The Timetabling Process
At Edinburgh Napier University, we produce and publish personalised timetables by trimester, with the process for Trimesters 2 and 3 running simultaneously.
Each Academic Year, all Module and Programme Leaders are requested to confirm and supply detailed teaching information each trimester to enable an accurate individual timetables for students to be created. We are committed to optimising student timetables and this is why we collect teaching requirements in advance of each trimester.
Preparation and Planning
Before you fill in the timetabling information for your modules via Module Picker, please:
Make any requested changes to your module delivery via the Curriculum Management Environment before data collection so that the timetabling system is up-to-date. You can find more information about Curriculum Management at the link below.
Make sure you know the availability of your module team. Any staff member with limited availability must complete the Staff Availability Form to be signed by the Associate Dean (Learning and Teaching) or Dean before being sent to your School Timetabling Administrator. Heads of Subject should advise on any planned staffing changes.
Ask your Head of Subject for indicative student numbers for your module if you are expecting a new intake (e.g. first year, direct entrants or postgraduate). Continuing student numbers can be found in Cognos in the student enrolment dashboard (content> student enrolments> student enrolment dashboard).
Plan your module together with your module team and relevant senior technician if there is a specialist space element.
Work with other module leaders in the same year and programme so that together the timetable for all your modules is coherent. Rubbish in = rubbish out.
Follow the principles set out below, this will make it more likely that the information you provide will result in a more coherent timetable.
Principles
Key timetabling dates, including deadlines, will be shared with the School in advance of each Trimester data collection period. If you think you may miss the deadline, please discuss this in advance with your Head of Subject and school timetabling administrator. Please note, if you miss a deadline you are less likely to get what you want.
Coordinate scheduling of specialist spaces (e.g. labs) at module and programme level together with the appropriate technician before data entry to check that the ask is feasible and we make best use of space and equipment.
Enter data for modules as soon as possible in the data collection period. If you do not anticipate any changes, doing this early will help alleviate pressure later on.
Priorities for scheduling are outlined in the timetabling policy. If you have a question about the timetabling policy and how it is put into practice, please contact Alli Coyle, Timetabling Manager.
Programme Leaders should brief students selecting options in advance to explain programme and timetabling constraints to them and manage their expectations.
Changes to the timetable after publication should be kept to a minimum, exceptions will be made where there are unforeseen changes to staffing. Please complete the Teaching Change Request Form with any timetabling change requests.
Do we issue 'Block' Timetables at Edinburgh Napier
At ENU, the timetabling team are focused on trying to produce timetables that recognise the challenges our students face in balancing study, work and other commitments. We also recognise the cost of travel, as we know that many students do not live locally.
The timetabling team make every effort to produce as coherent timetables as possible for all students, seeking to reduce the number of days students may be required to attend our Edinburgh campuses (sometimes this approach is known as 'block timetables') . Sometimes this isn't possible due to the availability of appropriate space, academic colleagues and other reasons, however student experience is always a consideration.
As part of our commitment to supporting student led activities, such as sports clubs and societies, we also try to keep Wednesday afternoons free for most undergraduate students
Timetabling Process
| Data Collection & Staff Availability |
In advance of each trimester, we collect timetabling teaching requests from module leaders and staff availability information about academic staff. Our Data Collection process is undertaken using Module Picker, an online form which is pre-populated with module information from SITS.
The timetabling data collection period typically lasts for four weeks and takes place in April for Trimester 1 and in September for Trimesters 2 and 3.
More information can be found at Data Collection Process and Staff Availability Process.
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Data Entry |
Once we have collected the timetabling teaching requests from academic colleagues, the timetabling administrators then enter all of this information in to our timetabling system. The team do undertake a sense-check when entering the requests, so you may be contacted if we need to clarify any part of the request. We allow three weeks for data entry work to be completed.
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Scheduling |
Once all the timetabling teaching requests have been entered into the timetabling system, we undertake the scheduling process. We allow three weeks for the scheduling work to be completed.
As part of the scheduling process we group activities to help us ensure all activities have the optimal scheduling outcome. To do this, we generally schedule activities using a combination of capacity (largest to smallest), duration (longest to shortest) and week pattern (12 weeks to 1 week). For some schools, we schedule specialist activities first, followed by general teaching activities.
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Reviewing the
Module Timetable |
At the end of the scheduling process, we release the module timetable for review. It is really important that academic colleagues review the draft module timetable to ensure we've timetabled your request appropriately - this is your chance to request any changes. Each Trimester we allow academic staff approximately one week to review the module timetable and submit any teaching change requests.
More information can be found at Reviewing the Module Timetable
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Publishing the
Module Timetable |
Once we have reached the end of the review period, the module timetable is published to all staff and students. Continuing students will be able to access the module timetable once it is published and new students will have access once they engage with the registration (matriculation) process.
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| Personalised Timetables |
We release Personalised Timetables to students in two distinct batches:
Continuing students are given access to their personalised Trimester 1 and Trimester 2 timetable approximately four to six weeks prior to the start of each trimester. For Trimester 3, the allocation of personalised timetables is controlled by the compulsory module enrolment process, which takes place approximately 8 weeks prior to the start of the trimester.
New students are given access to their personalised timetable upon completion of the registration (matriculation) process. This means students must have completed the process, be current in SITS and enrolled onto their modules. It can take up to 5 working days for students to have access their personalised timetable once they have engaged with the registration process. For some students, the timeframe for accessing their personalised timetables may be longer due to visa and finance checks.
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Student-led
Change requests |
Students are able to request a change to their timetable during the first three weeks of each trimester. The student-led change request form is made available to students via myNapier for the relevant period of time.
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Timetabling Policy
The Timetabling Policy was reviewed by ESEC during 2024/25.
