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This project aims transform the timetabling experience for students and staff and ensure that all teaching is undertaken in a space that is good quality and fit for purpose.
- What happened in Phase 1
Phase 1 of the project ran in mid-2018. This phase focussed on documenting the current timetabling lifecycle including the processes, the roles involved and ways of working.
By mapping out the timetabling lifecycle we now have a better understanding of the critical paths and key dependencies (for example Academic Review) that impact on a successful delivery of a roomed timetable and on our ability to improve staff and student satisfaction.
We also ran a ProcessFix workshop to consider how the timetabling process could be further refined. This resulted in some changes to, and positive feedback regarding, the process ahead of 2019/20.
- The plan for Phase 2
The Project Board has been reconvened under the co-sponsorship of two members of SMT – Professor Ivan Parkin (Dean, Faculty of Mathematical and Physical Sciences) and Professor Becky Francis (Director, Institute of Education).
This phase will build upon the work completed in Phase 1 to investigate how we could:
- Introduce a new policy framework to cover our timetabling priorities, staff availability to teach, accessibility and inclusion and how to resolve conflicts
- Agree roles, responsibilities and accountabilities of those identified within the timetabling lifecycle
- Deliver process improvements to provide an optimised timetable for students and staff
- Define a Teaching Spaces Strategy and Standard to inform our future investment and space ownership
- Develop a deeper understanding of the timetabling lifecycle including the critical paths and interdependencies
- Further improve our MI and reporting systems
In addition to considering how we can deliver operational improvements, Estate Management Committee (EMC) recently approved £2m from the Interim Capital Fund to supplement a £0.5m planned spend on upgrading our existing teaching estate this year.
With this funding, UCL Estates will deliver light touch improvements across some of our existing teaching estate, focusing on painting, re-carpeting, new furniture and room facilities.