Published 06/06/2025
The University of Derby is a forward-thinking institution with over 26,000 students and 1,700 staff spread across multiple campuses and online platforms. With a strong focus on delivering inclusive, high-quality education and driving innovation through research, the university is constantly seeking ways to enhance its academic operations and student experience.
But even the most progressive institutions face operational challenges, especially when legacy systems and manual processes begin to hinder progress.
At the heart of the University of Derby’s academic quality assurance framework lies the Quality Monitoring Evaluation Process (QMEP). This process ensures that every module, thousands of them each year, is rigorously reviewed through moderation, verification, and self-evaluation. It’s a vital mechanism for maintaining academic standards and meeting the expectations of students, staff, and regulatory bodies.
However, the QMEP process was anything but modern. It relied heavily on emails and Word documents, creating a fragmented and error-prone system. Module leaders, internal and external examiners, and the academic quality team were bogged down by:
“These essential processes were manual, inconsistently followed and incredibly difficult to track and report on. The aim was to use digital solutions to simplify and streamline them, as well as to enhance visibility and auditability.”
Enter CPS, with a solution built on Microsoft’s Power Platform. Working closely with the university, CPS developed a custom canvas app that would revolutionise the QMEP process.
The app, powered by SharePoint and integrated with PeopleSoft, automated the entire workflow. It allowed module leaders to complete forms online, enabled examiners to review and provide feedback, and gave the academic quality team real-time insights through Power BI dashboards.
Key features included:
The app was developed using agile methodology, with continuous feedback from end users. It was piloted with a sample group before going live in July 2024.
“Using the agile project management methodology meant that we were fully involved in the development of our product at each and every step of the way, and that we were able to review, test and shape each feature to get it just how we wanted it to be.”
The transformation was immediate and profound. What was once a laborious, paper-heavy process became a streamlined, digital-first experience. The benefits were felt across the board:
“Having all users, including External Examiners and Academic Partners, being able to access these essential processes in one online application has been transformational.”
The University of Derby isn’t stopping here. With a support package in place for ongoing enhancements, the team is already planning Phase 2: digitising the Annual Review form. This next step will further refine their quality assurance processes and continue their journey toward digital excellence.
CPS remains a trusted partner, ready to support the university’s evolving needs and help them achieve their long-term vision for academic innovation.
The implementation of the QMEP app delivered measurable improvements across the University of Derby’s academic quality assurance operations. Key business benefits include:
“Working with the University of Derby has been a true partnership. Their commitment to improving academic quality through digital innovation made this project a success from day one. By embracing agile development and collaborating closely with our team, they’ve not only transformed a critical process but set a benchmark for what’s possible in higher education.”
— CPS Project Team
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