From Excel to PLAN: instant insight into teaching tasks at the click of a button
With the introduction of PLAN in education, the Institute of Psychology is taking an important step forward. The complex project has been carefully executed and the system fully set up. It offers teachers advantages such as ease of use and transparency. Zsuzsika Sjoerds did a pilot and tested it.
PLAN is a web-based planning tool that integrates teaching tasks and available hours, linking them to the annual teaching forecast. In practice, this means gaining insight into teaching capacity and the ability to anticipate changes.
A number of bottlenecks in teaching planning have become increasingly visible and tangible. Following the 2021 advisory from the Institute Council, one thing became clear: something had to change. The Institute Council and Programme Committees identified a lack of transparency in hours and tasks as one of the causes of workload pressure. Director of Education Pascal Haazebroek explains: ‘Each year, the Institute Office issues a teaching forecast. However, translating that into specific staffing and hours required to deliver the planned teaching remains a major challenge. That’s obviously problematic. Departments, for instance, have no clear insight into whether there is enough staff or if new lecturers need to be recruited. That’s not to mention the error-prone nature of Excel and the varied working methods used across units. That was why we started looking for solutions.’
'It is an excellent tool for monitoring workload. It is much clearer to see who is already fully scheduled and who still has space.'
Clarity and accessibility
The Institute of Pedagogical Sciences (FSW), the University of Amsterdam, and the University of Groningen have been using PLAN for some time. This tool is specifically designed for task planning within an academic setting. Now, our Psychology Institute is following.
Zsuzsika Sjoerds, teaching coordinator and responsible for teaching planning at Cognitive Psychology, has been closely involved in the project: ‘For me, this is a huge improvement. The system makes teaching planning clear and accessible. It provides a complete overview of all educational activities. Previously, I worked with Excel, which could be error-prone and became increasingly confusing as the level of detail grew. Now all education building blocks are together and it is more flexible in case of changes. Moreover, it’s an excellent tool for monitoring my colleagues’ workload. Because the tasks have been broken down per block, it is much clearer to see who is already fully scheduled and who still has space.’
The system also meets the needs of lecturers, she continues: ‘Until now, lecturers would receive a preliminary schedule before the academic year started, with later changes communicated via separate emails, often leading to confusion. PLAN provides a transparent view of the current education planning, allowing course coordinators to see their course’s planning. Whether a colleague drops out or an extra work group is needed, we can respond immediately.’
One institute, one method, one system
A new system requires adjustment. Project leader Eva Gast is focused on ensuring a smooth transition. ‘Until now, lecturers and education coordinators have been using their own planning systems and methods. Switching to a new system means a change in working methods. It’s essential for us to incorporate existing experiences. But getting used to the system itself is also an important step. User-friendliness is a key focus.’
To enable us to plan as a single institute using a unified approach within a shared system, common standards are necessary. This ensures that each lecturer receives the same amount of time for a comparable task. While there remains room for variation in tasks between courses, the building blocks are uniform. ‘A great deal of time has gone into this,’ she explains. ‘We have been extremely meticulous in getting insight into standard hours together with the education coordinators. Harmonising these hours has a different impact on each department, sometimes a significant one. That’s why it’s crucial to map everything out carefully before making any decisions.’
'The focus was entirely on the quality of education. And that has not changed, even though the circumstances have.'
Urgency increased
One of the possible misconceptions regarding the introduction of PLAN and the harmonisation of standard hours is that this is a cost-cutting measure. ‘When we started our exploration in 2021, there was no question of budget cuts at all,’ explains Pascal. ‘Back then, the focus was entirely on the quality of education. And that has not changed, even though the circumstances have. However, the financial situation has increased the urgency of gaining a clear overview of the required teaching effort and making efficient use of the available capacity.’
Bugs and errors resolved
Alongside extensive input from education coordinators, the system was tested in a pilot phase. ‘After initially completing the 2024-2025 teaching plan in Excel, we transferred everything into PLAN. That was a substantial task. Not just in terms of volume but also because the system operates slightly differently. Which meant a significant amount of translation and a yearlong double administration.’
Nevertheless, Zsuzsika is glad she did it: ‘A huge number of bugs and errors have been corrected. The system has also been adjusted to better align with the working methods of education coordinators and the way lecturers want to view their teaching tasks. And despite PLAN being structured slightly differently, it has quickly become my primary resource for teaching planning.’
Training sessions
With the pilot phase in Cognitive Psychology now completed, PLAN is ready for a phased roll-out. ‘First, all teaching tasks for the 2025-2026 academic year have been entered and linked to the teaching forecast.’ A huge task, says Eva. ‘Last week, the first training sessions for planners have begun. They will be the first to start working with PLAN. By training everyone properly, the planning process will soon run more smoothly and efficiently. Once all teaching tasks have been fully implemented, lecturers will gain access to the system and be able to view their assigned tasks. This will be from July.’