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Dixon, StellaMaintaining Quality during Curriculum Change.Further Education Development Agency, London(England).ISBN-1-85338-409-7Nov 9517p.

Further Education Development Agency, Citadel Place,Tinworth Street, London SEll 5EH, England, UnitedKingdom (3.50 British pounds).Guides Non-Classroom Use (055)

MFOI/PC01 Plus Postage.*Curriculum Development; *Curriculum Evaluation;*Educational Quality; Foreign Countries; Guidelines;Postsecondary Education; *Quality Control; Records(Forms); Technical Institutes; VocationalEducation*United Kingdom

This document,.which is designed for individualsresponsible for curriculum development and delivery at furthereducation (FE) colleges in Britain, offers guidance on curriculumplanning, implementation, and evaluation and contains an instrumentfor monitoring quality throughout the curriculum change process. Thefirst half of the document details an ongoing curriculum developmentprocess that includes the following steps: initial stage (recognizingthe need for change and deciding to initiate planning for a specifieddevelopment); planning stage (identifying a planning team andobtaining approval of the new development and detailed plans forimplementing it) ; implementation stage (conducting a continuousprocess of identifying an implementation team and making initialcontact with prospective learners) ; and evaluation stage (conductingperiodic and ongoing evaluations concurrently with the precedingthree stages). The next section lists for team leaders and collegecurriculum managers the specific guidelines that pertain to thefollowing aspects of curriculum development/implementation: planning;leadership, people, and communication; resources; and evaluation. Thesecond half of the document discusses considerations in developing aninstrument to monitor program quality throughout the curriculumchange process. The appendix contains a red alert form to use whenproblems identified in a curriculum require urgent action. (Containsacknowledgements and a list of seven related documents) . (MN)

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November1995

STELLA DIXON

CONTENTS

CURRICULUMDEVELOPMENT 1

THE MONITORINGINSTRUMENT 8

CONCLUSIONS 13

UNRESOLVED ISSUES 13

RELATED PUBLICATIONS 14

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 14

APPENDIX 15

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U.S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION0N,ce ol Educal-onal Research and Improveroont

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATIONCENTER (ERICI

0/17his document has been reproduced asre:erved Irom the person or orgarwalonOrigniatingMnor changes nave been made toimprove reproducuon qual.tv

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"PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THISMATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY

TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCESINFORMATION CENTER IERICI"

Maintainingquality duringcurriculumchange

Curriculum change and develop-ment are always challenging. At thepresent time when the context inwhich they take place is cl..anging,they are particularly so. At suchtimes, the maintenance and enhance-ment of quality can becomevulnerable.

This publication can help by offering:

guidance on curriculum planning,implementation and evaluationhelping to get it right first time

an instrument to monitor qualitythroughout the process, providing aquick and easy way of checkingwhether all is well

CurriculumdevelopmentWhatever the nature of thecurriculum development, whether itis introducii ig a new GNVQ ormaking the delivery of an existing

--/".41"!.""ft liti-"7:2-1.4.--'"No4

programme more flexible, the processcan be seen as a series of four stages,which sometimes overlap

THE INITIAL STAGE

This starts with a recognition of the needfor change and finishes with a decisionto go ahead with the planning for aspecified development.

THE PLANNING STAGE

This begins with the identification of aplanning team and ends with approvalor accreditation of the new develop-ment and the completion of detailedplans.

THE IMPLEMENTATION STAGE

This begins with the identification of animplementation team and making initialcontact with prospective learners; thisstage is continuous.

EVALUATION

This stage is both periodic and ongoing.It overlaps with the previous stages.

Another way of representing thesestages is as a cycle (see Figure 1).

Evaluationstage

(analysisand review)

Initial stago(decision)

Planningstage

(design)

Implementationstage (action)

Figure 1.

Many people in different positions willbe involved in the curriculum develop-ment process at various times. Thesemight include:

the senior management team (SMT)

the senior curriculum manager

the course/progi a mme manager

P*21,1!,n't,rfurtlinr Ffigle-q101.1)enfltorament/10,-encv,

the quality mailager

a cross-college co-ordinator (e g. ofGNVQ developments)

the planning team

the delivery team

the internal approvals committee

academic board

heads of schools, divisions or faculties

awarding bodies

students

advisory boards/employers

Exactly who is involved and at whatstage will depend on a number offactors, for example:

the nature of the proposed change

the culture of decision making in thecollege and the processes involved

external requirements

the structure of the college (e.g. linemanagement and its links withcurriculum and quality management,the existence of cross-college co-ordinators)

the experience and expertise of thoseinvolved

It is important that these factors areconsidered in relation to any proposeddevelopment and decisions made aboutwho is to be involved and why. There-after everyone will need to understand:

the overall task and the key purpose of

each stage

the timescale involved (e.g. internal andexternal deadlines)

links with planning cycles

the respective roles of everyonein volved

the importance of communicating andconsulting effectively with other keyplayers

what resources are available

THE INITIAL STAGE

Key purpose: to reach a decision aboutthe most appropriate way to meet anidentified need for curriculum changeor development.

This stage can be initiated by a varietyof individuals or bodies. It mayoriginate, for example, from:

national developments (e.g. theintroduction of GNVQs)

the college's strategic plan and thedirection in which it has decided todevelop (e.g. away from classroomteaching towards more resource-basedlearning)

a review of the college's overallcurriculum offer. Such an audit mayidentify gaps either in a curriculum areaor in progression routes

specific curriculum review andevaluation practice

market research

customer demand

someone's bright idea!

Whatever the source and havingidentified the need for change, collegeswill need to:

consider alternatives available

consult appropriate individuals/groupsabout the alternatives and theirimplications (e.g. the curriculum team,students, advisory groups, potentialcustomers/employers, awardingbodies)

consider visiting other colleges offeringprovision

consider resou rce lin pl ica t ions

consider responses to the consultationin the light of the college's strategicand/or development plan

decide, in consultation with others, thepreferred option and communicate it toother stakeholders

make a proposal to the appropriatecollege approvals body with resourcerequirements (including any staffdevelopment needs)

communicate the decision toappropriate people

THE PLANNING STAGE

Key purpose: to plan the effectiveintroduction of a curriculumdevelopment or change to a seaedulewith the resources allocated.

Curriculum planning takes placealongside other activities in a busycollege year. Finding time to meet toplan and consult is a common difficulty.Sometimes this can be overcome bycommon timetabling for meetings andthe use of away days. In addition,colleges participating in this projectbecame increasingly aware of the needto defend, protect or nurture the team.ln practice this meant recognising theextra work it was doing and, wherenossible, protecting it from extra work.ivianagers at various levels in thecollege and team members themselvesbecame increasingly skilled at doingthis, once the need to do so had beenrecognised and accepted. Curriculumplanning is a skilful and challengingtask: staff doing it need to be valuedand supported.

During the planning stage, colleges willneed to do two types of planning:preliminary and detailed.

PRELIMINARY PLANNINGColleges will need to:

clarify the task, the timescale and theresources required to do it

identify a team leader to take theplanning forward, bearing in mind the

4 10

task, the skills required and otherdemands on staff time

ensure the team leader is clear about thetask and the timescale

agree planning team members

identify relevant college policies to beborne in mind during planning (e.g.equal opportunities, marketing,curriculum, recruitment, workplacement and quality policies)

identify relevant college procedures tobe followed (e.g. internal approvalprocedure)

identify those other people who need tobe kept informed of progress or whowill be affected by the changes planned(e.g. marketing, guidance, library,administrative and managementinformation system staff). In addition,the delivery team will need to knowabout the plans, as will staff of pro-grammes from which students are likelyto be recruited and to which they arelikely to progress

'small planning teams are more effective,but others need to be kept informed' (tearnleader)

make sure adequate time, resources andaccommodation are available

arrange any staff development necessary(e.g. visits to existing providers incolleges or elsewhere; seminars andconferences; interviews with peoplewith technical expertise such as cross-college co-ordinators; assessor training;retraining)

gather appropriate documentation (e.g.specifications, syllabuses, guidelines forsubmissions, assessment requirements)

decide upon the broad curriculumapproach (e.g. unitised, modular, roll-onroll-off, integrated)

identify quality criteria (these may becollege's own or devised or modified bythe (eam) for the planned provision

iryttps,1111,:e1

For example, it might be decided that thequality criteria for any new programme in acollege should include:

regular tutorial supportthe rapid return of marked workinclusive equal opportunities practicesthe use of a variety of teaching andlearning strategiesthe provision of a course handbookregular feedback from learners

Increasingly colleges are developingspecific standards for these criteria ordesired features, as they are alsosometimes known; for example, markedwork will be returned in five working days(see Continuous Improvement and QualityStandards, FEU, 1994).

DETAILED PLANNINGColleges will need to:

brief the team and agree a team actionplan, detailing tasks and responsibilitiesand showing the meetings schedule andkey dates

'I didn't realise until later that the timewhen I made most demands on staff interms of planning (for GNVQ) was thesame time at which they were busiestassessing the last cohort of BTECstudents; I should have seen this andaltered the tirnescale accordingly.' (teamleader responsible for introducingGNVQ)

set up smaller working groups or pairsto undertake specific pieces of workwith target dates for completion andreporting back

monitor progress and modify the actionplan accordingly

encourage team members to sharesuccesses and difficulties, provideconstructive feedback, and seeksolutions

report on progress as necessary

consult as appropriate, advisory groups,equal opportunities specialists,curriculum advisers (internal and('xternal), prospective employer, Liqen

to feedback, make judgements andmodify plans accordingly

decide whether to broaden teammembership at the detailed planningstage (e.g. when devising schemes ofwork, developing learning materials,booklists, course handbooks, planningassessment, tutorials, induction,teaching and learning strategy andevaluation)

plan the evaluation strategy for the newprovision, bearing in mind cross-collegeapproaches and any particular needs

ensure relevant information is given tocross-college staff in time (e.g. formarketing and recruitment purposes,for the provision of learning support,for the purchase of library books andmaterials)

co-ordinate the writing of the first draftof submission

evaluate the submission against thecollege's own quality criteria andevaluating and validating body's (EVB)requirements. Modify as necessary

submit documentation to the internalvalidation body. Modify as necessary

send the final submission to the EVB forvalidation. Modify if necessary

evaluate the team's performance inplanning (including its management)

'I suddenly realised I had never system-atically evaluated the planning processand my part in it before. On reflection itwas easy to see where we went wrong andhow this spilled over into the deliveryphase. We evaluate our teaching but notour other activities.' (team leader)

ensure the lessons learned about theplanning process are communicated toappr(,r riate people and acted upon infuture

receive approval/accreditation

celebrate achievement

4,144,4,44.4, 'IV 4' -74-v7x

THE IMPLEMENTATION STAGE

Key purpose. to ensure that the plansare implemented effectively and anydifficulties are identified and managed

It is likely that the team responsible forimplementing the plans will have somecommon membership with the planningteam. Effective communication betweenthe two teams is essential if the plansare to be implemented successfully.Care must be taken to ensure that parttimers are fully briefed too.

'It soon became obvious why we seemedto be having difficulties in the first fewmonths of implementing the new course.Planning had had to be completed to tightdeadlines so I had only involved a verysmall number of colleagues who couldwork together quickly and well. The teamresponsible for delivery was much biggerand, in retrospect, I had not explained theplans sufficiently to them. As aconsequence, they were not in a positionto deal with many minor difficulties asand when they arose and so they referredthem all to me. I could and should haveprepared them better.' (team leader)

This issue of effective communicationand the development of a sharedunderstanding of the task betweenplanning and implementation teammembers is even more crucial if twoagencies are collaborating in thedelivery of the programme. In one ofthe participating colleges, this took theform of a memorandum between thetwo organisations, which defined thenature and extent of the collaborationand established responsibility for:

academic arrangements, including theprogramme itself, course evaluationand operational management

administrative and welfare arrangements

the provision of resources

I-low ever good the communication,every contingency can't be planned for.lt is important to expect that these willarise and are not seen as failures. Thek.reation of a culture of learning together

and problem solving is likely to bemore effective

Bearing this in mind, colleges will needto:

before entry

identify the implementation team

ensure it is fully briefed

ensure the marketing strategy isimplemented

brief the central guidance staff aboutthe new/modified programme and itsselection criteria

ensure any necessary staff developmentis complete

undertake any detailed planning stilloutstanding, including induction

finalise the assessment schedule andother course documentation

timetable and resource thenew/modified programme

build in regular meeting times for theteam to share experiences and manageunforeseen events

interview and select students accordingto the criteria decided upon

on programme

deliver the induction programme

deliver the programme as planned but"be prepared to modify

ensure the team meets regularly toreview and modify the plansaccordingly

monit'r progress byusing statistical information (e.g.

attendance and retention)seeking student feedbackseeking feedback from employers

and others

mdintain momentum

support and defend the team

provide students with feedback onprogress

manage any difficulties effectively

celebrate success

disseminate good practice elsewhere inthe cu e

ensure progression routes are clear tostudents and staff

THE EVALUATION STAGE

Key purpose: to evaluate theimplementation of the new provision inorder to improve quality continually.Evaluation involves analysing andmaking judgements about what workedand what worked less well, anddeciding how to do things differentlynext time.

While monitoring and evaluation takeplace throughout the first implemen-tation of any new provision, a suitabletime for a major evaluation is when thefirst cohort of students completes itsprogramme.

Many colleges now have well-established annual curriculum reviewand evaluation cycles. Clearly, anyevaluation will need to fit in with therequirements of these college systems.Most, however, have some commonfeatures which require programmeteams to:

* revisit programme objectives, qualitycriteria and standards

use statistical and qualitative data asevidence to review the provision in thelight of these (e.g. retention, completionand achievement rates and studentsatisfaction surveys)

identify strengths and areas fordevelopment

decide how to do things differently nexttime

draw up a proposed action plan

report to appropriate body (e.g. faculty,Quality Council)

Such systems also require colleges at ahigher level to:

receive reports from programme teams

develop an overview of the reports,including strengths and areas fordevelopment

follow up any problems

make judgements about faculty/collegepriorities and resource allocation

ensure feedback to programme teamsabout these decisions (often referred toas closing the feedback loop, this step iscrucially important, otherwiseevaluation reports can seem todisappear)

agree action plans, responsibilities andresources

It is important to stress that evaluationis both ongoing and periodic. Having aformal annual evaluation system shouldnot mean that evaluation only takesplace at that time.

SUMMARY

Curriculum development and changeare not easy: they make enormousdemands on already busy staff.Colleges participating in this projectdeveloped the terms 'heroes' and'champions' to describe such people.This terminology not only reflects theimportant nature of the developmentalwork they are undertaking, but alsosuggests something of the approachothers should adopt to them: theyshould be valued, appreciated anddefended from more demands. Therearc messages here for both team leadersand senior managers with responsibilityfor the curriculum at college level.

,+ 7

MESSAGES FOR TEAM LEADERSabout planningmake action plans brief and achievable

have short- and long-term objectives

ensure schedules are realistic

be aware of external uncontrollablefactors

atteric staff development

about people and communicationcommunicate effectively

develop a team approach includingteam meetings and liaison

simplify terminology

ensure responsibilities are clear

use appropriate staff

recognise previous success

recognise staff strengths and abilities

the skills required include empathy,listening, understanding

about resourcesmore time is needed for planning

identify adequate support/resourceneeds

link with other colleges involved insimilar developments

about operational matterspromote supported, structured studentlearning

make use of cross-institutionalmeetings, networks and expertise

use internal and external verifiers foradvice

attend to accommodation and cateringarrangements

develop a student assessment recordsystem

foster and develop senior managementbacking

involve students in curriculumdevelopment and seek their views

minimise paper work

about evaluating

monitor regularly

review progress

use performance indicators to helpimprove quality:

MESSAGES FOR COLLEGE

CURRICULUM MANAGERS

about planning

don't rush in

plan well in advance

set realistic but reasonably ambitioustargets

relate the development to other collegepriorities and policies

develop and seek approval for a fullycosted action plan

about leadership, people andcommunication

provide vision

lead and co-ordinate

give time, take interest, talk to staff

be a champion of the development

persuade staff

give teams and their managers support

ensure teams have authority

support team meetings

react to challenges from teams

choose the right people

irAer_

clarify roles and responsibilities

develop a creative formality

recognise achievement/hard work:these are the college heroes

disseminate information

about resources

ensure adequate resources

allocate extra resources fordevelopment where possible

seek external assistance

avoid duplication of effort

avoid paper mountains

about ex. aluating

monitor, review and evaluate the effecton students

use and develop monitoring, reviewand evaluation processes

The monitoringinstrumentWhile most colleges now havecurriculum review and evaluation(CRE) systems which feed into andinform college planning, many of theseare based on annual cycles. These maybe too long to ensure that quality ismaintained during periods of rapidcurriculum change.

After consulting colleagues in a numberof colleges, it was apparent that therewas a need for an instrument that couldbe used to check for quality, at anypoint in the planning cycle. A helpfulanalogy was drawn with a thermometerwhich can be used at any time to givea quick indication whether all is well. Athermometer does not tell you what iswrong, although it indicates theprobable seriousness of the situation,points to various possibilities and

-""

excludes others; neither does it tell youwhat you should do to return to fullhealth. More sophisticated problemsolving is required for that. Thus theinstrument should be seen as anadditional tool to help staff manage thecurriculum in ways which help ensureits quality.

This instrument could similarly beapplied to the last cohort of students onthe 'old' programme, as well as to thefirst students on the new. Staff in bothsituations will be under additionalpressures: in the former they will beplaning the new while completing theold; in the latter they will be deliveringa new programme for the first time.Quality during this time may well beunder threat and the instrument canmonitor this.

The necessary characteristics of such aninstrument were thought to be that itshould:

be quick and easy to administer itshould not over-burden already busystaff

be capable of being customised to fitwith a college's existing qualitypractices and culture

After some deliberation, an instrumentwith three parts was drawn up to meetthese criteria. Its parts were:

management information system (MIS)data collection and report on attendance,punctuality and retention. This datawould be given to course teams fromthe central MIS on a regular basis, saymonthly

student and staff perception reportbased on responses to the question'What three things could most improvethe learning experience for you?'

a red alert mechanism for use whenquality is suffering and usual channelsfor improvement appear to have failed

Given these broad guidelines, projectcolleges were asked to customise theinstrument to make it compatible with

their existing quality systems andcultures.

THE MONITORING INSTRUMENT INUSE

MIS DATA REPORTThis part of the instrument consisted ofdata to be given to the course team bythe college MIS. Its purpose was to givecourse teams suitable data so theycould identify trends and patterns at aglance. Attendance, retention andpunctuality were the aspects chosen. Itwas felt that significant variations,changes or trends in these three wouldindicate changes in quality.

Most of the participating colleges' MIScould not yet deliver such informationregularly to course teams, althcughseveral reported being close to beingable to do so. Some colleges thereforeset up dedicated databases to providethe information and others paper-basedsystems. While the dedicated databaseswere useful for project purposes, theirmore general use would not berecommended because they took toomuch time to set up.

Many teams were sceptical, not justabout the ability of MIS to deliver suchdata, but also its usefulness to the team.Several said, for example, that even if itdid work, it would only give them backinformation they had earlier fed in.

As it was used, attitudes began tochange: people became convinced thatit could deliver data regularly. In onecollege, for example, the project team'sattitudes toward the centralised pro-vision of such course-based data changeddramatically from negative to positive.This appears to have been because:

participants had evidence that thecollege systems could provide accurateand regular data

MIS staff had clearly communicated therange of information that could beprovided

the staff realised the management usesto which such information could hi, put.

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Despite the limitations of system andattitude, most colleges managed toprovide their course teams with therequired data in some form. This washelpful in identifying trends early andsometimes possible problems relating toaspects of the programme, individualstaff members, individual learners orgroups of learners. In one college, thedata showed significantly lowerattendance rates for numeracy than forother aspects of the newly introducedGNVQ programme. Other data enabledstaff to identify early any erratic orproblematic attendance.

STUDENT AND STAFF PERCEPTIONREPORT: WHAT THREE THINGS?This part of the instrument involvedasking students 'What three thingscould we do to most improve thelearning experience for you?' Staff wereasked slightly different questions. Thepurpose was to provide the mostcurrent and easily analysed data onstudent (and staff) perceptions quickly;it also supplemented information fromannual CRE systems. It was thoughtthat learners (and staff) would knowwhat needed improving and that thismight prove a relatively quick and easyway of getting this information. All theparticipating colleges reportedfavourably on this part of the instrument.

Many colleges added to it by askingpeople what three things were goingwell. This was a good example ofcolleges customising the instrument tofit their own quality cultures: in thiscase to celebrate success as well as tostrive for continual improvement. Mostcolleges found that this aspect of theinstrument was relatively quick andeasy to administer, collate and analyse.They also discovered that clearmessages emerged, many of whichwould not have been discovered soclearly or so quickly without thisquestion being asked.

For example, one college had a resitGCSE programme with deterioraiingstudent attendance and poor retentionrates. In response to being asked whatthree things would most improve their

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learning experience, many studentsreplied that they wanted more personalsupport from tutors and more of afeeling of being on a coherent learningprogramme (interestingly thiscorresponds with key findings ofBTEC's research on retention Stayingthe Course, BTEC, 1993)

This same college became so impressedby the responses to this question that itintroduced its use across the college.Another college had concerns aboutnumeracy, aroused originally by theMIS aata, confirmed by responses tothis question.

Sometimes, to course teams' surprise,non-curricular aspects of the pro-gramme were identified as needingimprovement. For example, the lunchbreak was not staggered so the queue atthe refectory was very long. People alsowanted multiple, or reference only,copies of popular books in the library.

It was surprising how clear themessages were from a number ofindividual responses. Many collegestook care to ensure that individuals didnot confer and confidentiality wasassured. Typically two or three keymessages would emerge clearly fromthe set of responses, with up to onethird of students identifying the samemessage in one way or another.

THE RED ALERT MECHANISMThis part of the instrument consisted ofa form with accompanying guidelinesfor use. It was designed as a failsafe, tobe used when quality was suffering andthe usual c-annels for improvementhad been tried and failed. Even incolleges committed to quality andquality improvement, things can gowrong. On these occasions, if usualmethods to put things right fail, a shortcut is needed. This form indicatesquality is in danger and that somethingneeds to be done quickly to avert it.

Its essential features were suggested,but colleges were free to customise it. Itneeded to:

-

4.4,

name the recipient of the form

have a space for the sender's name

invite the sender to identify theproblem

.... t,

,

(importantly) require the sender todescribe what had already been done toimprove matters

invite the sender to suggest a possiblesolution(s)

indicate how quickly the recipient wasrequired to respond (e.g. in twoworking days)

An example of a red alert form is in theAppendix (pp15 and 16).

The guidelines for using the red alertform were seen as crucial. Theyoutlined the usual way of dealing withdifficulties (as close to the source aspossible) and stressed that red alertsshould only be sent very occasionallywhen the usual methods had been triedand had failed.

Colleges were least enthusiastic aboutthis part of the instrument. Somethought it gave the wrong messageabout quality, focusing as it did ondifficulties; others feared it would bemisused and managers would beinundated by mischievous red alerts.Yet others felt its successful use requireda culture of continuous improvementwhich was, as yet, insufficientlydeveloped in their colleges. As aconsequence of these reservations, insome colleges only staff were told aboutthe red alerts; in others, however,students too had access to them andtheir potential use was explained tothem as part of the college's overallcommitment to quality. In these collegesthe accompanying guidance was alsocarefully developed and explained.

There was, in the event, no example offalse red alerts being sent. Of the onesthat were sent, many seemed to focus

on seemingly intractable problems to dowith equipment or accommodation. Forexample, in one college a banging doorin a training restaurant disturbed staff,students and customers. All previousattempts to get it fixed had failed, but ared alert sent to the designated recipient(in this case an associate principal)resulted in it being mended, to every-one's satisfaction, in 24 hours.

In another college, a course had onehour a week timetabled in a computersuite. One week the printer was notworking. The member of staff reportedit in the usual way. The second week itwas still not working: he complained.The third week he sent a red alert andthe problem was solved.

While most staff apparently chose notto tackle difficult people problemsthrough the red alert, on occasion thisdid happen. For example, in one collegea red alert was sent about a studentwhose attendance continued to beproblematic and who was significantlybehind on course work. As aconsequence, a meeting was set up withthe student, the tutor, the head ofdepartment and the assistant principalto seek a solution to renegotiateprogression through the course.

Some colleges suggested 'quality redalert' or 'quality course alert' might bebetter titles for this part of theinstrument.

THE INSTRUMENT EVALUATED

Having designed and trialled theinstrument, it needed to be evaluatedwith participating colleges. In generalterms it was judged to have met itsdesign criteria (quick and easy to useand capable of being customised to fitcolleges existing quality systems). Itwas also felt to have justified itsdevelopment and use in that it didenable patterns and messages to beidentified significantly more clearly andearlier than they would otherwise havebeen. Taking each in turn:

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MIS DATA REPORTWhile most colleges were unable atpresent to deliver this information tocourse teams as envisaged, many wereconvinced of its potential. As MISbecome more effective, such datashould be easily provided, althoughsome participants felt that punctualityshould be omitted. It is important thatthe information is presented to courseteams in a way they can understand.They may also need help in using thedata to improve quality.

STUDENT AND STAFF PERCEPTION

REPORT: WHAT THREE THINGS?

This was the most powerful aspect ofthe instrument. It quickly and easilyprovided new information for staff. Italso identified trends and patternsmuch earlier than would otherwisehave been the case. A crucial aspect inits effectiveness was timing: toofrequent use can blunt its power. Onreflection, most people felt it should beused fairly soon after the start of a newprogramme, but not immediately. Threeweeks into the new programme seemeda reasonable time, with subsequent useevery term. However, colleges will needto make judgements on the basis oftheir own circumstances. In addition toits regular use, it also has potential as ameans of beginning to address diffi-culties as and when they occur (see GCSEresit programme example, page 10).

Ancther issue that emerged was one offeedback. If students (or staff) are askedtheir views on what should be improved,they need to be given feedback inresponse. Sometimes the team membersthemselves can take action; at othertimes they may need to refer a decisionelsewhere. On some occasions, actionmay be desirable but not a priority; onothers, the college may make a decisionnot to act. What-ever the result, studentsdeserve to know having taken the troubleto provide the responses as requested.

THE RED ALERT MECHANISMThe reservations about this aspect of theinstrument were widespread but not byany means total. Such a system haspotential but needs to be part of a widelyhared culture of continual improve

ment It needs careful introduction,with the guidelines for use perhapsbeing developed further. The issue ofwho the recipient should be needs to bedecided locally. For students it may bethe course leader or their line manager.Sometimes, however, it may need to besomeone more senior in the collegewith the authority to intervene andmake decisions.

The time required for a response mustalso be decided. It is important to stressthat this is for a response, not necessarilya decision or an action. If one acceptsthat red alerts are only sent in difficultcircumstances, the response must bequick; however, the response time mustalso be achievable. Two working daysseemed to be reasonable. Another issuewhich requires further clarification ispossible links between the red alert,complaints procedures and collegecharters. For example, the Chartcr forFurther Education (DFE, 1993) states.

'Whether you are a student, employer or amember of the local community, if you arenot satisfied with the teaching or anyother service provided you have the rightto take action as follows:

first, speak or write to the college orother organisation responsible fordelivering the service. Explain theproblem. You have the right to expect acourteous and efficient initial responseto your concerns within io workingdays

if you are not satisfied with the finaloutcome, there are further, moreformal steps you can take. These areexplained [below].

Complaints about colwgesYou have the right to expect colleges tohave arrangements in place for handlingformal complaints, and to:

make sure that these arrangements areclear and effectivepublish details in their chartersconsider formal complaints fairly andquicklygive an initial response to a complaintwithin io working daysgive their reasons if they reject yourcomplaint.'

Since the summer of 1994 colleges havebeen required to publish their owncharters, which must include details oftheir complaints procedures. Whetherthese requirements will obviate theneed for something like the red alert isnot yet clear. It may be for instance thatthe red alert could be a part of thecollege's complaints procedure. On theother hand, it might be that thecomplaints procedure is adopted forstudents and a red alert is developedfor staff use.

In summary, the monitoring instrumentwas evaluated positively in the main.One unintended but not altogethersurprising outcome, however, was thathaving been provided with thisinformation, course teams then had todecide what to do with it and how tomanage the situations identified.

It became apparent that staff sometimesfelt unequal to these tasks. Sometimesthe team could decide to take action,but on other occasions the coursemanager was a main grade lecturer whofelt it was not appropriate to deal withthe messages being communicated.

Sometimes the issues identified were todo with college-wide resourcingpriorities; sometimes to do with collegecurriculum or quality policies; and veryoccasionally, particular staff or studentswere involved. Often issues to do withcurriculum, quality and line manage-ment appeared confused. At the sametime, once the issues were identified bythe instrument, the need to managethem became an imperative.

No simple solutions were found tothese complex problems. The experiencedid, however, lead some colleges toclarify curriculum, quality, resource andline management responsibilities.Others discussed the possibility ofdeveloping job descriptions for theteam leader, or course manager, a titlesome preferred. Where this had beendone, it did appear to give the teamleader greater authority to deal withidentified issues, something that wassometimes felt to be lacking by others.

ConclusionsWhen the curriculum is rapidly changingand developing, quality is particularlyvulnerable. However, there are thingsthat can help. For example:

be clear about the change and thereasons for it

plan changes in advance

develop costed action plans

ensure developments are consistentwith curriculum and quality policies

negotiate and agree areas ofresponsibility with members of theplanning team, the implementationteam and college curriculum andquality managers

monitor for quality on a regular basis,using the monitoring instrument

use the data to identify potentialdifficulties

manage the situations before theybecome problems

encourage all staff to take responsibilityfor maintaining and enhancing quality

Unresolved issuesFor many of the course teams involvedin this project, the data gathered in thecourse of using the instrument resultedin the identification of clear patterns,trends or messages. As a consequence,action was often required in order tomaintain or enhance quality. There wassometimes a lack of clarity about whoseresponsibility this was and where thepower of decision making lay. Inparticular, some course team leaders feltthey lacked either the authority or theskills to deal with the issues identified.In some cases, this was partiallyresolved by the development of a jobdescription for the course managerand/or the clarification of the roles ofquality, curriculum and line managers.

Further informationFurther informationon this and relatedwork is ax ailablefrom Dr StellaDixon, FEDA SouthWest, CoombeLodge, Blagdon,Bristol BSI8 6RG.

Tel:1017611462503Fax:1017611 463104

If you need furthercopies of thisdocument, pleasecontact FEDA'sVauxhall siteInformation Centre,Citadel Place,finworth Street,London SE! 1 5EH

Tel:101711962 1280Fax: [01711962 1266

FEDA 1995

kegktered charitynumber: 1044045

ISBN: 1 85338 409 7

Printed by (;ecring,Ashford, Kent

However, this may be only a smallillustration of a wider and growingissue for colleges. There is now anexplicit national imperative to improveparticipation, drive down unit costs andenhance the quality of collegeprovision. The introduction of nationalperformance indicators (see MeasuringAchievement, FEFC 94/31) and thepublication of examination results arebut two manifestations of this.

Colleges are also increasingly developinginternal quality assurance procedures.These involve gathering statistical andqualitative information which is thenused for internal quality managementpurposes. For example, colleges use thedata to help them make decisions andintervene in situations to improvequality. To do this effectively often entailsmaking hard decisions and almostalways requires complex technical andinterpersonal skills. Colleges maywelcome further development workand guidance in this more general areaof using data to manage for quality

Related

publications

Staying the Course, BTEC, 1993Measuring Achievement, Circular 94/31,FEFC, 1994Continuous Improvement and QualityStandards, FEU, 1994Management Information Systems and theCurriculum, FEU, 1993Value Added in Further Education, FEU,1993Current Developnwnts in Value Added,FEDA, 1995Making Quality Your Own, FEU, 1995

.72P Irrl

AcknowledgementsFEDA would like to thank members ofthe national and south-west regionalworkshops, with whom initial ideasabout the instrument were developed,and the nine colleges whichparticipated in the project. These were:Chippenham College, ColchesterInstitute, Dunstable College, ExeterCollege, North Hertfordshire College,Priestley College, Reaseheath College,Swindon College, Tameside College.

In each college a senior manager andprogramme team members from twocurriculum areas were involved in theproject work. Each team reflected onpast curriculum development practicesand systematically recorded itsdeveloping practice as it planned andintroduced curriculum change. Theserecords were used to build up thechecklists for action listed under thevarious stages of curriculumdevelopment. About half the teamswere concerned with the introduction ofGNVQs; others with NVQs, theinternational baccalaureate and greaterflexible learning. The teams also trialledthe monitoring instrument, byadministering it at various stages in theprocess.

FEDA project team: Kevin Donovan,Christopher Parkin, Stella Dixon

Appendix

Red alert!Guidelines for the use of a red alert form

1 A system only to be used when urgent action is needed.

2 The matter must be giving cause for concern.

3 The matter must have given rise to repeated complaints.

4 Only when the normal processes of solving a problemstudent/teacher/tutor/head of section have failed, may this form be used.

5 Forms will be held by heads of section; the number of these is limited, only oneperson holding the master. It is not possible to copy from the red form.

6 The red alert form is to be directed to the head of faculty, who must respond intwo working days. Appropriate action to follow as soon as possible.

i 13

FROM:

TO:

DATE SENT:

lir

DATE REPLIED:

CC: Head of SectionHead of Faculty

Nature of difficulty:

Action already taken:

Possible solutions:

Signed:

NB Response to be given within two working days of receipt of this form.Action taken:

Signed:

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