What Is the Course Database?
The Course Database is a sub-system of USP’s Banner business application software. It holds core information about the university’s 1200-odd courses. The Course Database serves two important and interrelated functions: to inform online registration and USP’s publications. Currently three-quarters of our students register online for their courses. Data from the Banner system is used by the online registration process to control that the courses for which a student registers are in the right semester, delivery mode and location and that the student has passed the prerequisites.
Extracts of the Course Database data are downloaded in early October to form key chapters in the university’s two main publications: the USP Calendar and the Enrolment Guide. Much of the course information is viewable by staff, students and the general public throughout the year from the USP website Course Finder. The data in the Course Database about each course is maintained by the person who knows most about the course – the Course Co-ordinator.
Who Can Change Data in the Database?
For obvious reasons, access to update the Banner information about a course is restricted to those who have been granted permission to do so. This includes the Student Data staff in SAS, the Course Co-ordinator, and the Head of the relevant School or Department. Permissions are activated or deactivated by the Marketing and Communications Office at the request of the Head of the School or Department. Once Course Coordinator roles for the forthcoming academic year have been decided within the School or Department, the Head tells the Marketing and Communications Office of the names for each of the school’s Course Coordinators. Marketing and Communications then change the permissions per the Head’s request.
What Do I Do on the Course Database?
Before you have even been given access to update the Course Database you can begin by checking the existing information for your course from the “Programs and Courses” link on the homepage of the USP website. Clicking on your course will display the information about it that is stored in the Course Database. It is especially important to check that the information about the semester(s), mode(s), location(s) and prescribed texts is correct.
If there are no changes (and for many courses the information about the course remains the same from one year to the next) you need do nothing further. However, if there are changes to be made you will need to log on to the Course Database to make them. Decisions about small changes to courses (such as a change of title, change of prerequisite, change of prescription, change to continuous assessment/examination weightings or confirmation of the semester, mode and location of delivery of the course in the forthcoming year) take place within Schools and Departments but for transparency reasons are reported to Faculty Teaching and Learning Committees (FTLC). The Course Co-ordinator is able to make all these sorts of changes on the Course Database except changes to prerequisites.
Please note that there will be a delay before prerequisite changes to your courses appear on screen as SAS staff members only update changes to prerequisites after Academic Standards and Quality Committee (ASQC) minutes – which include FTLC reports – are received.
What About Major Changes?
For significant changes to courses, such as a new course, or the proposed recoding or substantial change to content of a course, approvals take place at ASQC or at Senate. You need to complete accreditation Forms A, B and C for these sorts of changes – these forms flow from your FTLC to the ASQC and Senate meetings. The last ASQC meeting each year at which changes for the following year’s courses and programs can be considered is the one held late August/early September. You can only enter approved changes into the Course Database.
How Do I Update My Courses?
A step by step guide detailing how to log in and update courses is available from the Marketing and Communications Office. You can request the guide by emailing publications(at)usp.ac.fj.
How do I Update Programs?
The program information in the Calendar, Enrolment Guide and on the USP website is sourced directly from the minutes of the Academic Standards and Quality Committee (ASQC) and Senate and is updated by the Marketing and Communications office annually in line with publication of the coming year’s Calendar.
If you find an error in the information in a publication or on the website, or have any other queries please contact the Marketing and Communications office by emailing publications(at)usp.ac.fj
