College Teaching Day

The Management Board has approved the following changes to the College Teaching Day which will be implemented from 2012-13:

  1. For undergraduate courses:
    1. Teaching hours will remain from 09.00 to 18.00 on weekdays. Wednesday afternoons will remain free from teaching and education activities from 13.00 onwards.
    2. The 12.00 to 14.00 lunchtime slots on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursday and Fridays will be phased out, beginning with first year students in 2012-13, and extending to second year students in 2013-14 and to third year (and above) students in 2014-15.
    3. From 2012-13, the timetables of all first year students will include a 2 hour slot for co-curricular activities from 16.00 to 18.00 on Monday afternoons. All Departments must keep this time free for co-curricular teaching, which will be organised by the new Undergraduate Co-Curricular Committee, reporting to the Strategic Education Committee.
    4. From 2013-14, the timetables of second year students will include a 2 hour slot for co-curricular activities and, from 2014-15, third year students too. The exact times are to be agreed by Faculties, but must be kept free for co-curricular teaching.
    5. All Departments must ensure that the teaching day incorporates a lunch break of a minimum of 1 hour’s duration.
  1. For postgraduate courses:
    1. Departments have discretion to run courses at times appropriate to the needs of students, which may in some cases be in the evenings (e.g. Business School executive education courses), but not normally after 20.00.
    2. Wednesday afternoons will remain free from teaching and education activities from 13.00 onwards.
    3. Departments must ensure that the teaching day incorporates a lunch break of a minimum of 1 hour’s duration.
  1. In exceptional circumstances (e.g. major travel disruption), undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and examination activities may take place at the following times:
    1. Between the hours of 08.00 to 19.00.
    2. On weekends and Bank Holidays subject, where necessary, to staff contractual arrangements.
  1. In setting exam timetables, the following principles should apply:
    1. Students will not normally be expected to take more than one examination in any one day; exceptionally they make take two. Under no circumstances should a student be expected to take three examinations in one day.
    2. If a student is to be required to sit two examinations in one day, approval must be received from the appropriate Studies or Postgraduate Quality Committee. A minimum gap of 30 minutes between examinations must be provided for all students, including those granted extra time for health or disability reasons.
    3. Students should not normally be expected to sit an early morning examination after having taken a late afternoon examination the previous day.
  1. The opening hours of the Early Years Education Centre (EYEC) will remain unchanged.