Scheduling process

Summary
This page gives an overview of the chronological steps in a process that results in the allocation and planning of lecturers. A focused trackbook is available for project leaders and PLOUs to guide them through the process.

Tooling for the scheduling process

Fontys ICT, like many Fontys organisational units, uses the scheduling application Xedule for the scheduling process. The following frameworks are used for this purpose:

  • No more use of excel sheet for making day-part schedules;
  • Instead of passing on fixed parts of the day to the schedulers, now “directions for scheduling” are passed on;
  • All information necessary for the day-part schedule (allocation and directions for scheduling) must be available at the end of lesson week 15;
  • After the deadline for providing information to schedulers, changes can only be communicated after the draft schedule has been published (lesson week 20);
  • It is very important that everyone meet the deadline!

Introduction

The process below describes the steps and dates in order to create at a day-part planning for the first semester of the school year. For the second (spring) semester there is less time between the draft schedule and the final schedule. Important milestones for forecast, allocation, dayparts and schedule are published on the Fontys ICT Portal.

The process

Preparations (lesson weeks 8 to 11)

  • Information manager sets up upcoming semester in the 'inzetmatcher' (allocation system) (week 8);
  • Project leaders and Project Leaders Programme Implementation (PLOUs) ready projects in the Inzetmatcher (including teaching methods and location) (week 8);
  • PLOU's, Programme Managers (CE's) and Project Leaders (PL's) fill the inzetmatcher with tasks or complete existing tasks (week 9).

Additions for PLOUs from Education for Professionals (OvP)

It is more difficult at OvP to find enough lecturers who are interested. Therefore it is important to give as complete information as possible about the tasks and evening(s). By agreement, it is also possible to teach 1 evening per week, which can be done in pairs with a colleague or in separate tasks.

Filling the in the allocation system and submitting the directions for scheduling (lesson weeks 12 to 13)

  • Planning & Finance (P&F) makes student forecasts showing the breakdown by semester (profile, specialisation, minor) in numbers of restarts and advancement last semester and how the grades came about Tuesday week 12 at the latest (Note this is an expectation and therefore not final!);
  • PLOUs provide feedback on student projections This can be done no later than the end of week 12;
  • P&F fills the allocation system with the budgets based on the adjusted forecast (week 13);
  • P&F fills allocation with hours for strategic projects, coordination, extra training (week 13);
  • lecturers pass on any changes based on the availability information known to the schedulers (no later than week 13);
  • lecturers indicate in the deployment matcher which tasks they would like to perform and also indicate a priority;
  • Allocation for OvP is set + which evenings (week 13);
  • Allocation for first semester, internship and graduation has been set (week 13);
  • Chairmen report consultation moments to schedulers (week 13);
  • Operations Managers (UM's) make a proposal for an OIL spotting plan of semesters by location in coordination with PLOU's and P&F (week 13).

Collecting data from lecturers (lesson weeks 14 and 15)

  • HR indicates to the schedulers which lecturers will do Basic-level Teaching Qualification (BKO);
  • PLOU's and PL's have contact with the lecturers who have indicated in the deployment matcher that they would like to be deployed in the unit of study or the project;
  • The allocation is implemented by PLOU's, CE's and PL's;
  • PLOU's, CE's and PL's, transmit directions for scheduling to schedulers.

Note: only the use of at least 70 hours leads to a day-part allocation in the planning. All other allocation is planned by the employees themselves via Microsoft Outlook.

Creating a day-part schedule (lesson weeks 16 to 18)

The schedulers now have all the information they need to make the day-part schedule. The concept day-part schedule will be published on Fontys MYX.

Refinement within the day-part schedule (week 19)

  • PLOUs and project leaders receive errors and changes from lecturers about the draft day-part schedules;
  • PLOUs and project leaders pass on errors and changes to the schedulers for processing;
  • PLOUs and Project Leaders review the adjusted schedule to see if they match the requested changes and errors.

From lesson week 20

Only when there is agreement on the concept of the day-part schedule, the semester coordinators (BE's) may refine within the agreed day-parts. This refinement is not processed in Xedule by the schedulers, but will be handled by the OIL teams themselves in additional tooling.

Activities by schedulers AFTER delivery of day-part schedules

  1. In cooperation with the Student Desk (internship and graduation), the graduation data provided in lesson weeks 10-12 are scheduled for lesson weeks 19+20. For the interim sessions the lesson weeks 1+2 resp. 9+10 will be used;
  2. Assessors meetings in lesson weeks 19+20: all lecturers involved in a unit of study are scheduled for the assessor meeting. For the meeting of the first semester, the coordinators provide information themselves.

Exceptions

For programme implementation in Tilburg, a half-day schedule is provided across units of study (OEs) and OILs.