1 / 0

ARC Timetabling Practitioners’ Group University of Westminster 14 February 2014

ARC Timetabling Practitioners’ Group University of Westminster 14 February 2014. University of Westminster – a bit about us Why we commissioned the Timetabling Project Stages – what we have done so far Lessons learned?. History . The first polytechnic in the UK (1838 ) – 175 anniversary

niran
Download Presentation

ARC Timetabling Practitioners’ Group University of Westminster 14 February 2014

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. ARC Timetabling Practitioners’ GroupUniversity of Westminster14 February 2014
  2. University of Westminster – a bit about us Why we commissioned the Timetabling Project Stages – what we have done so far Lessons learned?
  3. History The first polytechnic in the UK (1838) – 175 anniversary Became the University of Westminster in 1992 Patron: Queen Elizabeth II The venue for the first public moving picture show in the UK (1896) Organised the first marathon race (at the London Olympics) Offered the first degree courses in Photographic Science, Photography, and Media Studies (1960s and 1970s)
  4. A large institution with a broad portfolio 4 London sites and 5 faculties (2013/14) 23,000 students and 2,500 staff > 4000 international students 150 nationalities represented 300 Bachelor, Master and PhD degree programmes Extensive Study Abroad and Exchange offerings London International Summer School EFL, professional training and short courses
  5. Background to the Timetabling Project (what are we trying to address….?) Poor student experience – disjointed schedule Student dissatisfaction (NSS) Staff dissatisfaction – disjointed schedule/ease of process Current system limitations – ‘room booking only’ Poor use of real estate (space utilisation poor) Failure to seize commercial opportunities Estates Strategy initiated in 2008, with Business Case signed off in Feb 2009; now a separate project (since Oct 2012)
  6. Objectives Support “smarter learning” Improved student and staff experience Enable / facilitate new delivery / teaching More effective timetabling More efficient space utilisation Provision of better management information
  7. Coverage –what we intend that the system will facilitate Room allocation / timing of each course element Academic / tutor assignment (if required) Technical / support staff assignment (if required) Student assignment to lectures, seminars etc. Examination / assessment scheduling Deployment of mobile AV; IT etc. equipment Information for support staff (e.g. security, catering, reception staff) ………but, staged deployment
  8. Governance Project Board (senior representatives; UWSU) Steering Group >>>> User Group Implementation Group (technical implementation) Executive (to help move things along…) Space Management & Timetabling Policy – approved by Academic Council, April 2013 Governs use of space and constraints Subject to annual review
  9. Policy – Key Features Space belongs to the University Space allocation based on need Space assigned on best fit and required facilities Space defined as “specialist” and “non-specialist” Establishes scheduling priorities (which are flexible, according to time of year/university objectives) Defines scheduling constraints (also flexible) States that it does NOT dictate ‘what’ is taught, ‘when’, or ‘how’ (important message for academic colleagues)
  10. Timeline
  11. Current Status Technical implementation – testing s/ware + portal Data for 2014/15 being ‘cleansed’ Iterative process to generate draft timetable by 10 March (prior to module choices); 18 August (final) Some slippage, but also ‘quick win’ in early deployment of room booking via web Ongoing change management activity (surveys; workshops; focussed meetings) Risk register surfacing ‘other’ aspects of university activity which needs consideration (out of scope of project, but future impact); need to avoid creep…
  12. Lessons learned? Have a good Project Manager in place before you start (we have been very lucky) Senior academic ‘champion’ – and others as time moves on Deploy dedicated business/technical resource early Do plenty of horizon scanning before procurement– involving the people directly impacted by the project Understand the business and what needs to be ‘sorted’ in terms of policies/procedures/organisation before looking at s/ware tools (Gather) and clean data before s/ware implementation Don’t underestimate the need for cultural change – but don’t always assume it’s ‘the usual suspects’ who need it (most) Walk before you can run (auto-scheduling from ‘the off’ may be too much to ask….)
  13. Thank you for listening….…………enjoy your day at Westminster! Competition: Collective noun for timetablers…. Kathryn Whittingham Academic Registrar K.whittingham@westminster.ac.uk
More Related