1. Transforming the undergraduate curriculum at MMU Birmingham | May 2012
Professor Mark Stubbs
Head of Learning & Research Technologies
Tuesday, January 01, 2019

2. An interesting place to work!
Large, popular, multi-campus university
37,000+ students | 1,000+ courses | consolidating from 7 sites
Pursuing an ambitious transformation initiative
New Buildings, New Curriculum, New Admin Processes & Systems, New Learning & Mobile Tech, New Quality Processes…
AIM = step-change improvement in student experience

3. Student Experience: mixed?
And how do you find the student experience?
I assure you parts of it are excellent !
Learning Environment
Learning Environment
Corporate Systems
Admin Systems

4. Student Experience: varied?
37,000+ students
1,000 + courses
1,500+ tutors
7 sites

5. Student Experience: declining?

6. Doing something about it…
In the current climate
“We can’t change anything because we’d have to change everything”
but
Diminishing unit of resource
but
but
Everything depends on everything else
but
but
We are large and risk averse

7. “Who dares wins”  Necessary Sufficient ? In the current climate
but
“So.. let’s change everything!” vc
Diminishing unit of resource θ
but
but
Everything depends on everything else
but
but
We are large and risk averse

8. EQAL New Curriculum New Admin Systems & Processes
A coordinated strike for step-change improvement
In the current climate
Diminishing unit of resource
Everything depends on everything else
We are large and risk averse
but
New Curriculum
designing new units, …
New Admin Systems & Processes
personal timetabling, …
New Virtual Learning Environment
Moodle & myMMU web/mobile, …
Programme Board chaired by DVC Student Experience
New QA & QE Processes
facilitating curriculum transformation

9. MISSION:
2010 Q1: Plan Programme & Projects Q2: Approve curriculum rules Q3: Develop Unit Spec forms Q4: Enter new L3 + L4 Units Q1: Approve new Units Q2: Set up SRS, TT & VLE Q3: Launch new curriculum & systems Q4: Enter new L5 Units ….

10. Cut-down Unit (module) web form
Data entry had to be simple using forms familiar to academics
30 credits, max 2 summative assessments
Constructive alignment & grad outcome tagging
Data collected once with precision & structure necessary for re-use

11. Flow of new curriculum definitions
moodle.mmu.ac.uk
CustomTables
Agresso Students
868 Units designed, approved, set up in Agresso, timetabled, populated in Moodle & ready to go in 12 mnths
Capture once with right structure & precision then re-use as needed

12. Getting the experience back
Strong calls for consistency
New Systems, Processes & VLE
Hygiene factors impacting overall experience
Learning Environment
Admin Systems
Personalised egg cups for 37,000 !
Two stripes: Web services + Consistent identifiers
Admin Systems

13. Wrapping the institution around the learner
This work is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 licence
Wrapping the institution around the learner
news, events
, storage
past exams, digitizations
deadlines, enrolments
resource lists
timetables
moodle.mmu.ac.uk
… and faculty-based ELSOs to give staff the confidence to use Moodle

14. Wrapping the institution around the learner
This work is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 licence
Wrapping the institution around the learner
Student ID
Timetable

15. Wrapping the institution around the learner
This work is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 licence
Wrapping the institution around the learner
Student ID (+ Unit code)
Hand-in dates / extensions / marks
Personalised submission sheet

16. Wrapping the institution around the learner
This work is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 licence
Wrapping the institution around the learner
Unit code
Resource list
Relevant resource

17. Wrapping the institution around the learner
This work is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 licence
Wrapping the institution around the learner
Unit code
10,000+ past exams uploaded since Christmas
Past exam papers
Past exam paper

18. EQAL priorities for next cycle
Communication, communication, communication
CeLT as critical friend in module redesign
Getting data earlier for timetabling
New L5 live Sep 2012
New L6 live Sep 2013

19. Find out more about… MMU’s EQAL curriculum transformation
Our initial drive for responsive curricula
MMU’s EQAL curriculum transformation
Our review of learning technologies
How we built our integrated VLE
Where we’re going next with Assessment & Feedback

20. Student feedback Institutional Student Survey
Nov 2011: 10,716 left 58,000+ comments
Mar 2012: 7,106 left 33,000+ comments
All data tagged with module / course codes
Module/Course leaders see their anonymised feedback
Statistical analysis ranked predictors of overall satisfaction
Course organisation
Building confidence
Teaching quality (explanation, feedback, advice)
Learning resources
Age

21. In the coming year… Continuous Monitoring & Improvement
Presenting module & prog leaders with BI data & capturing plans for improvement / modification
Resource utilisation
Student engagement
Student satisfaction
Student success
New Mobile Strategy for 2013
More personalised, more self-service, more location-aware
Institutional tech which complements personal tech