Preparing for the Semester
Before the semester begins, subject coordinators must make sure that people are available to teach the subject and that the appropriate systems are ready. Below is a guide to the tasks that should be completed by each subject coordinator and when they should be completed by.
Contents
One month prior to the teaching session
Minor Subject Changes
Any minor change to the subject template (such as the textbook, assessment weighting) must be approved by submitting a Tracking Subject Changes Form. This should be done ideally at least four weeks before the start of the session to allow the changes to be reflected in the learning guide.
Requesting Sessionals
A subject can have a single person as coordinator, lecturer and tutor, or it can have a team of people dedicated to it; where the number of people is usually dependent on the number of students enrolled. If a subject requires additional teaching staff make sure to contact the associated DAP at least a month before the start of the session.
- Consult with the DAP associated to the subject. The DAP might know of other staff members who have load for teaching the subject.
- If there are no staff members available, then the DAP will initiate the process to allocate sessional staff.
Details of the process are provided in the Engaging sessional staff section.
Timetables and tutorial allocation
Several weeks before students need to register for classes, class timetables are released for Subject Coordinators to view in Allocate+ (Use the link and click on "Staff Login for Class Reg"). Note that the URL for the Allocate+ site changes each year, so a direct link is not provided here. The link from the Class Registration page is updated annually.
The Subject Coordinator responsibilities are as follows:
- Review the timetable and ensure the details are correct and appropriate, for example:
- Ensure rooms allocated will accommodate the number of students;
- Ensure that students whose class falls on a public holiday will not be disadvantaged;
- Check that teaching staff will be available at the assigned times.
- Advise the Student Experience Administration team which tutorials are to be opened.
- Advise the Student Experience Administration team of the names of teachers for each class.
- If amendments are not required, advise the Student Experience Administration team that the timetable is approved.
- If amendments are required, send the changes back to the Student Experience Administration team, who will forward them to the Director, Academic Program for approval.
Following approval, the Student Experience Administration team will advise the timetabling staff. The tutorial timetable is then opened for students to register for specific classes. Registration is opened at least a month prior to the start of session.
At least two weeks prior to the teaching session
vUWS
vUWS is the WSU content management system for subjects. It provides students with access to items such as lecture notes, tutorial exercises, lab notes, recordings, assessment grades and also interactive content such as quizzes, assignment submission and portfolios. Each subject is required to have a vUWS site available for students to use.
Before the teaching session begins, coordinators need to request a vUWS site for each subject they are coordinating. To request a site
- Login to vUWS.
- Go to the Home Page
- In the Home Page, click on EDMM
- Click on "Request a vUWS site" at the top right of the E-Learning Designer Management Module (EDMM) page
- Fill in the required information and click "Send Form".
An email is sent to the coordinator when the site is available. The new subject site usually takes half a day to become available but might take many days during busy times.
Once the site is available, make sure to add content, and make sure to set the visibility of content so that students can see what need to see (e.g. hide solutions to tutorial questions).
Initially, the site will be unavailable to students to allow the coordinator to set up the site. When the site is ready, the subject can be made available by revisiting the EDMM page within vUWS. vUWS sites should be made available to students at least one week before the teaching session begins.
If problems occur, lodge a ticket using WesternNow.
Subject Outlines
Subject Outlines (previously known as Learning Guides) must be approved by the associated DAP and made available to students at least one week prior to the start of the session. To keep to this timeline, Subject Outlines should be updated by the subject coordinator and submitted for approval at least two weeks before the start of the session.
Subject Outlines should be placed in the subject vUWS site for all enrolled students to access.
To edit Subject Outlines, login to the Learning Guide Management System. Coordinators should have access to edit the Subject Outlines of the subjects they are coordinating. If there are problems with the system contact Education Programs Support.
For more information see the Updating the subject documents section and the Curriculum Publication Procedures policy.
One week prior to the teaching session
Visiting the Teaching Spaces
A week before teaching begins, it is good practice to visit the teaching space that will be used. This will allow the teachers familiarise themselves with the equipment and also report any problems to be fixed before the teaching session begins. Recall that the venues of each activity can be found in Allocate+. If problems are found, lodge a ticket using WesternNow.
