Publication of Official UTS Award Course Information – Vice-Chancellor's Operational Directive

1. Background and context

UTS publishes a range of information on its award courses in print and online media. This is designed to promote UTS courses, to assist current and potential students to select and plan their preferred study options and also to provide comprehensive and consistent information on UTS courses to the University and to the wider community. The format and content of this course information varies depending on the purpose and the audience.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that published course information is as accurate and as up-to-date as possible and is consistent across the range of official publications, media and formats. The University also has a responsibility to ensure that published course information complies with governmental and statutory requirements (refer Section 6).

In order to ensure accuracy and integrity of UTS course information, the principle of a 'single authoritative source of data' has been adopted and implemented progressively in recent years. UTS has implemented systems and processes which combine curriculum data held in two systems: the Curriculum and Student System (CASS) and the Course Information System (CIS). These two systems are inter-related and complementary with specific types of data being held in each system. CASS stores high-level curriculum data while CIS stores descriptive text-based data. CASS data is extracted into CIS and combined with CIS descriptive data to populate course information products in a range of formats.

This Operational Directive will assist in managing UTS award course information and assuring its quality and integrity.

2. Purpose and scope

The purposes of this Directive are:

(i) to recognise the CASS/CIS data collection as the authoritative source of official award course information;

(ii) to define responsibilities and require practices to be established that will ensure that all UTS award course information products use the CASS/CIS data collection as the authoritative source of official award course information;

(iii) to define responsibilities and require practices to be established that will ensure that all UTS award course information provided by UTS to third parties for publication uses the CASS/CIS data collection as the authoritative source of official award course information;

(iv) to define responsibilities and establish practices for approval and management of interpretative course information that is required from time to time and is in addition to that which is currently held in the CASS/CIS data collection.

This Directive applies to:

(i) all award course information products produced by the University, including those produced for marketing purposes locally and internationally. This includes but is not limited to:

• UTS Handbook
• UTS Calendar
• UTS Online 'Search for Courses' database
• UTS International website
• UTS International Student Prospectus (undergraduate and postgraduate)
• Faculty websites
• UTS Faculty Courses Guides (undergraduate and postgraduate)

(ii) all award course information products where information is provided by UTS to a third party for publication in print or online media by the third party, such as:

• UAC Guide
• Studylink Directories
• Hobsons Guides (Australian Career Information Register)
• Good Universities Guide

3. Definitions

For the purposes of this Operational Directive:

4. Vice-Chancellor's statement

4.1 The UTS CASS/CIS data collection is to be used as the primary and authoritative source of official award course information.

4.2 Information on planned award courses (i.e. that have received accreditation approval but have not been approved for commencement by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor) can only be published with express approval of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and in such cases an appropriate proviso may also be required (e.g. 'course planned for introduction and subject to final approval').

4.3 GSU will coordinate the development, use, maintenance and review of the UTS Course Information System (CIS) so that it continues to meet the University's needs to provide a single authoritative source of course information data for publication and marketing purposes.

4.4 GSU will develop and maintain standards to ensure that the currency and consistency of course information is preserved and to manage the editorial integrity of published course information.

4.5 Academic units and support units must comply with all requests to review course information stored in either CASS or CIS and should actively contribute to the ongoing refinement and expansion of the range of course information stored in CASS and CIS.

4.6 Academic units and support units are to establish practices and procedures that ensure that CIS is used as the authoritative source of course information for the population and creation of all the University's course information products and for those produced by a third party from information supplied by the University.

4.7 GSU will consult with staff from academic units and support units who wish to produce course information products that require a different presentation and style or require information that is not currently contained in the CASS/CIS data collection. Every effort will be made to accommodate additional data needs within CIS. However, it is recognised that in exceptional circumstances it may be necessary or appropriate to source and manage this information locally.

4.8 In those exceptional circumstances where it is necessary to source and manage course information locally (i.e. not as part of the CASS/CIS data collection) academic units and support units are to establish practices and procedures which ensure that the information sourced and managed locally is consistent with the CASS/CIS data for the particular courses.

4.9 GSU will liaise with IML, ITD, APO and SAU to ensure that technical capabilities are maintained at the standard required so that CIS continues to be robust and accessible.

GSU will liaise with MCU and Faculties to ensure that, where possible, additional data needs are accommodated within CIS, without adversely affecting the integrity of course information or limiting the scope or needs of the marketing process.

5. Authorities and accountabilities

5.1 The Deputy Vice-Chancellor has overall accountability for ensuring that the UTS Course Information System is used as the single authoritative source of course information to populate all the University's course information products.

5.2 The Registrar has overall accountability for ensuring the accuracy and currency of data held in CASS and in CIS.

5.3 GSU is accountable for the development, management and maintenance of data integrity in CIS.

5.4 SAU Student Systems is accountable for the development, management and maintenance of CASS.

5.5 The APO is accountable for the development, management and maintenance of data integrity for curriculum data held in CASS.

5.6 GSU has responsibility for reporting all identified breaches of this Directive to the Director, Governance Support Unit. The Director, Governance Support Unit has the authority to advise the head of an academic unit or support unit of the remedial action necessary to rectify any breaches of this Directive and to refer and problems or unresolved situations to the relevant Deputy Vice-Chancellor.

6. Specification of related UTS and other relevant documentation

• Student and Related Rules Section 3.2 General course requirements
• Publishing on the UTS Web Policy
• Plain English Policy
• CIS Documentation website
• Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (ESOS)
• Higher Education Support Act 2003 (HESA)
• Trade Practices Act 1974 (TPA)
• Fair Trading Act NSW 1987

7. Approval and revisions tables

7.1 Approval

7.2 Revision/modification history