Frequently asked questions
Can I still issue a faculty generic study guide and other supplementary material?
Can I cut and paste into the editor from Word?
Will the headings in the CIS produced outlines be the same as I currently use?
Is producing a subject outline an additional requirement?
Won't this result in boring, unattractive outlines?
Will I be restricted in how I can display the information needed?
Will dates auto-populate in the program?
Will the faculty have any control over the layout, font and other matters affecting the appearance of the outline?
Do I have any scope for formatting data?
What happens to the outline if I leave a field in CIS blank?
Is there any version control of outlines in CIS?
Will I be able to change faculty board approved information?
Won't this stifle continual improvement?
Will the outline be a public document that anyone can access online?
At what time will the outline be transferred to TRIM?
What leeway will I have in changing assessment tasks?
Why is UTS doing this?
What faculties are using CIS to produce subject outlines?
Can I still issue a faculty generic study guide and other supplementary material?
You can, if you want to, for example, give a more detailed description of assessment tasks or give an extended list of readings for each lecture. However, any requirements placed on students must be covered in the subject outline as this serves as the 'contract' between the coordinator and the student. Supplementary information given in the faculty generic study guide should cover faculty-wide information, applicable to all subjects. You should not duplicate information from the outline in other supplementary material.
Can I cut and paste into the editor from Word?
You can cut and paste but the text must go through a text editor, and not be directly pasted from Word. The text should be pasted as 'plain' text. In the process some formatting may be lost, but this can be reinstated using the CIS built-in editor. If you do cut and paste directly from Word the published outline will have blank spaces and ugly formatting artefacts. The published outline should always be checked before printing.
Will the headings in the CIS produced outlines be the same as I currently use?
No. The headings have had to be agreed across all faculties, so the words in headings will not necessarily conform with past practice in your faculty, but the intent is the same. For example, Information Technology used to use the term 'presentation', which translates to 'Teaching and learning strategies' in the CIS produced outlines.
Is producing a subject outline an additional requirement?
No. Subject coordinators have always been obliged to produce outlines before the end of the first week of teaching under Rule 3.7.1. All that is different is the method by which the outline is produced. The bulk of the text will now be automatically drawn from formally approved documentation of the subject. Producing outlines will be less burdensome than previously once you have come up to speed with the CIS interface and editor.
Won't this result in boring, unattractive outlines?
It is important not to confuse the outline with the Learning Guide and other material that supports student study in the subject. Outlines will be uniform across the university and serve a quasi-legal purpose. They should contain just the essential information. The format of the Learning Guide, which will supplement and expand on the outline, can display all the creative genius of the coordinator.
Will I be restricted in how I can display the information needed?
There is some freedom, but also restriction. For example, in presenting the content week by week there are just four columns available in the table (Week number, Date, Description, Notes). The headings of the columns cannot be altered, but there is scope for putting an explanatory note at the end of the table.
Formerly different subject coordinators had different numbers of columns in their 'Program' or 'Timetable' section of the outline, for example one for the lecture topic, one for the tutorial or laboratory topic, etc. It is not possible to exactly replicate this with CIS produced outlines, but it should be relatively easy to adapt your approach to convey the information you want in a way that takes account of CIS constraints.
Will dates auto-populate in the program?
Yes, you can choose to autofill the dates in the week-by-week program.
Will the faculty have any control over the layout, font and other matters affecting the appearance of the outline?
No, but the design will evolve over time. A key requirement is that a single design be used across UTS.
Do I have any scope for formatting data?
Yes. In most fields bold and italics are available and bullet point and numbered lists can be set up, but the font cannot be changed and tables cannot be introduced.
What happens to the outline if I leave a field in CIS blank?
The published outline appears without the heading of that field as though that field was not part of the outline at all. You should not put 'None' in otherwise blank fields.
Is there any version control of outlines in CIS?
Yes, outlines are named by date and offering. Outlines generated on the same day will overwrite each other in the system. All outlines are copied to TRIM for storage and future reference. They can also be downloaded to your computer.
Will I be able to change faculty board approved information?
Subject coordinators/editors cannot change faculty board approved information. Within Subject Outlines, Editors can only edit data in the subject coordinator set of fields. Changes to data in any other fields can be requested via the workflow system under the Change request tab. Editors need to have the 'Create' workflow privilege to access this tab.
Won't this stifle continual improvement?
Not if the faculty process for assessing and approving suggested changes is efficient and effective.
Will the outline be a public document that anyone can access online?
The faculty board approved information will be visible via the online handbook, but the actual outline will not be visible to anyone unless they have CIS access. The outline will be permanently stored on the UTS records system, TRIM.
At what time will the outline be transferred to TRIM?
One week into the teaching period, all outlines that have been generated on CIS for a particular semester will be 'captured' and transferred to TRIM. This will happen automatically, as under Rule 3.7.1 outlines must be in their final form by this date. From that point onwards it will not be possible to generate a standard outline for that semester. You can, however, generate a late or amended outline in CIS and these will be named and dated as such and also transferred to TRIM. The version(s) on TRIM will be the version(s) used for resolving any disputes with students.
What leeway will I have in changing assessment tasks?
Subject coordinators can change the task description and due date and submission information. They also have access to the further information field. They cannot change the title or the weighting or delete or introduce new assessment tasks (although this can be done by following the faculty approval process).
Why is UTS doing this?
To ensure that students get accurate information about what is expected of them, to assist them with their learning. By having the same format for presenting the information irrespective of faculty of subject, confusion and misreading should be minimised. It is highly desirable from a quality perspective to source information from a single authoritative source. Subject outlines should be less of a burden to produce than traditional methods for academics, and the system ensures that UTS has a record of every outline issued.
What faculties are using CIS to produce subject outlines?
All faculties use the system to produce their subject outlines.