1. Enrolment for 2005 … and Beyond Ritchie Theatre, UNSW 27 August 2004

2. 1. Welcome – Topics Objectives + Agenda Robert Morrell, Student Systems & Publications Office myUNSW - Services Overview Sarah Thomson, Student Systems & Publications Office The Course Catalogue, Class Scheduling, Requirements, NSS Enrolment Controls Geoff Whale, Business Systems Development Services NSS Class Management: A User’s Perspective Stephen Parnaby, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Online Handbook Kieran Fitzpatrick, Business Systems Development Services Timetabling, Academic Rules and Academic Advising Geoff Whale, Business Systems Development Services Problems, Issues, Gaps + The Way Forward

3. Objectives To establish a ‘baseline’ understanding of the current capability and limitations in NewSouth Student for supporting academic rules and core academic administration processes. To enable staff in faculties to prepare for 2005 enrolments. To provide a preview of future directions and priorities for enhancing capability and addressing existing issues.

4. Method To bring together various ‘players’ and stakeholders in academic administration and on academic committees. To present an overview of key academic administration functionality in NewSouth Student, and describe how these functions are used in enrolment processes, myUNSW and the Online Handbook. To identify future directions.

5. NewSouth Student – Milestones Initially released in 2000 - development continues Fundamental shifts Standardised credit point system Terminology changes ‘Rules’ based system Student Self-Service – esp. for web enrolment NSS Online > myUNSW Introduction of workflow-based processes Course Catalogue, Class Schedule Virtual Handbook New assessment policy, processes and reports – incl. Eccles New academic standing policy and procedures New fee policy – based on courses and unit of credit for tuition fees

6. NewSouth Student – Gaps No academic advising Leads to pressure to ‘improvise’ other forms of online support Virtual Handbook Sitar (program advice, simple rules engine) Cola (course-level advice, complex rules engine) Extensive use of enrolment controls and requirements to define and impose ‘progression pathways’ Some current UNSW requirements [esp. exclusions] not well-handled in NSS Despite incremental gains, no institution-wide timetabling

7. NewSouth Student – Gaps Change management issues not fully addressed … Current understanding of facilities and maintenance processes is uneven Academic administration roles and responsibilities not defined or clearly implemented – in faculties or central units Need to align jobs, roles and responsibilities with current business needs

8. Challenges, Opportunities, Dilemmas [COD] What are the current abilities and limits for NSS implementing and supporting UNSW’s academic rules? How can these be addressed? What is the UNSW coursework program model? What is a ‘major’? What is a ‘specialisation’? What defines these? What is a ‘subject area’? How does this relate to fee policy? How well do we support students in combined degree programs? Do our program, major, enrolment and progression rules and requirements help or hinder students to pursue their academic goals? Are we ‘best practice’? What impacts will the new budget model and any fee policy changes have on our academic offerings?

9. Challenges, Opportunities, Dilemmas [COD] We provide a diverse range of printed, online and in- person advice and information to students. How are these used? Why don’t students take our advice? If the Academic Board were to abolish pre-requisites, co- requisites and exclusions tomorrow, how would we cope? A small number of students don’t follow the requirements for the program / plan they’re enrolled in. How should we respond? ‘Everyone agrees’ that Academic Advising is one of the most pressing issues for faculties and Student Administration. How do we move it forward?

10. The things we used to do, we don’t do those things no more … DEST is moving away from a semester-based, full- time/part-time view of measuring what students do [built around two fixed census dates] and how they should be supported, to a more flexible unit of study based measuring system, allowing ‘floating’ census dates. What impacts will the Higher Education Reforms [under HESA] have on our academic structures, programs, offerings and rules? What can we learn from these reforms? What opportunities do they open up?

11. Systems today and tomorrow Academic Advising Students, Advisers Results History Timetabling Syllabus Plus Existing functionality Potential functionality Program Rules WebCT- Vista Students, Staff Course Catalogue Class Schedule Online Handbook Enrolment Requirements Enrolment Quotas Reserve Capacities Meeting Times myUNSW Equivalent Courses All users Students, Staff (proposed) Configuration maintained by Schools

12. 2. myUNSW – Services overview myUNSW enrolment process: Integrated with workflow processes, especially for commencing students ‘Shopping trolley’ concept Reasonably intuitive, with online help and links to support tools Students can design cohesive timetable either manually or through auto-timetabling functionality before committing to enrolment

13. myUNSW – Services example Examples of myUNSW enrolment functionality: 1.Advanced class search 2.Search for course list by student’s program/stage with plan selectable 3.Class selection including choosing between on-campus Lecture/Tutorial delivery and Web class 4.Viewing timetable grid with clashes 5.Auto-timetabling functionality to select non-clashing options Process example: class search, detailed enrolment

14. myUNSW – enrolment control Enrolment controls limit and prioritise access to classes: Prerequisites, corequisites and exclusions Overall quotas Reserve capacities Consent-based enrolment Term/session unit limits Career pointer exception rules Enrolment appointments

15. 3. Course Catalogue Purpose Maintains history of all course changes Captures fundamental characteristics of a course under several offerings Provides template for new sets of classes New record should be created only for genuinely new courses

16. Course Catalogue growth Active: in handbook and can be scheduled Unpublished: not in handbook but can be scheduled (RSCH etc) Not current: remain active, but not currently offered

17. BIOM 9027 PGRD Course Catalogue structure Components Offerings LEC Titles: Medical Imaging Units: 6 Consent: No Grading basis: GRD TUT LAB BIOM 9027 PGRD BIOM 9027 UGRD BIOM 4020 UGRD Effective date: 2003-09-09 Effective date: 2002-01-01 Effective date: 2000-07-31 Equivalent Course Links to class schedule Enrolment Requirements (per offering)

18. Course Catalogue: multiple offerings Each offering can have its own Subject area and/or catalogue number Career Campus Other: faculty, school (though usually fixed) Enrolment requirements Preferred mechanism for Subject area aliases for differential fees (MINE/MNNG) Subject area aliases for promotion (EURO/HIST/JWST) Multiple careers (UGRD/PGRD) Process example: creating a new offering

19. Course Catalogue components Components Capture activities undertaken by student: 1. Nominal (one component per course): thesis, work experience, web, honours 2. Conversion default (one component per course): lecture 3. Regularly timetabled (up to three per course): lecture, tutorial, seminar, laboratory Process example: adding a Web component

20. Course Catalogue linkages Description extracted to online handbook (currently) Equivalent courses all equivalent courses link to common object Enrolment requirements links to enrolment requirement setup Process example: aliasing existing courses

21. 4. Class Schedule Classes enable student enrolment in a given session Identifies cohort engaged in specific activity Enrolment managed by Overall quota Quota for identified groups (reserve capacity) Consent (where required) Full timetable and location details Component-linked classes allow students’ complete timetable to be recorded Structure must be stable prior to enrolment period

22. Class Schedule growth Active: available (possibly stopped), enrolment not zero Empty: available, no enrolments Inactive: cancelled or tentative

23. Empty classes: where and why? Goal: improve accuracy of class schedule so it reflects genuinely available and running courses Classes: 1642 Open: 542 (33%) Consent: 738 (45%) Other: 362 (22%)

24. Class Scheduling models (common) A. Implicit choice LEC LAB LEC TUT LAB TUT B. Explicit choice, non-associative Pick lecture stream Pick tutorial Pick lab Models simplified since introduction of myUNSW: hides administrative class detail from user

25. Class Scheduling models (extended) Enrolment procedure: Choose association first, then TUT if applicable WEB LEC TUT Association 1Association 2 Association: grouping of classes that represent complementary activities

26. Class Schedule: structure Process example: adding web classes Reserve Caps Session: S1 Section: M11A Component: TLB Dates: … Capacity: 18 Consent: None Status: Active Tutor’s details Program 3400: 10 Places reserved for Arts & Social Science students Tutorial part of tut-lab starts week 2 Meetings Notes Program 3420: 4 Mon 11:00–12:00 All weeks, no clash Quad G049 Dates: … Mon 12:00–13:30 All weeks, no clash Leaf lab Mech Eng Dates: … Tutor’s details Demonstrator’s details

27. Class Schedule: the future Increasing need for accuracy (HESA reforms) Increasing need for completeness (WebCT-Vista requirements, timetabling) Staff portal could present class structures in different ways from NSS/Citrix panels Irrelevant fields suppressed Easily extended to collect timetabling parameters

28. 5. Enrolment Requirements Purpose: To express required background in terms of prior or concurrent course completion To record essential and logical progression rules To limit access to professional courses to relevant cohort Never intended to mimic program rules by establishing rigid pathways independent of required knowledge

29. Enrolment Requirements Supported rule types Specific course prerequisites and corequisites Prior knowledge in terms of units completed in subject area, faculty or overall Program restrictions Simple logical combinations of these Rule types poorly supported Course lists subject to frequent change Complex “if-but-maybe” networks Exclusions

30. Enrolment Requirements: exclusions Complexity of configuration precludes widespread use: Data Offerings Components Description Requisites (1) Taxonomy Owner Course Catalogue Enrolment Requirement Group Requisite (3-5) Parameters Detail (2) Detail Params Requirement (3) Params (1) Controls Line Item (4) Line Item Params (2) Line Item Controls Line Item Detail (2) Academic Requirement Description (3) Detail (2+) Parameters Course Lists Other enrolment requirements Exclusion requirement Course Identifiers Exclusion course list Exclusions:1 Courses:2 Panels:9 Entry fields:22 Often avoided by using equivalent course links

31. Enrolment Requirements examples Examples from Arts & Social Sciences courses shown later

32. 6. Enrolment Controls Overall quotas apply to all classes Class Sections panel provides ability to Monitor demand in real time Adjust quotas Change class status Class utilisation website (over) shows class enrolment by subject area (daily refresh) Subquotas created for program-based cohorts through reserve capacities

33. Class Utilisation web pages www.cse.unsw.edu.au/~nss/sitar/classes Updated daily

34. Class Sections panel Overview of class status, capacity and total enrolment All classes for a course in one scroll area Immediate feedback Can update (except for class cancellation) Process example: adjusting class limits

35. Reserve Capacities Part or whole of class enrolment quota reserved for students meeting enrolment requirement Predefined codes for every active program20PPPP by faculty (based on program) 4FF0 by seniority (units completed in multiples of 6)6UUU Multiple subquotas possible Date driven: can “unreserve” later

36. 7. Class Management – a user’s perspective Areas of responsibility: Class scheduling Enrolment requirements Reserve capacities Class scheduling approaches vary across faculty: ENGL3754 – tutorials and lecture fully represented PHIL1010 – students enrol in tutorial timeslot, actual classes assigned by school SOCA#### – school negotiates tutorial classes at first lecture, based on nominal room bookings

37. Class Management – enrolment reqts Frequent changes – high maintenance Common faculty rules – progression by maturity Minimum units for upper level Minimum units in subject area Minimum average mark in subject area or overall Exclusions currently quite prolific Process example: reviewing typical enrolment requirements:

38. Class Management – reserve capacity Process example: extending and managing reserve capacities: THST2143 has one open class and one reserved for Dance Education students Subquotas possible by faculty or seniority (units of credit completed in multiples of 6)

39. 8. Online Handbook February 2003: Academic Board sponsorship for project to redevelop the Online Handbook Concerns about currency, quality, controls No integration with printed Handbooks

40. Online Handbook – Objectives Policy and Governance: A policy and standards- based approach to student publications, including handbooks University Rules: Rules and processes must be communicated clearly Content: Must be accurate, relevant, complete and authoritative Marketing: Presentation must be attractive and engaging

41. Online Handbook - Solution

49. Online Handbook - Status Data is being migrated by Student Systems and Publications now Handbook editors can access CMS system now, to review migrated data and get some experience with the system Courses will be migrated from NSS on September 21 Handbook web site to go live in late September

50. 9. Timetabling – state of play UNSW has no coordinated strategy for updating the academic timetable UNSW uniquely uses no scheduling tools Some parts of the timetable are in a 1970s time warp Low effective utilisation of physical resources and time Poor choices for students, especially in combined programs

51. Timetabling – room utilisation 9am-6pm Source: CATS bookings, S1 2003 Large: 180-500 seats (excl. Clancy, NSG, Ritchie, Sci; 16 theatres) Medium: 100-168 seats (22 theatres) % of time room is booked % of seats occupied when in use

52. Timetabling – 2005 Removal of Heffron theatres squeezes last drop from safety margin Planning tools non-existent: one-off analysis and manual adjustments CATS-2 system exacerbates scheduling problems, difficult to justify continuation Need for wider range of learning space, yet no drop in demand for conventional rooms Progress hampered by incomplete and inconsistent record of facilities on NSS (see over)

53. Timetabling – CATS/NSS correlation Source: CATS bookings, S1 2004

54. Timetabling – 2006 Development of centralised timetabling procedures has been proposed, but awaits funding for detailed analysis Principles Improve utilisation, goal is accepted standard of 75% (frequency times occupancy) compared to current 50% Increase available course combinations for students Smooth chronological peaks Even the playing field for recently introduced courses Accommodate preferences where possible Business process: Class schedule roll forward (indicative class structures) Schools adjust parameters for class size, room requirements Data exported to scheduler Provisional timetable reimported to NSS + bookings to CATS Amendments require approval + manual room bookings

55. 10. Academic Advising Manual checking processes represent on-going headache for staff and students Features of UNSW program rules: Scale – 527 UGRD/PGRD active programs, 2967 active plans (major, minor, specialisation) Complexity – many kinds of interacting rules Inconsistency – similar plans have minor differences, why? Ambiguity – some rules subject to interpretation Instability – changes occur regularly, so cohort-specific PeopleSoft AA suits US rulesets (complex but in a different way from UNSW) Hybrid system possible: PS tables, UNSW rules engine, web presentation + simpler, more uniform program/plan rules No cheap solution exists, requires rule rationalisation

56. Academic Advising – complexities ENGL HPSC KORE GREK CHIN GERS HIST JAPN EDST INDO MUSC LING PHIL SLSP POLS FREN POLS RUSS THST SPAN AUST COMD ITAL EURO SOCW LATN SOCA WOMS MATH IROB COMP ECON BIOS PSYC General Education Overall units Max 12uc @ level 1 IBUS 3400 Arts Major sequence areas Other Arts areas Other faculty areas Min. plan units

57. Academic Advising – sample report p.1/2 Program requirement – 3502 Commerce  Overall units: 42/144  General Education (Commerce & Economics) Overall units: 0/12 Own faculty courses (max 3 units) Option (3 units):GENC#### Other faculty Gen Ed (max 12 units) Required (9 -12 units from):GEN[~C]#### ZGEN####  Limits: no more than 60 units of Level 1 courses Completed (48 units).  Level 1 core courses (36 units) Completed (30 units): ACCT1501 ACCT1511 ECON1101 ECON1202 ECON1203 In Progress (6 units):ECON1102 [WD] Required: nil

58. Academic Advising – sample report p.2 Plan requirement – MARKA13502 Marketing (single major)  Overall units: 6/48  Stage 1 courses (6 units) Completed (6 units):MARK1012  Stage 2 courses (24 units) Required (24 units):MARK2051 MARK2052 MARK2053 MARK2054  Stage 3 courses (12 units) Required (12 units):MARK3081 MARK3082  Options (6 units) Required (6 units from): MARK1014 MARK3071 MARK3072 MARK3091 MARK3092 Plan requirement – ACCTA23502 Accounting (minor)  Overall units: 12/24  All courses (24 units) Completed (12 units): ACCT1501 ACCT1511 Required (12 units):ACCT[234]### FINS3626 Free Electives Completed (6 units): COMP1091 Unused Courses – these do NOT count in this program No courses in this category

59. 11. Problems, Issues, Gaps [PIG] Academic Admin and Handbooks: Roles and Responsibilities Articulating the UNSW coursework program model Combined degree programs Reviewing and rationalising plans, courses, classes and requirements Academic Advising Timetabling Reviewing the Academic Calendar

60. 12. The way forward – potential projects & initiatives Timetabling Sponsors: Professor Robert King (DVC Academic), Dr Alec Cameron (DVC Academic), Academic Board (Academic Services Committee) Academic Calendar Review Sponsors: Professor Robert King (DVC Academic), Academic Board (PAC) Academic Rules and Academic Advising Sponsors: Professor Robert King (DVC Academic), Professor Adrian Lee (PVC Learning & Teaching), Academic Board (PAC, Committee on Education) Roles and Responsibilities Sponsors: Professor Robert King (DVC Academic), Deans / VCAC Combined Degree Programs Sponsors: Professor Adrian Lee (PVC Learning & Teaching), Academic Board (USC, Committee on Education)

61. Further Information? myUNSW my.unsw.edu.au site map: www.my.unsw.edu.au/student/sitemap.html Ask NSS Questions Send an email to the explode email: "NSS Question"