Date post: | 25-May-2015 |
Category: |
Education |
Upload: | jisc-rsc-east-midlands |
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Insight into Planning your
Curriculum
Debra GrayJoe Fojut
Debra Gray Assistant Principal
Introduction
Joe FojutHead of MIS
• This session aims to highlight how effective curriculum planning can raise success rates and create significant efficiencies while improving learner voice and employer relationships
Session Purpose
Specific Aims
As a result of attending this session you will be equipped to:• Review your curriculum holistically and ensure it is
directly linked to local, region and national labour market intelligence
• That each programme makes a financial contribution and how to improve accountability and responsibility in curriculum managers
• We will also explore how cross college working between curriculum teams, MIS and finance have led to a more effective offer and a better budget cycle
History and Background
• A medium GFE• 80% Vocational• 10,000 learners
History and Background
Our Circumstances
Roll Over
Uninspiring
Lack of scrutiny and viability
Internal Drivers
Finance
Success Rates
Innovation
External Drivers
Wolf
Funding Methodology
Employability
The Audit
540 Hours
Viability Review
Growth and Decline
June
Offer complete on EBS and finalised budgets
MayDraft Timetables (inc induction)
AprilCurriculum Set Up and draft budgets created
MarchOffer 'Purchased'
FebruaryDraft Curriculum Offer
DecemberCurriculum Planning Day
The Cycle
Launch Day
All relevant academic and support managers
Offsite
Active and interactive
Planning Day
Bespoke to each faculty
MIS and Finance reps
Offsite away day
LMI
Local, regional and national
Matched to new offers and retired offers
Creation of pathways and additionality
English and Maths
Careful choice
FS are still the qual of choice for most vocational learners
GCSEs could compromise your success rates – the cohort needs to be chosen carefully
Additionality
Do not reduce just to save on teaching and exam fees
Powerful tool in your success rates arsenal
Clear employment benefits to learners
Enrichment
Link to wellbeing and
resilience
Link to employability and success
rates
The Purchase
Panel meeting of MIS, Finance, SMT with the Head and Curriculum Managers of an area
Line by line analysis of the proposed offer
Approval, decline or resubmission
The Systems and IT
What data needed capturing:
Qualification Information
Delivery Particulars –
Hours/Dates etc
Costs – Staffing, Course Costs, Learner Costs
Income – Funding and Fees Contribution
Planned Learner Numbers – by
funding type
Planning for 2012/13
• First year for fully costed planning• Short development timescale and no budget• Developed large detailed XLS for each area• Linked to LARA extract for funding• Captured all required information• Income, Costs and Contribution derived• MIS system updated with planned
information
Planning for 2012/13
Planning for 2013/14
• Unable to continue with Spreadsheet solution due to:- Wolf changes - Diverging, complex funding methodologies- Undefined funding rules
• In-house development time excessive and continuing
• Risk too great
Planning for 2012/13
System for 2013/14
• 4Cast – Drake Lane Associates• Re-written for 2013/14 planning • SQL Server Client based application• Replicated our spreadsheets in easy to
navigate forms• Support has been excellent• Open to suggestions
System for 2013/14
• Permission based access to required level of data
• Imported 13/14 course file• Able to plan a programme of courses as both
a Wolf Programme for 16-18s and as a set of individual aims for adults
• Live link to LARA extract and SFA quals spreadsheet
• Managers understood the process already
4Cast
Information and Outputs
• Flexible/Multiple Screen Layouts available• Summary Information visible• Dashboard Views are included• Inbuilt Validation Rules• Can export to XLS, XML or PDF
Information and Outputs
Programme View of a course - headlineProgramme View of a course - headline
Income and Costs for a course
Dashboard ViewDashboard View
The Partnership
MIS
Curriculum
Finance
The Response
“4cast allows me to see how our programmes fit together; going away for planning is brilliant; then when we sit down with SMT it feels good when we get their stamp of approval when they purchase our offer.”
Paul Maude – Curriculum Manager Catering and Hospitality
The Response
• “The new process means that we are not just doing the same curriculum planning every year. It is under continual review, and we can see direct comparisons against historic data on a live basis.
Trevor Burton, Head of Advanced Technologies
The Response
“We had a new, and what appeared to be complicated, process dropped on us at short notice to ‘help make Curriculum more efficient and its planning more effective’. As you can probably gather from my opening statement I was not looking forward to this process! “My initial, sceptical, opinion was soon quashed as I began to explore the document and I found just how powerful this spreadsheet was. All of my Curriculum in one place, with all the associated information with it; dates, numbers of learners, qualification aims, funding, material costs and a wealth of information to assist me in consolidating the Curriculum. Most importantly, we can actually see how our courses perform financially and ensure that we are a viable area. Humble pie tastes quite good when it is a simple to swallow as this was!” Nick Rudkin – Curriculum Manager, Carpentry and Joinery
• The College had its Curriculum offer in place by Easter 2013, which is 6-8 weeks earlier than normal. Whilst the full impact of the new Wolf compliant study programmes is yet to be realised the College is happy that their curriculum offer is robust ,exceptionally well planned and made the best use of cross college expertise in MIS, Finance and business development.
The Results
Saving of £2.2
million in 2012/13
Projected savings of
£1.7 million in 2013/14 Increased
success rates
The Results
Next Steps
Further consolidation
Increasingly sophisticated
LMI
Training programmes for CMs and Heads
Next Steps