Timetabling

What are the changes in responsibilities for School Timetabling Teams? 

Nominated School Timetabling Representatives from each School will act as points of contact for the Timetabling process during the Edit & Prep  stage (Feb 19 to Apr 26). In the initial part of the pre-rooming process, they will contact the course convenors for the courses run by their respective School and ask for any changes to how the courses/classes are timetabled or delivered. The Representatives will participate in weekly calls with SMTT and Transformation Team, communicating the changes coming through for their School. Where needed, they will consult on resolutions for known clashes, alongside representatives from other Schools, and on high impact changes. Additionally, the same representatives will help improve standards of data quality within CMIS events, and help the project understand how course requirements are gathered locally. 

Representatives will liaise with those School Timetablers who are not part of the weekly calls to communicate the upcoming process at the beginning of the Edit & Prep period. During the Edit & Prep period they will continue to inform School Timetablers of the changes to be entered into CMIS after discussions in the weekly calls and in accordance with the agreed outcome. 

The following is a high-level timeline of activities for the Nominated School Representatives during the Edit & Prep period. 

Are there any changes in responsibilities for Teaching staff? 

No, although every effort should be made to engage with the ‘right first time’ approach, which means putting forward all known changes to the timetable during the edit & prep period to give us the best chance of rooming. Only essential changes will be considered during the change request period. 

What are changes for information / consultation? 

The following changes are in the category ‘for information’: 

• Course no longer running 

Courses no longer running that are to be removed from the timetable. Please remember to also tick courses no longer running from Course Requirements. If the course is being replaced by another, the new course is to be submitted in the ‘New course or event’ category. 

• Locally owned rooming (no change to time) 

Events roomed within local space which don’t require a change in date or time. If a change of date/time is required please submit this within the ‘Day & time category’, specifying that a central room is not required. 

• Room equipment & features change 

Events that require a room with a change of equipment or features required. Examples of features include: tables and chairs to support group working, audio or video recording. 

• Accessibility requests (staff & student) 

Events that need to be roomed to accommodate accessibility requests. Please note that requirements for continuing students will be captured through engagement with Disability Services/Disability coordinators, and School Timetabling teams will be notified of the timetabled events to be flagged for accessibility needs. Therefore, we would only need to be notified of any additional known accessibility needs during the weekly meetings, including for staff. 

The following changes are in the category ‘for consultation’: 

• Change to mode of delivery 

Courses or events with changes to mode of delivery can include e.g. changes in the duration of any event pertaining to the event/s, changes to the pedagogical order of events, request to teach x courses/subgroups together, changes to the number of seminars, tutorials etc. 

• Change in size 

Courses or events with changes in size based on predicted intake student numbers or other factors. The changes in size that may require consultation include larger size courses (>150) and courses/events where a change in size is likely to require a change in the room size band required (e.g. previously in room size 30 to 39, anticipated room size 40 to 49). 

• New course or event (additions to the timetable) 

New courses approved in PIP for the upcoming academic year, as well as existing courses (note that for new courses the course code and structure must be built in CMIS by 26th April in order to be included in the room allocation process) or events that will require central space instead of local or external. This category also includes alternate year courses that are being taught in the upcoming year. 

• Day & time (incl. semester changes) 

Courses/events with requests to change from the day/time being taught this year, including semester changes e.g.  move from Semester 1 to Semester 2 

We will have some large cohorts that we will have to accommodate, will this still come under ‘consult’ rather than ‘inform’? 

Yes, changes in size are in the ‘consult’ category, even in those cases where we know we need to accommodate the student growth. The consultation is intended to identify any cases where we may need to consider adjustments to increase the likelihood of getting a room. 

As we gather data, when making changes should we log locally and then report under the headings of inform/consult? 

Yes, locally capture the changes coming from engagement with Course Convenors/ Programme Leads, and then share these through the Nominated School Contacts in the weekly meetings under the headings of inform/consult. We are working with each school’s established method of gathering data on the course requirements for AY24/25. We recommend sharing the changes as they become available to you, to avoid a build-up of changes towards the end of the Edit & Prep period. 

What is the process for creating new courses in CMIS? 

New courses expected to be approved through PIP by the end of the Edit & Prep period should be highlighted as changes for consultation during the weekly engagement calls between Schools and SMTT. After discussion during the call, School Timetablers should build the course structure and events into CMIS. 

New courses approved through PIP after the end of the Edit and Prep phase will need to be raised as a change request after the rooming period, however we cannot guarantee a rooming solution. 

How are we managing growth in session AY 24/25? What will be the strategy if recruitment in all areas exceeds the number of students that has been planned for the timetable? 

When predicting the number of students for AY24/25, you should look at the actual enrolment numbers that rolled over, work with your recruitment team and use the local insight to put forward the most accurate estimate for student numbers. We urge all School teams to use forecasts that they can be confident in, and not use the maximum possible student number as the default. 

Insight from PIA on intake forecasts will also be gathered to inform planning. 

We will also give visibility on the level of change and growth to Deans of L&T and wider teams and consult with them where we feel that there is a risk to being able to accommodate the predicted numbers in the Timetable. 

What is the biggest group size for session 24/25?​ 

There is no change from the previous year in this respect. The biggest teaching group we expect to see on the timetable is 300, unless you are part of the early adopters or you worked with SMTT to be accommodated elsewhere.  

Our estimated student numbers range from 12-18 per class which puts them in different size rooms. What do we request for room size? 

At the beginning of Edit & Prep the actual enrolled numbers from AY23/24 are  updated in CMIS. Each School is asked to work with the recruitment teams to understand their predictions, as well as using insight for your particular School. If you do cross a room bound, e.g. from 12 to 18, this increase in size would be one that would fall in the consult category for the weekly meetings. Consultation would include information from the heatmap will about room availability for the room category of interest and day/time combinations. 

What happens if during enrolment the predicted class size is exceeded and the room is no longer suitable? 

As in previous years, such cases will need to be resolved by raising a change request during the change request period. 

What is the ask of School Timetabling Teams regarding updating course sizes in CMIS? 

Course sizes when CMIS opens in Feb ’24 reflect current student enrolment numbers (AY23/24). Schools are asked to update these numbers based on their forecast, informed by College RCMOs. Changes in size need to be discussed in weekly meetings with the School Nominated Contacts before updates being made in CMIS. 

Work is ongoing with Planning, Insights & Analytics (PIA) to make centrally-produced forecast numbers available from next year. 

Are there any limitations on what size of events and courses are allocated to central spaces? 

Yes, only events and classes of size greater than or equal to 8 will be allocated to central spaces. Events of size 7 or less will need to be roomed locally. In most cases, any classes sized 300+ will need to be split into (at least) two groups. 

How do we update ‘Alternate Years’ courses?  

An ‘Alternate Years’ course is a course planned to run in AY24/25 which alternates with a course running in AY23/24 and is a direct swap without a change in teaching pattern (i.e., same day/time and structure).  

For ‘Alternate Years’ courses, School Timetablers would update the events in CMIS, and also make sure to tick the Course Requirements box to confirm which courses are running this year. 

How do I ensure that the room meets the accessibility needs of staff and students? 

Accessibility requirements for continuing students will be captured through engagement with Disability Services and Disability Coordinators/Advisors, and School Timetabling teams will be notified of the timetabled events to be flagged for accessibility needs. Therefore, we would only need to be notified of any additional known accessibility needs during the weekly meetings, including for staff. 

Once rooms are allocated, we encourage Schools to check the allocation for any events which have an accessibility requirement in order to ensure the specific needs of the individual can be met in that location. 

Will the 80% utilisation be reviewed in session 24/25? 

The 80% utilisation rule will remain in place for AY24/25. This gives us the flexibility to respond to growth that may be unknown at the time or rooming or emergencies that require us to move events across campus. 

Why can I not have a bigger room if it is available? 

We are rooming within 80% utilisation to have the flexibility to respond to unknowns, as explained above. 

Is there not an argument for getting a bigger room if it means no double teaching? 

If a course currently has an element of double-teaching (e.g. two lecture groups) and the School wishes to change this, this would constitute a change to the mode of delivery and therefore needs to be consulted on. During that consultation consideration will be given to the availability of space at the required size and the implications for student choice/course combinations of reducing the number of lecture groups. 

Is it possible to have the same room for the whole semester? 

We are already prioritising consistency of room allocation where possible, however we cannot guarantee the same room will be allocated throughout the whole semester as demand for and availability of rooms of a specific size will vary throughout the term. 

Is it possible to book less standard teaching, e.g. 3 h blocks? 

This is something to consider on a case-by-case basis. If there is a pedagogical need for longer teaching slots, raise the request as early as possible so we can consider it during the consultations. 

Sometimes I see rooms that are booked, but empty. What can be done about that? 

We are working closely with Estates, Planning team and a wider set of people on tools to help us monitor when a room is not being used. The responsibility also falls on teaching staff and school teams to inform SMTT if an event is cancelled to free up that room for another group. 

We have a mix between lectures and workshops but have been always allocated lecture only spaces which is difficult for workshops. How do we ensure we are allocated rooms for workshops too? 

Please make sure that you use the specific tags for equipment and features to ensure the space is suitable for the type of event. 

How can we ensure that travel time between lectures is considered for students and staff? 

The critical requirement for being able to consider travel time for our teaching staff is having the lecturer named on the events in CMIS. Travel time is also an important consideration for students and teaching staff with accessibility requirements, which is why accessibility flags need to be updated on CMIS during the Edit & Prep period. 

Do we have rooms on the estate that allow students to join remotely (with camera and microphone)? 

No, it is not something that is supported as standard across the institution. 

Can we book specific Labs that have specific equipment for Media? 

Most labs are locally managed with equipment and configurations designed to support the discipline being taught there. In the first instance you should consult with your School / the lab ‘owner’ with regards to the equipment required and allocation of these spaces. 

Will CMIS training be available? 

Yes, invites for CMIS training will be sent to all CMIS users for dates in March-April 2024. 

Can you share a screenshot of CMIS room request screen, so I know what to ask my department what details to include in their room requests. 

CMIS training will be provided to all CMIS users during March-April, which will include sessions on course structure, event management, equipment and features and lecturers. 

I’d be quite keen to know how the QlikSense app would show potential clashes?  It would be great to have further demos 

Nominated School Contacts will receive access to the QlikSense app for clashes, alongside guidance for utilising it. Since this is the first time we are using the app, we will review the results using this group initially, and consider its longer-term and/or wider use. 

Due to immigration compliance, international students are not permitted to take online classes. could they be added to the consult list? 

Yes, since international students cannot be taught online, impacted events that need to be moved from online to campus would be new events for rooming purposes, and would need to be highlighted for consultation. 

Can we submit non-teaching events for our teaching rooms from mid-Feb to April? 

No, requests for non-teaching events for central space cannot be submitted in this period. Online booking for non-teaching requests in teaching spaces opens in August. This does not include orientation week, which can include events tagged as non-teaching, and should be added during the Edit & Prep period to be roomed as early as possible. 

Regarding local space, if you support teaching and non-teaching events, good practice is that teaching comes first in teaching spaces. 

I can’t find the information that I’m looking for. How do I get an answer to my question? 

Please send any additional questions you may have to timetablingproject@glasgow.ac.uk