EUNIS 2014 Congress Elite Award-winning talk given about the unprecedented pace and scale of change undertaken at Manchester Metropolitan University to transform the student experience through the Enhancing Quality and Assessment for Learning (EQAL) project

1. Transforming the Student Experience:
Manchester Metropolitan University’s
EQAL Project
Professor Mark Stubbs
Head of Learning & Research Technologies
http://twitter.com/thestubbs
http://slideshare.net/markstubbs
Umeå | Jun 2014
#eunis14

2. Context | An interesting place to work!
• Large, popular, multi-campus university in North West of England
– 36,000+ students | 1,000+ courses | consolidating from 7 sites to 2
• Pursuing an ambitious transformation initiative
– New Buildings, New Curriculum, New Admin Processes & Systems,
New Learning & Mobile Tech, New Quality Processes…

3. Context | Strategic improvement imperative
Student Retention
Success &
Satisfaction
Student Intake
(Aspirations, Attitude
& Abilities)
Learning, Teaching, Assessment
& Personal Development
Processes, Facilities
& Resources
Reputation
Marketing &
Recruitment
Processes
All Year Numbers
Resource allocation
League table rankingsA
A Recruit to target
B
B Improve satisfaction, retention & success
C
C Inform decision-makers

4. Understanding how best to make a difference
Careful diagnosis of (diverse) learning experiences
• Recurrent messages
– NSS analysis: course organisation determines Q22
– Mobile surveys: deadlines, timetables… (m-admin)
– Focus groups: consistent, easy to find info
• Great (and not-so great) expectations
– “engaging, well-organised courses”
– “inspirational tutors who know me”

5. Coordinating our response
B
Improve satisfaction, retention & success
Great
Online Experience
(Seamless, personalised)
Great
Learning Spaces
Great
Teaching
Simplify
Unwieldy
Curriculum
€420M

7. • A coordinated strike for step-change improvement
EQAL | Scope
New Curriculum
• designing new modules, …
New Admin Systems & Processes
• personal timetabling, …
New Virtual Learning Environment
• Moodle & myMMU web/mobile, Talis Aspire…
New QA & QE Processes
• facilitating curriculum transformation
In the current climate
Diminishing unit of resource
Everything depends on everything else
We are large and risk averse

8. MISSION:

9. 868
L3+L4
modules

10. Recognised: watch & learn
how staff use tech
Recommended: staff set up
& we train to integrate
Arranged: we set up
institutional accounts & train
staff to use
Core: we set up & train staff
and tell students to expect a
consistent ‘front door’

12. Wrapping the institution around the learner
This work is licensed under a Attribution-
NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 licence
megamashup
mws

13. 1
Wrapping the institution around the learner
Student ID
Timetable
This work is licensed under a Attribution-
NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 licence
Sync to
personal
device

14. Wrapping the institution around the learner
Student ID (+ Unit code)
Deadlines / extensions /
feedback return dates / provisional marks
Personalised submission sheet
This work is licensed under a Attribution-
NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 licence

15. Wrapping the institution around the learner
Unit code
Resource list
Relevant resource
This work is licensed under a Attribution-
NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 licence

16. Wrapping the institution around the learner
Unit code
Past exam papers
Past exam paper
This work is licensed under a Attribution-
NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 licence

17. MyMMU App
m-admin

18. Engaging our
students
Providing
business
intelligence
Automating
our
processes
Are we in a better place now?

19. Continuous Monitoring & Improvement
MDL SRS TT
Data Warehouse Analysis
Cubes
Undergraduate Dental TechnologyNetwork (11209A)
Overview Students Success Satisfaction Engagement Standards Applications Employment
Head count [now] of [all]studentsfor [all modes][all enrolments]
Enrolled
268 (95%)
Withdrawn
0 (0%)
Suspended
0 (0%)
Repeat w/o attend
14 (5%)
#STUDENTS TOTAL L3 L4 L5 YO L6 L7
Undergraduate Dental Technology
Network (11029A)
268 83 73 67 45
- BSc(Hons)Dental Technology (6266) 184 73 67 44
+ BSc(Hons) Dental Technology (6266_1F) 73 73
+ BSc(Hons) Dental Technology (6266_2F) 67 67
+ BSc(Hons) Dental Technology (6266_3F) 44 44
+ BSc(Hons)Dental Technology (6267) 1 1
+ FDSc Dental Technology (621C) 62 62
+ FDSc Dental Technology (6264) 21 21
How has my studentcohort changed?
Higher than
faculty average
Lower than
last year
5%-5%
5%
-5%
PLP
Parents in HE
Mature
Live at home
Higher than
last year
Lower than
faculty average
Live at home 12%
PLP 4%
Mature 6%
Disability 3%
BME 8%
Male 42%
International 4%
In response to this information,I intend [to highlightthe followinggood practice]
Previously,the Programme Leader committed to…
On 21/03/13 Done?
On 22/02/13 raisewith the Dean targets for the part-time courses Complete
CMI: Undergraduate Dental TechnologyNetwork(11209A)
Overview Students Success Satisfaction Engagement Standards Applications Employme
Satisfaction [onall ISS] of [all]studentsfor [all modes][all enrolments]
Course Satisfaction
0% 100%50%25% 75%
69%
#Enrolled
Response
Explanation
Feedback
Advice
Organisation
Resources
Confidence
Overall
Undergraduate Dental Technology Network (11029A) 268 30% 100% 93% 93% 87% 96% 95% 100%
- BSc(Hons)Dental Technology (6266) 184 30% 100% 93% 93% 87% 96% 95% 100%
- 6266_1F 73 27% 100% 95% 95% 95% 95% 100% 100%
- 6266_2F 67 31% 100% 100% 95% 81% 100% 95% 100%
- 6266_3F 44 32% 100% 79% 86% 86% 93% 86% 100%
60.0%
65.0%
70.0%
75.0%
80.0%
85.0%
90.0%
95.0%
100.0%
2011
2012
2013
2011
2012
2013
2011
2012
2013
2011
2012
2013
2011
2012
2013
2011
2012
2013
2011
2012
2013
EXPLANATION
FEEDBACK
ADVICE
ORGANISATION
RESOURCES
CONFIDENCE
OVERALL
C

20. Change management lessons
1. Understand important dynamics
2. Be clear what needs to be done
3. Set high-level goals
4. Understand where change is required
5. Be bold and plan holistically
6. Ensure you’ve got the right team to drive
7. Make ‘big asks’ as small as possible
8. Make it stick with reinforcing change
http://tinyurl.com/jiscmmusrcCurriculum Design
Assessment & Feedback http://tinyurl.com/jiscmmutraffic