Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
Version: 1.6
Contact: Katarina Thomson
Date: 18 March 2013
Project Hashtag
#coursedata
Start Date
Jan 2012
Lead Institution
University of Greenwich
Project Director
Christine Couper
Project Manager
Katarina Thomson
Contact email
k.e.thomson@greenwich.ac.uk
Partner Institutions
Not applicable
http://www.xcrigreenwich.blogspot.com/
Programme Name
Programme Manager
Ruth Drysdale
End Date
March 2013
Document Information
Author(s)
Katarina Thomson
Project Role(s)
Project manager
Date
18 March 2013
/
var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_4/
263540943.doc
Filename
URL
Access
Version
Date
Comments
V1.0
8/2/2013
V1.1
26/2/2013
V1.2
1/3/2013
V1.3
11/3/2013
V1.4
11/3/2013
V1.5
14/3/2013
V1.6
18/3/2013
Page 1 of 22
Document title: JISC Final Report Template
Last updated : Feb 2011 - v11.0
Project Identifier:
Version: 1.6
Contact: Katarina Thomson
Date: 18 March 2013
Table of Contents
1
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS..............................................................................3
PROJECT SUMMARY..................................................................................3
CONCLUSIONS........................................................................................13
RECOMMENDATIONS...............................................................................13
REFERENCES..........................................................................................14
Page 2 of 22
Project Identifier:
Version: 1.6
Contact: Katarina Thomson
Date: 18 March 2013
Acknowledgements
The University of Greenwich XCRI Project was funded by JISC as part of the Course Data
programme. The University of Greenwich particularly want to thank Ruth Drysdale and Alan Paull for
their help and support during the project.
2 Project Summary
This project represented the University of Greenwichs contribution to the JISC initiative to encourage
universities to adopt a data standard for eXchanging Course Related Information with associated
Course Avertising Profile (XCRI-CAP). In common with the other institutions taking part in the JISC
programme, we produced an XML feed of information about our programmes (=courses) 1 using the
XCRI-CAP standard. This is available from the end of March 2013 at a COOL Uniform Resource
Indicator (URI) (http://w2.gre.ac.uk/data/courses.xml) for outside bodies to access, for example, on
course comparison websites. The XML feed is also available for internal users, and can be
customised and extended to meet their requirements. The XML feed covers a variety of credit-bearing
programmes: undergraduate and postgraduate, on-campus and distance learning, at the university
itself as well as at UK and overseas partners. As a result of the XCRI feed, efficiency and accuracy
are improved: information is entered once as part of the validation and review process and is
subsequently used for many purposes without the need to retype or transfer between systems.
What are called courses in the JISC terminology are called programmes at the University of
Greenwich. The components of programmes are referred to as modules.
Document title: JISC Final Report Template
Last updated : Feb 2011 v11.0
Page 3 of 22
Project Identifier:
Version: 1.6
Contact: Katarina Thomson
Date: 18 March 2013
(deliverable from WP1.11). The closure survey will be completed by these staff in April 2013
(deliverable from WP1.12).
The intention had been to use only existing staff to work on the project, and we invited Alan Paull to
conduct a workshop for technical and semi-technical staff in March 2012 (deliverable from WP2.17).
But, following some staff changes, and a subsequent delay in project work, it was decided to use
some of the JISC funding to bring in a contract business analyst. This also had the added advantage
of applying a fresh pair of eyes on the problems. He worked very closely with the existing project
members, so that all systems would be fully understood in-house once he left.
The Self-Assessment Framework carried out in October 2011 showed that most aspects of the project
design were either not yet agreed or only partially agreed (red or amber). A rough outline of the
system was sketched out at this stage is shown in Diagram 1.
Diagram 1: System diagram at early stage in the project
Potential future document management system
Overnight run
UCAS
Banner Student
Record System
XCRI
Repository
HESA
etc
Marketing
CMS system
Looking back now at this early plan, highlights several points about the subsequent development of
the project:
It was envisaged that most (or ideally all) information for the XCRI feed would come from the
Banner Student Record System. This is a part of the project that has stayed largely constant.
Following proof-of-concept work during stage 1 of the JISC project, we were always
reasonably confident that the information in the Student Record System was complete and
up-to-date and could fill most of the information requirements of the XCRI feed. In the main,
this has been borne out. Exposing the information in this way has led to some updating of
information in the Student Record System, but by and large the information has been of
sufficient quality to use as it stands.
As envisaged in WP3, some amendments were required to validation and review procedures
to dovetail with the XCRI-CAP requirements. This was implemented by the Learning and
Page 4 of 22
Project Identifier:
Version: 1.6
Contact: Katarina Thomson
Date: 18 March 2013
Quality Unit as amendments to the Quality Assurance Handbook, the new version of which
has been in use since September 2012 (see WP3.23).
It was always known that the main gap in information held in the Student Record System
would be a descriptive paragraph about the programmes. Descriptive text about the
programmes are now being imported into the Student Record System from documents held
by the Programmes and Courses Office, but this will probably not be used in the XCRI feed.
This is in part because this text may need to be kept in Rich Text Format for internal uses of
the feed, which does not make it easily compatible with the external JISC-moderated feed.
Also, these texts are too long to be useful as short descriptions in a course search engine.
Longer term, a short programme description may be added to the items collected on
validation and review. If so, this can subsequently be added to the XCRI feed. In the
meanwhile, the main source of description of each programme will be the URL to the
programme-specific page on our own website. This will at least allow the prospective student
to find all available information.
The diagram above skirted around the future need for a full document management system.
We never had the resources to implement this at the same time as the XCRI project, but the
XCRI system is being implemented in a way that does not preclude such a system in the
future.
On the output side, we had hoped that UCAS, HESA and other external bodies would take the
feed. In fact, as far as we know, the only large-scale outside body likely to take the feed in the
short-term is the Graduate Prospects website. This is disappointing and makes it all the more
important that the XCRI feed is used internally.
The original diagram envisaged that XCRI would feed into the Marketing CMS system. This
has not been implemented, although there are on-going discussions about this.
The Self-Assessment Framework was repeated at the meeting of the XCRI Technical
Subgroup on 28 Feb 2013. The contrast to the initial assessment was marked, with no red
flags remaining.
What had not really been foreseen at the time when the original plans were drawn up were the issues
that were to arise over term-effective information. The XCRI feed is not like the Key Information Sets
(KIS) which only has one active version at any one time. An XCRI feed must be relevant for the next
two rounds of applicant as well as current students. If it is used internally for the HEAR, the number of
years to be covered stretches even further. We are using the Presentations to identify this, and our
unique Presentation identifier is a concatenation of Programme number, mode, year start, month start,
enabling term-effective information to be presented.
Page 5 of 22
Project Identifier:
Version: 1.6
Contact: Katarina Thomson
Date: 18 March 2013
In order to simplify and give wider acceptance to the project, the implementation was cut into three
clear stages. Diagram 2 shows the system before the start of the project.
Diagram 2: As-is process
Page 6 of 22
Project Identifier:
Version: 1.6
Contact: Katarina Thomson
Date: 18 March 2013
Diagram 3 shows Stage 1 which is where we are at the moment. This uses the existing programme
data available now in the Student Record System, plus information from Marketing about programmepage URLs, to create an XCRI feed externally. This enables us to comply with the requirements of the
JISC project (deliverable from WP2.19)
Diagram 3: Stage 1 XCRI-CAP feed
(double click to view in Adobe Reader)
Page 7 of 22
Project Identifier:
Version: 1.6
Contact: Katarina Thomson
Date: 18 March 2013
Diagram 4 shows stage 2 on which we have started work. This stage introduces a new access screen
as part the Student Record Systems interface with academics and other users. This will allow
amendment and the entering of additional programme level detail in Rich Text Format (RTF), allowing
the use of formatting options such as bold, underline and tabs. This stage also includes an internal
XML feed to internal subscribers with added RTF programme level data.
Diagram 4: Stage 2 RTF feed
(double click to view in Acrobat Reader)
Page 8 of 22
Project Identifier:
Version: 1.6
Contact: Katarina Thomson
Date: 18 March 2013
Beyond stage 2, progress gets more speculative. Once stage 2 is up and running, an evaluation will
be conducted to decide whether the new feeds would add value to the Marketing presentation of our
programmes on our website. This is the work envisaged in WP 4 of the original Project
Implementation Plan. If so, data will be migrated from the Marketing database to the Student Record
Systems database. An additional approval process would also need to be added before information is
supplied to the website. This is shown in Diagram 5.
Diagram 5: Stage 3 - Data migration to Marketing uses on the website
(double click to view in Acrobat Reader)
The advantage of designing the project in stages is that ultimate possible objectives, such as using
the XCRI feed for the website, which may involve stumbling blocks, do not jeopardise the immediate
objectives such as getting the external XCRI-CAP feed working. The XCRI Project Board has
maintained an on-going oversight, involving evaluation of each stage.
Page 9 of 22
Project Identifier:
Version: 1.6
Contact: Katarina Thomson
Date: 18 March 2013
Factor to Evaluate
Efficacy of XCRI
Project Board
Questions to Address
Are meetings taking
place?
Are the right people
attending?
Is attendance good?
Are any changes
required?
Method(s)
Minutes of
XCRI Project
Board
Review of
actions
agreed
Measure of Success
Regular XCRI Project
Board meetings with
good attendance and
appropriate actions
discussed and agreed
On
completion
of work
package 2
Implementation of
XCRI-CAP feed
with COOL URI
Item for
discussion at
XCRI Project
Board
Work package
deadline met
XCRI-CAP feed with
COOL URI in place
On
completion
of work
package 3
Embedding of
collecting and
updating of XCRI
information within
existing procedures
Item for
discussion at
XCRI Project
Board and
Learning and
Quality
Committee
Work package
deadline met
Quality Assurance
Handbook amended
At the end of a
complete cycle of
information
gathering: is the
XCRI information
Page 10 of 22
Document title: JISC Final Report Template
Last updated : Feb 2011 - v11.0
Project Identifier:
Version: 1.6
Contact: Katarina Thomson
Date: 18 March 2013
being maintained in
the manner
intended
On
completion
of work
package 4
Item for
discussion at
XCRI Project
Board
Work package
deadline met
Information for the
website and
prospectus being
pulled from the
XCRI feed
Outside
organisations pulling
information from the
XCRI-CAP feed
On going
Internal
stakeholder
engagement
Whether feedback
from internal
stakeholders is
positive and/or
constructive
Summative
assessment
at end of
project
Overall success of
project
Item for
discussion
at XCRI
Project
Board
Invitation to
feedback
from
internal
stakeholders
Item for
discussion
at XCRI
Project
Board
Invitation to
feedback
from stakeholders
Whether objectives
and outcomes have
been achieved on
time
Whether the XCRI
feed is now in use
for the supply of
information about
programmes and
Page 11 of 22
Project Identifier:
Version: 1.6
Contact: Katarina Thomson
Date: 18 March 2013
Assessment
report on
the project
to be written
by Project
Manager
Feedback
from JISC
on
assessment
report and
dissemination
modules
Whether the existing
procedures such as
the quality
assurance
framework have
been updated to
embed the
collection of XCRI
information about
new programmes/
modules and the
maintenance of
XCRI information for
existing
programmes/
modules
Assessment report
being able to list
impacts and
benefits achieved
Whether feedback
from stakeholders is
positive and/or
constructive
Whether feedback
from JISC is positive
Page 12 of 22
Project Identifier:
Version: 1.6
Contact: Katarina Thomson
Date: 18 March 2013
Conclusions
In general, it is possible to conclude that the external provision of information about our programmes
continues to increase in importance. The need for accurate and timely information that is gathered in
a reliable and efficient way is of key importance to universities trying to recruit in a difficult climate.
The adherence to external standards is helpful in achieving this.
The opportunity to review and improve internal procedures from time to time is helpful. Even when
existing procedures are working well, small tweaks can improve the efficiency of information
gathering and the accuracy of the resulting information. The structures of a formal project (project
implementation plans; timelines and milestones; project board meetings with agendas, papers and
minutes; assessments of project achievements) enhance communication between different parts of
the institution and the flow of information.
The JISC management of the project as a whole worked well, with a good balance between on-line
and face-to-face meetings. The opportunity to meet with other institutions doing similar projects acted
both as a check that we were on the right track and a spur to further action. However, because there
were only a few other institutions using the same Banner Student Record System as us, we were not
able to engage in any close co-operation with other institutions.
Recommendations
The University of Greenwich are grateful for the help and support given by JISC throughout the
project. The face-to-face and on-line meetings have been useful for keeping in touch with JISC and
with other projects. However, it has been a source of frustration that JISC have not been able to
persuade more outside bodies to promise to make use of the feeds. In particular, the lack of interest
shown by UCAS has undermined the usefulness of the exercise. We would recommend that JISC
should maintain responsibility for:
(a) keeping a directory of public XCRI-CAP feeds
(b) continuing to try to persuade outside bodies to request course information in the XCRI-CAP format
and
(c) keeping a register of external websites known to be using the feed.
Page 13 of 22
Document title: JISC Final Report Template
Last updated : Feb 2011 - v11.0
Project Identifier:
Version: 1.6
Contact: Katarina Thomson
Date: 18 March 2013
At the University of Greenwich, the XCRI project has been implemented in a way that makes use of
existing business processes, tweaking them to provide relevant information. This has meant that we
have minimised the change component and have not introduced any costly new overheads for
maintaining the system. Other than the purely technical costs of maintaining the XCRI-CAP feed, this
means that the project is fully sustainable into the future. Although the active phase of the project is
now finished, the Project Manager will continue to have a watching brief for any changes in the XCRI
specification and how the feed is used in the outside world for at least the next year. For example,
once course-search websites start to use the feed, we may wish to compare the type information that
we are providing in specific fields with other institutions, and tweak the system if necessary.
References
Page 14 of 22
The Project Management Guidelines have detailed instructions for preparing project plans and work packages..
Fill in the information in the document header project name, document version, and date.
WORKPACKAGES
Mon
th
1: Project management
2: Implementation of
XCRI-CAP with COOL-URI
3: Embedding collection
and updating of XCRI
information within
existing procedures
4: Embed use of XCRI
within external
supply of programme
information
5: Dissemination and
engagement
6:
7:
8:
Project start date: Jan 2012
Project completion date: Mar 2013
Page 15 of 22
Document title: JISC Final Report Template
Last updated : Feb 2011 - v11.0
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
Project Identifier:
Version: 1.6
Contact: Katarina Thomson
Date: 18 March 2013
Duration: 15 months
Work package and activity
Earliest
start date
Latest
completion
date
Outputs
Milestone
31 Oct 2011
21 Nov 2011
21 Nov
30 Jan 2012
23 Jan 2012
29 Feb 2012
16 Feb 2012
Responsibilit
y
WORKPACKAGE 1:
Objective: Project Management
31 Mar 2012
On going
Page 16 of 22
Report
submitted 28
Oct 2011
19 Oct 2011
21 Nov 2011
30 Mar 2012
Meetings held:
19 Oct 2011
9 Nov 2011
14 Feb 2011
24 Apr 2012
27 Nov 2012
13 March 2013
Technical subgroup:
28 June 2012
4 Oct 2012
20 Nov 2012
7 Jan 2013
28 Feb 2013
Project
Manager
XCRI Project
Board
Project
Manager
Project
Manager
Project
Manager
Project
Manager
Project
Leader/
Project
Manager
Project Identifier:
Version: 1.6
Contact: Katarina Thomson
Date: 18 March 2013
Earliest
start date
On going
Latest
completion
date
Outputs
Milestone
25 May 2012
Meetings
attended:
16 Sep 2011
26 Oct 2011
28 Oct 2011
14 Nov 2011
20 Jan 2012
7 Feb 2012
15 Feb 2012
14 Mar 2012
30 Mar 2012
2 Apr 2012
18 May 2012
19 Oct 2012
14 Nov 2012
29 Jan 2013
15 Feb 2013
25 May 2012
24 Nov 2012
23 Nov 2012
Draft: 28
Jan 2013 15
Feb 2013,
Final version:
10 Mar 2013
22 March
2013
28 Apr 2013
5 April 2013
Draft: 12 Feb
2013;
Final: 18 Mar
2013
Page 17 of 22
Responsibilit
y
Project
Leader/
Project
Manager
Project
Manager
Project
Manager
Project
manager
Project
Manager
Project Identifier:
Version: 1.6
Contact: Katarina Thomson
Date: 18 March 2013
Earliest
start date
Latest
completion
date
Outputs
Milestone
Responsibilit
y
Jan 2012
Mar 2012
XCRI Project
Board
Nov 2011
Feb 2012
Specification document
XCRI Project
Board 14 Feb
2012
XCRI Project
Board 14 Feb
2012
Jan 2012
Apr 2012
XCRI Project
Board
Jan 2012
Apr 2012
Jan 2012
Appropriate
timing to be
agreed
Dec 2013
XCRI Project
Board 24 April
2012
XCRI Project
Board 14 Feb
2012, 24 April
2012
25 Mar 2012
Software
Jan 2013
June 2012
April 2012
Jan 2013
Dec 2013
March 2013
XCRI Project
Board 27 Nov
2012
IS
XCRI Project
Board
Sept 2012
Mar 2013
XCRI Project
Board 13
March 2013
XCRI Project
Board
WORKPACKAGE 2:
Objective: Implement an XCRI-CAP feed with a
COOL URI
13. Reach agreement on the depth of information
what will be included in the XCRI output
Page 18 of 22
SRS/IS/PAS
SRS/IS/PAS/
XCRI Project
Board
Project
Manager
SRS/IS/PAS
Project Identifier:
Version: 1.6
Contact: Katarina Thomson
Date: 18 March 2013
Earliest
start date
Latest
completion
date
Outputs
Milestone
Responsibilit
y
Jan 2012
June 2012
XCRI Project
Board 24 April
2012
(preliminary
discussion)
Jan 2012
Sept 2012
June 2012
June 2013
XCRI Project
Board 24 April
2012
(preliminary
discussion)
New
Handbook in
use from Sept
2012
To be
reviewed in
June 2013
Learning and
Quality
Committee/
XCRI Project
Board
Learning and
Quality Unit in
consultation
with
Marketing /
Learning and
Quality
Committee
Learning and
Quality Unit/
Learning and
Quality
Committee
WORKPACKAGE 3:
Objective: Ensure the sustainability of the XCRI
project by embedding the collection and
updating of XCRI information within agreed
procedures
Page 19 of 22
Project Identifier:
Version: 1.6
Contact: Katarina Thomson
Date: 18 March 2013
Earliest
start date
Latest
completion
date
Outputs
Milestone
July 2012
Dec 2012
XCRI Project
Board, 13
March 2013
July 2012
Dec 2012
XCRI Project
Board, 13
March 2013
Oct 2012
Mar 2013
Postponed
until XCRICAP feed has
embedded
Jan 2013
June 2013
Postponed
until XCRICAP feed has
embedded
Responsibilit
y
WORKPACKAGE 4:
Objective: Embed the use of XCRI information in
the external supply of programme information
Page 20 of 22
Development
and
Communicatio
ns / XCRI
Project Board
Development
and
Communicatio
ns / XCRI
Project Board
Development
and
Communicatio
ns
Development
and
Communicatio
ns / XCRI
Project Board
Project Identifier:
Version: 1.6
Contact: Katarina Thomson
Date: 18 March 2013
Earliest
start date
Latest
completion
date
Outputs
Milestone
Responsibilit
y
Powerpoint presentations
Articles
Workshop
planned for
Recruitment,
Admissions
and Access
conference, 6
June 2013
Presentation
planned to
Partner
College
Directors
Group, 15 May
2013
Presentation
planned to
Partner
College
Directors
Group, 15 May
2013
March 2013
Project
Leader/
Project
Manager
On-going
contact at
JISC
meetings, but
no actual
sharing took
place
IS / Project
Manager
WORKPACKAGE 5:
Objective: Dissemination and engagement
29. Publicise XCRI project within the university
On going
Jan 2012
Mar 2013
Presentations, articles
Sept 2012
Mar 2013
Sept 2012
Mar 2013
Software, reports
Jan 2012
Mar 2013
Page 21 of 22
Project
Manager
Project
Manager
IS / Project
Manager
Project Identifier:
Version: 1.6
Contact: Katarina Thomson
Date: 18 March 2013
Role
Project Leader
Project Manager
Liaison with work within the Learning and Quality Unit
Business Analyst
Analyst Programmer
Programmer
Page 22 of 22