Procurement and Implementation of a Curriculum Management System

The University of Portsmouth is currently assessing options for the potential procurement of a Curriculum Management System to enhance our academic planning and delivery processes.

Existing curriculum workflows rely on outmoded processes and technologies requiring multiple steps via email and the use of document containers that significantly limit transparency and collaboration. These processes are inherently slow, prone to error and resource intensive.

These workflows and systems, therefore, are not fit for purpose in a top modern university seeking to be more agile and will act as a significant barrier to the delivery of the Connected Curriculum which is central component of the refreshed 2030 university strategy.

Objectives :

Creating a Single Source of Truth

Improve course accuracy

Improve data and insight

Improve downstream processes

Create an Auditable Approval and review process

Reduce manual effort and duplication

Improve reporting and governance

Institutional Agility

Allows curriculum to adapt more quickly and efficiently through streamlined processes

Improve course speed of creation

Improved regulatory compliance

Current Challenges :

Fragmented processes and duplicated data entry.

Limited visibility of Course/module approval status.

Compliance risks with regulatory frameworks.

Slow adaptation to curriculum changes requests.

High-Level Requirements/What we are looking for:

High Level Functional Requirements :

Curriculum Lifecycle Management

Centralised workflows for new course design, approval, modification, and retirement. Features should include:

Configurable template and data schema structure, applicable at course and module level.

Data validation that can be applied in a configurable manner.

Notification and sharing - The solution shall provide automated messaging to key stakeholders through the validation cycle for sign-off/approval/review.

Course review (usually done on an annual basis), including amendments/updates, suspensions, run-outs and closures, should be manageable from the application.

An ability to manage courses run in combination with third party partners and accreditation bodies.

An ability to display course information in a map-like (matrix) format, for example: assessment map, learning outcomes map, etc.

Workflow Automation - Automated routing of approvals to relevant parties including notifications.

Workflow definition and configuration - to be assignable at course level.

Workflows should be configurable and usable to manage both initial development of courses and annual (or other) course review functions.

Version Control & Audit Trails - Full history of changes to courses/modules.

Reporting and changelog reports.

Display, Search & Discovery - Easy retrieval of Course/module details for staff and students including search and filtering tools.

Integration:

The solution shall interoperate with course catalogue and/or UoP and external webpages to provide automatic updates to avoid manual data entry across different systems.

Seamless data exchange with SITS.

Ability to integrate with other platforms e.g. Drupal, Moodle and a timetabling system.

Non-Functional Requirements:

SaaS infrastructure to minimise system support and maintenance liabilities.

Usability - Intuitive user interface suitable for both academic and administrative users.

Accessibility - Compliance with WCAG standards.

Performance - Fast data retrieval and response times.

Scalability - Support institutional growth and evolving curricula.

Security & Data Protection - GDPR compliance, secure role-based access.

Reliability - High system availability (Uptime SLA TBC).