Theme: Timetabling
We've been listening to Students, and we shared this listening at the assembly…
“We want timetables that sync to our phones. Other universities already do it.”
“Our timetables disappear or change last minute and no one takes responsibility.”
“Timetables and room changes are sometimes communicated on the morning of teaching, causing students to go to the wrong location.”
“Attendance scanners frequently fail to log attendance correctly, leading to incorrect absence records.”
“Timetables often include long gaps or poorly placed lunch breaks, making the day inefficient.”
“Some students believed lectures could be attended online but have since been told attendance must be in person, causing confusion.”
At the assembly, we heard powerful stories from students about the challenges they faced with:
Student 1 – Disabled Student
This student experiences accessibility challenges due to a lack of reliable timetabling. Students who face accessibility issues often struggle with having to move between buildings on opposite ends of the campus and changing schedules, leaving them without knowledge of accessible entries to buildings and routes within the buildings, keeping them from attending lectures. They say: timetabling needs to be consistent and communicated in advance so students can figure out accessible entries in buildings and around campus!
Student 2 – SU Rep
Carers and parents, people with jobs, struggle with timetabling. Advocating for block teaching, so students do not have to commute and limit their time working for short lectures across multiple days.
Student 3
They experienced that classes often get cancelled last minute. Many students commute to and across multiple campuses and then learn about the cancellation 3 minutes before their classes, making their travelling unnecessary. Additionally, they struggle with classes and timetables that are communicated across different platforms, presenting conflicting information. They say: There should be a universal platform with one correct timetable, which syncs to their personal calendar and the university should offer compensation for unnecessary travel costs!
Student 4
They experienced that timetabling challenges pose financial and accessibility hardships. Students pay for commuting and then get informed of their time tabling changes, making their money spent on travel unnecessary. This contributes to financial hardships, which students currently experience due to the rising costs of living. Additionally, this can cause students to be late for their lectures, causing them to miss out on teaching and information vital for the attainment of their degree. Moreover, with last-minute changes, disabled students struggle with planning their way to teaching locations and might therefore not be able to attend.
We can see from this insight that students are experiencing issues with:
• Unreliable and last-minute timetable changes
• Poor communication of room changes and cancellations
• Lack of a single, accessible timetable platform that syncs with personal calendars
• Timetables that do not account for accessibility needs
• Timetabling structures that disadvantage carers, parents, working, and commuting students
• Financial impact of late changes, including unnecessary travel costs
• Inaccurate attendance recording linked to timetabling and scanner issues
(These examples come directly from student stories and listening sessions. They are shared as insight to inform how you might vote on the future priorities of the Union. Following this vote, we will bring together those students interested in progressing work and taking action on the priorities to decide the issues and next steps.)