Timetabling for 2006

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• Timetabling for 2006
• Consultative Forum
• 02 February 2005

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1. Objectives

• To outline plans for producing a comprehensive
  2006 academic timetable for the Kensington campus
• To set the proposed changes in the context of an
  expanded set of functions in myUNSW for Staff
• To obtain support from faculties and schools on
  those aspects of the proposal that are beneficial
  to them (or largely neutral)
• To identify issues and concerns that may affect
  each facultys ability to participate fully in
  the revised timetabling business process
• To constitute a timetabling reference group
• To reach consensus on the best way forward.

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2. The problem

• Whats wrong with the timetable?
• Low effective utilisation of physical resources
  and time
• Poor choices for students, especially in combined
  programs
• No coordinated strategy for updating the academic
  timetable
• Some parts of the timetable are locked into a
  1970s time warp
• No way of investigating feasibility of new
  programs or effect of changes in teaching space
  availability
• UNSW uniquely uses no scheduling tools

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Room utilisation 9am-6pm
of time room is booked
of seats occupied when in use
Source CATS bookings, S1 2003
Target utilisation (frequency x occupancy) 75
Large 180-500 seats (excl. Clancy, NSG, Ritchie,
Sci 16 theatres) Medium 100-168 seats (22
theatres)
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3. Options

• 1. Do nothing. Probable consequences
• Increased demands on physical space more
  buildings required
• More difficulty in introducing courses and new or
  modified programs
• 2. Construct complete timetable for selected
  faculties
• Blacked out bookings entrench inequities and
  inefficiencies
• Little gain (except in experience) unless fairly
  extensive
• 3. Construct complete timetable for all feasible
  faculties
• New timetable can be based on established need
  rather than historical accident
• Significant challenges to capture all relevant
  parameters, especially course compatibility
  requirements based on program rules

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4. Proposed approach

• Brief History
• 1990s issue raised repeatedly at Academic Board,
  no resolution
• Since 2003 analysis of time and room
  utilisation, faculty consultation (funded by
  Facilities Dept)
• Oct 2004 Academic Services Committee recommends
  approval of project, later endorsed by Academic
  Board
• Dec 2004 Funding provided by DVC Resources.
  Sponsored by DVC (Academic)
• Principles
• Improve utilisation, goal is accepted standard of
  75 (frequency x occupancy) compared to current
  50
• Increase available course combinations for
  students
• Smooth chronological peaks
• Level the playing field for recently introduced
  courses
• Accommodate preferences where possible

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Proposed approach new business process

• Class scheduling requirements are captured in NSS
• Based on schedule from previous year
• New fields created on class schedule for
  timetabling parameters such as expected
  enrolment, room requirements, eLearning needs etc
• Some optional fields become mandatory to improve
  data integrity and quality
• Provisional schedule generated using external
  engine (Syllabus-Plus Course Planner)
• Schedule imported to NSS, bookings to CATS
• Casual bookings and low-enrolment course needs
  forwarded to CATS
• Most interaction occurs via myUNSW for Staff

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5. Scope

• Whats included and whats not?
• Courses all on-campus above minimum threshold
  enrolment
• All regular large- and small-group teaching
  activities included
• Small Honours seminar courses and similar
  offerings remain school responsibility
• Sessions 2006 S1 and S2. X1 and X2 from 2007.
• Faculties all Kensington except undergraduate
  Medicine (at least initially). ADFA, CFA,
  Singapore 2007.
• Staff scheduling not yet (implemented after 2006
  with faculty agreement)
• Staff availability constraints may still be
  incorporated
• Students allocation of students to classes is
  not in scope existing on-line enrolment
  procedures apply

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6. Integration

• Timetabling is just one aspect of maintaining
  rules governing what students must or may enrol
  in to complete their program
• Staff should be able to see and manage all
  aspects of
• Calendars
• Offerings and enrolment constraints (course
  catalogue)
• Program rules (handbook, or a more structured
  system)
• Class timetable requirements and room needs
• Class activities in-person, eLearning, distance,
  exams
• Class operational schedule response to changes
  in demand
• Roles for teachers, administrators and
  supervisors including Vista roles
• Maintain teachers (according to to school/faculty
  procedures)
• Accessed and updated via myUNSW for Staff
• Eventually supports on-line self-service advising
  processes

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Systems today and tomorrow
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7. Some issues technical

• UNSW has little expertise in the use of
  scheduling software
• The volume, complexity and volatility of existing
  program rules may make a feasible greenfield
  timetable elusive
• Stage 1 rules are captured in potentially usable
  form (Sitar), but many rules are expressed as
  overall requirements (courses listed independent
  of stage)
• Not all classes are fully described on NSS
• Activities missing components misnamed
• Course linkages not always explicitly recorded
• NSS and CATS are only partly synchronised

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Class Schedule growth
Active available (possibly stopped), enrolment
not zero Empty available, no enrolments Inactive
cancelled or tentative
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Class Schedule profile
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Empty classes where and why?
Classes 1642 Open 542 (33) Consent 738
(45) Other 362 (22)
Goal improve accuracy of class schedule so it
reflects genuinely available and running courses
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Timetabling CATS/NSS correlation
Source CATS bookings, S1 2004
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8. Some issues policy

• CATS-2 system exacerbates scheduling problems and
  low utilisation figures (yet some reserve school
  space is justified)
• Need for wider range of learning space, yet no
  drop in demand for conventional rooms
• Reluctance of some faculties to record
  small-group classes on NSS
• Reluctance of some faculties to pre-schedule
  small group classes at all
• Possible reluctance to accept wider range of
  teaching hours
• Conflicting needs and wishes

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9. Some issues operational

• Demand is notoriously difficult to predict how
  easy will it be to schedule a new class quickly
  or cancel an non-viable one (with automatic
  advice to the students affected too)?
• Room requirements can change after enrolment
  (low/high demand disabled facilities required)
• Staff may not be available to teach at the
  scheduled time

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2006 Timetable (one-off conversion)
Provisional timetable
Rapid prototyping/ conversion module
CATS
Syll
NSS
UEF
Room bookings
Program rules database
External sources (CATS-2005, TAS)
Faculty reviewers
Existing modules
Sitar
Enrolment History
Online handbook
Planned modules
Interim data sources
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Timetabling and academic advising from 2007
onwards
Provisional timetable
Timetable parameters
Room bookings
NSS
CATS
Syll
Results
Program rules database
Academic advising engine
Updates casual bookings
Main data flow
Handbook
Program audit
myUNSW portal
Students
Staff
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10. Timeline

• Feb May
• Establish parameters and approved principles
• Capture clash-free requirements from program
  rules
• Investigate scheduling patterns available with
  Syllabus-Plus
• May July
• Produce of prototype timetables based on 2005
  data
• Review by faculties, refinement of models
• Implement changes to class schedule panels,
  possibly via myUNSW
• Implement interfaces between NSS and S
• Aug Sept
• Conduct info sessions for school staff
• Roll class schedule forward, update timetabling
  parameters
• Convert data from external sources (mainly CATS,
  one-off)
• Oct Nov
• Produce provisional 2006 schedule
• Review, amend as required and publish.

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11. Conclusion

• What do we agree on?
• What can we not yet resolve?
• Next steps