PALET: Programme Approval Lean Electronic Toolset

1. PALET: Programme Approval Lean Electronic Toolset The key objective of the PALET project is to develop an electronic toolkit to support the University’s approach to developing, approving, managing and maintaining its rich and complex academic provision. The key is to develop a ‘total’ approach integrating the human and the electronic, the educational and the administrative. The project will develop processes and systems to ensure that the provision offered by the University is of a high academic standard, provides an attractive student experience, and is market relevant. As part of this, the project will seek to introduce a more formalised approach to business planning and will pilot approaches to ‘cohort electronic networking’ as part of the toolkit to support Curriculum Design. CURRICULUM DESIGN: Supported Curriculum Design Processes BUSINESS PLANNING: Improved Business Planning in Programme Approval PROCESS: Revised Procedures for Programme Approval and Management COMMUNICATING THE CURRICULUM: Streamlined Information for Students MANAGING THE CURRICULUM DESIGNING THE CURRICULUM The PALET project has used lean thinking to review and revise programme development and approval processes at Cardiff University. The project is working to develop and pilot an electronic process to support the revised quality processes, which will enable Academic Schools to manage the approval of their programmes and development of programme information in a single system (SITS). PALET has provided the University with a unique opportunity to transform its approach to supporting curriculum design. In collaboration with a range of other projects, PALET is piloting approaches to ‘hard-coding’ curriculum developments, especially in respect to assessment, into our administrative systems, creating a ‘golden thread’ of support as part of the implementation of the University’s new Education Strategy, and exploring whether we can create a system of ‘cohort electronic networking’ (utilising Lotus Connections) to link academics in individual and in different Schools, and between academics and education and quality assurance support staff, to have rich conversations about curriculum design. Programme Management Processes Programme Management Principles Curriculum Design: Cohort Collaboration & Networking Reorganisation of Programme Structures Feasibility Study and Business Case Programme Costings COMMUNICATING THE CURRICULUM The PALET project is working to ensure that clear, relevant and appropriate information about programmes and modules is made available to students, staff and applicants from a single source of data (SITS). Programme and module descriptions suitable for a student audience will be captured within the SITS system. Web Services have been developed to enable the programme information to be published to students via University Websites, Programme Handbooks and Learning Central (VLE). Staff Development: Curriculum Design Programme The Inclusive Curriculum The Student Voice Skills and Employability Streamline Information Digital Literacy (DIGIDOL) HEAR Key Information Set XCRI Student Charter Standard Handbook Programme Structures School Websites Assessment Matters Blackboard (VLE) Cardiff Futures