Phase 4 priorities

While there are multiple improvements to Portico and related processes planned for Phase 4, our primary focus is on three key deliverables.

Curriculum Data Maintenance

Curriculum Data Maintenance includes two main components of new functionality that enables departments to create, review, edit and sign-off module, module delivery and programme details with full descriptions as part of the annual academic review and UCL prospectus entries.

Modules and Assessments
Reports can be downloaded to Excel to identify whether modules are up to date or to check if requested changes are now live, along with details of new modules and their statuses.
Changes required for forthcoming deliveries, such as class sizes, terms or tutors, can also be identified. Each module and its deliveries can then be retrieved and withdrawn, suspended or amended. New deliveries and links to other modules and credit options can also be created, all of which is then reflected in the UCL Module Catalogue.

Programmes
The purpose of the Portico Programmes’ functionality is to allow departments to:
- Edit module diet help-text, the explanatory text displayed to students in module registration;
- Amend module collections (adding or removing optional/ elective modules).
Users can search by single programme code, Multiple Programme Codes or use
*Wildcards for partial entry to search for Programmes to edit.

Exam Board Enhancements

As part of Phase 4 of the Academic Model Project (AMP) continuing enhancements to the exam board process are being implemented. There are a number of areas being looked at relating to the process, from Exam Board Tasks via Portico, improvements to Exam Board Reports and new Data Quality and Statistics reports.
Changes to Portico Reports and Exam Board Processes were rolled out for the exam board period in 2019/20. Following on from this, these teams are now building upon the work started last summer and implementing improvements. Feedback has highlighted a number of opportunities for enhancements to support both Administrators and Academics.
The aim is to ensure that preparation for exam boards and exam boards themselves are made more efficient. We are working to ensure that the all the necessary tools are in place so that departments can be well prepared for exam boards.
We will be delivering new reports to support data quality and pre-board checking to help ensure exam boards can be run more effectively, more time-efficiently and allow for exam boards to focus on other agenda items relating to their programmes that may not have been focused on in the past.

Early Module Registration (EMR)

As part of Phase 4 of AMP, for 2020/2021 module registration, a small group of continuing undergraduate students from the Faculty of Laws have piloted early module registration and selected their modules in March and April 2020
All new students will continue to select their modules, as they currently do, once they’ve completed pre-enrolment and all other continuing students (ie non-Laws undergraduate pilot student) will select their modules once they’ve completed re-enrolment in August 2020.
The requirements to enable early module registration for the pilot students have been gathered and testing on the module registration process have been completed
From July 2020, students will be informed of their approved and rejected selections, given access to their timetable and given information on any clashes. Also, students will be given an opportunity to request an amendment to an early selection if they wish.
During March-June 2020, in consultation with the early module registration working group, other amendments/enhancements to the module registration process will be designed and developed, these are;
· Student ‘Amendment/Re-Selection’ functionality on Portico
· Waivers to pre-requisites
· Improvements to approvals and amendments functionality for departments, new tasks and reports for module registration which includes EMR, new student selections, Re-Selection (if rejected from a selection by the parent and / or teaching department) and a Student Initiated Changes..

Programme Summaries

As part of Phase 4 of the Academic Model Project, we have been continuing work on Programme Summaries from the initial collection, which was completed in 2017/18. The summaries are the ‘single source of truth’ for programme information and will provide the source material for the prospectuses, public facing websites and information that will be sent to offer holders. The single source of programme information will be held in Portico and will be available to edit. We are working closely with the Communications and Marketing department (CAM) and the Digital Presence (DP) team to ensure they will be able to populate the prospectus removing the need for them to undertake a separate copy call exercise. CAM is proposing to implement this change in Autumn 2020.
The scope of AMP Phase 4 includes establishing a process for the ongoing maintenance/amendments and creation of programme summaries for which the editor functionality will be used. The process for programme withdrawal is also included in the scope for this work.

Change of Circumstances

The Academic Model Project is working to develop a new process for ‘Changes of Circumstances’, which is currently held in C2RS on Portico or handled via paper based forms. The Project is focusing on a number of aspects of changes to circumstances. Initially the focus will be on the procedure for processing Interruptions; whilst Withdrawing from programmes, Changes to the programme a student is on and Changes to Modes of Attendance will be considered in the coming months.
For Interruptions a new process will see an all-electronic form and process which aims to eliminate the need for a paper based form, and a faster more efficient process via an online portal in Portico. A better tracking system of a student’s interruption and more communications means a better overall experience for both students, departments and faculties.
More automation will be used to speed up the processing of interruptions. Work is being done with Student records and academic departments across UCL to gather technical requirements needed to improve and speed up this process.
The project is also looking to ensure a better student experience is incorporated in the interruptions process by ensuring the return to study is clearer to all parties involved.
For Withdrawals, Changes to Programmes and Changes to Modes of attendance, a better online system will be developed to replace C2RS in the future.

Extenuating Circumstances

•   GDPR compliance to protect sensitive information and/or documentation.
•   Improve data quality in request which will expedite the process.
•   Automate required communication which will save staff time and inform the students in a timely manner.
•   All decisions in one place will save staff time and reduce the risk of not complying with an EC decision.
•   Improved student service if process is joined up with other related processes and easier to complete.
•   Improve statistics on requests and decisions.