Management of the study portfolio
Management of the study portfolio development shall be based on a strategic approach, and on an overall assessment based on the university’s social mission, demand for relevant education and the academic and economic sustainability of the study offers. The work on the quality of the study portfolio level shall develop and detect any shortcomings in the quality in the total study portfolio, the individual study programme and any systematic challenges across study programmes.
The SEFØ model shall be used as support, as a tool for portfolio management. The model is inspired by the EMMAP model, developed by The Knowledge Partnership in the UK, and has subsequently been developed and adapted for use in Norway. The EMMAP model is a balanced scorecard method that can help universities and university colleges in their assessment of study and course portfolios in relation to strategy and priorities. The term EMMAP is derived from the initials of each of the four areas of the model: Economic, Mission, Market Attractiveness, Performance.
The following parameters shall be assessed within the SEFØ model:
Strategic importance
Assessment of the needs of the labour market and of society for workers, and the regional and national division of labour.
Demand
Assessment of post-study educational trends and applicants’ demands. All study programmes shall have a reference group with similar study programmes for the assessment and evaluation of each other’s programmes.
Academic sustainability
Assessment of the total quality based on USN’s seven quality dimensions: admissions quality, framework quality, relevance, programme quality, quality of teaching, competence and learning outcomes.
Financial sustainability
Assessment of the relationship between the programme’s income and costs.