Managing Teaching Allocations in a University Department: the TAMM model

Abstract

This paper provides via the Internet a computerised model that has been used successfully for over a decade as a decision support system to assist managers of university teaching departments in making allocations of academic staff to courses. The Teaching Allocation and Management Model (TAMM) has been used in university commerce departments and is presented here in a generic form that may be adapted by departments of any discipline. We believe that such models are not widely used in universities or tertiary education generally and that their wider adoption can contribute to improved management, efficiency, effectiveness, and a greater sense of equity among academic staff. The paper describes TAMM, explains how it is used and presents some of its strengths, weaknesses and limitations.