Timetable clashes driving you crazy?

After February's earthquake we were relying on one person to create a timetable for each week of the restart (that's why you never knew where you'd be until that week). It was a slow and manual job that highlighted the need for a better system. If that wasn't enough, historical statistics cropped up that an unacceptable number of you have clashes with your timetable! This is a huge proportion so the University has decided to do something about it.

In 2012 we're pleased to be minimising your clashes with the capabilities of software called Syllabus+TM. The system has been used for several years here but only about 10% of its functionality has been utilised until now. The approach the University is taking for 2012 is to base the timetable on student enrolments, a first for any Australasian university.

If you've been onto it and looked up what courses tickle your fancy for next year already, you'll notice that the website no longer states the lecture times for 2012 (and don't assume they'll look like this year's either). What you need to do is pick the perfect courses for you and your degree and apply to enrol by January 10th. You'll no longer need to jigsaw a timetable together - the system will present one to you in January (except, as always, you can tailor labs and tutorials).

The system needs your applications to enrol ASAP, because without enough data to work with, there is less chance that it will generate a unique clash-free* timetable for the 16,000 odd students on its books - in case you've ever wondered, less than 300 students take the exact same classes each semester - so it's a pretty big job!

* Now, like any good thing, there's always some fine print. Because the system revolves around your enrolment, to maximise your chances of having a greater choice over your timetable you'll need to enrol on time. This will only work if the system gets enough of your enrolments so you need to do this now! It's important to note that some combinations will still be a bit awkward. Even if you know you might need to change some things around later, apply for your best-case scenario with the papers you've always dreamed of taking. The timetable will be posted by mid-January so you will have a few weeks to opt in or out of other papers if for some reason your timetable doesn't fit, e.g. with work or kids, so don't stress now – just apply to enrol and know you're part of the cutting edge of timetabling!

For more info, visit www.canterbury.ac.nz/enrol/timetable.shtml