Q: Draw As-is and To-be states

Context UCLan is a post 92, modern university. The University has restructured over the past three years moving from a faculty-based structure to a schools- based structure. The current structure consists of central Senior Management and shared Central Services, such as Student Support, Student Records, Learning and IT Services, Facilities Management, etc. The academic provision of the University is delivered through Schools that are responsible for their own portfolios and budgets. Staff in Schools create the timetables for the students in their School. These timetables are created on a course basis and not by an individual student. The methodology for creation and delivery varies from School to School. As there is a lot of freedom of choice by academics as to when they wish to teach the classes, certain times are often very popular across the University and Room Bookings often struggle to locate all the requested events. The way students are notified of room changes also varies from School to School and there is no automated system to ensure the message is sent. Often students receive a copy of the provisional course timetable in induction week. This timetable is subject to change as clashes are identified and seminars allocated. It is possible that a student will not have their timetable confirmed until the first week of teaching starts and there are instances when it cannot be confirmed until a few weeks into the course. This can cause issues for students who need to arrange child care or have a part- time job. Due to the current system it is not usually possible to provide the students with their individual timetables. This means that the information students can access about their classes is very limited. Should they lose the paper copy of their timetable there is limited access to information online. This can make it challenging for staff to locate students who might need additional support (such as interpreters) and can also make it challenging for staff whom students ask for help if they cannot locate their class. The business case The student experience is core to the University's Medium Term Strategy and UCLan is conscious that the provision of a live, online timetable would be beneficial to students and the staff supporting them, ultimately improving the student experience. The project team surveyed students about their current timetables and the responses suggested the need for an online timetable, along with a system that automatically alerts the students to changes to their timetable. The University has seen an increase in demand for rooms and the staff in Room Bookings have been aware of the issues and challenges of rooming events at peak times. The audit of the estate undertaken by Facilities Management found that the estate was sufficient for the needs of the University as long as it was utilised throughout the week. It was felt that this was not possible with the original timetabling system and the process would have to be centralised. Any outstanding uncertainties were to be addressed when the system was trialled in the project environment. The uncertainties we need to explore are if the constraints outlined in the timetabling policy are sufficient to meet the business needs. However, the trial run in the project environment and the 'what-if testing will resolve any issues before the project goes live. The project maps to the University's Medium Term Strategy and key corporate objectives across student experience, ICT, sustainability, internationalisation and estates