Survey Schedule

The survey schedule is arranged, and adjusted if required, to provide up-to-date data for Departmental Reviews, with Departments surveyed the year before Reviews are scheduled. Most departments are surveyed on a ten year cycle.

The guiding principles for the scheduling of course/subject selection are:

1. All courses offered wholly from within a department will be surveyed in the same year. This includes all degrees and diplomas, including those which have a different major that is wholly based within that department (see also note 8).
2. For Medical courses, the unit for scheduling is the qualification (eg MB ChB), rather than the Department.
3. Each course/subject should be surveyed every four years. (See, however, notes 5 and 6.)
4. For each course/subject, graduates and students should be surveyed in the same year. However, in some cases students only will be surveyed due to the course not having yet produced graduates.
5. Courses/subjects will be surveyed in the year prior to any applicable Departmental Reviews. Because Departmental Reviews are conducted on a ten year cycle, this means the four year cycle will not always be able to be maintained. Consequently some Departments may be surveyed more than once in 4 years.
6. Other unusual circumstances may also impact on this scheduling process. For example, in preparation for Academic Audit specific groups may be surveyed. (See also note 11).
7. The Surveys Scheduler database enables the numbers for each year's survey to be estimated in advance. For budgetary reasons the numbers each year will be approximately the same. Consequently, scheduling will take this into account.
8. Where courses are offered wholly from within one Department, the Scheduler includes that course in the Division within which that Department is located. Where a course is interdisciplinary, the course is included in the Division which has responsibility for the Course.
9. The development of the database is an ongoing process. As the timing of Departmental Reviews become known, the timing of surveys may be altered.
10. New courses are added as they are approved.
11. The schedule is meant as a guide. Prior to each survey, Pro-Vice-Chancellors are sent a list of the intended courses/subjects and have the opportunity to suggest alterations to the intended programme.

Details of survey scheduling can be obtained by contacting the Surveys Manager, Romain Mirosa.