Building the flex-semester transition roadmap: progress through collaboration

Continuing engagement across the University is ensuring alignment of priorities, sequencing and communications.

Over the past few months, the Academic Calendar Team has been connecting with staff and students across the University to inform planning for the flex-semester transition. These conversations are helping to build a clear and considered roadmap that reflects a shared understanding of what is required for a successful implementation. 

We would like to thank everyone for their continued engagement. The project team has worked closely with faculties and divisions to explore academic and operational readiness considerations. The team held faculty-specific workshops with more than 200 academic and professional staff to support early planning for curriculum design, resourcing and ongoing communication.

The team has also engaged staff across campuses by attending Town Halls and participating in school events at Paddington, Bankstown, Canberra City and ADFA. Staff in the divisions have been equally active, with more than 1000 staff contributing through Town Halls and one-on-one meetings.

This collective effort has supported the development of 75 functional impact assessments, capturing impacts, process changes, dependencies, key deadlines and transition requirements. Despite the diversity of activity across the University, consultations have shown strong alignment on key priorities, particularly the need to sequence and prioritise initiatives and to communicate transition milestones clearly.

Insights from these consultations have supported the development of the first draft of the flex-semester Business Case, which is now progressing through the University’s governance process. The Business Case is scheduled to go to UNSW Council for endorsement in October, which will provide certainty for planning and resourcing across the University.

Supporting students remains a core focus of the project. The team is working closely with student representatives to ensure students remain actively involved in shaping the transition and that their needs are prioritised throughout the change.

Over the coming months, the Academic Calendar Team will continue refining implementation plans in partnership with faculties, divisions and students. This will include detailed timelines for curriculum transformation, planning for systems and processes, student support initiatives, and targeted communications to ensure staff and students are well informed and ready for the changes ahead.

For more information about the flex-semester transition, including frequently asked questions, please head to the Academic Calendar website.

If you have any questions or would like to share feedback about how the implementation may affect you, please contact the team via the feedback page or connect with your faculty or division leaders.