Overview

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Informing principles

As USQ moves to ready itself for the next visit of AUQA there is a recognized need to develop a quality system that allows the university to chart a range of activities within its core business of providing a quality educational product to its students. In addition, the LTSU has identified the need to develop a system that allows the process of course and program approval to feed into, and support, a range of existing and proposed student and course management systems. Currently there is no one USQ system that allows for the charting of elements in courses and programs, such as graduate qualities and skills, changes to course specifications and resultant student evaluations across the program or course. This concept has become known as the course and program approval system (CPMS). Such a system will allow faculties and sections across the university to track, monitor and chart changes in course approvals and the modifications to courses. It will also provide opportunity to enhance student learning portfolios and provide a mechanism by which employability skills and graduate attributes may be linked to student learning outcomes.

Papers relating to this system have already been presented to SLC, ICT Strategy committee, LTEC and Associate Deans meetings. In addition plans relating to the role-out of this system have been endorsed by the Realising our Potential (ROP) Governance Committee, in early February as part of the Program Revitalisation Project plan. The concept diagram associated with these presentations is included in Appendix 1 for you information. Additional information may be accessed through the ROP website.

It is proposed that the CPMS system be developed in two distant phases. The first is to make five changes to the current course specification, by adding three additional fields to the current People Soft ‘Sched’ system by end of 2008. The second, and more complex phase, will coincide with the planned PeopleSoft upgrading in late 2009.

Goals

This system will allow for:

Web interface data entry into pre-configured fields to simplify the development of accreditation documentation, with additional links to the PIP system and the handbook.
The linking of key information with course specifications such as graduate attributes (qualities) with a view to mapping these across programs, potentially identifying areas to be addressed. Information from this system would also feed into the student e-portfolio.
Link with course and program evaluations to flag areas of concern. Links to staff e-portfolio.
Interface with People Soft applications i.e. SCHED and the DEC course materials database
Automatically notify the appropriate people required to approve changes at multiple levels.

Strategic alignment

USQ Learning and teaching plan

Office of quality and planning

Details of Faculty support for an 18 month period

How are you working with faculties to see this work out

Tasks, timelines & budgets

Tasks	Timeline
Circulate plan to faculties for feedback and then finalise	Jan – Mar 08
Phase 1
Gain permission to add appropriate fields to course specifications	Mar 08
Make changes within the Sched system for changes in course specs	July 08
Undertake awareness exercises in faculties	Aug 08
Phase 2
LTSU, PQO & ICT to finalise platform for CPMS	May 08
LTSU & PQO or ICT to develop templates and database	June 08
Create work flow and links to People Soft	Dec 09
Create links to student and staff ePortfolios	Feb 09
Undertake awareness exercises in faculties	June 09
Training (Faculty admin staff, Associate Deans and Heads of Program)	Aug 09
Evaluate new system

Total Resources/ Budget Required

Phase 1

Based on a standard 7.2 hour day the total staff hours required are as follows:

1 SA Student Systems functional staff (Specification and Testing)	80 person days
ICT programming staff	27 person days
1 Student Administration staff member training	2 person days
10 Administrative staff training	4 person days
TOTAL	113 person days

Phase 2

Course & Program Review Project (Implementation of Collection Instruments)
		USQIndex	PQO Data
PQO [No cost impost]
Requirement Gathering & Analysis		40	10
Planning, Design and Modelling		30	25
		70	35
PQO Contract for work undertaken
Requirement Gathering and Analysis	0.6	24
Planning, Design and Modelling	0.6	18
Development, Coding and Unit testing		80	40
Implementation & Integration		80	20
System Testing		20	10
Deployment		30	0
Documentation		40	20
Total Hours		320	125
Total Project Hours		292	90
Level of Employment		7.1	6.1
Approximate Hourly Rates		30	27
Total Cost of Project Element		8760	2430
Total Cost of Project		11190

Note: Level of Employment for USQIndex component of Implementation is costed at Standard Industry Rate. This funding for both Phase 1 and 2 will need to be made available through the ICT strategy committee

Required documentation and policy rewriting

USQ Policy in relation to Course Specifications will need to be altered to allow for additional fields to be added.

Professional development requirements

Some Faculty staff will need to attend LTSU workshops to understand how to map graduate qualities and make links between assessment items and course objectives.

Scholarship opportunities

Constructive alignment is a key topic covered by the project and is worthy of reporting within the higher education community.

Communication plan

ROP Governance updates

Regular reports to ICT Strategy Committee on health of project

Regular communication with the Associate Deans (Academic and L&T) both through the PRP newsletter and in relation to key milestones within the project.

Regular updates need to be given also to the Office of Quality and Planning, particularly in relation to the database they are creating.

Evaluation strategies

LTSU evaluation framework

A1 - Course and program management system