We have changed how we manage clashes and unallocated activities to support the fast pace we must now work at to finalise the timetable by the beginning of semester. For current clashes or unallocated activities, the timetabling team will first identify an available venue and time for the activity that minimises student clashes. They will then consult with the Unit of Study Coordinator to approve the proposed time and location. If the proposed time and/or location is not accepted, the relevant Head of School will be contacted by the timetabling team to resolve.

Refer to the FAQ below for further information on the core hours of teaching.

Some additional non-University-controlled spaces have been secured, providing additional capacity. We continue to explore options off campus, noting that not all of these will be viable and meet our industrial, regulatory or student experience requirements. 

As we prioritise the student experience and ensure all teaching and learning activities are allocated to appropriate facilities, we have identified spaces that will need to be repurposed for core teaching activities, including the F23 Auditoriums 104 and 105.

These spaces will be designated as teaching venues for the entirety of 2026 and will be incorporated into the standard academic scheduling process, alongside other general teaching spaces on campus. 

We have also recently identified that some teaching spaces were booked for non-teaching activities when our timetable first released to students on Tuesday 27 January.

All current casual bookings for these spaces will be cancelled by COS University Venues. The booking system will be reopened once all teaching and learning activities have been accommodated.

We recognise the inconvenience that this will cause for some existing plans, but given the need to prioritise our students’ learning and the essential nature of this adjustment, we appreciate your support.

ICT AV services offer a range of support options to help you in the classroom, both proactive and reactive.

While all AV systems have been thoroughly checked prior to semester, there might come a time when some of your AV systems are not working as you might expect. 

Before teaching starts

If you are new to teaching or it has been a little while, there are AV training videos which give a comprehensive overview of how best to use the technology in our spaces.  We also recommend visiting your teaching space before your first session (look for Campus Maps and Resource Booker on how to check room availability).  

Urgent in-class AV issues (during teaching, exams or live events)

First and foremost, don’t panic, there is help on hand.  Look around your lectern for a laminated document, the top phone number is the direct line to the priority “teaching in progress” support team:

• From a University phone: 64888
• From any other phone: (02) 9036 4888

They will ask you for your room’s code, which you can also find at the top of the laminated document.  

The support team can help over the phone, remotely or by sending a technician into your room.

What do I do while we wait? 

You might spend the downtime with a simple think-pair-share activity, give your students a topic (e.g. What are you most looking forward to learning from this UoS?) and leave them to talk with each other.

If you managed to get around a problem and kept teaching, please report the issue to the AV team. The next person will appreciate your collegiality!

Non-urgent AV issues (outside live teaching)

For non‑urgent AV issues, such as faults noticed outside class time, intermittent problems, or issues not currently affecting teaching, staff should not call the in‑class support number.

Instead, they should contact the ICT Service Desk:

• From a University phone: 12000
• From any other phone: (02) 9351 2000

Or, they can log an AV issue by:

• Scanning the QR code on the lectern placard, or
• Using the Report an AV Issue icon on the in‑room PC taskbar

Logging non‑urgent issues through the Service Desk or reporting tools ensures they are properly recorded, prioritised, and scheduled for investigation or repair without diverting resources from live teaching support.

The first day is an excellent opportunity connect students to each other, to you, and to the unit and discipline.

Find ways to connect students to each other. Start your first session by helping students build connections with one another.  An icebreaker activity works well here and even better if it's tied to your subject matter. Check out the Green Guide (p.30) for some simple ideas or dive into OneHE’s community building activities.  

Take time to connect students to you. Students learn better when they feel their teacher is a real person who cares about their learning. How did you get interested in your discipline? Taking a few minutes to share something genuine about yourself and your relationship to the discipline can go a long way.  Students new to the University may feel anxious or unsure of their place, knowing that we have all been there, and that we understand that experience, can be genuinely reassuring. Our transition site features Professor Adam Bridgeman, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning), sharing his own My Journey story as a simple and effective model for how you might do the same with your students.

Connect students to the unit and discipline. Not all of our students will have a strong sense for why our subjects are important.  Give students a sense of why your field matters and what exciting questions lie ahead. Sharing the "beautiful questions" your unit will tackle to spark curiosity, “plunge into the drama” and help students feel they're embarking on something meaningful. 

To talk through more ideas, please contact the Division of Teaching and Learning for a customised consultation.

Once a class is physically full, lecturers should ask students not to enter. This is to ensure the safety of everyone. For example, sitting or standing on the stairs or in walkways may block emergency exits. You should also remind students that:

• They will have access to a recording of the lecture shortly after it finishes as well as online resources, including the lecture notes.
• They will not be penalised for non-attendance.
• You will let them know if there are additional classes or other options.

Overflow requests for lectures should continue, as per standard practice, to be discussed with the timetabling team. Where possible, we will endeavour to seek nearby venues for overflow, but this may not always be possible.

If any of your students need a place to connect to an online or hyflex-offered class, they can make a booking at a library, technology space or learning hub.

Answers to frequently asked questions for full classes are in the FAQ section at the bottom of the page.

If you would like to discuss the option of hyflex (i.e. simultaneous in person and online) for the delivery of a lecture, you can contact the timetabling team at [email protected]. 

To support teaching in hyflex/hybrid modality, the University is offering a variety of support options:

• Self-service guide to hyflex/hybrid teaching: We recommend referring to the Division of Teaching and Learning guide for setting up your lecture theatre or some reflections for designing a hybrid session.  

• Workshops: Several workshops will be offered on 'Hyflex and Teaching in Spillover Rooms' and 'Using Lecterns Effectively'. For more information, or to enrol, please see the Division of Teaching and Learning events page.

• 1:1 Consultation: To speak to a member of the Division of Teaching and Learning for a customized consultation about strategies to address the enrolment increase or any other teaching and learning questions, please use our scheduling link . 

• ICT Audio Visual (AV) Services provide a comprehensive set of self‑service audio visual guides to help users become familiar with the technology in our teaching and meeting spaces. These step‑by‑step resources cover common room types, equipment, and troubleshooting scenarios, allowing users to confidently prepare in their own time.

• ICT offers 15‑minute one‑to‑one User Assist sessions for anyone who needs personalised support. We recommend starting with the self‑service videos and guides, and if you need more detail or a deeper dive into a specific setup, you can book a User Assist session. These sessions must be requested at least seven days in advance. For full details, please visit the Audio Visual Services intranet page, which includes all training options and direct access to the self‑service guides.

If you require technical support (TSS) for laboratories or specialist facilities, please reach out to your relevant faculty partner:

• Medicine and Health: [email protected]
• Science: [email protected]
• Engineering: [email protected]

The Student Services Hubs offer a range of in-person services to support students' journey at the University of Sydney. Bringing together experts to help navigate each stage of enrolment and connect with peers to enhance their experience. 

New and continuing students are welcome to walk into our hubs or book appointments between 16 February and 31 March 2026.

If you would like to discuss – where applicable – the monitoring of units of study through the daily heat map or options, such as where a cap may need to be considered (in limited circumstances) for a unit of study and where it will not impact on the core requirements of a degree or core component, please contact [email protected].

A daily update of enrolments and student load by course and faculty can be found in the Student Load and Revenue Tracking report.

New casual academic staff members cannot commence teaching until they have completed the full onboarding process and have received their Offer of Work (work schedule).   

The Offer of Work can only be issued after OTA allocations have been approved.  

As a reminder, OTA is the formal record of the work a casual academic has been asked to perform. Casual academics should not be performing work that is not approved in OTA.  

Please note that a casual academic must have a separate Offer of Work for each unit of study they teach — an offer for one unit of study does not extend to cover any other unit. 

This is a legal requirement for the University. The processes above are designed to support compliance with our legal obligations under the University of Sydney Enterprise Agreement and the Fair Work Act, and must not be breached under any circumstances. 

Manager, Casual Academic Work Allocation (MCAWA) teams are mobilised to support faculty and school colleagues with work allocations into OTA and Casual Academics’ Administration Officers (CAAO) are ready to progress Offers of Work once casual staff have been onboarded and work allocation approvals have come through.

To support semester readiness and improve visibility of onboarding progress for new casual academics, a Casual Academic Onboarding Status Dashboard has been developed. This dashboard provides a single, consolidated view of onboarding progress across key stages, integrating data from ServiceNow, Workday and OTA. The dashboard link will be included in responses to all new casual academic onboarding requests. We encourage requestors and local teams to use the dashboard to monitor progress and, where appropriate, follow up directly with candidates to ensure timely completion of outstanding tasks.

Staffing qualification and supervision guidelines have now been developed to support faculties in understanding the qualification, supervision and training requirements for all teaching staff at every level.

This information is available on the teaching qualifications and supervision guidelines page.

For continuing and fixed-term academics:

• Class allocations are to be determined in consultation with the academic.

• When assessing a reasonable allocation, the principles in Enterprise Agreement Clause 382 must be applied, as well as the Curriculum Timetabling Policy 2019 (see Clause 9) and related Procedures. Modes of delivery; level of courses taught; preparation for teaching, curriculum development and development of course materials; supervision and mentoring, as well as attendance at classes or meetings; carer’s responsibilities or disabilities; among other factors all need to be considered. The full Clause 382 is linked above and included in the FAQs below.
• The required duties will be such that they reasonably be expected to be completed in a professional and competent manner within an average of 37.5 hours per week for full-time academic staff (or pro-rata for part-time academic staff). 
• When assessing reasonable hours, the principles in Enterprise Agreement Clause 383 must be applied. 
• Workload allocation must incorporate the hours required as a consequence of class size for tutorials, seminars, and laboratory groups, and must consider the nature of the activity, safety requirements, and availability of teaching facilities.
• Staff must not be required to commence teaching within ten hours of the conclusion of teaching or other directed duties on the previous day.

For casual academics:

• When scheduling multiple engagements in a single day, each engagement must meet the minimum two‑hour engagement requirement. Under the Work Classification and Paycode Guidelines, an “occasion” may include a break of up to one hour, and multiple two‑hour occasions may occur across the day.
• The reasonable hours principles in Enterprise Agreement clause 383 must be applied.
• The 10-hour break between days must be maintained.
• Scheduling should remain mindful of the Fair Work Act 38‑hour full‑time workload benchmark and avoid assigning work in excess of this.
• See slides 13 – 16 of the EPR Excessive Hours report - EPR Excessive Hours - For Distribution.pdf

For professional support staff:

• The ordinary span of hours is 7:00 am to 7:00 pm Monday to Friday excluding public holidays  This represents the range of hours in which ordinary hours may be worked.
• Work scheduled after 7:00 pm requires consideration of roster arrangements and applicable shift penalties in Enterprise Agreement Schedule 4 
• Staff must not be required to work more than five hours without an unpaid meal break of at least 30 minutes and no more than one hour. 
• The workload principles of Enterprise Agreement Clause 400 need to be considered. 

Fatigue management is essential to maintaining a safe, healthy, and high‑quality teaching environment. Extended or irregular teaching hours can reduce concentration, decision‑making and overall wellbeing, increasing the likelihood of errors, diminished teaching quality, and longer‑term physical or psychological harm.

By actively managing these risks, we can ensure a safe, supportive workplace where staff wellbeing and student experience remain central.

Culture and expectations

• Raising fatigue concerns is encouraged and is not a sign of poor performance or lack of commitment.
• Leaders should model safe work practices, including respecting rest time and discouraging after‑hours contact unless genuinely urgent.
• Semester pressures are recognised, but safety and wellbeing remain a priority.

Further guidance to support leaders, supervisors, and staff to manage fatigue risks arising from teaching and work scheduled across an extended spread of hours (including early mornings and evenings) is covered in the below FAQs.

This guidance should be read in conjunction with the Enterprise Agreement, the Workload Allocation Policy and the Curriculum Timetabling Policy. 

Support and advice

For advice or assistance:

• Speak with your Supervisor or Head of School
• Contact your local HSW Partner or HR Partner
• Use existing wellbeing and employee support services (Converge International) 1300 687 327.

If you require further advice or assistance about the provisions related to scheduling of work, or for additional support sourcing and recruiting additional casual academic staff, please speak with your HR Partner. For health and wellbeing advice, please speak with your HSW Partner. 

The University does not expect staff to monitor or respond to work communications outside of normal working hours or approved leave, except in emergencies or urgent operational needs. 

Avoid scheduling staff for both early morning and late evening duties on the same day, where reasonably practicable. Where teaching is occurring at night (i.e. in the 6-9 pm slot) we should consider later start times the following day for those individuals and reducing or rescheduling non‑essential meetings.

As per Clause 9 (1) of the Curriculum Timetabling Policy, our core hours for timetabling purposes are from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm, Monday to Friday:

• (a) Units of study offered in daytime mode of delivery will normally have classes scheduled between 8:00 am and 6:00 pm, but may have some classes scheduled between 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm if requested; and
• b) Units of study offered in evening mode of delivery will have classes scheduled between 5:00 pm and 9:00 pm.

In determining the allocation of academic workloads and their quantification, the following factors will be taken into account:

(a) modes of delivery, including, for example, face-to-face teaching, on-line learning and blended learning;

(b) the level of courses taught;

(c) preparation for teaching, curriculum development and the development of course materials;

(d) supervision and mentoring of staff and students, including required attendance at classes or meetings;

(e) research, scholarship, creative production;

(f) the number of students taught;

(g) staff development requirements;

(h) field work supervision;

(i) internal and external professional work;

(j) administration, including participation on committees;

(k) overseas teaching and international commitments;

(l) intercampus travel;

(m) University service and community engagement; and

(n) carers’ responsibilities and/or disabilities. 

Fatigue can impair concentration, decision making, reaction time and mood, increasing the risk of making, reaction time and mood, increasing the risk of:‑making, reaction time and mood, increasing the risk of:

• errors and incidents at work
• reduced teaching quality and student experience
• Longer term physical and psychological harm term physical and psychological harm‑term physical and psychological harm

Fatigue risk increases where staff:

• work long or irregular hours
• have insufficient breaks between shifts
• are required to work early and late on the same day
• combine teaching with other academic or professional duties without adequate recovery time.

Leaders and supervisors must:

• identify and manage fatigue risks when allocating work and approving timetables
• consider total number of working hours of teaching, and/or other duties that are scheduled  
• avoid scheduling patterns that are unreasonable or unsafe
• regularly review workloads and escalate for further consideration if needed
• respond to fatigue concerns raised by staff promptly and without adverse consequences.

Staff are expected to:

• take reasonable care of their own health and safety
• raise concerns early if timetables or workloads create fatigue risks
• use agreed processes to seek adjustments where needed through Supervisor or Head of School or through Staff Health Support (SHS).

The following controls should be applied when planning or reviewing teaching and work arrangements.

Spread of hours and shift design:

• Avoid scheduling staff for both early morning and late evening duties on the same day, where reasonably practicable.
• Avoid repeated patterns of late finishes followed by early starts.
• Where evening teaching (e.g. between 6–9 pm) is required, consider:
  • later start times the following day
  • reducing or rescheduling nonessential meetings
• Avoid long hours over a week, limit the number of consecutive workdays and allow at least one full day off a week.

Breaks between shifts:

• Ensure staff have adequate breaks between work periods (at least 10 hours between working days) between workings days to allow for rest, commuting and recovery.
• Particular care should be taken where staff are engaged in multiple roles or engagements across the day.
• Staff have the right to disconnect outside of their normal working hours. The University does not expect staff to monitor or respond to work communications outside of normal working hours or approved lave, except in emergencies or urgent operational needs. (except where on call/ overtime applies)

Total workload and cumulative fatigue:

• Consider all work performed, including:
  • teaching, preparation and marking
  • meetings and administrative duties
  • research and supervision (where relevant)
• High intensity periods (e.g. start of semester, assessment peaks) may require temporary adjustments elsewhere.

Meetings and non‑teaching work:

• Review regular meetings and standing commitments during Semester 1.
• Where staff are timetabled late:
  • reschedule meetings later in the day
  • offer hybrid or asynchronous options
  • defer non‑critical activities where possible.

Supervisors should proactively review arrangements where:

• a staff member teaches across multiple time bands (e.g. morning and evening)
• casual staff hold multiple engagements within or across schools
• staff report difficulty managing recovery or sleep
• there are signs of fatigue (e.g. errors, irritability, reduced performance)

Where a fatigue risk is identified, reasonable adjustments may include:

• changing class times or swapping sessions
• redistributing teaching or marking
• adjusting start/finish times on teaching days
• temporarily reducing non‑essential duties
• approving flexible work arrangements where appropriate

Escalate unresolved or complex cases through local management or HR and scheduling channels for advice.

You can say something like:

“Thanks for coming on time. We’re experiencing higher enrolments than usual across the University, so some rooms are at capacity. If you can’t find a seat, please stand at the back if it’s safe to do so, or access the lecture materials online. The lecture recording will be available shortly after class.”

Standing at the edges/back of the room is usually fine as long as exits and walkways remain clear under WHS requirements.

Students should not sit on the floor or stairs where they may block access or present a safety hazard.

No. If a student arrives but cannot safely stay due to lack of space, they should not be penalised. Encourage them to access the recording or join an alternative class (if applicable) for that week.

Suggest:

• Watching the lecture recording
• Completing equivalent online materials
• Attending a spillover class
• Visiting the Library or a Learning Hub to join the class via livestream or watch a recording.

• Remind students of asynchronous options.
• Start Week 1 by explaining how to access learning materials online.
• Encourage students to spread across multiple class times for tutorials/labs if allowed.
• Point students to Library spaces/learning hubs/spillover spaces for overflow viewing/attendance. They can make a booking at a library, technology space or learning hub.

A space can be re‑entered only after the following post‑works steps are completed:

1. Practical Completion Documentation. The project team must receive the full PC pack, including all required compliance certificates and COS/UI acceptance (where applicable), confirming construction is complete and compliant.
2. ICT / AV System Testing. All ICT and AV systems are tested with the relevant teams to ensure connectivity, integration, and functionality are operating as expected.
3. Services & Facilities Safety Checks. UI conducts safety and functionality checks on fire systems, HVAC, and electrical services. The space is released only once Facilities formally accepts these as safe and operational.
4. Timetabling Reactivation. Once all checks are complete, the Timetabling team reinstates the room for teaching or general use. The room cannot be used until Timetabling confirms it is live.
5. Operational Readiness (if required). Where applicable, the Operational Readiness team is briefed to ensure all operational requirements are met before occupation.

A space is considered safe to return only when all documentation, testing, safety checks, and notifications are complete.

The recent reactivation of the John Woolley Building (A20) teaching spaces has followed the general space reactivation protocols described above. Some location-specific issues included structural issues with the over‑height roofing, historical lead‑based paint, water ingress, and some mould issues have been rectified. These were fixed through standard environmental remediation and sanitisation, lead paint removal and sealing with clearance certification, and a UI quality and services review before reopening. 

The process for returning the Mechanical (J07) and Aeornautical (J11) buildings to use involves first obtaining general space reactivation protocols described above, confirming that all works have been fully and satisfactorily completed and the space is ready to occupy. All impacted spaces underwent comprehensive sanitisation and an environmental clean of all surface areas to ensure the space meets required health and safety standards. This led to COS/UI securing certified asbestos‑removal clearance from an environmental hygienist after the mandatory air‑monitoring period has verified that the environment is safe to reoccupy.

Over the past few weeks, we have prioritised space allocation for the teaching timetable. As we have begun to resolve these issues, the teams responsible for managing casual bookings are now able to refocus their efforts on booking for casual space requests. This will occur through the standard booking approaches managed by the COS University Venues team.

There is a significant backlog of requests, and we expect there will be challenges in finding appropriate spaces for these activities.

To begin with, there will be a prioritised approach focusing on the following:

1. Examinations (both in-semester tests and formal periods/assessments)
2. Semester 1 casual teaching activities e.g. HDR student requirements
3. Priority stakeholder backlog e.g. graduations, Sydney Future Students, Student Life etc.

We recognise many of these casual bookings were for activities that are important, but we appreciate colleagues’ understanding of our critical need to prioritise our students at this time.