Principles for limitations in connection with timetable and exam planning

As Department of Economics and Business Economics (ECON) and Department of Management (MGMT) share degree programmes and location, common general principles for reporting limitations have been made in order to ensure consistency across the two departments. The possibility of reporting limitations should be seen as a way to ensure good and equal working conditions for all lecturers, taking into account the limited resources that we have in terms of classrooms and auditoriums.

Limitations that clearly fall within the principles will be approved by the department and forwarded to StudiePlan (the planning department), who will accommodate the limitations to the extent possible.

As a general rule, teaching may be placed in all 15 teaching weeks of the semester. If a lecturer would like a teaching-free week, he/she must therefore report it as a limitation (see below) in connection with the planning of the teaching for at coming semester.

Alternatives to limitations

Before reporting episodic limitations (i.e., not recurring limitations such as e.g. no teaching after 16 due to small children), we ask that you consider the following:

Would it be possible for other lecturers (co-lecturers) to cover your teaching?
Would it be possible to convert the specific lecture to online teaching, if it happens to coincide with the limitation?

The department management team supports the use of online teaching in case of episodic limitations, but it is still important to stress that we are a physical campus, so it is not a solution we can make extensive use of.

This solution must still be approved by the department management via your study administrative contact.

If none of these solutions are possible or make pedagogical sense, you should of course still report the limitation.

Reporting limitations

Limitations in relation to teaching and exams must be reported when the department study administration calls for limitations before the planning of timetables and exams commences well in advance before each semester (i.e., at least 6 months before).

For courses involving teaching and examination by several lecturers, the reporting of limitations must, to the extent possible and if relevant, include the order in which the individual lecturers’ teaching takes place, and how the oral exams are distributed between the lecturers, so that the limitation can be defined accordingly and be as accurate and specifc as possible.

Work-related reasons for proposing limitations

Examples of professional and pedagogical reasons:

Teaching courses at MBA, HD, FMOL or in other departments’ degree programmes.
Time between lectures and exercise classes
Periods during the semester, where the students are writing projects incl. supervision
Requests for a lecture on a specific date due to, e.g., a visit from a guest lecturer
Specific type of room due to the type of teaching in a course (didactic reason)
Agreed conference participation (approved by section head)
Weekly section seminars/meetings:
- Economics: Tuesdays 12.15-13.30
- Econometrics and Business Analytics: Wednesdays 12-14
- Finance: Thursdays 12-14
Other planned seminar series at ECON, if you are the organiser
Meetings in formal AU forums for which you have been elected/appointed (e.g., The Academic Council, FAMU and FSU)
External meetings related to your AU position

For all reasons apply that you should consider alternatives before reporting the limitation.

Personal reasons for proposing limitations

Examples of personal reasons:

Health issues: You must inform your head of section of any limitations due to health issues before you report the limitation.
Family conditions: If you have small children (under 10 years of age) or children with special needs, you may request not to teach early or late (i.e., before 10 am or after 4 pm), if you need to bring or pick up your child from e.g., nursery/kindergarten/school. It is expected that alternative options for bringing/picking up your child have been considered, including asking your partner/spouse, if any, to bring/pick up the child, and that the option of exemption from early or late lectures is only used, if there are no alternatives.

Teaching-free week

All lecturers may request one teaching-free week per semester. The requests will, to the extent possible, be complied with.
Lecturers with school children have priority to place their teaching-free week during the school holidays (e.g. weeks 7 and 42 (remember, only 1 teaching-free week per semester)).

Quality assurance of timetable and exam schedule

All lecturers are obliged to check their own timetable and exam schedule when the department study administration calls for quality assurance.

No new recurring limitations can be reported at this point. In case an episodic limitation has occurred, please make sure that you have considered other alternatives before reporting the limitation in connection with the quality check.

Further needs for adjustment of timetable or exam schedule

Requests for the relocation of teaching or exams based on the above criteria that are submitted after the deadline for reporting limitations and the quality assurance will only be granted to the extent possible.

Remember to state the resason for your request and to always consider other alternatives before reporting the request.