There will be a Branch Meeting at 1 pm on Friday 16 January in NB149, City Campus West, to consider the dispute over the Academic Calendar.  The Branch Executive is recommending acceptance of the following joint statement between UCU and Management:

 "Following lengthy discussions between the University and UCU in relation to the new academic calendar the following joint statement has been agreed.

An amended new academic calendar for undergraduate programmes will be introduced from September 2009.  There will be an increase in the time available for Formal Scheduled Teaching (FST) by the introduction of two additional weeks from 24 to 26 weeks.

The calendar will be organised on the basis of two semesters of equal length.  The first semester will run for 13 weeks from mid September to December and will be followed by a three week period of student self-directed time (SSDT).  The second semester will run for 13 weeks from January but will break for 3 weeks SSDT; in practice this is expected to mean 12 teaching weeks before the Spring break and one week afterwards.  For the foreseeable future the delivery pattern will allow the Spring Break period of Student Self Directed Time to coincide with the Newcastle and Gateshead LEA Spring breaks.  Any variation will be a matter for consultation with recognised trade unions.  The University recognises that, where staff are on annual leave or undertaking Research and Scholarly Activity during the SSDT periods, staff will not be available to deal with student enquiries.

The aim of the introduction of the new calendar is to increase flexibility in the pattern of teaching and assessment.  All weeks outside SSDT can be used flexibly to deliver teaching and learning support and assessment.  UCU asked for clarification that the proposed changes to the calendar were not driven by the intention to introduce two year degrees or three semesters per year.  The University confirmed this.

The University does not insist that implementation of the new calendar requires conversion of existing single semester modules into year-long versions.  Where, because of the nature of the curriculum, significant summative assessment is required at the end of semester 1, Schools will have the flexibility to schedule those assessments at an appropriate point within the 26 weeks of teaching.

The motivation to introduce a new calendar is only to improve the student experience.  The University is committed to improving assessment for learning, in particular minimizing summative assessment at the end of semester 1.  This may require some rewriting of modules and programmes.  The amount of this change will vary between Schools.  In order to facilitate this change there will be consultation with all staff within Schools, at School, Division and Programme Area level.  Accordingly the speed of the transition may vary between Schools but will be completed for the commencement of teaching in September 2010.

Although there will be an increase in the time available for Formal Scheduled Teaching (FST) from 24 to 26 weeks the FST of individual members of staff will not increase, indeed it is likely that for many staff the average weekly teaching load will reduce.  No member of staff will be expected to work beyond their contract in relation to the implementation of the changes, and time allowances will be given for the work involved.  Such time allowances will not be given at the expense of significant increases in colleagues’ workloads in the current academic year.

The whole process will be carefully monitored and reviewed, with particular interest in the impact of the changes on staff workloads, student experience and student recruitment.  A full equality impact assessment will also be undertaken."

11 December 2007

UCU members at Northumbria University have declared a dispute with the University Management over the imposition of a new standard academic calendar.

In a packed Emergency Meeting on Wednesday 10 December, the Branch voted nem con, and with near unanimity, to deplore the lack of consultation on the part of the University Management in introducing the calendar, and to request the National Executive Committee of UCU to sanction a ballot on strike action and action short of a strike.

The dispute has arisen out of an Extraordinary meeting of the University’s Academic Board back in July – when many staff were away - which decided to scrap the present semester-based standard academic year, and to introduce a scheme based on two blocks of 13 teaching weeks, with exams only after that, and which in many forthcoming years will involve staff continuing to teach during a substantial part of the local school Easter break.

In putting in place this scheme, which is the brainchild of Deputy Vice-Chancellor Craig Mahoney, the University has breached its obligations under the Academic Staff Contract of Employment, in that it failed to consult with staff beforehand.  Furthermore, its consultation with UCU has been perfunctory and dismissive, and it has failed to carry out and publish the full Equality Impact Assessment which it is required by law to do. 

In September the Branch provided a detailed written list of concerns and issues to the University Management, which were explored in two meetings during that month, but it took Management until 28 November to provide a formal response in writing.  The letter, from DVC Craig Mahoney, which is posted on this site (click here), fails to deal with the majority of UCU's original points, fails to put on record any assurances given orally to UCU by Management, and simply dismisses UCU’s concerns in favour of the “student experience”.

Management's assurances are widely seen as worthless since Prof Mahoney promised a simplified procedure for the necessary rewriting and revalidation of modules and programmes, but the Academic Registry has issued guidelines which are no less onerous than normally required.

In a statement issued just before the Branch Meeting, the University Management claims that "A number of factors relating to the student experience were highlighted by the National Student Survey and evidence in statistical data provides a clear rationale for making improvements to the way that the academic year is currently organised."  No such evidence exists in the National Student Survey returns.

UCU Members are concerned that:

the work involved in rewriting and revalidating programmes and modules will be excessive, and for little gain;
the abolition of the January examination period will still leave many colleagues burdened with a heavy mid-year assessment load; and
all members currently teaching on one or more variant of the calendar will in future be prevented from taking an extended holiday covering the Easter week-end.

In addition, and crucially, the scheme is widely seen as laying the groundwork for the introduction of a third semester and two-year degrees, which the Branch strongly opposes.

The current standard academic calendar does not apply to nursing, midwifery, education studies and EFL programmes but it does provide a solid benchmark.  In passing the motion declaring the dispute, the Branch agreed that members not directly affected by the new calendar would not be called upon to take action in the first instance, but it recognised the need for all members to be balloted, should the University threaten punitive sanctions against members.

Northumbria University Management has a record of provoking disputes with UCU and its predecessor NATFHE.  A decade ago, it unilaterally reduced the Easter break from 3 weeks to 2, but was eventually forced to back down due to a determined response by the Branch.  Under the previous Vice-Chancellor, Prof Kel Fidler, there were disputes over redundancies and then cutbacks in the English Language Centre, at the same time as the national pay dispute.  When the University took 24 staff members off the payroll, the Branch responded with a threat of all-out strike action, and the University stayed its hand.  The Branch did hope that, with a  new Vice Chancellor, there would be a new approach by Management.  Sadly not.