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Publishing CertHE/UG/PG/MPhil/Phd programme descriptions online: step-by-step guide

All new programme descriptions have to go through the same procedure, which is detailed below (with the exception of MPhil/PhD programmes, which start the process at Step 3).

Step 1. Programme approval - pre-publication process:

  • Before we can publicise your programme, it needs to be formally approved (either 'subject to approval' or 'fully approved'). This is done through the college's quality assurance process, which is supported by the Academic Standards and Quality (ASQ) team in the Registry.
  • Note: if you have not yet received approval for your programme, you will need to submit your programme proposal for approval. This form now includes an appendix with fields relating to our published programme descriptions, which you should complete as fully as possible to enable us to publicise your programme as soon as possible after it receives approval.

Step 2. Formal notification

  • ASQ notify BSIS and ERA (External Relations Administrator) that your programme has been approved, by sending each team a copy of the approved programme proposal form.

Step 3. New programme record created on SITS

  • Using the information on the approved programme proposal form (except for MPhil/PhD programmes, which do not go through the approval process in the same way), BSIS will create a programme record in SITS, consisting of (at minimum) a programme code and approved programme title.

Step 4. Programme record approved for publication via publications database (PDB)

  • Once set up in SITS, the programme code and programme title will appear in the PDB on the next working day, at which point, the ERA will authorise it for publication in the appropriate course listing project, and allocate it to the relevant subject index headings.

Step 5. New programme description set up in Plone by ERA

  • Once authorised in the PDB, the next working day, the programme code and title will trigger the creation of a corresponding programme description template in Plone (the content management system we use to publish our online course information). Using your approved programme proposal form as the basis, the ERA will populate this new online programme description on our development site.
  • Course structure: the course structure for your programme (i.e. which modules are taken in what year and what, if any, option modules are available to be taken) is created in Plone by the ERA using the programme proposal form. The course structure for CertHE, UG and PG programmes must correspond to this approved course structure, to ensure that we only publish approved course information.

Step 6. School/department administrator (SDA) online editing

  • Once the programme description has been populated and the course structure has been created, the ERA will send the link to the relevant SDA (school/department administrator) who has been authorised to work on Plone. The SDA will be able to amend the content in Plone (with the exception of the course structure, which should already be in place).
  • Please note: all Plone guidance and support will be provided through Yammer, our internal communications tool. (If you are not on Yammer yet, you will need to contact Russell Bailey in ITS to ask for access.)

Step 7. SDA approval

  • Once you are happy with the programme description, you will need to submit the programme description for approval.
  • Please note: all Plone guidance and support will be provided through Yammer, our internal communications tool. (If you are not on Yammer yet, you will need to contact Russell Bailey in ITS to ask for access.)

Step 8. ERA final checking

  • The ERA will find the edited programme that has been submitted for publication. Please note: External Relations has been tasked by Birkbeck senior management with the task of converting our programme and module descriptions into effective promotional tools. Therefore, before we can approve amended descriptions for publication on our live site, we may need to edit/rewrite the text, depending on the content. In such cases, we will liaise with the SDA offline in order to achieve a result both the SDA and the ERA are happy with.