SCHEDULING: STRATEGIES FOR OPTIMUM LEARNING OUTCOMES

Everton LewisWilbert Nunes

May 13, 2015

INTRODUCTIONThe University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech) is a Government of

Jamaica owned and operated polytechnic tertiary institution.

UTech offers certificates, diplomas, bachelor’s and graduate degrees.

Delivery is typically face-to-face full-time, part-time, modular, and summer semesters.

Papine (main) campus and satellite centers Limited on-line and distance delivery modalities

UTECH RESPONSIBILITIES

To provide, coordinate and manage the resources for learning.Through Scheduling Officers, UTech must combine:

Lecturers, technologists and/or technicians Classrooms, lecture theatres, laboratories, workshops, and sites Studentsminimum/maximum group sizewithin or across facultieswithin or across year groupswithin or across programs

FACTORS FOR MAKING A TIMETABLE

Scheduling Officers:- represent the interests of the institution.

Should appreciate the role a schedule can have on learning outcomes.

Should be sensitive to the needs and concerns of both students and

staff.

Should understand how learners learn effectively and efficiently.

The role of the Scheduling Officer is not fully appreciated.

STUDENT PROFILESHistorically, University students:

were mature individuals had established families had considerable work experience were highly self-motivated individuals anticipated higher-paying jobs and/or promotions were less dependent on loans to fund their education

STUDENT PROFILESMany current students:

are younger, immature, first-time home leavers have families, dependents, and care-giver responsibilities have little or no work-experience are overly concerned about employment opportunities are very heavily dependent on student loans lack family economic support are easily influenced and distracted by external factors are coming from protected environments are commuters

LECTURER PROFILESTypical UTech lecturers tend to be:

full-time (15 hours plus overtime) and part-time increasingly younger professionals establishing families

many have younger children seeking to optimise income(s)

extensive loan repaymentsstudying part-time

unaccustomed to and intolerant of ‘flexible’ work schedules teachers and researchers

RESOURCE REQUIREMENTS International standards:

1 hour direct lecturer instruction = 1 credit 3 hours laboratory/workshop instruction = 1 credit

Bachelor’s degree = 120-128 credits Classrooms, computer laboratories and workshops specialist lecturers proprietary software or equipment specific sites

SCHEDULING IMPACTGolden Rule:- It is impossible to satisfy the preferences of everyone!

Class schedule per se is not a predictor of student outcomes, and there is little evidence that various scheduling options will adversely impact student outcomes (Fike & Fike, 2013)

Scheduling does affect attendance, teaching strategies, as well as teacher and student satisfaction (Pisapia & Westfall (1997)

Scheduling has an indirect impact on learning outcomes (e.g. attendance)

SURVEY FINDINGSTwenty-two (22) lecturers were surveyed across the UTech main

campus

Forty-three (43) students were surveyed across the UTech main campus

Participants were selected via means of a convenience sampling

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR CURRENT TIMETABLE?

LECTURERS

41% - Good45% - Average

5% - Poor 9% - no response

STUDENTS

37% - Good49% - Average14% - Poor

DISCUSSION ( RQ1)

Lecturers and students have similar perceptions of their time tables, with the students slightly more skewed to being less favorable.

HOW SATISFIED ARE YOU WITH THE TIMETABLE SCHEDULE GIVEN TO YOU?

Lecturers

9% - Excellent50% - Good41% - Average

Students

5% - Excellent34% - Good47% - Average14% - Poor

DISCUSSION ( RQ 2)

Lecturers appear to be slightly more satisfied with their time tables than are the students

WHAT ARE YOUR PREFERRED CLASS TIMES?

Lecturers

59% - Mornings18% - Afternoons14% - Evenings

9% - Nights

Students

33% - Mornings48% - Afternoons19% - Evenings

0% - Nights

DISCUSSION ( RQ 3)The lecturers surveyed indicated a preference for morning classes,

decreasing progressively as the day proceeds.

Most students indicate a preference for afternoon classes, than morning and evening classes.

No students surveyed indicated a preference for night classes.

There is a preference disparity between the lecturers and the students.

ARE YOUR PREFERRED CLASS TIMES SATISFIED BY YOUR CURRENT SCHEDULE?

Lecturers

5% - All of the time45% - Most of the time45% - Sometimes

0% - None of the time 5% - no response

Students

7% - All the time42% - Most of the time49% - Sometimes

2% - None of the time

DISCUSSION ( RQ 4)

Both the lecturers and the students surveyed indicated that their AY 2014/5 time-table preferences were basically met.

In general, the lecturers responses suggest that their preferences were marginally more favorable than those of the students.

DO YOU THINK THAT CENTRALIZING THE TIME-TABLE HAS IMPROVED ITS

FRIENDLINESS? 0% - Strongly Agree27% - Agree23% - Fairly Agree45% - Do Not Agree

5% - no response

These findings suggest that the majority of the lecturers actually perceived that their time-tables were more friendly before centralizing of the time tables occurred.

EXAMPLE OF A STAFF MEMBER’S TIMETABLE

EXAMPLE OF STUDENT’S GROUP TIMETABLE

QUESTIONS TO CONTEMPLATECan UTech afford to accommodate working students and

students with families?

Can UTech afford not to accommodate working students and students with families?

Students now have more options than ever, and without students, there can be no UTech.

SUMMARY It is impossible to satisfy the preferences of everyone

(i.e. Lecturers and Students).Class scheduling does not directly predict student

outcomes. Scheduling does affect attendance, teaching strategies,

as well as teacher and student satisfaction levels, etc.Scheduling has an indirect impact on learning outcomes

(e.g. attendance).

BIBLIOGRAPHY Pisapia, J. and Westfall, A. (1997). Alternative High School

Scheduling: Student Achievement and Behavior. Research Report. Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium, Richmond, VA.

Fike, D.S. and Fike, R.  (2013).  A multilevel analysis of the association of class schedule with student outcomes in community college developmental math.  Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 37(11), pp. 816-827.