Certainly! Here’s the revised version with clear headings, improved formatting, and retaining all original content to keep it as detailed as possible:
University of Bradford
Mission Statement
Our core mission is ‘Making Knowledge Work’. We are a provider of high-quality teaching, informed by internationally recognised research and knowledge transfer. This enables students to achieve their educational aspirations and allows staff to enhance their careers within an inclusive, supportive, and sustainable environment.
Website: www.bradford.ac.uk
Key Facts
Learner Statistics
- Undergraduate: 9,632
- Postgraduate: 4,560
- Full-Time (UG & PG): 9,725
- Part-Time (UG & PG): 3,278
Courses Offered
- Undergraduate Courses: 140
- Postgraduate Courses: 80
XCRI Champion
Claire Gibbons
Institutional Awareness of XCRI-CAP
In 2009, two individuals from the University of Bradford attended the WYLLN XCRI-CAP seminar in Leeds. The timing of the event aligned with the University’s efforts to address issues surrounding the collation and presentation of course-related information.
After the event, an initial impact assessment was conducted to identify the cultural and technical challenges associated with XCRI-CAP implementation. The assessment revealed that, while technical implementation would be relatively simple, cultural challenges presented more significant barriers.
A scoping exercise was conducted to identify key individuals within the university, and a meeting was arranged with representatives from Academic Standards, Admissions & Enquiries, Management Information Systems (MIS), Student Records, Schools, and Recruitment. The goal was to raise awareness of XCRI-CAP and outline a project to create course catalogues. Technical and project management representatives from WYLLN were also present to offer support.
Although there was broad support for the implementation of XCRI-CAP, Deans and Academic Directors appeared uninterested, as they perceived no immediate impact on their operations. However, all parties were interested in the concept of creating a ‘single point of truth’ for course-related information.
Internal Systems Pre-Implementation
Before developing the internal Content Management System (CMS) with XCRI-CAP compliant templates, the marketing team received Word documents containing information to advertise courses. These documents were used to create the university’s prospectus, which was formatted into accessible PDF documents. These PDFs were then manually ‘cut and paste’ to create the online prospectus.
Strategic Drivers
The strategic drivers for the University of Bradford in implementing XCRI-CAP included the need to:
- Develop a course directory
- Create a content management system (CMS)
- Establish a dedicated web team
- Increase efficiency and effectiveness in managing and presenting course-related information
Implementing XCRI-CAP was seen as an opportunity to help achieve these objectives by:
- Creating consistency in the approach to collecting, collating, and presenting course-related information
- Streamlining internal processes
- Establishing a ‘single point of truth’ for course information
- Supporting the development of a CMS
- Enabling ‘print on demand’
- Moving away from a prospectus-driven operation
- Improving responsiveness to new ideas and courses
- Creating content online
- Supporting the promotion of undergraduate, postgraduate, and CPD courses
At an early stage in the XCRI-CAP implementation process, it was agreed that the scope of the project would initially focus on transforming undergraduate course information. This ensured that the impact on teams outside the web and marketing departments was minimized, and resources required for implementation were kept to a minimum. Consequently, the Senior Management Team was not involved in the decision-making process at this stage.
WYLLN technical and project management resources supported the University of Bradford by:
- Holding mapping workshops to review current data structures against the XCRI-CAP standard
- Supporting brainstorming sessions to identify opportunities and key stakeholders
- Providing expertise and guidance on XCRI-CAP implementation
- Helping staff to gain comfort and knowledge in implementing XCRI-CAP
Process
The following steps were taken in the XCRI-CAP implementation process:
- XCRI-CAP compliant templates were built into the CMS
- The latest undergraduate course information was used to populate the templates
- The templates were used to feed both online and print course advertising information
Challenges
One of the key challenges for the University of Bradford in implementing XCRI-CAP was identifying and allocating resources. Although individuals had the necessary technical skills and capabilities, they had very little spare capacity to take on additional activities.
Another ongoing challenge was determining where the data should reside—whether it should be part of Student Records (linked to SITS) or stored within the Content Management System (CMS).
Additionally, the internal XCRI champion had to develop communication strategies to ensure non-technical staff could understand the principles behind XCRI-CAP implementation without being overwhelmed by technical jargon. The guidance and materials provided by the WYLLN team helped the internal team develop new communication styles and messages that were accessible to all staff.
It was also recognized that implementing XCRI-CAP would result in changes to existing workflows and require staff to adopt a different approach to generating course content for marketing purposes in the future.
Aspirations
The University of Bradford’s aspiration is to transform the way it collects, collates, and presents course-related information so that it can respond more efficiently to external market demands and opportunities. This transformation would allow the university to add or remove course offerings quickly and effectively.
The institution also recognizes wider opportunities in postgraduate and CPD (Continuing Professional Development) studies, as well as increasing internationalization. The university aims to remain receptive and responsive to these emerging markets.
By implementing an effective course management system based on XCRI-CAP, the University of Bradford hopes to utilize course-related information more effectively, allowing it to better respond to new and evolving markets.
Conclusion
The University of Bradford recognizes that many higher education institutions (HEIs) use similar CMS systems. It has identified the need for CMS vendors to respond to the emergence of XCRI-CAP and provide greater support for institutions wishing to implement the standard.
Looking ahead, there are future projects planned for the wider implementation of XCRI-CAP within the university. These projects will require specific project management and technical resources to ensure success. Proposals are being drafted for presentation to the Senior Management Team, and at this stage, Pro Vice-Chancellor (PVC) level involvement and support will be essential to take the implementation process further.
Last Updated: Friday, 14 October 2011, 19:48
