UCT Course Readiness and Completion System

Universities often face heavy administrative loads that lead to bottlenecks and delays in course preparation and delivery. The Course Readiness and Completion System was developed for the University of Cape Town to address inefficiencies and inconsistencies that come with the current manual, decentralised system.

To address these challenges we have developed a system to streamline course preparation, track progress and enhance communication within course administration. This solution moves away from the current manual, decentralised system to a centralised web-based system that allows convenors and administrators to manage tasks in a collaborative and transparent manner. Our single platform solution reduces duplication of effort, supports accountability and enables progress to be efficiently monitored at both a course and departmental level.

The system is built using ASP.NET Core Blazor with MudBlazor components for the front-end and Azure SQL Database for secure data storage. The architecture is structured around core entities with validation controls that ensure accuracy, secure access and completeness. Key features include role-based access, dynamic task status tracking with real-time dashboards, comment logging for collaboration, an automated notification feature integrated with UCT outlook accounts and reporting tools for a high level overview of progress.

Ease of navigation and user friendliness were at the forefront of our design choices. Our goal was to create an intuitive navigation experience that allows users to quickly access the overall progress of their courses at a glance.The interface is aligned with that of UCT’s branding. Together, these attributes should minimise the need for staff training while also encouraging adoption.

Ultimately, the system demonstrates how the digitisation of academic administration can deliver measurable improvements in efficiency, collaboration and accuracy through user-centred design. Future enhancements could include integration with learning management systems and other institutional processes to extend the system’s impact.