 |
 |
At Southampton Institute, we are trying to reconcile the benefits of giving reasonable advance notice to students of their Sept/Oct timetables via a Unit Catalogue, with the pitfalls of having provided incorrect information once student numbers, staffing and course details change closer to the date. Please can you help with this survey of current practices. One word answers are fine (Q4 may be obvious); I'll send out the survey results by Fri 30 April. 1. Do you produce a catalogue (either electronically on the Net or on paper) which gives advance notice of timetabled times of units/modules? 2. If yes, in which month is it issued (ready for Sept term)? 3. In which month do continuing students receive realistic timetables (for Sept)? 4. In which month do Level One students receive realistic timetables (for Sept)? For this year, 1999-2000, we have in theory carried out a roll-over of existing timetables, but it is arguable that in practice the students will not get reliable timetables until Sept. For 2000-01, there is a proposal to issue a Unit Catalogue in Feb 2000, complete with times of 'key teaching' (lectures, labs etc), and based on a limited amount of block/slot timetabling. The same reservations may still be expressed about accuracy of information. If you would like further details, or to chat about any of this, I'll be pleased to hear from you. Mike Foster Timetabling Officer, Southampton Institute tel: 01703 319974 e-mail: [log in to unmask] %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%