Preparing to teach
Course and unit offerings
Courses and units being offered in forthcoming academic periods must be finalised before timetables can be prepared. Faculties must finalise their course offerings in August.
Timetabling, rooms and tutorials
Class timetables are prepared by the Operational Systems. The timetable is prepared once a year for both semesters (October), however some changes are made after the initial publication date to better accommodate both students and teaching staff.
Deadlines for timetabling each year are prepared by the university and publicised by email. Rooms and teaching times are scheduled taking into account the availability of teaching staff and expected class sizes and teaching times take priority over other ad-hoc room bookings.
The Head of Department is responsible for allocating teaching loads consistent with university policy and you should liaise with them regarding specific timetable requirements for the units in which you teach.
The unit coordinator oversees the scheduling of lectures and tutorials for the unit and liaises with Faculty and Department timetabling staff to meet key timetabling deadlines.
Standard teaching hours are between 8.00 am and 10.00 pm Monday to Friday. Classes are normally timetabled for three teaching hours per week per unit. In addition, all academic staff are required to be available for consultation with students.
Class sizes are determined before the commencement of first semester, based on enrolment numbers. Students are required to enrol in tutorials through the Allocate + booking system. This in turn determines the allocation of rooms for lectures and supporting tutorials that will be scheduled for the unit.
Academic and general staff can use the university timetabling system (MUTTS) to access their teaching timetables. For access to MUTTS, you need your Authcate username and password.
Teaching support/facilities
Library
Library services for teaching staff include;
- Access to course materials through the reserves section
- Creation of web pages of reading lists
- Digitisation of course readings for web access
- Purchasing items
Recording lectures for students
The library offers teaching staff the opportunity to record their lectures so that students can listen to them online.
Lectures are recorded automatically on a weekly basis for the whole semester. All lecturers need to do is switch on and wear a portable radio lapel microphone at the scheduled start time of lectures and switch off at the end. These microphones can be found either on the lectern, or on a shelf in the equipment rack at the front of the theatre.
Teaching facilities support unit
The Teaching Facilities Support Unit (TFSU) supports the university's teaching and videoconference facilities. As well as setting up and maintaining the teaching rooms, they provide support and training on using the educational technology in lecture theatres. To report a problem with equipment in the teaching room, or to request assistance in setting up equipment, please contact TFSU on your campus.
Audio visual equipment
Lecture theatres and tutorial rooms are equipped with a variety of audio-visual and IT equipment. For assistance in operating the equipment, contact Teaching Facilities Support Unit who manage centrally administered teaching spaces.
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