy) will be factored into the construction of the timetable as a “hard constraint” (an immovable requirement).
• The Teaching Availability Arrangement (TAA) process provides a mechanism for a member of staff to request not to be timetabled to teach at certain times. TAAs will be factored into construction of the timetable for the forthcoming academic year as a “soft constraint” (a preference, to be prioritised if possible) as outlined in the Timetabling Code of Practice.
• Vice Deans for Teaching, Learning and Students will have key responsibilities to minimise any avoidable changes to student timetables once published, and to oversee their faculty’s demands upon the timetable. Vice Deans will help support provision of accurate and up to date programme information, enabling competent delivery of a stable timetable.
• All faculties will follow a common timeline, specified by the University Scheduling Team, for producing the annual timetable. See scheduling timeline.
  
• Course Unit Leads will be responsible for providing accurate information to their School’s Programme and Curriculum Team or PGR Services colleagues about the structure and pedagogy of their course(s) by the published deadline.
• Faculty Scheduling teams will now schedule the timetable for Schools within their Faculty, in line with their requirements (“hard constraints”) and, where possible, preferences (“soft constraints”), communicated by the Programme and Curriculum Teams and PGR Services.