1. JISC accreditation: making the right
moves for responsive course design and
approval
Marianne Sheppard, JISC Advance
Rachel Forsyth, Manchester Metropolitan University
Nicola Whitton, Manchester Metropolitan University
Thursday, April 19, 2012 Event Name and Venue 1

2. Curriculum design
JISC project: Supporting Responsive Curricula.
• Responsiveness: The ability to recognise
change drivers, and to make changes, in a
timely manner.
Thursday, April 19, 2012 Event Name and Venue 2

3. Planting Ideas
• Stakeholder workshops used scenarios to prompt
discussion.
• This highlighted barriers to responsiveness:
culture and processes.
• Outcomes were used:
– to press for changes in processes.
– to design staff development materials to help with
discussion about culture.
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4. Thursday, April 19, 2012 4
Image: model of responsiveness

5. Curriculum design and approval
• Usually causes stress and confusion –two of the
barriers to responsiveness.
• Curriculum tools devised
– to simplify planning
– to encourage debate.
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6. 1 – Planning cards
• Encourage discussion
• We can throw in wildcards
• Very popular with staff
• Easier to try out ideas than
with paper documents
• Can be used with mixed academic/admin teams to
highlight implications of change (eg
admin, timetabling)
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7. 2 – Accreditation! The game
• Encourages discussion
about any frustrations
about processes
• More effective than
explaining the process
via presentations?
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8. Playing the game
• Play in pairs or as individuals
• Read out dilemmas to other players: don’t read
out option consequences until they’ve chosen
• Keep handy any card which strikes a particular
chord for later discussion
• You need five quality stars to proceed into
another zone
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9. Summary
• Variety of techniques needed to get effective
discussion;
• These techniques encourage collection of
examples and scenarios;
• Need to involve mixed groups of
planners, programmers, administrative and
academic staff
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10. Availability
Game is available on Creative Commons licence:
http://jiscdesignstudio.pbworks.com/w/page/4408
7950/Accreditation!
Thursday, April 19, 2012 AUA12 10