Overview
Background
New processes are required to support the upcoming University wide short courses platform and related technologies. The new dedicated Short Courses Platform will provide a one-stop shop for Edinburgh University’s non-accredited courses. Schools currently use a variety of platforms for course delivery and each School has its own processes for providing support to learners seeking information about and registering for courses, or who need support for a technical or other issue.
The courses on the new platform are non-credited and are aimed predominantly at "Learners" who are most likely to be non-affiliated with the University and will not require to enrol on EUCLID or matriculate as students to undertake their learning.
Scope
The project will;
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Understand as-is learner enquiry management and support arrangements for existing short course teams
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Cost and scope different learner support models
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Define and agree a plan to implement agreed learner support model and related teams
Out of scope
- If any new roles/posts are required this project will not undertake the actual recruitment. The plan and the budgeting will be agreed with the appropriate line manager(s) and they will lead the appointments.
- Business administration processes such as catalogue QA and VLE templates will be covered by separate projects.
Objectives and Deliverables
| Objective 1 | Understand existing (as-is) learner enquiry processes and trends | Date | |
| Deliverable 1.1 | Agreed questions to gather information from existing short course teams | S | 19/05/23 |
| Deliverable 1.2 | Summary findings from discussions with existing short course teams | M | |
| Objective 2 | Propose possible future (to-be) learner enquiry processes and teams | ||
| Deliverable 2.1 | Initial draft of to-be options with input from key stakeholders already supporting short course learners or undertaking pre-arrival enquiry management | M | 18/08/23 |
| Deliverable 2.2 | Workshops with wider stakeholder groups to confirm feasibility of options | S | 15/09/23 |
| Deliverable 2.3 | Cost to-be options and propose roles required or any team changes | S | 13/10/23 |
| Deliverable 2.4 | Future (to-be) learner enquiry recommendation report |
M |
31/10/23 |
Stakeholders
| Bayes Centre | Teresa Ironside |
| Biosafety Training Institute | Susan Woodman |
| Business School: Executive Education | Sandra Stirling |
| Centre for Open Learning | Claire Young |
| Edinburgh Clinical Research Facility | Jo Merrifield |
| Edinburgh Global: Study and Work Away | John Bennett |
| Information Services | Karen Howie, Myles Blaney, Fiona Buckland |
| Medical School: Clinical Educators Programme | Fiona Willox |
| School of Health in Social Science: Clinical Psychology and Nursing Studies | Nasseem Fazel (until mid-Jul 2023) then Emily Gribbin / Catriona Morley |
| School of Law | Lucy Gaunt |
| School of Social and Political Sciences: Research Training Centre | Rohanie Campbell-Thakoordin |
| Usher Institute: Health and Social Care Talent Programme | Sharon Levy |
| Vet School: CPD Courses | Laura Wardrop |
Benefits
- a clear learner enquiry process will make it a consistent learner experience for all learners no matter what school the course is delivered by
- agreed processes for the recording of learner enquiry data will help inform course teams and the University on the quality of course data and learner expectations
- agreed processes for the retention of learner enquiry data will ensure the University complies with data processing regulations.
Success Criteria
- The recommended to-be process is accepted by existing disparate course teams and approved by the Project Board
- Clear plan for the implementation of new processes and any team changes agreed to allow line managers to progress with the changes
Project Milestones
See deliverables table above