Is my timetable CLA-proof?
The new Xedule timetable program leads to a discussion about the annual task of MBO teachers. They wonder: am I scheduled for too many hours? And: who actually determines how many hours I can spend on a particular task? Check in this article whether your school is using the software properly.
In the month of May, education looks ahead. How will the hours be allocated next school year? And who will take on which task? The new timetable program Xedule not only links student timetables to the occupancy of the classrooms and the teaching hours of the teacher, but also processes the additional tasks of the teaching staff, says Kees Duin. He is a lecturer in retail and a member of the works council of Nova College in Haarlem, which has been using Xedule for a year or two. About every week he gets an interview with a colleague who thinks that he or she eventually has to spend too many hours in class. In half of the cases that is the case, estimates Duin, who has become quite familiar with the program by now. “In that case, there must be a discussion with the manager about which lessons will be taken. But the other way around also happens. That someone thinks he has to do too much, but when you add it all up it just comes out.”
Make a printout of your annual task in Xedule and put it next to the collective labor agreement
1. Is the number of hours correct?
De AOb receives signals from various quarters that Xedule is not being used properly. "It is important that managers are sufficient knowhow to apply the program properly," says teacher and works council member Kees Duin. What often goes wrong now is that the hours that someone teaches remain the same, even if he or she falls ill or has a study day. professionalization time turns out wrong. The senior citizen's leave is not first deducted from your annual task, which it should. Or the system does not see Whit Monday, and other public holidays referred to in the collective labor agreement, as vacation days. As a result, you would have to use these hours in the rest of the year Duin therefore advises teachers to print out their annual assignments in Xedule and to place this next to the collective labor agreement.
Go to the CLA MBO, scroll down and click on 'What about the standard annual task in MBO?'. If you can't figure it out, consult someone with more knowledge of Xedule at your school, or - if you are a member of the AOb - contact it Information and Advice Center.
Colleagues still say 'I got x hours for internship coordination', but we wouldn't do it that way anymore
2. Who decides what?
In MBO, employers and employees have agreed that the team decides who will take up which tasks and how many hours are allocated to such a task. Think of organizing open days or developing optional parts or teaching materials. In order to distribute this properly, employees need to know how many hours there are for such a task. This was not possible at Nova College until last week. “Managers could access this data in Xedule, but employees could not share each other,” says Duin. "That makes a conversation about who is going to do what very complicated." Under the old collective labor agreement, employees 'applied' to their manager for a task, to which he or she incorporated the agreement into the annual task and in the roster. Duin: “Colleagues still say 'I was given x hours for internship coordination', while we wouldn't do it like that anymore.”
3. Is the schedule flexible?
A timetable must be flexible, says Duin. “Now Xedule shows a snapshot, but education is not static: it changes throughout the school year. Classes are going down, classes are being added. ” The number of hours assigned to a task can also change during the school year, Duin explains. “Suppose I will take on the task of providing information to VMBO schools, our suppliers, next school year. Then I don't know yet how many evenings that will be exactly: three, four, or maybe six? You make an estimate, but you have to be able to adjust it. ”
The biggest risk of poor education logistics is dissatisfied students and overtired teachers
4. What does my school want with the program?
The timetable is part of the so-called 'education logistics': an enormous puzzle that must ensure that students receive lessons at logical moments, that buildings are properly used and that the work is distributed fairly among teachers. Duin was therefore shocked when he saw that the subject of workload was not reflected in the 'educational logistics project plan'. “Xedule must provide us with management information and optimize the occupancy of the building. Those are goals. A risk mentioned is that the management information is not delivered on time. While I think: the biggest risk of poor educational logistics is dissatisfied students and tired teachers. ” It is therefore important, according to Duin, that lecturers observe critically. “In any case, they must be able to check themselves whether the data entered is in line with reality and with the collective labor agreement agreements. Xedule's goal should be a balanced and collective labor agreement-proof schedule. ”
