• Section 1 - Background and Purpose
• Section 2 - Scope
• Section 3 - Policy Statement
• Section 4 - Procedure
• Delegated Responsibilities for Teaching and Learning Space
• Timetable Dependent on Finalisation of Subject Offerings
• Communication Between Colleges
• Operational Hours for Teaching and Learning Activities
• Operational Hours for Non-Teaching and Learning (Ad-Hoc) Room Mookings
• Bookings Outside Core Day Session Hours
• Teaching ‘Hours’
• Availability of Teaching Staff
• Lunch Hour
• Equity Considerations
• Research Time
• Timetable Rollover
• Timetable Spill
• Stages of Timetable Development
• Valid Reasons for Changes to Final Timetable
• Key Dates for Inclusion of Courses and Subjects in Timetable
• Other Key Dates
• Software Scheduling Constraints
• Section 5 - Definitions
• Section 6 - Stakeholders

Section 1 - Background and Purpose

(1) This document outlines University policy on the timetabling and ad hoc booking of space for teaching and learning activities. The primary objectives in implementing a University-wide timetable are to produce a timetable that is equitable, effective and complete; takes into account the needs of both students and staff; and maximises the efficient use of space and resources.

Section 2 - Scope

(2) This Policy deals primarily with the booking of space which is allocated for the core University business of teaching. Application covers:

1. all campuses
2. all programs
3. all members of the University community

(3) The Policy may provide from time to time for the timetabling of meeting and/or training space for teaching and learning purposes in cases of emergency.

(4) The Policy does not cover: 

1. the University’s determination of what space will be used for what purposes;
2. class and/or tutorial allocations to individual students;
3. allocation of office or other facilities to postgraduate and higher degree students;
4. booking of University properties which are managed by Residential Services.

Section 3 - Policy Statement

(5) All space at La Trobe University is owned by the University and managed on its behalf by delegated areas.

1. Central non-specialist teaching and learning spaces are available equally to teaching areas on a shared access basis.
2. Non-specialist teaching and learning spaces managed by an academic organisational unit (as the principal user) will be booked to that unit as the first priority, and only then made available to the rest of the University community equally.
3. Specialist teaching and learning spaces managed by an academic organisational unit will be booked only to that unit. Access by others may be only by negotiation with, and permission of, the academic organisational unit responsible for the space.

(6) The University timetable is constructed for students. Timetabling and room bookings will be coordinated to achieve optimal utilisation of all teaching and learning spaces to enhance the student learning experience. The timetable will always be constructed such that a seat will be available for every enrolled student in the timetabled offering. The timetable must enable students enrolled in an award program to:

1. attend all core subjects in the order prescribed by the course structure;
2. take combinations of core subjects and subjects that contribute to majors or specialisations or the equivalent, also in the order prescribed by the course structure; 
3. have access to a reasonable selection of the available electives; and
4. complete a standard program structure in minimum time.

(7) Timetabling processes will be based on the intersection of three main elements:

1. academic staff availabilities;
2. subject offerings; and
3. availability of teaching and learning space.

(8) The Provisional Timetable for any given year must be published by 1 October of the preceding year and the Final Timetable published on the first University working day after 1 January. When changes to the timetable are considered, the interests of students and the accessibility of core subjects will be primary determinants.

(9) Teaching sessions will be timetabled on the basis of priorities and constraints set out in the Timetabling of Teaching and Learning Space Procedures. Where necessary, manual adjustments may be made to the timetable according to criteria and processes set out in the Procedures. 

(10) Only subject offerings that have been accredited by the official University processes determined by the Academic Board from time to time and that are deemed to be offered in the forthcoming academic year will be timetabled for that period.
Classes may be scheduled at any time during core teaching hours as defined in this Procedure. 

(11) The University’s core business requirements for teaching and learning spaces take precedence over other uses. Teaching and learning spaces that are not required for University teaching and learning activities may be booked for other purposes according to the criteria and processes set out in the Timetabling of Teaching and Learning Space Procedures. These purposes must be compatible with the University’s mission and goals, and the individuals, groups or organisations booking the space must comply with all relevant University policies and procedures. No adjustment to the academic timetable will be made to accommodate non-teaching and learning activities, except in exceptional circumstances.

Section 4 - Procedure

(12) These Procedures define the process for the development, implementation and ongoing management of student timetables through the optimal and equitable booking of teaching and learning spaces for delivery of the University’s award programs and associated teaching and learning activities.

(13) These Procedures apply to the production and ongoing maintenance of University timetables of all teaching activities at all campuses of La Trobe University; to students enrolled; and to staff who are teaching those activities.

Delegated Responsibilities for Teaching and Learning Space

(14) The University has delegated responsibilities for teaching and learning space as follows:

(15) All teaching and learning activities requiring the use of teaching space are to be timetabled through the University’s central timetabling system.

Timetable Dependent on Finalisation of Subject Offerings

(16) Colleges must indicate in the Subject Database, at the time determined in the timetabling schedule, all of the subject availabilities for the following academic year in order for the subjects to be timetabled. They must also indicate the specific class requirements for a student (e.g. one 2-hour lecture, one 1-hour tutorial).

Communication Between Colleges

(17) Colleges must communicate with each other as required in relation to the timetabling of subjects offered in double degrees which are taught by more than one College. This communication will normally occur between the relevant College Timetable Coordinators.

Operational Hours for Teaching and Learning Activities

(18) The University’s core operating hours for timetabling purposes are:

1. Monday through Friday from 8.00 am to 6.00 pm (Day Session)
2. Monday through Friday from 6.00 pm to 10.00 pm (Night Session)

(19) Teaching and learning activities will be scheduled first during the Day Session and then during the Night Session, except where a time slot during the Night Session is specifically requested. Teaching and learning activities may, on request, also be scheduled for weekend periods, i.e. block mode teaching. Core operation hours on weekends are:

1. Saturday and Sunday from 8.00 am to 6.00 pm (Day Session); and
2. Saturday and Sunday from 6.00 pm to 10.00 pm (Night Session).

(20) University teaching and learning activities will not be scheduled during declared University Closedown periods (e.g. over the Christmas period). 

Operational Hours for Non-Teaching and Learning (Ad-Hoc) Room Mookings

(21) The University has established the allowable hours for non-teaching and learning (ad hoc) room bookings as Monday through Sunday from 7.00 am to 12.00 midnight, 52 weeks per year except for designated University Shutdown periods. Individual campuses may choose not to remain open for the full range of hours permitted.

Bookings Outside Core Day Session Hours

(22) Bookings outside the core Monday through Friday Day Session hours will, as far as possible, be rooms in buildings that offer the best security and the lowest power consumption and maintenance costs, as identified by Infrastructure and Operations. 

Teaching ‘Hours’

(23) All teaching activities will preferably be scheduled in full hour units and timetabled to commence on the hour. Classes are to start promptly at the scheduled time and to finish at least ten minutes before the end of the booked period. The class that follows should use the ten minutes as set-up time.

Availability of Teaching Staff

(24) Full-time academic staff who have teaching responsibilities will be available for teaching during core teaching time. The allocation of teaching duties will be managed by College Pro Vice-Chancellors in accordance with La Trobe University’s Enterprise Collective Agreement and workload management policies and procedures.

Lunch Hour

(25) When timetabling, all efforts will be made to schedule classes so that staff and students have a one-hour lunch break between the hours of 11.00 am and 2.00 pm. Notwithstanding this, optimal utilisation of all teaching and learning spaces is the objective across all hours.

Equity Considerations

(26) Consistent with University policies on equal opportunity and diversity and various anti-discrimination laws, the University’s timetabling processes aim to make reasonable accommodation for staff and students with family responsibilities, religious obligations or disabilities.

1. Students and staff seeking such accommodations should provide information and requests before the timetable is developed. Staff require prior approval from their Head of School or manager before submitting such requests.
2. Requests from students related to disabilities are made to the Disability Liaison Officer; requests from staff, to the relevant course coordinator.
3. Requests from staff and students related to religious obligations are made to the Manager, Equality and Diversity Centre.
4. Requests from staff and students related to family responsibilities are made to the relevant course coordinator.

Research Time

(27) As far as possible, provision will be made for College-approved blocks of time for research activity. However, such provision should not unduly constrain the timetable.

Timetable Rollover

(28) Except in years of a spill (see section 14 below), the timetable will be created by rolling over the timetable of the preceding year and modifying it as required to match the new academic year. The Timetable Unit has the authority to develop, publish and maintain rolled timetables; they do not require approval by the University’s academic governance bodies.

Timetable Spill

(29) It will sometimes be necessary for the timetable to be spilled in its entirety (i.e. fully recreated). A spill of the timetable will normally take place every three to five years to: 

1. ensure that teaching activities are not arbitrarily scheduled at the same time every semester/year
2. realign the University’s teaching programs
3. provide an equitable and efficient use of physical resources
4. take advantage of developments in teaching and learning technology.

(30) Spills will be undertaken on the basis of recommendations from the Education Committee as endorsed by the Academic Board.

Stages of Timetable Development

(31) There are three distinct stages of timetable development:

1. A Draft Timetable is released directly to Faculties and Schools at the end of August each year. It is not posted to the web for public access. The function of the Draft Timetable is to allow comment, feedback, system and manual adjustments, inclusion of recently approved subjects and information not known at the time of the initial submission (e.g. staff, program or other constraints).
2. A Provisional Timetable is released to the web in October each year to coincide with the re-enrolment period. This is for student use. Changes to this published timetable should be minimal. 
3. The Final Timetable is released to the web on the first working day after 1 January of the new academic year. Changes will be made only in exceptional circumstances, on the provision of a request and justification by the College Pro Vice-Chancellor(or delegate)of the College concerned. 

Valid Reasons for Changes to Final Timetable

(32) Valid reasons for changes to the Final Timetable include only:

1. unexpected staff turnover
2. unavailability of equipment
3. changes to estimated class size
4. identification of a hazard in the booked room
5. reasonable adjustments to accommodate students with special needs
6. other issues approved by the Timetable Unit.

Key Dates for Inclusion of Courses and Subjects in Timetable

(33) Subjects will be timetabled only after they have cleared certain stages of the formal course or subject approval processes.
Approval Stage 1
For inclusion in the Draft Timetable, the following conditions must be met by 1 May:

1. A subject must have a status in the Subject Database as ‘School approved’ or higher.
2. For a course, the course concept must have been approved by the Course and Load Planning Sub-committee (CALPS) and the Programs Committee. 

(34) Approval Stage 2
For inclusion in the Provisional Timetable, the following conditions must be met by 31 July:

1. A subject must have a status in the Subject Database of ‘Faculty approved’ and must have been published.
2. For a course, the course proposal must have been approved by the Academic Board.

(35) Subjects and courses with Stage 1 approval which have not received Stage 2 approval by 31 July will not go forward to the Provisional Timetable.

(36) Where subjects and courses are approved later than 31 July, the central Timetable Unit will make every effort to add them to the timetable; however, the existing timetable will not be revised.

Other Key Dates

(37) Timetable information for non-standard teaching periods will be collected at the same time as timetable information for the University’s standard teaching periods. Timetabling of classes to be taught during standard teaching periods will be given priority over timetabling of classes in non-standard teaching periods. The timetable for standard teaching period subjects must be taken into account when finalising the scheduling of subjects in non-standard teaching periods in order to avoid clashes for students. 

Software Scheduling Constraints

(38) While the University attempts to accommodate student choices, the timetable may not allow for every student to attend their preferred combination of units. The Timetable Unit prioritises timetable scheduling based upon a number of criteria:

1. In terms of a class timetable, constraints will be placed upon activities to ensure an optimum and equitable timetable. These constraints may be hard constraints (i.e. ‘always adhere to’) or soft constraints (i.e. ‘will adhere to at varying degrees of importance’) and are often preset by staff of the Timetable Unit.
2. Various ‘Constraint Profiles’ will also be attached to staff and students to allow scheduling restrictions based on staff work span in a single day, allowance for a lunch period, campus-to-campus travel allowance, research activity periods, maximum class hours before a break and so forth.
3. Computer laboratories and other specialist space used by students for informal learning, assignment work, exam preparation, etc. will have blocks of unscheduled times amounting to approximately 30 per cent of the core teaching time.
4. Scheduling priority will be afforded to activities according to how highly constrained they are. These are the applicable constraints:
   1. recognition of core subject programs through ‘student pathway’ data (student subject combinations)
   2. teaching program constraints (e.g. off-campus days)
   3. number of teaching hours required by a program at a year level
   4. student elective choices
   5. staff availability
   6. room availability
   7. class size
   8. need for specific room furniture and equipment
   9. need for specific audio-visual equipment
   10. need for videoconferencing facilities
   11. need for disabled access
   12. need to sequence specific activities
   13. requirements of cross-Faculty offerings such as double degree programs.
        

Section 5 - Definitions

(39) For the purpose of this Policy and Procedure:

1. Academic Organisational Unit: a part of the University such a faculty, school, department or academic division that has delegated authority over specific teaching and learning spaces.
2. Central Teaching and Learning Space: space that the University designates as space available to the University community as shared space for teaching and learning purposes.
3. Draft Timetable: the first version of the annual class timetable, released directly to Faculties and Schools at the end of August each year. It is not posted to the web for public access. The function of the Draft Timetable is to allow comment, feedback, system and manual adjustments, inclusion of recently approved subjects and information not known at the time of the initial submission (staff, program, constraints).
4. Exceptional Circumstances: for example, in the case of a directive by the Vice-Chancellor, a Deputy Vice-Chancellor or their delegate. Other circumstances deemed exceptional will be determined on a case-by-case basis and precedents built up over time.
5. Provisional Timetable: the second version of the annual class timetable, released to the web in October each year to enable students to be informed about their class timetable when selecting the units in which to enrol. Changes to this published timetable should be minimal.
6. Final Timetable: the last version of the annual class timetable, released to the web on the first working day after 1 January of the new academic year. Changes will be made only in exceptional circumstances, on the provision of a request and justification by the College Pro Vice-Chancellor (or delegate) of the College concerned.
7. Specialist Teaching and Learning Space: space designed for specific teaching and learning purposes, e.g. scientific labs, computer labs, clinical and professional training labs such as nursing labs and moot courts, editing suites, observation facilities.

Section 6 - Stakeholders