Chuck out your Paper Chintz

2. Chuck out your Paper Chintz • Any Librarians? • How many use printed handbooks? • Employ any MetaData Experts?

3. Staff & Student Information@ staffs • Paul Boardman - Director of the Process Improvement Programme - PiP • JISC Exemplar Site • Building Learning Communities - BLC • PiP

4. Tales of... • How two teams became one • Two approaches • Teamwork

5. The Problem • Staff information • Student Information • Concerns for the ‘Environment’

6. The Players…. • Franchesca Francis - Registrar & Dean of Students • Ken Sproston - University Secretary • Sheila Dexter - Quality Support • Web team

7. Dreams and Deliverables • Ken’s ‘Golden Dream’- one staff Handbook • Franchesca - Took on the challenge from Modular Development Committee • PiP - Remit for the redesign of Management of Student Information Core Process

8. Staff Handbook • Ken had almost achieved a staff handbook on 2 previous occasions since joining Staffs • seconded Rachel Baker - mammoth clerical task • Criticisms from colleagues: - not centrally available - version control • Once done - no excuse for not maintaining

9. Change of Perspective • Need to move from reactive to proactive handbook “It started as Rules,Regulations, Arrangements and Procedures but it became clear that it was going to be a general information resource for staff” • First meeting was in autumn ‘98

10. Student Handbook • Modular Development Committee voiced its concerns - task group set up with Deans, Associate Deans, School Administrator, Student Records, etc • Variable quality of info was delivered via Student Handbooks • Consistency needed!!!

11. Perennial Problems • Best presentation for Students? • How - Format • Where - Registration • When - Regulation changes - Annually • Problem - Retention - Scalped and Dumped

12. Write once -use many times • Award Versions tailored to needs of students • Validations- panels having information they require • General Handbook • Award Handbook • Module Handbook • Validation Support Document

13. Help from the Centre • Sheila Dexter from Quality Support - Award Handbook and Validation Support Document • Helen Heath - Student Records, looking at the General Handbook • Expertise in each sub-group used on the appropriate area of information

14. Lists of Lists • Each would take their allotted piece and work on it • Bring back to the Group • Agree the divisions of headings and documents • 4 lists of headings were agreed

15. Time-scales & Objectives • Went to QDC as recommendations • QDC asked to consider time-scales and objectives • September 1999 for General Handbook • September 2000 for Awards Handbook

16. Staff Handbook • Ken was Chair of Internal Quality Audit-IQA • Sheila was Secretary to IQA • One of IQA’s original aims was to map what was happening within and across the University - massive task!

17. Developed a list of major functions and then sub areas of those functions • Obvious connections to Rachel’s document collection • Staff Handbook - initially much more of a data collection exercise • Much more data in circulation - but not co-ordinated

18. Bring out your dead! • There was a co-ordinated Student Handbook and had been for some time • Vast quantities of paper emerged from every dark corner - much of it irrelevant • Both teams were running in parallel • Both had agreed to focus on end user needs and requirements!

19. Atoms or Electrons? • Students need a ‘generic set of info that they must have access to’ • Staff have a broader ‘useful’ category - depends on their roles • Staff site on the intranet would be easier to achieve and progress faster • Student site predicated on the usefulness of materials for future developments

20. Compare & Contrast • Staff HB - more straightforward - but labour intensive,with endless chasing of documents • Student HB - seen as the first part of an on-going series of developments -Award and School specific • Single sources of info - linked electronically

21. Meanwhile..back at the Ranch.. • Franchesca had been working with the Student’s Union, redrafting the regulations • Personalising them • Staff info still retained ‘distant’ prose • Ken and Franchesca had to reach the ‘critical point’ • Realised that similar outcomes were required- albeit different Info.

22. The Web and all that.. • The team- Geoff Bridgewood, Mike Cheung,Julie Adams,Eric Halliday,PiP team • Agreed on PDF and Web text • Developed navigation -based on 3 layers • Spent the summer scanning and putting the documents onto the sites- regular progress meetings

23. Show and Tell • Presented to University Management Team in September ‘99 • Sent a merged email to all students and an all Staff email • Staff and Student NT image had to be updated- wrong time of year to ask! • Rapid redesign for radio buttons

24. So What? • Estimated Cost savings - £43,000 • Annual cost savings of over £20,000 • University forms are next - but that’s another story!

25. What have we learned? • Team work! - divide the tasks between empowered teams- utilise interest and experience • Involve Librarians - metadata experts! • Set ‘Stretched Goals’ with a presentation to hierarchy in the diary • Maintain pace and don’t leave it to one or two • Agree to provide info once by the most appropriate person

26. There’s more.. • Introduce the right people at the right time • Only user-centred design and language • Choose the right ‘Project Champion’ • See that the experience is rewarding • Move from atoms to electrons- its easier than eating beavers to save trees!